Well, it’s that time of year again! Everywhere you turn, art nerds are shouting their lists of favorite books, music, and movies discovered in 2023 from the proverbial rooftops. Why, you may ask, would we bother doing this?
I can’t speak for every list-maker out there, but I’ve got two motives. First, the act of creating these lists challenges me to examine artwork more deeply, prompting interesting questions – Why did that book resonate with me? Was this album meaningful and well-crafted, or was it superficial and derivative? Why did my opinion of that movie change over time? Second, list-making is an opportunity to share works of art that have impacted me with others, paying the joy of discovery forward. Like a bedraggled mariner, returning dazzled by lands too wild and wondrous for words, I can point beyond the edges of the maps and say, “Look! Here be dragons!”
As you scroll through the lists below, you’ll notice that most of the titles were released prior to 2023. Once again, there are two reasons for that. First, because I have a personal life and don’t get paid to read and watch movies (*sigh*…If only…) I’m always playing catch-up when it comes to cool stuff. Second, if I haven’t discovered these titles until now, chances are you may not have discovered them yet either! With that said, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy these lists, and happy exploring!
Contents:
Part 1 – Top 5 Books
Part 2 – Top 5 Albums
Part 3 – Top 5 Songs
Part 4 – Top 5 Movies
PART I – BOOKS:
Honorable Mentions: Educated by Tara Westover, Encountering Mystery: Religious Experience in a Secular Age by Dale C. Allison Jr., Surrender by Bono, Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation by Bill Nye, Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baprist Church by Megan Phelps-Roeper, Where the Light Fell by Philip Yancey
5. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
“In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.
Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.” (Synopsis quoted from Amazon.com)
4. Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
“Movie house owner Virgil Wander is ‘cruising along at medium altitude’ when his car flies off the road into icy Lake Superior. Though Virgil survives, his language and memory are altered. Awakening in this new life, Virgil begins to piece together the past.
He is helped by a cast of curious locals—from a stranger investigating the mystery of his disappeared son, to the vanished man’s enchanting wife, to a local journalist who is Virgil’s oldest friend. Into this community returns a shimmering prodigal son who may hold the key to reviving their town.
Leif Enger conjures a remarkable portrait of a region and its residents, who, for reasons of choice or circumstance, never made it out of their defunct industrial district. Carried aloft by quotidian pleasures including movies, fishing, necking in parked cars, playing baseball and falling in love, Virgil Wander is a journey into the heart of America’s Upper Midwest.” (Synopsis quoted from Amazon.com)
3. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
“In this breathtaking book by Pulitzer Prize winner Katherine Boo, a bewildering age of global change and inequality is made human through the dramatic story of families striving toward a better life in Annawadi, a makeshift settlement in the shadow of luxury hotels near the Mumbai airport.
As India starts to prosper, the residents of Annawadi are electric with hope. Abdul, an enterprising teenager, sees ‘a fortune beyond counting in the recyclable garbage that richer people throw away. Meanwhile Asha, a woman of formidable ambition, has identified a shadier route to the middle class. With a little luck, her beautiful daughter, Annawadi’s ‘most-everything girl,’ might become its first female college graduate. And even the poorest children, like the young thief Kalu, feel themselves inching closer to their dreams. But then Abdul is falsely accused in a shocking tragedy; terror and global recession rock the city; and suppressed tensions over religion, caste, sex, power, and economic envy turn brutal.
With intelligence, humor, and deep insight into what connects people to one another in an era of tumultuous change, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, based on years of uncompromising reporting, carries the reader headlong into one of the twenty-first century’s hidden worlds—and into the hearts of families impossible to forget.” (Synposis quoted from Amazon.com)
2. On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz
“Alexandra Horowitz shows us how to see the spectacle of the ordinary—to practice, as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle put it, ‘the observation of trifles.’ Structured around a series of eleven walks the author takes, mostly in her Manhattan neighborhood, On Looking features experts on a diverse range of subjects, including an urban sociologist, the well-known artist Maira Kalman, a geologist, a physician, and a sound designer. Horowitz also walks with a child and a dog to see the world as they perceive it. What they see, how they see it, and why most of us do not see the same things reveal the startling power of human attention and the cognitive aspects of what it means to be an expert observer.
