Kimberlee K.

“Best of” lists at the end of the year are some of my favorite things to read. So I always like to include my Rec Roundup in List-cember as my way of contributing to those.

If I were tougher, I’d rank the items in each category from 1 to 10, but honestly, narrowing myself down to 10 choices is hard enough.

So, these are my favorite favorites from this year. I hope you enjoy!

Note: these aren’t necessarily things that came out in 2021, but they are things that I found this year and loved.

Books

• Survive the Night by Riley Sager
• The Noticer by Andy Andrews
• The Boy in Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
• Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• The Guest List by Lucy Foley
• Educated by Tara Westover
• Live in Love by Lauren Akins
• Normal People by Sally Rooney
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
• Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

Podcasts

• CounterClock (especially season three!)
• My Unsung Hero
• Live in Love Podcast
• A Slight Change of Plans
• The Happiness Lab
• The Basement Yard
• Anatomy of Murder
• The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast
• Bouncing Forward with Amy Purdy
• Other People’s Lives

Movies

• Coda
• The Last Letter from Your Lover
• Tell Me Who I Am
• The Broken Hearts Gallery
• INSIDE
• The Year Earth Changed
• Promising Young Woman
• Sound of Metal
• The Dig
• The Map of Tiny Perfect Things

TV Shows

• Panic (Amazon Prime)
• Love Life (HBO Max)
• Bridgerton (Netflix)
• The White Lotus (HBO Max)
• Mare of Easttown (HBO Max)
• Starstruck (HBO Max)
• Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
• Barry (HBO Max)
• The Wilds (Prime Video)
• The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Music

• Obviously by Lake Street Dive
• All In by John Splithoff
• Songs to Break Up To by Wild Rivers
• Godsend by Riley Clemmons
• One Foot in Front of the Other by Griff
• SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo
• star-crossed by Kacey Musgraves
• Into the Mystery by Needtobreathe
• Red (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift
• 30 by Adele

Misc

Modern Different Newsletter: I’ll admit, I went in hard on newsletters this year. I subscribed to many—some might say too many—and as a result, I often fell behind on reading them. Never this one though. I always liked seeing a new issue in my inbox and I loved the unique product recommendations that were always inside. (find it here.)

Crispy Sheet Pan Gnocchi: This was easily my most made recipe of the year. It’s easy, it’s delicious and it makes a lot. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner! (find the recipe here)

KIND Bar Subscription: I never would have imagined I’d be a loyal subscriber to KIND bar content, but here we are. After trying and loving their Breakfast Protein Bars at the beginning of the year, I subscribed to their delivery service, that gives you x number of bars (you choose) per month/every other month/etc. I love having a variety of different choices to grab on the go for breakfast, and in doing the math, I’m saving money in the long run by ordering them in bulk straight from the source! I’d love to say this is sponsored, but it is isn’t—though it could be, Mrs. KIND. (find it here.)

Do you have any favorites from this year?

Let me know!

Check out more List-cember posts here.

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