The best of 2021

 Here are my best of lists for 2021.

I had a busy year with study so my intake of books, viewing, listening was limited but there was still great stuff.

READING

I only read 56 books in 2021. This was due to studying taking up my reading time, and COVID fog/lack of reading mojo. But still some good stuff within those 56. Only 11 were fiction. 27 non-fiction, and 18 biographies. 25 by males and 27 by females so a good split there. 10 by LGBTQIA, 16 Australian, 3 foreign writers, and 4 first nations writers. I can do better there. I like to read a wide range and do not specifically seek them out, but find I am drawn to a lot of these writers, but 2021 was a little different. I have much to catch up on this year. 

Books of 2021

1. How we live now by Bill Hayes - set in the first 100 days of the pandemic in NY. Stunning and poetic.

2. Son of the brush by Tim Olsen - about Tim's relationship with his father, John Olsen.

3. The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery - a wonderful book about the Octopus and all their intellect.

4. A lonely girl is a dangerous thing by Jesse Tu - best fiction I read all year about a young girl who had been a child prodigy and decides to take the violin back up, gets asked to play in NY and heads over. A fabulous romp of sex, classical music and the search for love.

5. Soar by David McAllister - the story of his life in and managing The Australian Ballet

6. The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku - memoir of his life, almost 100 and a holocaust survivor, and advice on how to live a happy life.

7. Grandest bookshop in the world by Amelia Mellor - childrens fiction (for all ages) about the family living in Coles Arcade in Melbourne. 

8. Identity Crisis by Ben Elton - fiction, about the murder of a trans-woman, and the detective who is on the case.

9. My Rock N Roll Friend by Tracy Thorn - about her friendship with Lindy Morrison.

10. Old Seems to be other people by Lily Brett - essays about ageing in NY.

11. Shit Actually by Lindy West - hilarious essays, mostly about film

12. Midnight Library by Matt Haig - fiction about a library that lets you try on various lives to find the best suit.

13. Last Chance Texaco by Ricki Lee Jones - amazing autobiography about the early part of her life.

14. The Year of Living Vulnerably by Rick Morton - complex book about looking for love.

15. Right place, right time by Bob Gruen - autobiography about Bob's life as a rock photographer.

16. Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss - historical fiction about first nations people and the great flood of Gundagai in 1852.

17. Fathoms by Rebecca Giggs - a whale washes up dead, and Rebecca decides to research why we let this happen. A wonderful tale of whales, the environment, and oceans.

18. The Believer by Sarah Krasnonstein - Sarah meets with people who believe, in god, ghosts, ufos etc, and tells their stories.

19. In Pieces by Sally Field - deep and dark autobiography of Sally's life, in Hollywood and in life.

20. Best.Movie.Year.Ever: How 1999 blew up the big screen by Brian Raftery - fabulously entertaining book on the movies released in 1999.

WATCHING

One thing stood so far above everything I watched or consumed this year that is deserves to stand alone. In fact, this is so brilliant, I do not know that anything else will surpass it in my life.

Peter Jackson's GET BACK

An absolute masterpiece, I am yet to properly review it.
I just keep saying it is the gift of a lifetime, and it is.
Possibly only for fans, I don't know.

All I know is I loved it, unlike anything else I have ever seen.

The Best Television of 2021

1. Succession S3 - outstanding, bombastic, brilliant. A family, not unlike the Murdochs, and their empire, the infighting and manipulation!

2. Mr In Between S3 - Australian drama with heart and comedy, about a man for hire who happens to be a family man.

3. White Lotus - uptight black comedy about a range of awful holiday makers on  a resort in Hawaii.

4. The Newsreader -brilliant period drama set in 80s news in Melbourne.

5. Mare of Easttown - Kate Winslet is the sheriff of a small town where a horrific murder takes place.

6. The Flight Attendant - A young flight attendant gets caught up with a man who ends up murdered.

7. His Dark Materials- fantasy based on the trilogy of books, stunning.

8. Wakefield - drama about the patients and staff at a mental hospital in The Blue Mountains.

9. The Crown S4 - more of the royal family, in the early Diana years.

10. What we do in the Shadows S3 - hilarious dark comedy about vampires in a share house in Long Island.

Special mention: Fisk, Staged, War of the Worlds, After Life, Sandition

The Best of Documentary Television 2021

1. McCartney 321 - Paul and Rick Rubin unpack many of his songs.

2. The Books that Changed Me - Claudia Karvan investigates Australian literature and what we love to read.

3. 100 Years of The Archibald - Rachel Griffiths goes behind the scenes of the 100th year of The Archibald.

