Kimberlee K.

One of my favorite things to do at the end of the year is to look at everyone’s “best of” lists. I love recommendation lists and you will find my notebook, my phone, and sometimes even my hands covered in scribbled notes of things to check out. So, since I know I will be actively consuming these lists, I think it’s only fair to contribute one of my own.

Here are my favorite things from 2020:

Note: these aren’t necessarily things that came out in 2020, but they are things that I found this year and loved.

Books

• Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
• Sorry I’m Late I Didn’t Want to Come by Jessica Pan
• Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic by Michael McCreary
• The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom
• The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
• This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
• A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost
• Black Widow by Leslie Gray Streeter
• A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
• Fortitude by Dan Crenshaw

Podcasts

• Pretty Big Deal w/ Ashley Graham
• Truth & Lies: Jeffrey Epstein
• Straight Up w/ Trent Shelton
• Dolly Parton’s America
• Everyday Decisions w/ Jo Firestone
• Off Air with Joe & Orel
• 1619
• The Next Right Thing
• Human Seeking Human
• Song Exploder

Movies

• Little Women
• 1917
• Jojo Rabbit
• Emma
• Brittany Runs a Marathon
• Home Again
• Troop Zero
• Swiss Army Man
• Peanut Butter Falcon
• Knives Out

TV Shows

• Schitt’s Creek
• Hunters
• Outer Banks
• Dark
• Never Have I Ever
• Normal People
• Emily in Paris
• Pen15
• Peaky Blinders
• The Queen’s Gambit

Music

• Rare by Selena Gomez
• Ocean by Lady Antebellum
• Apart by Léon
• Lady Like by Ingrid Andress
• Go Somewhere by John Splithoff
• State of the Heart by Patrick Droney
• Kelsea by Kelsea Ballerini
• folklore by Taylor Swift
• The Otherside by Cam
• Sad Hunk by Bahamas

Misc

Take the Day off Cleansing Balm: This is hands down the best makeup remover I’ve ever used. Not only does it get allll of my makeup off, it doesn’t irritate my skin, and it lasts for a long time. (find it here.)

Aveda Shampoo: I feel like I’ve been looking for “the right” shampoo for my hair for a long time and to my absolute delight, I finally found it in this one. This was an intensely impulsive purchase that was brought on by quarantine boredom, but it has been a lifesaver! Pro-tip: if you try it and like the shampoo, just get jumbo size bottle, it’s worth it. (find it here.)

Tangle: This bi-partisan newsletter was a valuable find for me, especially this year when there were so many important conversations being had. I liked being given both sides of an argument rather than trying to weed out the truth between all the screaming and arguing that took place on opposing sides. (find it here.)

AirPods: I would have never guessed that I’d be finishing out the year recommended AirPods as one of my favorite things but I would be lying if I said I haven’t used them absolutely every day since I bought them. These have especially been a lifesaver for listening to music at work, doing chores, talking on the phone, etc., because I no longer have to worry about the cords of my old headphones. (find them here.)

Check out more List-cember posts here.

And you can check out last year’s Rec Roundup here.