Best of 2018

December 2018

I decided to remember best things I’ve experienced in 2018.

Best books

Note: I finished very few books this year because of the decision to not complete books that I didn’t enjoy.

The Iliad by Homer – I read it in Russian in which I’m more fluent than in English, and still had a tough time, but loved every page of the poem. I especially enjoyed the additional Wikipedia research I had to do to learn more about some characters mentioned. One could say I was on *ahem* an odyssey.
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari – amusing, somewhat scientific look at contemporary romance.

Pure Comedy by Father John Misty is the most complete album, musically and lyrically, that I have had a pleasure of listening to in a long time.
Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino by Arctic Monkeys. The band gets my appreciation for being brave enough to explore the sound without conforming to mainstream fanbase.
Con Todo el Mundo by Khruangbin has been on repeat any time I was tired of words and yearned for that instrumental bliss.
Animal by The Changs. The album sounds derivative, in that it seems to be inspired by many artists that I like – thus, I loved Animal.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs – Coen Brothers time and again please with their original screenplay and the ability to tell stories that captivate.
Manchester by the Sea – After a friend read Guy de Maupassant’s Necklace, he said a simple truth that stuck with me for ever: it is easy to ruin a life. This film shows how devastating life’s twists can be, and that time is not always a panacea.
L’Avventura – it’s never too late to get acquainted with classics.
BoJack Horseman – Just watch it.
Master of None – Aziz Ansari is a master of showing what Modern Romance is like.

Everything is Alive is a gem. My favorite is Maeve, Lamppost.
Song Exploder – podcasts were created for podcasts like Song Exploder to exist. My favorites are Mitski, Andrew Bird, and Black Panther episodes.
Bill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcast – I’d love to do something like this one day – just sit and jibber-jabber about all things.

kottke.org – I only discovered the world’s first blog this year, and it’s instantly become my go-to site for fine hypertext products.
Expresso Newsletter is not a blog, it’s a newsletter. And it is in Russian. But it helped me to consume much less news this year.

How to pick a career (that actually fits you) by Tim Urban – I read it in several sittings over several months, but this is one of the most well thought-out pieces I’ve read this year.
How to Read Books by Rolf Dobelli – I have read so many books, but I do not remember most of them. Indeed, only a few dozens of books I remember well, and they seem to be the ones that effected me the most. Could Dobelli’s solution “Read less, but read it twice” have truth to it? I think so.

RescueTime – «You can’t change what you can’t measure.» I had no idea how much time I spend in front of a screen (big or small). For now, this app helped me to realise that, but has it helped to change my behavior? Not drastically, but it’s all on me now.
KeepassX – one great, safe, and simple password manager.