With the year almost over, I thought it’d be fun to compile a list of some of my “bests” of 2018. To qualify, it has to be something I only properly discovered/heard of/tried this year.
Here we go!
1) Best book
Phew. This has to be one of the worst questions ever, so I’ll pick two. My fiction winner is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (you can read my review of it here). It was such a beautifully written, honest, bittersweet story. The characters, and their interaction with each other, stole my heart.
My best nonfiction book would have to be The Word Made Flesh by Eugene H. Peterson. Peterson looks at the prayers and stories of Jesus, and he does it with so much grace and beauty, but so realistically and practically, too. Definitely a book to re-read in a year or three.
2) Best band
Folks, this was the year I discovered Spotify. I am changed!!! 😀 (I’m also driving my family nuts. I listen with earphones, mostly, but that doesn’t stop me from bursting into song . . .)
I discovered Imar, a Glasgow-based quintet. Of all the instrumental folk bands I listened to this year, these guys had something different. Their music is crammed with joy, gusto and lighthearted simplicity. They certainly won me over!
3) Best solo artist
This is . . . *drum roll* . . . Irish tenor Emmet Cahill.
His was the most beautiful voice I came across this year. But I love the whole package, too: I love his stage personality and watching him perform.
So go find him on YouTube. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO! 😀
4) Best song
Again – I’m afraid I have to pick two.
During my time in Brazil, Spotify introduced me to I Won’t Let You Go by Switchfoot and Lauren Daigle. It was so perfect it nearly made me cry. Every time I listen to it I’m encouraged and my perspective is renewed.
Then there’s Look At Me by Celtic Thunder – probably me and my sisters’ most-watched YouTube video of the year! We know all the words, and every gesture and facial expression. But each time we watch it, we hose ourselves all over again and find something new to giggle about. And it’s GOOD, music-wise!!
5) Best movie
Uhm. I have two of these as well xD
On New Year’s Day I finally got around to watching The Last Samurai. Don’t ask me how many times my eyes teared up. It’s a breathtaking work of art.
And on the Sao Paulo-Joburg flight, I watched The Shawshank Redemption. It was amazing – one of those films where you’re bawling at the end and you just don’t have any words. Anything you say would take away from the film’s beauty.
6) Best fashion find
Ah sure, I’m not much of a fashionista. But this year I discovered . . . FLANNELS!!! My lovely roommate during DTS had a great one I kept borrowing, and I eventually got my own. Considering I’m always cold in winter, this is PERFECT! Plus, it makes me look a little like Howlin’ Mad Murdock and pays some homage to my Scottish ancestry. Win-win 😀
7) Best food
The Brazilian bolinho de chuva, of course! The name means “little rain cakes”, and Brazilians often make them during rainy, colder weather. SO GOOD. I can have ten in a row and be more than satisfied with that as a meal.
8) Best drink
It would have to be the iconic Guarana, which is pretty much the Brazilian national soda. Just imagine if South Africa could import and sell it . . .
9) Best blog
Definitely The Goodness Revolt by Kate Emmons. Her writing is different, honest and beautiful. I love that she’s taking the road less travelled and that she’s determined to live life to the fullest. Pay her a visit and give her stuff a read 🙂
10) Best Verse
The passage that kept coming up this year was Psalm 46 – especially verse 10.
“Be still and know that I am God.”
I kept running into it, and my dad kept preaching sermons on it. It encouraged me, comforted me, gave me peace and perspective.
Especially as I look at the year ahead.
There you have it – some of my best discoveries of 2018! If you feel like sharing some of yours, please do so in the comments below! 🙂 Oh, and I have some pretty cool news about 2019 . . . But I’m not sharing it just yet 😉
Only by Grace 