2014: My Top 5 Movies, TV Shows + Books

M O V I E S

5. Unbroken: I left the movie equal parts inspired by humanity and disgusted, ashamed of humanity. The story was phenomenal and the acting was beautiful.

4. Gone Girl: This was my #2 favorite book last year, so I was highly anticipating the movie. It was even better than I could have imagined. Rosamund Pike was the definition of perfection.

3. Wild: Reese Witherspoon captivated you from the moment she stepped on screen. The cinematography was astounding and the movie made me cry {almost} as much as the book.

2. Chef: Oh my gosh, this movie! You have to go watch it. You HAVE to. That’s all I can say. It’s funny, it’s smart, it’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.

1. Interstellar: This movie blew me away. We talked about it for the next week, discussing it like it was a real story. That’s the sign of a great movie.

Still on the list to see from 2014: Boyhood (DYING to watch this), Whiplash, Theory of Everything, Foxcatcher

T V  S H O W S 

5. Pretty Little Liars: This is my extremely guilty pleasure show. I honestly can’t tell you why I enjoy it as much as I do as a 25 year old. (Well, I tried to tell you in my blog post here.) But I’m so excited to watch this show every week.

4. The Good Wife: I binged all 6 seasons of this show this summer, and can’t believe I’ve gone this long without watching it. Alicia Florrick is my role model.

3. The Mindy Project: A consistent favorite, per usual. And now we have the best couple on TV (by far) and it’s too much happiness and laughter to contain.

2. The Walking Dead: Another consistent favorite, per usual. How this show tops itself every season is beyond me, but I’m just as much wrapped up in this apocalypse now as I was day 1.

1. Orphan Black: This one shocked me. Seriously, shocking how addicted I am to this show. The number 1 reason is easy – Tatiana Maslany, and the fact that she hasn’t been nominated for an Emmy makes me reconsider my entire existence.

B O O K S*
*read this year, not necessarily published this year

5. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green: I thought it would be an easy, predictable young adult read, but it had so much more depth than any other YA book I’ve read. The characters, the plot, the writing – it was nearly perfect. (Also, loved the movie)

4. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink: I read this book in a day and loved every second of it. The author turns something you don’t think would be interesting into the most fascinating love story I’ve heard in a long time. (Also, again, loved the movie)

3. I’ll Drink to That by Betty Halbreich: This autobiography is phenomenal. I’ve only read a few autobiographies in my life, but this one outshines them all. Her life is so fascinating that I often felt like I was reading fiction.

2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell: I am officially Malcolm Gladwell’s newest, biggest fan ever. His writing is simply superb, weaving in hard facts with anecdotes so perfectly that you believe everything he says without batting an eye.

1. Wild by Cheryl Strayed: A woman hiking a 1,100 miles in a journey of self-discovery – sounds a little boring, huh? Not even close. I felt so connected to the main character by the end that I could feel her tears in my eyes. This is officially on my list of top 10 favorite books of all time.

BONUS: P O D C A S T S 

1. Serial: The only podcast I’ve ever listened to. It’s literally all I can think about.

 xo xo

You might also enjoy: 2013: Top 5 Movies, TV Shows + Books, Top 10 Movies of 2012