Page by page, Horowitz shows how much more there is to see—if only we would really look. Trained as a cognitive scientist, she discovers a feast of fascinating detail, all explained with her generous humor and self-deprecating tone. So turn off the phone and other electronic devices and be in the real world—where strangers communicate by geometry as they walk toward one another, where sounds reveal shadows, where posture can display humility, and the underside of a leaf unveils a Lilliputian universe—where, indeed, there are worlds within worlds within worlds.” (Synpopsis quoted from Amazon.com)
1. Figuring by Maria Popova
“Figuring explores the complexities of love and the human search for truth and meaning through the interconnected lives of several historical figures across four centuries—beginning with the astronomer Johannes Kepler, who discovered the laws of planetary motion, and ending with the marine biologist and author Rachel Carson, who catalyzed the environmental movement.
Stretching between these figures is a cast of artists, writers, and scientists—mostly women, mostly queer—whose public contribution have risen out of their unclassifiable and often heartbreaking private relationships to change the way we understand, experience, and appreciate the universe. Among them are the astronomer Maria Mitchell, who paved the way for women in science; the sculptor Harriet Hosmer, who did the same in art; the journalist and literary critic Margaret Fuller, who sparked the feminist movement; and the poet Emily Dickinson.
Emanating from these lives are larger questions about the measure of a good life and what it means to leave a lasting mark of betterment on an imperfect world: Are achievement and acclaim enough for happiness? Is genius? Is love? Weaving through the narrative is a set of peripheral figures—Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Darwin, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Herman Melville, Frederick Douglass, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Walt Whitman—and a tapestry of themes spanning music, feminism, the history of science, the rise and decline of religion, and how the intersection of astronomy, poetry, and Transcendentalist philosophy fomented the environmental movement.” (Synopsis quoted from Amazon.com)
PART 2 – MUSIC ALBUMS:
Honorable Mentions: Broken by Desire to be Heavenly Sent by Lewis Capaldi, Javelin by Sufjan Stevens, Like in 1968 by Moddi, Optimist by FINNEAS, Seven Psalms by Paul Simon, Signs of Life by Foy Vance, So by Peter Gabriel, Spectral Lines by Josh Ritter
5. Unreal Unearth by Hozier
“During the pandemic, Hozier found himself catching up on literature that had long been on his to-read pile, including Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. Not the lightest of reading, but a line from Dante struck a chord. ‘There’s a passage in Dante’s Inferno, when he’s describing what’s above the door to Hell. The third line is: “Through me, you enter into the population of loss,”‘ the Irishman tells Apple Music. ‘That line just resonated with me. It felt like the world we were in. The news reports were just numbers of deaths, number of cases. It was a surreal moment.”
It struck him that the format and themes of Dante’s 14th-century epic, in which the poet descends through the nine circles of Hell, could be the perfect prism through which to write about both the unreal experience of the pandemic and the upheavals in his personal life. ‘There’s such a rich tapestry there. I didn’t study classics and I’m not an academic, but for me, all those myths are happening around us all the time,’ he says. ‘You can play with them a lot and reinterpret them and then subvert them as well.’
The result is Hozier’s most ambitious and emotionally powerful album to date. It’s a remarkable journey, taking in pastoral folk, soaring epics, and tracks addressing the devastation caused by colonialism.” (Synopsis quoted from Apple Music)
4. To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
“Following 2012’s electrifying good kid, m.A.A.d city, the supremely gifted, Compton-bred rapper delivers another uncompromising and deeply affecting listening experience. Packed with jazzy, dreamlike production and staggering lyrical work, To Pimp a Butterfly finds Kendrick Lamar grappling with the weight of his newfound fame – as a representative of his community and as a young black man. Through the funky menace of ‘King Kunta,’ Lamar makes blistering reference to the protagonist of Alex Haley’s Roots, while the feverish standout ‘The Blacker the Berry,’ sees him attack black-on-black crime with singular precision and ferocity.” (Synopsis quoted from Apple Music)
3. The Jesus Hypothesis by Derek Webb
“This album is likely his most important to date. Those who are still strong adherents to the more traditional Christian scene would do well to pay attention to his lyrics and ask the probing questions he asks here that are necessary to move forward. Those outside the church or who have felt pushed away or alienated by it can benefit from knowing they are not alone in feeling that way, and that there might still be some truth there even if it is not the same truth that they had always been taught.” (Quoted from Jeremy Zerby’s album review for Medium.com)
2. Alchemy by J Lind
“What comes to mind when you think of alchemy? Is it a primitive science, a predecessor to modern chemistry? Is it a spiritual quest for eternal youth, the transformation of a pretty stone into an elixir of life? Or is it that hippie-run crystal shop in the beach town that burns incense all summer long? Alchemy is many things, but the strand I’m reaching for is that of transubstantiation: the mysterious transfiguration of one essence, one essential and indivisible identity, into another.
