I must admit, making this list was a tough but exciting experience. There were a few surprises, and I had to make some things were sacrificed to the Honorable Mention heap for the sake of others. And now, here we go...
6. Orphan Black
This gem was one of those surprises mentioned above. All year I'd heard about how great this series--which airs on BBC America--is, and after searching high and low for it, I finally broke down and bought the first season a few weeks ago. After binge-watching all 10 episodes quite recently, I fully understand the hype. The show centers on a young woman named Sarah who, after witnessing the suicide of a woman who looks exactly like her, takes said woman's identity and begins to live her life. Then Sarah meets another woman who looks exactly like her. And another. And another. Yep, that's right: Clones! It sounds wacky and confusing, but it's great fun. The best part has to be Tatiana Maslany, the lead actress who takes on the task of playing up to FIVE different characters, with their own unique personalities and mannerisms, in a single episode.
That's right: All those women are the same woman. No tricks, no gimmicks. Just one great actress. Her talent alone is reason enough to get hooked on this show, so get to work on Season 1 before Season 2 starts in April!
5. Vicious by V.E. Schwab
I raved about this book already in a previous post, so I'll tone it down a bit here. But if you love the idea of superheroes, friendships and sisterhood gone terribly awry, and chocolate milk, than this is the book for you. Go read this great book!
4. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Man, isn't that poster amazing?!? So amazing, in fact, that I bought a shirt with its likeness on it:
Anyway, I couldn't have been happier with the second adaptation of Suzanne Collins' thrilling trilogy. An amazingly faithful script, great visuals and direction, and most importantly, great acting all around. Seriously, Jennifer Lawrence is on another level. Who else got chills watching her, as Katniss, react to the revelation that *SPOILER* she would have to go back into the arena for another Hunger Games? The movie was well worth the nearly two-year wait, and even though I'm still not convinced that MOCKINGJAY needs to split into two films, I'm not against the idea of sticking around in this world a little while longer.
3. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
Guys. Guys. This was a tough one for me to let go. I'd strongly preferred Clare's Infernal Devices trilogy over her Mortal Instruments series ever since reading the first installment, Clockwork Angel. So when I picked up this long-awaited final installment back in March, I knew letting go would be hard. Then I started reading, and yep...so hard to let go! Those last 70 pages tore. Me. Up. I'll miss Tessa, Will, and Jem, but damn, did Clare write an ending that was not only definite, but wholly and completely satisfying. Hands-down my favorite book I read this year.
2. Yours Truly, Ariana Grande
While everyone else this year seemed to be enamored with Miley and her tongue, I was all about Ariana and her voice. She had a top 10 hit earlier this year with "The Way", a catchy tune you may have heard and, if you're anything like me, thought: Mariah Carey has a new song? I kinda like it! Alas, it was not Ms. Carey who made my ears perk; it was Ms. Grande, and thankfully I was just getting introduced to her extraordinary talent. I had the great fortune to attend a concert of hers back in August, days shy of the release of her debut album. And let me tell you this girl has a voice, both in the studio and on the stage. Then I bought the album and fell even more in love. I literally love every song on this album, something I feel happens very rarely, even for the best of artists. Ariana brings it with each song, especially on "Baby I", one of my favorites on the album:
Other favorites on the album for me include "Piano", "Popular Song", and "Almost is Never Enough". But seriously, on a disc this amazing and a voice this strong, all of the songs are worth listening to. Please, if you do one last thing this year, let it be listening to and buying this album!!
1. American Horror Story
Okay, so if you've read this blog before (or follow me on Twitter/have me as a friend on Facebook), then you know how my love for this freaky little show knows no bounds. Especially the current season, Coven, which I've written about here before and will likely write about again soon. My glee over watching the likes of Jessica Lange, Angela Bassett, and Emma Roberts dig into each other has taken me through the last third of this year, but it was the conclusion of last season's incarnation, Asylum, that brought me into 2013 literally singing:
To me, AHS is much like a catchy song: It gets stuck in my head, more so with each time I revisit it. Whether it's a visit to a particularly haunted house, a descent into an insane asylum, or a stroll down Bourbon Street with some New Orleans witches, I enjoy my time in these dark yet fully-realized worlds. With a talented and ever-growing cast anchored by the brilliant Jessica Lange, new stories and characters every year relieve the audience of any unforeseen creative slumps, American Horror Story was my favorite thing of the year. A supreme achievement for all involved, a supreme treat for me and all the other lucky viewers. If you're not one of them, you should be.
And there's my list for the year! Of course, these aren't the only things I loved this year. There was Monsters University, Lady Gaga's ARTPOP, Allegiant, the final book in Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy (which I'm thisclose to finishing), and then this hilarious twerking video that I can't help but share:
And yes, I do know this video was a hoax. That doesn't make it not hilarious!
Anyway, I hope you had fun reading/watching this list. Also, thank you for everyone who's read my posts this year! It really means a lot, and I hope that you all stick around with me as we go into 2014. Happy New Year!!
Dustin
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