KJ's 2021 Media Roundup

[owlmoose]

Hello! I don't think I posted one of these (or any solo posts at all, really) last year, but, well-- last year. In the interest of getting back into good habits, and because I read and watched some awesome things, I'm starting as I mean to go on and sharing my favorites here.

Reading Goals

According to StoryGraph, I read 24 books in 2021, toward a goal of 36. I didn't set much in the way of specific goals for 2022, but I did set a goal of 30 on StoryGraph. We'll see how it goes.

Books Published in 2021

The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrak -- Carrak is the joint pseudonym for Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms. Brennan is one of my top authors; I heard her read from this at FogCon in 2020, and it shot to the top of my to-read list immediately. The tale of Ren (aka Renata aka Arenza), a con artist trying to work her way into the trust of a wealthy and powerful family, it's a twisty-turny tale of heists, cons, politics, and fate with immensely appealing characters and a strong found family vibe at its center. This is the first book in a trilogy; the second is already out and I'm reading it right now. So far, so excellent.

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee -- My most anticipated book of 2021 by a lot. Gut wrenching and amazing and perfect. To say more would require spoilers, so I'll avoid it for now. Maybe I'll write a review of the full series soon.

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine -- The sequel to A Memory Called Empire, which was one of my favorite books written in 2019. This story is different in many ways, largely because much of the action moves out of the city, and the urban world-building "city as character" was one of the best things about that book for me. Here, we pull back a little and see much more of the world at large -- we spend more time on the Station, on Teixcalaanli ships, on another planet, and in the process get a broader look at this universe and the people in it. Fascinating politics, amazing friendships, and interesting ideas about communication with the Other. I'm sad this is only a two-book series, but the end is highly satisfying.

Books Published in Other Years

The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk (2020) -- I started this book on a whim while I was on vacation last May. I had just finished The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal; it was a good book, and I enjoyed it pretty well, but it was intense and stressful and full of real-world problems and not the relaxing poolside read I needed that week. I asked around for an antidote, and someone suggested The Midnight Bargain. It was the perfect choice. While not entirely light and fluffy, and as engaged with issues of women's rights as the Lady Astronaut series in its own way, this "Regency romance with magic" was fun and engaging, the romance and friendships at its heart were very appealing, and I found Nadi's antics hilarious.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (2020) -- Like a lot of books lately, I didn't get around to reading this one until it was a Hugo finalist, despite the fact that I loved Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell and, like many fans of that book, was eager for Clarke's next. But once I finally did get a chance to pick it up (while I was on vacation last fall), I was thoroughly sucked in, and finished it in less than two days. I went into the book knowing basically nothing about it, so part of the pleasure was the amazement of discovery, of having the world, the protagonist, and the mysteries of both slowly unfold in front of my eyes. Just in case anyone reading this is curious and has managed to remain unspoiled, I'll leave it at that for now.

October Daye reread -- I've always planned to reread this series at some point, from the moment I got to the WHAM in Book 8, and renay provided me with the perfect opportunity when she invited me to do a readalong of the series at Fangirl Happy Hour. It's been amazing to revisit the characters and universe, to see all the places where Seanan McGuire is setting up long-term plot and character arcs (both intentionally and unintentionally), and to notice all the things I missed before. I used to be an avid re-reader but I got out of the habit; it's something I should do more often.

Other Media

Arcane: League of Legends -- I said most everything I have to say about this in Our Favorite Media: December 2021, so I'll refer you over there. A gorgeous animated show with amazing character and relationship growth.

Exandria Unlimited -- I've been watching Critical Role since about halfway through the first campaign, and one of the things I've enjoyed about it is watching this group of moderately successful voice actors grow their hobby into a multimedia empire, and to witness their determination to use their influence to bring in and lift up new voices. When they announced that they'd be taking a break between Campaigns 2 and 3, and running an eight episode mini-series in the same world but with some different players and a new DM, I was intrigued. That was Exandria Unlimited, and it was a delight to watch. The game master, Aabria Iyengar, put her own spin on the world and its settings, and the new players were uniformly wonderful -- I particularly fell in love with Robbie Daymond's Dorian, so I was super excited to see him get a long-term guest role in Campaign 3 (still going as of this writing)! Also, it was super fun to see regular DM Matt Mercer get to play a character for longer than a one-shot. If you've been curious to check out the vibe and energy of Critical Role without getting sucked into a long-running commitment, EXU is an excellent way to dip your toe in.

Hades -- Winner of last year's special Best Video Game Hugo award, and richly deserved. I don't know if I've ever seen game that more deftly merged game mechanics and storytelling. A lot of folks have talked about this, but I think my favorite review comes from YouTuber Vera Wylde over on Break Room of Geeks. I particularly love Vera's comments on how continual failure is part of the story, and turned into the only way the player can ever make progress. Highly recommended (the game and the YouTube channel alike).

Leverage: Redemption -- The show I never really dared to hope would come back... but it did. The original Leverage might have been a little before its time, in terms of audiences being aware excesses of capitalism, but it seems almost quaint in comparison to what we deal with now. Accordingly, the villains in Redemption are bigger, badder, and ripped even more directly from the headlines. It can sometimes be hard to watch, but watching them get their comeuppance from our favorite band of con artists is accordingly even more satisfying. And of course I loved getting to spend more time with this crew. Noah Wylie and Aleyse Shannon were excellent additions to the cast, and I also enjoyed Andrea Navedo (Xo on Jane the Virgin) in her recurring role as a US Marshall. I'm so, so happy that another season has been confirmed.

The Magpies -- Okay, I know I've enthused about this show here before, and I'm going to keep doing it whenever it makes sense. This actual play podcast about being gay, doing crimes, and fighting for justice wrapped up its fourth and final season this fall, and the end was beautiful and incredibly satisfying. The same team plus one new player recently launched a new series (set in the same universe but a number of years later) called The City That Never Dies; as of this writing, it's five episodes in, and promises to be yet another exciting and meaningful adventure. If you like getting in at the start of something new, this is the time; if you prefer your media to be completed, I highly recommend going back and catching up on The Magpies. Either way, you can't lose.

Only Murders in the Building -- I wasn't sure about this one going in, but it came highly recommended by friends and they were so, so right. The tale of three people who share nothing beyond a Manhattan address and their love of a true crime podcast and who are drawn together by the desire to solve the murder of one of their neighbors, and at the same time to create a podcast about it, is a brilliant sendup of true crime stories and podcast culture while also being an excellent murder mystery. The lead actors -- Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez -- have amazing chemistry; I was skeptical about how we might have a second season, but the end left my jaw on the floor and my heart eager for more.

YouTube media critics and video essayists -- Just like in 2020, I spent a lot of time going down YouTube rabbit holes last year. Besides the aforementioned Break Room of Geeks, and their main channel Council of Geeks, I also got a lot of enjoyment out of watching the media commentary and video essays of many folks. Some of the others whose channels I discovered this year include Jessie Gender, José, Matt Baume, Broey Deschanel, Strange Aeons, and Shaun. I also find myself regularly enjoying the antics of Save Data Team, in particular their "Ace Attorney with an Actual Lawyer" series -- they've completed the original game and are now swapping between Justice for All and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles.

What are some things you loved in 2021? Any of these in your list of favorites? Anything you want to check out? Let's chat about it!