The Best of the Year!
My favorite movies, music, and books of 2024
It’s the last week of the year, and that means only one thing: it’s list week. All the big publications and social media accounts are going to run their “best of the year” lists, ranking—often arbitrarily—everything from sports moments to new albums to recipes to celebrity gossip.
I was a bit hesitant to throw my lists into the lot this year, but I couldn’t resist. Not because I feel as if I have something particularly different to offer; make no mistake, this list will be as arbitrary and subjective as the others. This serves more as a recollection of good things from a long, oversaturated year. Whether this is a revolutionary list, I hope you enjoy and have something to watch, read, or listen to! Here are my picks for the year’s best movies, music, and books.
Books of the Year
I’m an avid reader, but I never read as many books published in the present year as I do books from past years. So, this is the only list in this article which includes content from years past. These are my favorite reads from 2024, though many of them weren’t published this year. (Sue me I guess.)
10. The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley (2024, William Morrow)
9. Films for All Seasons: Experiencing the Church Year at the Movies by Abby Olcese (2024, IVP)
8. The Storyteller by Dave Grohl (2021, Dey Street Books)
7. Christian Philosophy as a Way of Life by Ross D. Inman (2023, Baker Academic)
6. Conclave by Robert Harris (2016, Knopf)
5. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (2021, Grove Press)
4. Talking Pictures: How to Watch Movies by Ann Hornaday (2017, Basic Books)
3. Table for Two
Amor Towles (2024, Viking)
I’m not usually a big historical fiction reader, but Amor Towles has become one of my favorite authors. Following his breakout novel A Gentleman in Moscow and the long-awaited followup, The Lincoln Highway, he pivoted to short stories. Table for Two is a collection of stories with various plot lines and diverse characters (a Russian immigrant; a woman traveling on business; a married couple whose compromises change everything), though one theme connects them: Seminal moments in their lives occur at a table for two. This collection is deeply engaging. Towles crafts complex and complicated characters, all the while telling of the glories of New York City at the turn of the millennium.
Accompanying this collection is a novella continuing the story of Evelyn from Towles’s first novel, Rules of Civility. As Evelyn moves cross-country in the wake of the novel’s events, her life becomes somehow more complicated and intense. This, along with some other amazing stories make for an engaging and emotional experience; another strong entry in Towles’s bibliography.
2. Oathbringer
Brandon Sanderson (2017, Tor Books)
This year was the year of the Sanderson. I read, checks notes, 15 Cosmere books this year in preparation for Wind and Truth. And it was worth it. I do wish I had more time to further diversify my reading, but it’s been incredible reading Wind and Truth and seeing just how everything connects.
Dalinar is my favorite character in the Stormlight Archive, so Oathbringer is one of my favorite entries thus far. The ending hit me with full body chills. Big fan of what Brandon’s doing these days. If you want your life and conversations to change, if you want to be wholly obsessed with books that are still being written, I recommend reading the Cosmere.
1. The Silmarillion
J.R.R. Tolkien (1977, Houghton Mifflin Company)
Even though I’ve dedicated so much time to Sanderson this year, I was able to read more Tolkien as well. This was my first time reading The Silmarillion, Tolkien’s history of how Middle-earth came to be. I’d always heard how dense it was, how hard it was to navigate it unless you treated it like a college course. But even Tolkien’s driest work (narratively, at least) is poetic, powerful, emotional, and absolutely captivating. Hats-off to Sanderson for being one of the greatest modern fantasy authors; but reading this reminded me there’s one true king of fantasy.
Music of the Year
Not only has the year yielded some incredible reads, it’s also delivered masterful albums and catchy ear-worms. Below are my top songs and albums of the year!
Songs of the Year
10. “camel crusher” by string lights
9. “S P E Y S I D E” by Bon Iver
8. “My God Is Strong” by Meadows
7. “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All” by Father John Misty
6. “Yoshinoya” by Childish Gambino
5. “Modern Girl” by Bleachers
4. “YOUtopia” by Bring Me the Horizon
3. “Forever” by Noah Kahan
2. “Make Believe” by My Epic
1. “Heavy Heart” by My Epic
Albums of the Year
10. SMILE :D by Porter Robinson
9. Samurai by Lupe Fiasco
8. BODEGA 2! by DJ Mykael V
7. Maze Envy by Civerous
6. Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend
5. The Chilling Alpine Adventure by The Chilling Alpine Adventure
4. Bando Stone and the New World by Childish Gambino
3. Familiar with Pain
Meadows
Magic City hardcore band Meadows released their highly anticipated full-length, Familiar with Pain, on Good Friday this year. It’s fitting, as the album is a conceptual journey through the Holy Week. Songs like “Heavy Eyes” and “Fury for the Taking” are laden with grief, pain, and prayer. The album as a whole is a powerful rumination on the most revolutionary week in history, stringing together threads of Jesus’s own experience as well as how Christians might ponder Holy Week today.
