The Final List of 2023

Okay, Now What? 2024...

Dec 19, 2023

I have a lot of thoughts about 2023, most of them not yet analyzed nor ready to be shared via this Substack. Once I’ve done an official post-mortem on the year, I’ll be sure to share it with you all. For the time being, I figure we’d end the year like we started the year, with a big ass list.

May I present: The Best of 2023

Books: I have read a ton of great books this year (reading is the one resolution I will accomplish by year’s end). As a result, I could recommend dozens of books that I think are worth reading, but for brevity, here are the six books that have stayed with me the longest and most profoundly since I finished them.

Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver
The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai
The Rachel Incident, Caroline O’Donoghue
Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe
A Fever in the Heartland, Timothy Egan
A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy, Nathan Thrall

Podcasts: While I am thoroughly proud to have listened to 97,724 minutes on Spotify this year (top 1% of listeners), it is not because I listen to that much music (I do), but I listen to a lot of podcasts. Here are my favorites this year.

How to Waste Time, The Atlantic
Why is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast
Pod Save America, Crooked Media
Pod Save the World, Crooked Media
Smartless
As You Are
with
Grace Coudal
and
Hollis Baker
💗

Restaurants - London: It goes without saying, I’ve eaten A LOT this year. Here are a few of my all-time and new favorite restaurants in the Big Smoke.