My Top 12 Pop Culture Finds of 2024

For the past few years I have done a top 10 list of my favorite books, TV shows, and things I listened to. 2024 was a very different year for me and I consumed less pop culture, thanks to the campaign, politics, the writers strike, and life. So this year, I am wrapping up 2024 with my top 5 favorite books, top 5 favorite TV shows, my favorite podcast, and a bucket list concert experience.

My Favorite Podcast

Why yes I am still thinking about The Good Whale from NYT and Serial podcasts. It was an incredible story told well. I binged it, but for those listening week by week I am hearing great gasps at episode five, which now includes a music video!

My Top 5 Favorite Books

1. The Husbands – Quirky and smart and romantic and fun.
2. If You Can’t Stand the Heat – the author is hilarious and thoughtful and so is this book.
3. The Divorcees – I still think about this historical fiction book and reference it more than I expected to.
4. Greta & Valdin – Schitt’s Creek New Zealand edition. I loved it.
5. From Here to the Great Unknown – Lisa Marie Presley’s memoir was a perfect audiobook option with recordings from Presley herself, Julia Roberts reading the memoir, and stories from Presley’s daughter Riley Keough read herself. The story was one I didn’t know past a few headlines and it was devastating and excellent.

My Top 5(ish) Favorite Shows

This was a year of distracting TV for me, shows that weren’t stressful and I could sit back and enjoy. In no particular order…

1. Man on the Inside – Ted Danson is a delight and this show was exactly what I hoped for, I’m so excited it’s getting another season!
2. Nobody Wants This – yes we did, might be time for a rewatch over the holidays, it’s that great.
3. Somebody, Somewhere – I loved every episode of this series and all the time we were able to spend in Manhattan, KS with these incredible characters.
4. Shrinking/Hacks/The Diplomat/Acapulco – These shows aren’t similar but they did all return this year and had great seasons that I have loved/am loving.
5. Mr and Mrs Smith – I don’t know how they’ll top the first season but I do love the anthological nature of the series setup, and it was fantastic.

The Foo Fighters Concert

When you finally get to a bucket list show and it is even more fun than you expected – I can’t believe it took us so long to go to a Foo Fighters concert, I won’t miss them again!