...halfway through 2020. But who's keeping track these days, anyway?
I started with a top 20, then a top 10, and finally I whittled it down to top 5, because nobody's got time for that. It also significantly evolved with the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantine, mostly because what now resonates strongly with me from 2019 isn't what resonated with me five, four, or even three months ago. So without further ado, here's a few things I'd love to share with you that have been extremely impactful in my past year.
I may "love lamp," more than I should, and my husband teases me about it all the time (yes I window shop lamps online in my leisure time). Regardless, it's fitting that a lamp should be the first of my top 5. But seriously, this
Helix Light is cool and in terms of impact, it gave my piano room (where I spend 80 percent of my workday) a fresh vibe and ambience that has really helped my work mood. I wanted to pair it with another LED arc light I have across the room at my piano and needed something that had a similar feel - contemporary, with character to its shape, LED, and dimmable. If you're looking for an accent piece that can serve both atmosphere and give light to a whole room while ALSO fitting into a small space, get this light. This lamp gotten a crazy number of compliments, and I'm always excited to share that is ALSO affordable. Highly recommending this lamp as a quality luminous piece of furniture for just about any space.
The Farewell might not be my overall top movie of 2019 - there were so, so many good ones and some of them I still haven't seen. I also considered Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Jojo Rabbit, and of course Parasite, but I decided on this one for a couple reasons. First, it's about death - and there's a lot of existentialist thoughts we as a society are having right now. Thoughts like, what is family? How much of who I am is dictated by my past? How do I deal with loss? How much of my perception of the world is shaped by cultural and social constructs? How much control do I really have in this world? These were questions that came up as I watched this remarkable movie. It was pretty emotional, but in a really good way. It also had its feel-good moments, but ultimately asked some pretty heavy questions. The Farewell is also primarily in Mandarin, with a good amount of English and a couple other languages peppered in there. If I can ever recommend a foreign film, I do (and although this doesn't quite qualify as a "foreign film," it definitely pushes my comfort zone compared to the typical American movie), because they always stretch my concept of what is "normal". With rave reviews and a whole slew of nominations and awards including a Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Awkwafina's performance, it was a critical and box office success for a very good reason. This hour and a half film will stay with you for a long time.
My next recommendation comes by way of a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law. Having seen that
Educated had been highly reviewed and after reading a synopsis of the memoir, she thought I might find it interesting. Boy, did I. Tara's story made me angry, sad, happy, and resonated with me in ways I can't easily articulate in a "top picks" blog post. Having myself come from a more conservative background, there were moments of revelation, pain, insanity, and heartache in her story that, although Tara's and my lives may have been very different, I could very much relate to. Not all memoirs are created equally, and not all of them sit so strongly in one's emotions and heart. A New York Times best seller and top 10 of 2019, I highly recommend this very moving and hard to believe memoir.
I've probably recommended this printer a hundred times over the last few years, but I'm putting this on my list again because this
Brother Monochrome Printer is a beast and essential item for any of my self-employed or home office-bound colleagues. My whole career having been with a home office, I have been through so many printers I've lost count. This one has lasted the longest and, outside a paper jam, there have been ZERO issues with this printer. Shoot, even if you just want a basic printer for home leisure purposes, this is your best bet. If you're looking for a printer that does color or photo prints do not go with this monochrome printer, but if you want something that prints high quality black and white at super fast speeds on standard paper you can not be let down by this printer. It'll be your most reliable office friend.
My final recommendation comes with many, many hours of "testing" this product with my partner, Scott. I can't see any way for
Codenames Duet to get old any time soon, mainly due to the word board which will never be the same no matter how many times you play and the seemingly infinite amount of board combinations there can be. I'm not always one for collaborative rather than versus games, but the replayability combined with the wordplay make this one probably my all-time favorite two player game.
So that's my list. Looking for more book, movie, game, or lamp recommendations? You bet I've got some. Feel free to comment or email for more ideas!
I may "love lamp," more than I should, and my husband teases me about it all the time (yes I window shop lamps online in my leisure time). Regardless, it's fitting that a lamp should be the first of my top 5. But seriously, this Helix Light is cool and in terms of impact, it gave my piano room (where I spend 80 percent of my workday) a fresh vibe and ambience that has really helped my work mood. I wanted to pair it with another LED arc light I have across the room at my piano and needed something that had a similar feel - contemporary, with character to its shape, LED, and dimmable. If you're looking for an accent piece that can serve both atmosphere and give light to a whole room while ALSO fitting into a small space, get this light. This lamp gotten a crazy number of compliments, and I'm always excited to share that is ALSO affordable. Highly recommending this lamp as a quality luminous piece of furniture for just about any space. 
The Farewell might not be my overall top movie of 2019 - there were so, so many good ones and some of them I still haven't seen. I also considered Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Jojo Rabbit, and of course Parasite, but I decided on this one for a couple reasons. First, it's about death - and there's a lot of existentialist thoughts we as a society are having right now. Thoughts like, what is family? How much of who I am is dictated by my past? How do I deal with loss? How much of my perception of the world is shaped by cultural and social constructs? How much control do I really have in this world? These were questions that came up as I watched this remarkable movie. It was pretty emotional, but in a really good way. It also had its feel-good moments, but ultimately asked some pretty heavy questions. The Farewell is also primarily in Mandarin, with a good amount of English and a couple other languages peppered in there. If I can ever recommend a foreign film, I do (and although this doesn't quite qualify as a "foreign film," it definitely pushes my comfort zone compared to the typical American movie), because they always stretch my concept of what is "normal". With rave reviews and a whole slew of nominations and awards including a Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Awkwafina's performance, it was a critical and box office success for a very good reason. This hour and a half film will stay with you for a long time.
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