Back when I blogged regularly one of my favourite end-of-year traditions was doing a yearly favourites list (originally inspired by Alexandra Franzen).
It’s been a long time since I did one of these posts (four years ago!) and this year I felt called to bring back The Infinite List to share a collection of some of my favourite things from the year.
Here you will find some of my favourite things I read, watched, and listened to this year, plus some random things I loved this year as well.
I hope you find something here you enjoy!
BOOKS:
My favourite non-fiction reads this year were:
Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown. I kept this book on my coffee table for months and really savoured it. An insightful and comforting exploration of emotions and experiences.
Burnout by Amelia Nagoski and Emily Nagoski. This is the best book on stress and burnout I’ve ever read that has realistic and practical advice that is backed by science.
Power by Kemi Nekvapil. Such a powerful book! I don’t even know how to describe it, so all I’ll say is read this book if you’re wanting to powerfully lead yourself and your life.
I Didn’t Do the Thing Today by Madeleine Dore. This book supported me so much this year as I (continued to) attempt to approach my work (and life) in a way that honours myself and capacity, as well as letting go of productivity guilt.
A note here that I got so much out of these books I also got them in audiobook version so I could revisit them and listen to them as well.
My favourite fiction reads this year were:
The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
The No Show by Beth O’Leary.
One Night With You by Laura Jane Williams.
You’ll Be the Death of Me and Nothing More To Tell by Karen M. McManus.
Most of the fiction books I read this year were re-reads of old favourites, but the above were my favourite of the new books I’ve read this year.
SHOWS:
My favourite non-fiction show this year was Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown. I loved getting to watch this with my partner too and it let to a lot of interesting discussions.
My favourite fiction shows of the year were:
Vampire Academy. I was equally nervous and excited when I found out one of my favourite book series (that I read a decade ago) was getting turned into a series and I ended up loving it.
Never Have I Ever. I love “coming of age” teenage stories and this show is one I binge-watch quicker than any other show I’ve ever watched. I love the realness of ti all, the growth of the characters and how funny it is too.
Paper Girls. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as it is a sci-fi series (I only started watching it as I thought my partner would enjoy it) but I found myself surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It gave me similar vibes to Stranger Things, but I actually liked this more!
Wednesday. I’ve never been a fan or watched any of The Adams Family previously, so I wasn’t sure if I would like this series but ended up loving it.
I also enjoyed The Summer I Turned Pretty, Legacies, Partner Track, First Kill, Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight.
For fun comedies this year my favourites were Our Flag Means Death, She-Hulk and How I Met Your Father.
MOVIES:
My favourite movies of the year were:
Encanto. Possibly my favourite Disney movie ever. Such fun and a good message. I think this was my most re-watched movie of the year as well.
Tick, Tick… Boom! This movie was the one that stayed with me the most this year and I found it thought-provoking and inspiring. My takeaway: Keep creating.
Do Revenge. I loved this movie because it felt like a modern version of a 90s teen movie.
I also enjoyed The Hating Game, Good Luck to you, Leo Grande, Jurassic World: Dominion, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Enola Homes 2, Thor: Love and Thunder, The School for Good and Evil and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
PODCASTS:
My favourite podcasts that I listened to the most this year were:
Emerge and Expand by Katherine Mackenzie-Smith. My favourite business podcast of the year and I love Katherine’s approach on finding your own way to grow, expand, launch and work in your business. This was one of my fave episodes.
Unlocking Us with Brené Brown. I think Brené is one of the best podcast interviewers and has some of the best most interesting conversations. This was one of my fave episodes.
Archetypes. I loved the concept of this podcast, the way the episodes were put together and also that topics and conversations were ones that aren’t often talked about, but should be. I loved all the episodes, but this was one probably my favourite.
We Can Do Hard Things. I love the realness of this podcast and love that the conversations are ones we need to be having, but often aren’t. This was one of my fave episodes.
We are YA. As I was obsessed with Vampire Academy this year, I started listening to this podcast as no one else in my life was watching it. All the Vampire Academy episodes were my favourite as that is all I listened to!
MUSIC:
My top artists on Spotify this year were Taylor Swift, RY X, The Lumineers, Olivia Rodrigo and SYML.
Midnights by Taylor Swift is my favourite new album of the year.
I loved seeing John Butler and Xavier Rudd live this year and The Lumineers in a virtual concert.
I also saw Hamilton live this year and thought it was amazing.
SUPPORT:
My biggest business support this year was the Emerge and Expand membership by Katherine Mackenzie-Smith.
For personal, body and self-care support my favourites this year were somatic therapy and endonasal cranial correction (a type of chiropractic treatment).
I also loved getting a virtual monthly care package each month from Sun School.
RANDOM FAVOURITES:
This chilli and blood orange dark chocolate became a new favourite of mine this year.
This is my new favourite chai that I discovered this year (from a local business).
This card deck by Musings From the Moon was a new favourite.
This kombucha is my new favourite flavour.
And I’m obsessed with these non-alcoholic drinks (from a local business). The finger lime is my current favourite!
I’d love to know what your favourite things were this year, so please do leave a comment sharing your recommendations and favourite things from the year!
With Gratitude,
PS. I regularly share my favourite things during the year in my emails to The Infinite Community, if you’d like to receive these you can join below