These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
For a far less serious, but I think no less important, blog post, I thought I’d share a little more about myself here.
I think that you learn a lot about someone through the media they love, so I thought I’d share some of all my all-time favorites in the categories that mean the most to me. I have limited myself to five, and twenty-five in each, because I could otherwise keep listing and then start splitting each one into subcategories, etc. and so on. I hope I can find some kindred spirits over some of my choices or maybe offer some recommendations to anyone interested!
Top 25 Novels:
25) Wise Blood (1952), by Flannery O'Connor
24) The Death of Vivek Oji (2020), by Akwaeke Emezi
23) McTeague (1899), by Frank Norris
22) The Left Hand of Darkness (1969), by Ursula K. LeGuin
21) Blindness (1995), by José Saramago
20) Grendel (1971), by John Gardner
19) A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010), by Jennifer Egan
18) The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (1988), by Michael Chabon
17) Kindred (1979), by Octavia Butler
16) The Plague (1947), by Albert Camus
15) Middlesex (2002), by Jeffrey Eugenides
14) Till We Have Faces (1956), by C.S. Lewis
13) The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1940), by Carson McCullers
12) Cloud Atlas (2004), by David Mitchell
11) Detransition, Baby (2021), by Torrey Peters
10) Silence (1966), by Shūsaku Endō
9) The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), by Oscar Wilde
8) The Secret History (1992), Donna Tartt
7) House of Leaves (2000), by Mark Z. Danielewski
6) Like Water for Chocolate (1989), by Laura Esquivel
5) Black Hole (2005), by Charles Burns
4) The Bluest Eye (1970), by Toni Morrison
3) Dictee (1982), by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
2) White Noise (1985), by Don DeLillo
1) One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967), by Gabriel García Márquez
Top 25 Films:
25) Promising Young Woman (2020), Emerald Fennell
24) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), directed by Robert Wiene
23) The Third Man (1948), directed by Carol Reed
22) Titus (1999), directed by Julie Taymor
21) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), directed by Ang Lee
20) Once (2007), directed by John Carney
19) Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), directed by Céline Sciamma
18) The Watermelon Woman (1996), directed by Cheryl Dunye
17) Singin' in the Rain (1952), directed by Stanley Donen
16) The Iron Giant (1999), directed by Brad Bird
15) In Bruges (2008), directed by Martin McDonagh
14) Mulholland Drive (2001), directed by David Lynch
13) City of God (2002), directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund
12) Howl's Moving Castle (2004), directed by Hayao Miyazaki
11) Little Women (2019), directed by Greta Gerwig
10) The Red Shoes (1939), directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
9) All About Eve (1950), directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
8) The Princess Bride (1987), directed by Rob Reiner
7) The Shawshank Redemption (1994), directed by Frank Darabont
6) The Seventh Seal (1957), directed by Ingmar Bergman
5) The Piano (1993), directed by Jane Campion
4) Ran (1985), directed by Akira Kurosawa
3) The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), directed by Peter Jackson
2) West Side Story (1961), directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins
1) Children of Men (2006), directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Top 25 Shows:
25) Orange is the New Black (2013 - 2019), created by Jenji Kohan
24) Invader Zim (2001 - 2002), created by Jhonen Vasquez
23) Flight of the Conchords (2007 - 2009), created by James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, and Bret McKenzie
22) The O.C. (2003 - 2007), created by Josh Schwartz
21) 30 Rock (2006 - 2013), created by Tina Fey
20) Samurai Jack (2001 - 2004), created by Genndy Tartakovsky
19) Parks and Recreation (2009 - 2015), created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur
18) Chuck (2007 - 2012), created by Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz
