my (quick) "best of" 2011

I suppose it's this time of year again. Your productivity comes into question and you look back wondering where all the time went. You worry if your list is too hipster or not hipster enough. How much of it is the same as your friends' and how much time you spent listening watching and reading. I decided to make it five of each this year - trying to get more of that 'quality over quantity' vibe into my life. 

The only rule of my "best of" lists is that I consumed the item in question for the first time this year. For example, this year was the first I had ever heard Robert Johnson's album 'King of the Delta Blues' despite it being first released in 1997 and recorded much, much earlier. Also, the list is not in order of awesomeness - to pick just five of each was damn hard enough so don't expect me to give them places.

 
(Links take you to any reviews I have written about the thing.)

Books:

• Letters to a Young Contrarian - Christopher Hitchens
• China - Lonely Plant
• Bossypants - Tina Fey
• Superfreakonomics - Levitt & Dubner
• What the Dog Saw - Malcolm Gladwell

Albums:

• King of the Delta Blues - Robert Johnson
• Rip Tide - Beirut
• Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes
• Torches - Foster the People
• Peace Love Death Metal - Eagles of Death Metal

Movies:

• Bright Star
• Pretty Woman
• A Single Man
• The Adventures of Tintin
• Top Gun

I found myself returning to a lot of old favourites instead of finding a whole lot of new things this year. For example, I got right back into Wuthering Heights and watched Sahara (my number one favourite movie of all time) eight more times throughout the year. I watched Ratatouille three more times too, lol. It's so great. I also did a lot more TV shows (30 Rock and Buffy and Supernatural and Game of Thrones) than movies. Not sure why that is. 

Safe to say it doesn't really resemble any of the lists from previous years (with the number of times that China Lonely Planet has literally saved my life, I couldn't leave it off the list), but I guess that's what this year has been like for me - totally unlike any other and totally kook. But awesome. Of course!

My last.fm profile and Goodreads profile and etc. can be found on the 'about me' page, I'd love for you to add me and we can dig each other's archives. You know what I mean. Wink.