Every year I set for myself a number of goals – reading, writing, and watching among them, and I thought, why not share the best of what entertained me this past year.

I am almost always behind the times. I am rarely current on anything, but I figured some of you may be like me and want to know what might still be worth the effort, so I’ve compiled my first “best of” list.

Taking note of the books, graphic novels, tv, films, and video games I enjoyed this year, I realized not all categories had a love option, but there were definitely some standouts.

Books & Graphic Novels

I use Goodreads to keep track of my reading goal, in addition to ratings and what else I’d like to read…eventually. They use a five-star rating system and not one book I read this year received such high marks, although I did have two books that tied with four – The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I’ve included the links to my reviews, if you’re interested. Each are unique in their own way, as is the artwork of Harleen by Stjepan Šejić, my top graphic novel of the year, which, too, earned four stars. Although, it really is a piece of eye candy.

Television

I watched a great deal more television than I anticipated, and I still feel Arcane by Netflix based on the game, League of Legends by Riot Games is the best thing I watched. The story, the characters, and the style are all top notch. This may lead you to wonder then at how a reality show made it on my list.

RuPaul’s Drag Race is one of my favorite things ever, and The Sis and I are longtime fans. All Stars Season 7 was a unique experience in which the cast were all returning winners vying for a chance to be called the Queen of All Queens. Not only was this one of the best shows I watched all year, the cast is stellar, but also this is probably my favorite season of the show of all time.

Movies

I made my movie watching goal and then some. Yay for keeping expectations low(er). My viewings this year were a mix of past and current films, those in my genre, and some just because. While most were middle of the road, disappointing, and/or forgettable, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar was never going to be counted among those. No surprise there. The surprise was liking it as much as I did. If you’re late to the party, like I usually am, this is definitely still worth the watch. Runner up, Free Guy. I know, it surprised me too.

Video Games

Yes, I invested in the Legendary Edition of Mass Effect. Did I already have the trilogy? Yep. Does EA need more of my money? Sigh. When Dragon Age: Dreadwolf comes out will they get more? You’d better believe it. Mass Effect 2 is still one the best games I’ve played, and the Legendary Edition only made everything better. Streamlined graphics, all the DLCs save one, and it is still a great time. This playthrough I tried my hand at being a Renegade male Shepard who romanced Tali and made some difficult decisions. That’s the fun of this series, there are so many options to explore, and that’s why we keep coming back, no matter what you may think of the ending. 😉

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So, there we have it.

There are so many more books, shows, movies, and games to enjoy, so you can imagine how my new year’s lists are already bursting, but I’d be delighted to hear what you enjoyed most this past year. Please share your recommendations!