The Best of 2018
2018 has been a rough year in many ways. Much loved celebrities have turned out to be sexual predators, in the US Donald Trump is still somehow president and in the UK we've had endless talk of Brexit without any results whatsoever. The weather has been too cold and then too hot and then too wet. Personally too it's been a pretty bad year for one reason or another but thankfully we've reached the end of this depressing year.
I thought it would be nice to end on something of a positive note and so I'm sharing some of the things I've enjoyed most this year (all items were released this year in the UK so far as I'm aware).
Best TV Show: Killing Eve
In any year with a Doctor Who series I expect that to be at the top of my list and as much as I enjoyed the new series with Jodie Whittaker's Doctor it didn't make the top spot. Other highlights include the BBC's two Agatha Christie adaptions (Ordeal by Innocence and The ABC Murders) and conspiracy-thriller Bodyguard but my favorite was Killing Eve.
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Based on a series of novellas by Luke Jennings, it sees MI5 operative Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) attempt to track down the psychopath assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer) with the two becoming ever more obsessed with each other. There are many reasons to like it- the leads are great, especially Comer, it constantly surprises you but it's also really funny. Few dramas manage to both be funny and exciting but Killing Eve is both of those things. I am really looking forward to series two!
Film: Jane
I didn't make it to the cinema as much as I'd have liked this year. As ever, most of my visits were for Marvel films with Avengers: Infinity War being the highlight in that regard, and as much as I enjoyed the film it was a little too dark and depressing for my tastes.
Back in January I went to a very special screening of documentary film Jane which is about the life and work of Jane Goodall. It partly looks at Jane's chimpanzee study and how she came to make discoveries and build her relationship with the tribe as well as at Jane's personal life and the difficult balance between her work and family. I liked everything about the film. It was wonderfully put together with sounded gorgeous with the natural sounds of Tanzania and a great soundtrack by Philip Glass. I especially liked that it was narrated by Jane and so it felt like her real view of things rather than an agenda decided upon by the documentary makers
What was extra special is that the screening I went to was attended by Goodall herself and she did a question and answer session after the film. At 83 Jane is still so warm and passionate. She talked a lot about her legacy and the vast education program around the world she set up. She also spoke about how every person can make a difference in helping the environment in small ways and how they can build up to something so much bigger.
Book: The Killing Habit by Mark Billingham
I've read plenty of books this year with highlights including Stephen Fry's take on Greek mythology in Mythos and Heroes. My book of the year was The Killing Habit by one of my favourite authors Mark Billingham. Inspired by the spate of cat-killings, this is Billingham's latest murder mystery featuring detective Tom Thorne.
This has all the factors that make the Thorne books so good. There's a dark exploration of real world happenings, in this case online dating, the dark sense of humour between Thorne and his colleagues and the ongoing relationship which goes through a rough patch. Billingham deftly tells a serial killer story whilst still allowing exactly the right amount of room to explore other areas of Thorne's life. A really great read that I wish I could forget just so I could read it all again.
Podcast: No Such Thing as a Fish
I've been listening to this podcast for some years now but I still absolutely love it. Every week, four of the 'elves' from the TV show Qi gather around the microphones with their four favourtie facts from the last seven days. It's exactly made for people with minds like mine who love finding out obscure bits of information. It's also hilariously funny, with most episodes making me laugh out loud. Highlights this year include former Qi host Stephen Fry appearing as a guest and their great book The Book of the Year 2018 which I listened to in audiobook form, essentially a nine hour podcast.
Mobile Game: Rodeo Stampede
I often procrastinate with games on my phone and find few truly satisfactory. Many are so slight that the novelty quickly wears off and I get bored. There are some which are far more expansive but I tend to find you reach a point where you have to basically pay money in order to proceed.
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Fortunately, Rodeo Stampede is neither of these things. Essentially you play a cowboy who makes his way through a stampede of animals by lassoing them and riding on them for as long as they can put up with him. It's a simple premise but is kept fresh by the large variation in animals, which have different abilities, and new environments. There's something strangely satisfying smashing through trees on the back of a wooly mammoth or eating wild boar and gorillas on the back of a crocodile.