4. Travels with my father - Jack Whitehall takes his very dry and particular elderly father on holidays to various continents.

5. Ms Represented - Annabel Crabb presents the history of females in politics in Australia.

6. This is a robbery - the story of the Gardiner Art Heist.

7. Write Around the World - Richard E Grant head off on a travel show around Europe with books from those areas.

8. Parisian Agency - Parisian family of real estate agents who look after high end places in Paris. Swoon.

9. Crikey, It's the Irwins - I love this behind the scenes at Australia Zoo so much. Plenty of animals, conservation, and the Irwin family.

10. Googlebox - my favourite on-going show. A cross section of society looking at television for that week. Trust me, go and check it out.

Special Mentions: Joanna Lumley travels, Palin: travels of a lifetime, The History of Swearing

The Best Films of 2021

1. The French Dispatch - utter perfection, Wes Anderson, Paris, and Faux French New Yorker style magazine. Huge amazing cast, funny.

2. The Father - Anthony Hopkins is devastating as a man losing his mind.

3. The Sound of Metal - great story about a heavy metal singer losing his hearing.

4. Eiffel - French film about the man behind The Eiffel Tower.

5. My Salinger Year - based on a memoir, this is about a young girl getting a job in a NY literary agency that looks after JD Salinger.

6. Soul - animated film about finding your soul, with a jazz and soul musical background.

7. Dune - new big screen film of the classic sci-fi book, stunning.

8. Promising Young Woman - a woman seeks revenge on her friends death.

9. Minari - a young Korean family tries to make it in America.

10. Supernova - Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci go on one last road trip before Tucci's character disappears into Alzheimers. 

The Best Documentaries of 2021

1. Jim and Andy - the story of Jim Carey becoming Andy Kaufman in The Man on The Moon. Outstanding and surreal.

2. The Centre will not hold: Joan Didion - Joan at the end of her life, formidable.

3. The Gogos - remarkable story of the 80s band, their punk foundation and where they are today.

4. Idiot Prayer - a live concert from Nick Cave by himself on a grand piano in Alexandra Palace, sublime.

5. Three Identical Strangers - spooky story of triplets separated at birth, how they found their way back to each other and how they became separated in the first place.

6. The Hope Documentary Jane Goodall - looking at Jane's work thorughout her life.

7. Firestarter - the story of Bangarra Dance Theatre

8. Happy BIrthday Mr Bean - the history and behind the scenes of Mr Bean. Genius!

9. Too Soon: comedy after 9/11 - how comedy got back on track after 9/11.

LISTENING

Top music of 2021

1. The Dee Gees - Dave Grohl and The Foo Fighters doing The Bee Gees!

2. Idiot prayer: alone at Alexander Palace by Nick Cave - album of the doco, Nick, a piano and solo, sublime,

3. Ok Human by Weezer - as always great and fun.

4. Letter to you by Bruce Springsteen - HIs best album in recent times. 

5. Hermitage by Ron Sexsmith - fabulous rock, very listenable.

6. Soul Soundtrack - overseen by Trent Reznor and excellent.

7. We Are - Jon Baptiste - bluesy fun.

8. Unfollow the rules - Rufus Wainwright - excellent

9. Harry Styles - such fun

10. Still woman enough by Loretta Lynn - she's still got it.

Best Podcasts of 2021

1. WTF - Marc Maron continues to get better and better and his guests are top notch

2. Bang On - Myf and Zan bring us the week in popular culture.

3. Clear and Vivid - Alan Alda, always great, really knocked it out the park this year with interestig guests in science we have never heard of but needed to and some famous people like Brian May, Bill Bryson, Mel AND Max Brooks etc.

4. Ms Represented - companion piece to the ABC show with Annabel Crabb.

5. Smartless - this show was initally hit and miss, but has really grown on me, great guest list this year too!

Special Mentions: 5Ws and Countdown