When I reflect on my own transfigured (disfigured?) essence, I’m struck by the apparent absence of design in it all: swirling colors, clashing frequencies, crossed wires. It’s a beautiful amalgamation of poor decisions and pointed surprises. Really, though. It seems like so many of my most prized seashells are the ones I wasn’t really looking for in the first place: my passions, my friends, my marriage. Maybe I’d woken up early to see a pacific sunrise, but I hadn’t counted on the beauty lurking in the tidepools.
These moments of resonance that anchor the story I tell myself, the stories we all tell ourselves, about ourselves—these moments of unsought and unexpected meaning, attained through a lack of searching, a rejection of all optimization and aim—maybe these are the raw ingredients of alchemy. Maybe the path to the deepest treasure looks a lot like wandering.” (J Lind, quoted from Jlindmusic.com)
1. Go Farther in Lightness by Gang of Youths
“There’s a strong current coursing through Gang of Youths’ second album. It’s a document of transformation told through a steady rush of epic rock. ‘Fear and Trembling’ kicks off with the crashing power of the E Street Band. And like a young Boss, vocalist Dave Le’aupepe searches for spiritual and philosophical truths buried in the past. ‘The Heart is a Muscle’ reveals hard-earned truths. ‘Our Time is Short’ and ‘Say Yes to Life’ are emotional rearview-mirror reflections. If Gang of Youths’ goal was to inspire others to search for their own patch of peace, they’ve succeeded.” (Synopsis quoted from Apple Music)
PART 3 – SONGS:
Honorable Mentions: “Does God” by Forrest Clay, “God in Drag” by Derek Webb, “i” by Kendrick Lamar, “If Christopher Calls” by Foy Vance, “My Back Pages” by Bob Dylan, “Our Father’s War” by Josh Ritter, “Until Morning” by Kate Rusby, “You Can Always Give Up” by Moddi
5. “Generous” by J Lind
As I made my way back to the cancer infirmary
I hardly noticed the fight breaking out at the pharmacy
I asked a man about the course of his terminal disease
He said, “The Lord has always been good to me.”
4. “Achilles Come Down” by Gang of Youths
Hear those bells ring deep in the soul
Chiming away for a moment
Feel your breath course frankly below
And see life as a worthy opponent
Today of all days, see how
The most dangerous thing is to love
3. “Little Blue” by Jacob Collier
Little blue, be my anchor
Be my light, my compass star
Be my darkness, be my danger
Be the strings of my guitar
2. “Only a Lifetime” by FINNEAS
It’s family and friends and that’s the truth
A fountain doesn’t give you back your youth
It’s staying up too late at night and laughing under kitchen lights
So hard you start to cry
1. “Magic Kingdom” by Ben Shive
When you wake you won’t remember this
But I won’t forget
When we were a pair of starlit stowaways
Going God knows where, so wild and afraid
PART IV – MOVIES:
Honorable Mentions: After Yang, Apostasy, The Banshees of Inisherin, Barbie, Begin Again, Boyhood, Brokeback Mountain, Eating Animals, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Letting Go of God, Malcolm X, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Moonlight, Mr. Holmes, That Sugar Film
5. Past Lives
“Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. 20 years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.” (Synopsis quoted from Letterboxd.com)
4. Aftersun
“Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between the miniDV footage as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t.” (Synopsis quoted from Letterboxd.com)
3. Manchester by the Sea
“After his older brother passes away, Lee Chandler is forced to return home to care for his 16-year-old nephew. There he is compelled to deal with a tragic past that separated him from his family and the community where he was born and raised.” (Synopsis quoted from Letterboxd.com)
2. Asteroid City
“Set in a fictional American desert town circa 1955, the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.” (Synopsis quoted from Letterboxd.com)
1. Call Me By Your Name
“It’s the summer of 1983, and precocious 17-year-old Elio Perlman is spending the days with his family at their 17th-century villa in Lombardy, Italy. He soon meets Oliver, a handsome doctoral student who’s working as an intern for Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of their surroundings, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.” (Synopsis quoted from IMDb.com)
Words for Wayfarers 