2016: My Top 5 TV Shows + Books

T V   S H O W S 

5. Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life – Netflix: I have been on pins and needles waiting for this show for a year. Well, actually more than that since I’ve wanted more ever since it ended!! I was so concerned it wouldn’t live up to my high expectations, and while it clearly wasn’t my number 1 for the year, it definitely makes the top 5. There were a few quirks about it I didn’t love, but overall I felt like I was chatting with my old friends again, going to my old haunts and swooning over my old boyfriends (#TeamJess). I binged this all day with a friend and it just made me so, so happy. Full blog post to come soon.

4. The Crown – Netflix: This show is absolutely fascinating. If you have any interest in the Royal family or British history, then this should be a must on your list to get an inside look at the rise of Queen Elizabeth II at 25 years old (crazy!!). The acting is absolutely phenomenal and the show is extremely well made. I can’t wait for more seasons as they introduce Prince Charles and Princess Diana.

3. Younger – TV Land: I love this show!!! This is the show I’m dying to watch every single week and indulge myself in without husband. The characters are so fun and relatable, and makes me wish I was in the publishing industry in NYC. This season they introduced a love triangle that pulls at all the heartstrings. (#TeamJosh) It just ended and I’m already dying for more!

2. Westworld – HBO: I was super skeptical about watching this. All of our friends claimed they stopped watching The Walking Dead and started watching this instead. So while it took me a minute to give it a chance, I was hooked from the very first episode. It is sooooo creepy and will have you seriously concerned about the future of AI, but you won’t be able to tear yourself away.

1. Stranger Things – Netflix: It can’t be a surprise to anyone that this was my number 1 show of the year. We dressed up as the kids for Halloween, and we found and stood in line for a Stranger Things bar over Christmas. If you love 80s nostalgia, being a little bit scared and rooting for a group of adorable kids then put this first on your list.

Way to go, Netflix! Seriously, they are stepping up their game in the original TV show department – 3/5 on my list! Sadly, there were a few shows this year that have been on my list in previous years, but are slowly declining … namely, The Walking Dead.

B O O K S 

5. Bread & Wine – Shauna Niequist: I.am.obsessed.with.this.book. I seriously could  read it all over again right now. The author shares life stories and intermingles them with her favorite recipes. I felt like I was in her kitchen, living life with her, breaking bread and drinking wine. She is so honest and transparent, and shares her faith in such an amazing way.

4. Along the Infinite Sea – Beatriz Williams: This book captured me from the first chapter. It tells the story of two very different women, one growing up in WWII and one in 1960s America, and how their lives intertwine. This is a dazzling love story that will sweep you off your feet, thanks to the incredible writing. By the end I was bawling and dying for more.

3. The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah: I adored this book! Set in France in WWII following two stories, it was reminiscent of All The Light We Cannot See (my #1 book of 2015). The character development was phenomenal and the writer painted the scenes so well. At one point I was crying so hard because I felt like I was in an internment camp and told husband through bleary eyes how I just couldn’t get over the fact that this happened in real life. Yes, there are some sad parts, but I promise you will not regret reading it.

2. Me Before You – Jojo Moyes: This book surprised me so much by how much I enjoyed it. It had been on my reading list for a couple of years now, and I finally decided to give it a shot when I saw it at the library. It is such a beautiful tragic love story that makes you fall in love with the characters and then cry your eyes out at the end.

1. Brain on Fire – Susannah Cahalan: This is one of those books (like I’ve said before in my reviews) you just HAVE to read! Seriously, go buy it right now. It’s a true story about a 24-year-old journalist who gets very sick, very fast, and no one can figure out what is wrong. You will be fascinated by the medical and biological side of the story, as much as you will the personal and relational side. It’s non-fiction, but totally reads like fiction.

[You can read all of my book reviews here.]

So, in years past I’ve shared my top tv shows, books AND movies of the year. However, as I started thinking about this post, I couldn’t even think of 5 movies we’d seen this year! They say we are in the golden era of TV, and I completely agree. It was a lot harder to come up with my top 5 TV shows because we’ve watched a lot of incredible TV this year.

Of course there are a lot of buzzworthy Oscar movies out right now that I’m dying to see, and I’m literally going to see La La Land in an hour. I’ll go ahead and say my favorite movie of 2016 was La La Land.

xo xo

[Catalog – 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012]