2. The Process
Judah & the Lion
Judah & the Lion wrote a sad album related to the lead singer’s relationship history, and it’s so good. It’s structured to follow the five stages of grief, and each section is profoundly deep and honest. This seems like a good return to form for them, both sonically and lyrically. Standout songs include “Floating in the Night,” “Self-Inflicted Wounds,” and “Long Dark Night.”
1. Loriella
My Epic
My all-time favorite bands are Relient K and Switchfoot. They may not be putting out music consistently anymore, but their lyricism and emotion and rock sounds have always resonated deeply with me. On My Epic’s, um, epic return to music, they evoke the same feelings I’ve had with albums from my favorite bands: wonder, bewilderment, and profound understanding.
Loriella—and the short film they released to accompany it—is a poetic and cinematic venture into wonder which beckons listeners to rekindle the beauty and simplicity of life. “Heavy Heart” is an incredible closer, while songs like “Late Bloomer,” “Wildflowers,” and “Red Hands” feature my favorite lyricism of the year: “I keep an hourglass set on its side / so it’s always right now and I’m always on time” from the opener may be my favorite line of the year. Listen to this album as an exercise in the unexplainable; as a quest for hope.
Films of the Year
And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
This year, I’ve had amazing opportunities to write on film: I’ve reviewed movies, written some of my favorite feature essays to date (including tackling my favorite movie ever, The Irishman), and covered on the intersection of faith and horror—along with re-vamping my Substack to be more focused and intentional. The movie list is always the hardest for me to write, and I didn’t even get to watch all the movies I wanted to this year, so if you don’t see one that deserves to be on the list, just know I probably haven’t seen it (yet); either that or I hated it. (Yes, I saw Dune: Part Two. No, you won’t like my thoughts on it.) Good luck deciding which one it is. Here are my favorite films of the year! (Click the titles to read my reviews!)
10. Wicked (dir. Jon M. Chu)
9. A Quiet Place: Day One (dir. Michael Sarnoski)
8. Twisters (dir. Lee Isaac Chung)
7. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (dir. Kenji Kamiyama)
6. The Fall Guy (dir. David Leitch)
5. Deadpool & Wolverine (dir. Shawn Levy)
4. Nosferatu (dir. Robert Eggers)
3. The Universal Theory
Timm Kröger
Though some critics didn’t initially enjoy the “convoluted plot” of a film that “is still working out its big ideas,” I found the film to be a delightful entry into the onslaught of multiverse films released in recent years. It’s a healthy blend of quantum physics, noir, and non-linear storytelling which captures “a smooth spiral downward,” at its center a “man battered and broken by the unbelievable,” according to my review.
Everything in The Universal Theory, from the score and cinematography to the acting and striking third act, makes it a riveting, confusing experience. It’s the kind of film that doesn’t rely on closure, nor on the pressure to explain the multiverse to its viewers. Instead, its messages regarding the use of power and the implications of multiple worlds hit hard in the unexplained.
2. Conclave
Edward Berger
What could be more intense than a Catholic movie where Ralph Fiennes is trying to get the tea on every one of his fellow Cardinals, accompanied by his constant heavy nose-breathing? In all seriousness, both this film and the book on which it was based ponder faith and the life of the Catholic Church in a thrilling way. The final plot reveal is worth the wait, and it has me still questioning how I feel about the movie’s moral inclinations.
The book’s portrayal of Cardinal Lomeli’s (called Lawrence in the film) inner monologue goes a long way for philosophical and religious musings; without it, the film feels less religious, less an “inside look” and more like a non-religious take on how the Papal Election would go. Nevertheless, the script, score, production design, and overall aesthetics were top-notch. (And, sheesh, that title card.)
1. Civil War
Alex Garland
This is by far the most intense experience I had at the movies this year. Despite being somewhat apolitical, Garland’s Civil War is poignant, perfectly timed, and could be re-watched and mined for nuggets of profundity. At base, it’s a road trip movie through a post-American wasteland. But while it may seem boring or slow, its characters hold the intensity and stakes ever higher.
A phenomenal performance from subtle-acting veteran Kirsten Dunst is the anchor for the film, and delightful surprises from Wagner Moura and Jesse Plemons offer impeccable development. For better or for worse, this one was captivating and perfectly timed.
That’s it! What were your favorite listens, reads, and watches from the year that I should engage in 2025?
I look forward to another great year of art. Thanks for reading!