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+---
+title: "Best of 2024"
+date: 2024-12-30T15:28:53-06:00
+---
+# Mark's Best of 2024
+
+This is my list of all of my favorite things that I experienced in 2024.
+
+## Best Fiction Book
+
+This year a read slightly fewer books than the previous year, roughly 50, completing ~90% of these. In the past few years, I've switched to mainly fiction and poetry, whereas prior to 2022 I almost exclusively read non-fiction. This is the first year I've decided to split the category into these two genres.
+
+### The Count of Monte Cristo
+
+This book lives up to all expectations and more. It is the longest book I've read by far, but there is so much going on that it does not drag. I am a fan of books about ships and the ocean, a category in which this book could fit (though *Count* has a much smaller proportion of this than many others, see *honorable mentions*.)
+
+Honorable mentions: Robinson Crusoe, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Slaughterhouse Five
+
+## Best Non-Fiction Book
+
+To elaborate my on my turn away from non-fiction, I have found that most non-fiction books published these days are essentially the same formula. They are padded for content, and offer little substance. I restrict myself to non-fiction books from authors I know, or highly recommended from authors I enjoy. My favorite time reading this year was spent re-reading Walden, and other essays from Thoreau, which I would highly recommend. Since these were mostly rereads, I do not consider them for this list.
+
+### Words without Music: A Memoir by Philip Glass
+
+Philip Glass is one of my favorite composers. I listened to recordings of his music constantly in college, and even got to see him perform at a concert in 2019. It was easy for my to be persuaded into reading this memoir, and I enjoyed reading it a lot. I especially enjoy Glass' reminiscing about Chicago during his time here as a student. Overall, I found the writing in this book to be excellent, and the background gave me a better appreciation of Philip Glass' music.
+
+## Best Movie
+
+### Barry Lyndon
+
+I love period pieces, and Barry Lyndon is an excellent movie set in 19th century Europe. The score is perfect, and the cinematography is stunning. I really enjoy this movie. To me, the mark of a good movie is when I can't stop thinking about it, and Barry Lyndon stayed on my mind for days after watching it.
+
+Honorable Mentions: Hundreds of Beavers, The Holdovers, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
+
+## Best Album
+
+### The Banjo Redefined - Paul Ely Smith
+
+This year I was obsessed with [the piece *Les Barricades Mystérieuses*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggeBeBItaW8), which led me to discover a [version arranged by Paul Ely Smith](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb3EH3vuD0M). This led me down a rabbit hole of music released a few decades ago on Flying Fish Records, none of which are available digitally. One such album is *The Banjo Redefined*. I really love Paul's recordings of both old-time and classical/baroque music. Old-time music, bluegrass, and classical are three of the genres I listen to most, and this album covers a bit of all three.
+
+## Best Video Game
+
+### UFO 50
+
+Spelunky is my favorite game of all time, and the creator Derek Yu was working on another game, UFO 50 for many years. UFO 50 finally released, and it is so much more fun than I ever thought it would be. I have played a lot of retro games, and games inspired by retro games. Derek and the other developers have managed to make very fun 50 retro inspired games. These are all full games that could've been sold individually back in the day. This collection is a great example of how much better we understand game design these days: UFO 50 introduces genres of games to it's virtual console that never existed until recently (e.g. rogue-like deck-builder).
+
+Honorable Mentions: Balatro, Webfishing
+
+## Best Museum
+
+### Tate Britain
+
+This year I tried to go to a lot of museums: some around Chicago, and more while on a trip to London. My favorite of all was the Tate Britain. I really enjoyed seeing the galleries focusing on the different british art movements and artists. I found a lot more paintings here that I enjoyed than at the National Gallery. It also doesn't seem to be to be as popular as some of the other art museums in London, but I would highly recommend it.
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