So there were some things I loved in 2018. Before I go I want to thank everyone who has joined me on my return to blogging this year. I've been pleasantly surprised by how many people are reading each post and it inspires me to try to improve my writing and keep coming up with new ideas. Happy New Year to you all and I shall be back with more of the same in the new year!
I thought it would be nice to end on something of a positive note and so I'm sharing some of the things I've enjoyed most this year (all items were released this year in the UK so far as I'm aware).
Best TV Show: Killing Eve
In any year with a Doctor Who series I expect that to be at the top of my list and as much as I enjoyed the new series with Jodie Whittaker's Doctor it didn't make the top spot. Other highlights include the BBC's two Agatha Christie adaptions (Ordeal by Innocence and The ABC Murders) and conspiracy-thriller Bodyguard but my favorite was Killing Eve.
Based on a series of novellas by Luke Jennings, it sees MI5 operative Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) attempt to track down the psychopath assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer) with the two becoming ever more obsessed with each other. There are many reasons to like it- the leads are great, especially Comer, it constantly surprises you but it's also really funny. Few dramas manage to both be funny and exciting but Killing Eve is both of those things. I am really looking forward to series two!
Film: Jane
I didn't make it to the cinema as much as I'd have liked this year. As ever, most of my visits were for Marvel films with Avengers: Infinity War being the highlight in that regard, and as much as I enjoyed the film it was a little too dark and depressing for my tastes.
Back in January I went to a very special screening of documentary film Jane which is about the life and work of Jane Goodall. It partly looks at Jane's chimpanzee study and how she came to make discoveries and build her relationship with the tribe as well as at Jane's personal life and the difficult balance between her work and family. I liked everything about the film. It was wonderfully put together with sounded gorgeous with the natural sounds of Tanzania and a great soundtrack by Philip Glass. I especially liked that it was narrated by Jane and so it felt like her real view of things rather than an agenda decided upon by the documentary makers
What was extra special is that the screening I went to was attended by Goodall herself and she did a question and answer session after the film. At 83 Jane is still so warm and passionate. She talked a lot about her legacy and the vast education program around the world she set up. She also spoke about how every person can make a difference in helping the environment in small ways and how they can build up to something so much bigger.
Book: The Killing Habit by Mark Billingham
I've read plenty of books this year with highlights including Stephen Fry's take on Greek mythology in Mythos and Heroes. My book of the year was The Killing Habit by one of my favourite authors Mark Billingham. Inspired by the spate of cat-killings, this is Billingham's latest murder mystery featuring detective Tom Thorne.
This has all the factors that make the Thorne books so good. There's a dark exploration of real world happenings, in this case online dating, the dark sense of humour between Thorne and his colleagues and the ongoing relationship which goes through a rough patch. Billingham deftly tells a serial killer story whilst still allowing exactly the right amount of room to explore other areas of Thorne's life. A really great read that I wish I could forget just so I could read it all again.
Podcast: No Such Thing as a Fish
I've been listening to this podcast for some years now but I still absolutely love it. Every week, four of the 'elves' from the TV show Qi gather around the microphones with their four favourtie facts from the last seven days. It's exactly made for people with minds like mine who love finding out obscure bits of information. It's also hilariously funny, with most episodes making me laugh out loud. Highlights this year include former Qi host Stephen Fry appearing as a guest and their great book The Book of the Year 2018 which I listened to in audiobook form, essentially a nine hour podcast.
Mobile Game: Rodeo Stampede
I often procrastinate with games on my phone and find few truly satisfactory. Many are so slight that the novelty quickly wears off and I get bored. There are some which are far more expansive but I tend to find you reach a point where you have to basically pay money in order to proceed.
Fortunately, Rodeo Stampede is neither of these things. Essentially you play a cowboy who makes his way through a stampede of animals by lassoing them and riding on them for as long as they can put up with him. It's a simple premise but is kept fresh by the large variation in animals, which have different abilities, and new environments. There's something strangely satisfying smashing through trees on the back of a wooly mammoth or eating wild boar and gorillas on the back of a crocodile.
So there were some things I loved in 2018. Before I go I want to thank everyone who has joined me on my return to blogging this year. I've been pleasantly surprised by how many people are reading each post and it inspires me to try to improve my writing and keep coming up with new ideas. Happy New Year to you all and I shall be back with more of the same in the new year!
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