17) Star vs. The Forces of Evil (2015 - 2019), created by Daron Nefcy
16) Fleabag (2016 - 2019), created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
15) Watchmen (2019), created by Damon Lindelof
14) Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013 - 2021), created by Dan Goor and Michael Schur
13) Halt and Catch Fire (2014 - 2017), created by Christopher Cantwell and Christopher C. Rogers
12) Black Mirror (2011 - present), created by Charlie Brooker
11) Scrubs (2001 - 2009), created by Bill Lawrence
10) Freaks and Geeks (1999 - 2000), created by Paul Feig
9) Stranger Things (2016 - present), created by the Duffer Brothers
8) She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018 - 2020), created by Noelle Stevenson
7) Battlestar Galactica (2004 - 2009), created by Ronald D. Moore
6) The Sopranos (1999 - 2007), created by David Chase
5) Fringe (2008 - 2013), created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci
4) Breaking Bad (2008 - 2013), created by Vince Gilligan
3) Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005 - 2008), created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko
2) Twin Peaks (1990 - 1991, 2017), created by Mark Frost and David Lynch
1) Sense8 (2015 - 2018), created Lana and Lilly Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski
Top 25 Albums:
25) I Am Hollywood (2004), by He Is Legend
24) Punisher (2020), by Phoebe Bridgers
23) Picaresque (2005), by The Decemberists
22) Madvillainy (2004), by Madvillain
21) Nearer My God (2018), by Foxing
20) The Execution of All Things (2002), by Rilo Kiley
19) Catch For Us the Foxes (2004), by mewithoutYou
18) Where You Want to Be (2004), by Taking Back Sunday
17) To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), by Kendrick Lamar
16) The Five Ghosts (2010), by Stars
15) Fleet Foxes (2008), by Fleet Foxes
14) Illinois (2005), by Sufjan Stevens
13) Sylvan Esso (2014), by Sylvan Esso
12) Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998), by Black Star
11) Neon Bible (2007), by Arcade Fire
10) Purple Rain (1984), by Prince and the Revolution
9) Through the Deep Dark Valley (2014), by The Oh Hellos
8) Hunky Dory (1971), by David Bowie
7) Nevermind (1991), by Nirvana
6) Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995), by The Smashing Pumpkins
5) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), by The Beatles
4) The Low End Theory (1991), by A Tribe Called Quest
3) Rumours (1977), by Fleetwood Mac
2) Dear Science (2008), by TV On the Radio
1) OK Computer (1997), by Radiohead
Top 25 Games:
25) The Neverhood (1996, Microsoft Windows), The Neverhood Inc./DreamWorks Interactive
24) If Found... (2020, Nintendo Switch), Dreamfeel/Annapurna Interactive
23) Severed (2016, iOS), DrinkBox Studios
22) BioShock (2007, Xbox 360), Irrational Games/2K Games
21) Golden Sun (2001, Game Boy Advance), Camelot Software Planning/Nintendo
20) Mega Man X (1993, Super Nintendo), Capcom
19) Oxenfree (2016, Microsoft Windows), Night School Studio
18) Doki Doki Literature Club (2017, Microsoft Windows), Dan Salvato
17) Tales of Phantasia (1995, Super Nintendo/Snes9x), Wolf Team/Namco
16) With Those We Love Alive (2014, Twine), Porpentine
15) Myst (1993, Microsoft Windows), Cyan, Inc./Broderbund
14) Trials of Mana (1995, Super Nintendo/Snes9x), Square
13) Ico (2001, PlayStation 2), Japan Studio and Team Ico/Sony Computer Entertainment
12) Mass Effect 2 (2010, Xbox 360), BioWare/Electronic Arts
11) Earthbound (1994, Super Nintendo), Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory/Nintendo
10) Terranigma (1995, Super Nintendo/Snes9x), Quintet/Enix
9) Life is Strange (2015, PlayStation 3), Dontnod Entertainment/Square Enix
8) OneShot (2016, Microsoft Windows), Future Cat/Degica
7) Papers, Please (2013, iOS), Lucas Pope
6) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997, PlayStation), Konami
5) Gone Home (2013, Microsoft Windows), The Fullbright Company
4) Kirby Super Star (1996, Super Nintendo), HAL Laboratory/Nintendo
3) Thief: The Dark Project (1998, Microsoft Windows), Looking Glass Studios/Eidos Interactive
2) Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995, Super Nintendo), Nintendo
1) Final Fantasy Tactics (1997, PlayStation), Square
