Favorite Things in 2020

2020 has been difficult in many ways. However, thankfully, people continue to bring creativity and beauty into the world through writing and the arts. See below for my favorite pieces of content that came out this year. 

Favorite Albums

1. Keeper of Days by Jon Guerra (my review)
2. folklore by Taylor Swift
3. mama's boy by LANY
4. Changes by Justin Bieber
5. Shore by Fleet Foxes
6. Women In Music Pt. III by Haim
7. His Glory Alone by KB
8. Twenty Four by Jonathan Ogden
9. Notes on a Conditional Form by The 1975
10. Color Theory by Soccer Mommy

Favorite Movie

1. A Hidden Life - I'm cheating a little bit here, as this movie was officially released (limited) last December. However, the wide release was in January and I haven't seen a movie that has come out since. Brett McCracken, one of my favorite connoisseurs of goodness and beauty in culture, first made me aware of it through his excellent review here, where he calls it a faith-based masterpiece. Lauren and I both loved it and it's now among our favorite movies ever. 

Favorite Television

1. Ted Lasso (AppleTV+)
2. The Chosen (ChosenTV app)
3. The Last Dance (Netflix)
4. Better Call Saul (Netflix)
5. The Queen's Gambit (Netflix)
6. The Crown (Netflix)
7. The Good Place (Netflix)
8. Dark (Netflix)

Favorite Podcasts episodes/series

1. Rabbit Hole (8 episodes, April - June, 2020) - About how the internet, Youtube specifically, is changing us and helping to create silos of thought and division.
2. The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast: 355: John Eldredge (7/21/2020) - conversation about slowing down, encouraging pauses throughout the day, and embracing the beauty of nature (The good stuff really starts at 28:00).
3. Bill Simmons: DeRay McKesson on Ending Police Brutality, Plus ‘Flying Coach’ With Steve Kerr, Pete Carroll, and Gregg Popovich (6/3/20)
4. The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast: 339: Tim Keller (5/12/20)
5. RadioLab: Graham (6/6/20)
6. The Joe Rogan Experience: #1554 - Kanye West (10/24/2020)
7. RadioLab: The Flag and the Fury (7/12/20)
8. The Tim Ferris Show: 444: Hugh Jackman (6/30/2020)
9. ReplyAll: #158: The case of the missing hit (3/5/20)
10. This American Life: 693: Abdi the American (2/10/20)

Favorite Books I Read This Year

1. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)
2. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (2019)
3. Dominion by Tom Holland (2019)
4. The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer (2006)
5. Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard (2011)
6. The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton (1948)
7. Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson (2006)
8. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown (2012)
9. The Martian by Andy Weir (2014)
10. The Lion's Gate by Steven Pressfield (2014)
11. The Stand by Stephen King (1978)
12. Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund (2020)

See more detailed thoughts on these books here.