It’s the most wonderful(?) time of the year—the END!—which means recaps and retrospectives! This year I was fortunate to read so many good books (thanks to last year’s resolution to read more books by queer/trans authors) that I’m breaking up the book lists into fiction, nonfiction, and graphic categories.
Favorite fiction
Favorite nonfiction
Favorite graphic novels
I met my 2024 reading goal of 50 books, and also my goal of reading majority queer/trans authors. For the most part, I kind of let that author benchmark determine my reading selections. While I still let the occasional “I must know what this buzzy book is about” drive my reading (see Lessons in Chemistry), I moved away from following bestseller lists and instead sought out where queer writing is actually getting represented. It took a combination of local library resources, the shelves of indie bookstores, book recs via queer podcasts like Gender Reveal, and old school word-of-mouth to find books that actually align with what I like to read, and not just what the big publishers are pushing.
I ended up reading majority nonfiction, which is unusual for me, and that was partly because I joined a trans studies book group. It was also a “I want to learn more about xyz thing, so I’m going to read about it” kind of year for me. I read books about creativity, poverty, polyamory, autism, yoga, artificial intelligence, community, and more. I also read more poetry than usual, and even a short book of plays by nonbinary playwrights (discovered at the fantastical Drama Book Shop in NYC).
In November, I attended a film screening of Banned Together, a documentary about the book bans in schools and public libraries that are happening across the U.S. After the screening, the filmmaker spoke on a panel that included a local school librarian, and one thing he said really stuck with me. He said he guides his school library’s collection development by balancing books that are mirrors (stories that will likely reflect back the lives and experiences of the student population) and windows (stories that expose students to lives and experiences beyond their own, expanding their perspective).
I’ve been thinking about my reading selections that way ever since, especially when it comes to fiction. I ask myself, in what way is this story a mirror or a window? Reading more books by queer authors this year has allowed me to read more books that feel like mirrors to me. It feels affirming, and I tend to prefer these books to reading about cis heteronormative characters and their conflicts. But it’s easy to sleep into only wanting to read “mirrors,” and there’s value in keeping a balance of both, especially when it comes to books that reflect the experience and perspective of marginalized folks.
Favorite movies
Do I really have two animated movies here with “robot” in the title? Yes, yes I do.
Usually I’m a fuss-ass when it comes to movies, but I watched some truly great films in 2024. I forget how much a movie can impact me and shape my thinking until I see a really good one.
Out of the 38 movies I watched this year, I had a hard time paring it down to just six faves! I’m not sure what the switch was this year in terms of discovering movies I really like.
Maybe it was going to the movie theater more often. Half of these favorites I saw in theaters, including the two ‘robot’ movies. It was a 2024 intention of mine to go to theaters more often, and I went eight times (yay!), plus the aforementioned documentary screening and a couple FREE outdoor showings of Miyazaki movies on the Forbes Library lawn. Have I mentioned how much I love libraries?!
I enjoy watching movies in a shared space. I just feel that the medium of film is meant for collective experiences.
Most movies I saw at the local Cinemark (the theater chain here that shows all the big blockbusters). I also went to Amherst Cinema, the local indie theater, for the first time this year. Probably my most memorable experience was seeing Robot Dreams in their truly tiny “Studio Theater.” I felt so hip, like I was getting an exclusive screening, when really, it was in the tiny theater because this sweet, no-dialogue movie didn’t get the buzz and attention it deserved!
My favorite movie of the year, Perfect Days, is also now one of my favorite movies of all time. I only heard about this quiet, charming movie about a janitor in Tokyo because it was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. My love for this movie as well as Robot Dreams (which was distributed from Spain and France) makes me eager to seek out more films produced outside of the U.S.
I also joined Letterboxd this year, and while I haven’t used it much yet (I’m stuck in my old IMDb ways) I think it might help me with discovering more movies I’ll like.
Runners-up that I almost included:
Wicked — of course I saw it and defied gravity and everything.
Jaws — um, why have I never watched Jaws before now? I love sharks! When Jaws jumped up onto the boat and Quint slid into his chompy mouth? Absurd and scary, and also, kinda adorable?
Smart House — this 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie was both a Y2K time capsule and way ahead of its time, ok.
Favorite TV shows
Apparently I put my Disney Plus subscription to good use this year. It’s an accident that all my favorite shows this year were on one streaming service.
X-Men ‘97, a show built upon 90s nostalgia, had no business going so hard. So dramatic! I was shook. I sang the epic theme song for weeks.
I’ve never watched Doctor Who with any consistency before, but this new season was so fun and weird and camp, and the Doctor is queer! I think I was in the target demographic of this show, and I was sold.
I’m just now realizing it was a pretty witchy year. On top of The Women Could Fly being one of my favorite books of the year, Agatha All Along gave me more witches and The Acolyte space witches. Wait, was this all part of the massive Wicked marketing push to get witches into our collective cultural consciousness?! Conspiracy!
Also, The Acolyte was peak Jedi fashion. This yellow robes—mwah!
The one non-Disney-Plus show I’d list as a runner-up is Baby Reindeer. One of those buzzy shows that I had to know what it was all about. It was a difficult show, but I’ve enjoyed the discourse that’s come out of it around what makes a story “true.” Is it documenting factual events as they occurred, emotional truths, or something else?
Reading and watching intentions for 2024
Join or start a book group that’s reading queer fiction. Love my trans studies book group, but I’d like to collectively read and discuss books that are less academic too.
Go out to the movies even more often, especially to the local indie theater. Maybe even get a membership to motivate me to keep up with what’s out.
Support my local library in all the ways! Join the Friends of the Library, Take out stacks of books, use their audiobooks and movie streaming service and other digital resources, attend their events, say hi to Paco the Pacu fish in the children’s section, volunteer, contact my local reps if funding is on the chopping block… really anything to engage with and show my support for the library. The next four years are going to royally suck for libraries of all stripes (see: budget cuts, book bans, attacks on librarians) and as a result, so many people are at risk of not only losing access to free resources to learn and enrich their lives, but also access to rare and essential third spaces where people can connect and not be so alone in this hyper-individualist, isolated capitalist society. If you care about the health and wellbeing of the people in your community, supporting and standing up for your local library and librarians is a great way to show it. Libraries save lives.