This year I have read 53 books, seen 56 movies, listened to 19 podcasts, enjoyed over 22,000 minutes of music, watched 38 television shows, and played 12 video games. Some of these pieces of literature came out way before 2021, but this year, I experienced something new with them, whether that be a new read of a book, season of a show, or an episode of a podcast. For a bit more in-depth conversation on my top 11 stories of the year, check out my podcast episode coming out on Thursday. For now, enjoy my top 5 in each category. I hope you enjoy these things in my “cauldron of story” from 2021.
Books
- Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge
This was the very first book I read this year and I fully believe it helped shape a lot of my habits and mindsets for 2021. I have loved every John Eldredge book I’ve ever read, but this one seemed to have more practical tips for living a more full life. Turn your phone off, get outside, and read more books, starting with this one.
- Soundtracks by Jon Acuff
I have become pretty much obsessed with Jon Acuff lately. It started when a friend recommended a book of his, and then he was interviewed on my favorite podcast, and then he started his own podcast and I joined his Facebook group and then this new book came out and wow. All of his content is so good. It’s encouraging and relatable and hilarious. This book in particular helps us to understand the negative soundtracks that run throughout our heads and to change them into positive ones. Get control of your overthinking and don’t let it control you.
- Redeeming Your Time by Jordan Raynor
Y’all knew I couldn’t get through a book list without bringing up Jordan Raynor, right? Well, he had a new book come out this year about what the Bible has to say about our daily habits and routines. He looks into how the Father of Time spent His time, and how we can use the same practices in our own lives. This book completely changed my daily routine for the better, and I highly recommend it, along with every other piece of content Jordan puts out, just sayin.
- Talking Back to Purity Culture by Rachel Welcher
So I’m a pretty active member on Weird Christian Twitter and that’s how I came across this book by fellow member Rachel Welcher. I bought it to support a fellow author, but when I read it, I was floored. It said everything I had been thinking and also touched on topics I hadn’t even considered, all about dating and purity culture within the church. The pros and cons, the good things and the very real bad things that need to be addressed. I have since recommended this book to several other people and plan on making my kids read it when they get old enough (and also, ya know, exist;P).
- Walking on Water by Madeleine L’Engle
A brilliant and beautiful book about writing and faith and fantasy. I had highlights in the double digits by chapter 2; in fact, I’m planning on using those quotes in my future writing projects because wow. I got this book recommended to me from a fellow Christian writer, and I just have to say that it has been so life-giving to learn from like-hearted people. Also, I’m just now noticing all of my top 5 books this year are nonfiction. I read some good fiction as well, but all of these books had a direct impact on my life, and if you are struggling with your physical, spiritual, or mental health, these books can help in very practical ways.
Movies
- Greenland and other disaster movies
Colton and I really got into disaster movies this year. We watched The Day After Tomorrow, Twister, Dante’s Peak, Geostorm, Armageddon, Poseidon, and 2012, and they were all pretty great, but Greenland was the best. Disaster movies are cool because even with all the nonsense going on in the world today, at least we aren’t dealing with a meteor crashing to earth as well. But even if we were, these movies give us hope that maybe, just maybe we can be in the handful of people who actually survive it. The theme is that humanity will persist, or we will at least fight until the bitter end. Greenland stars Gerard Butler and is more pre-apocalyptic than post. Highly recommend.
- Saw and other horror movies
Again, Colton got me into scary movies, so we watched a lot of those as well. Including…It chapters 1 and 2, Scream, Alien, American Psycho, Final Destination, Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane, 1408, and Freaky. All of these were good and terrifying, but I wanted to shout out Saw especially because of the twist. Not only that I didn’t see it coming but that in the 17 years that it has been out and I have heard references to it, I never once heard a spoiler. Which is just mind boggling to me because I heard the ending of Sixth Sense about 100 times before I saw the movie, but I had never heard the ending of Saw, and I am SO THANKFUL to everyone who made that possible. Thanks, universe! Because that ending was so good. Plus, awesome cast, great acting, intriguing story, spine-tingling cinematography. Just, everything.
- Shutter Island
Ok I guess I’ll quit cheating by listing several movies for each number. I had always put off watching Shutter Island, because I thought it was scary and used to hate horror movies. But really it was mostly just suspenseful and mind-bendy. Leo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo star as detectives investigating a missing person case on an island that is home to an insane asylum. Great acting and atmosphere, and again with the twists!
- Planet of the Apes
Colton basically forced me into watching these movies and I ended up loving them. Ugh, story of my life. I know the general consensus is that the next one is better than the last, but I personally think the first one is the best one. It’s like the origin story that leads the audience to understand how the planet of the apes actually began, and it’s with an unconventional and unexpected love story. James Franco and Andy Serkis made me sob like a little baby. The other two movies are also good and I do think you should watch the full series, but man, that first one is the one my brain keeps going back to.
- Inside
One of Bo Burnham’s movies made it to my top 5 last year, too! But this time it was all him, all the time. Inside was a Netflix “comedy” special that Bo wrote, performed, recorded, and produced all during quarantine. I wrote a whole blog about it when it came out, but basically it was a dark commentary on the mental toll that staying inside for several months can have on a person, particularly a creative, particularly someone who already struggles with depression and anxiety. But even through the darkness, Bo still manages to make us laugh out loud, and gives us songs that dominate our Spotify Wrapped.
(I really really want to talk about Spider-Man: No Way Home, but I just watched it like 3 days before posting this and can’t find all the words to describe my feelings yet. I see it again tomorrow and there will be a podcast episode out soon- no worries!)
Podcasts
- That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs
Helpful and hilarious podcast from writer Annie F. Downs. This podcast was recommended to me by a few people and around that time, I saw an interview with Annie and one of my favorite writers, and instantly felt connected to her friendly personality. She is loud and fun and honest and talks about all sorts of topics. Her podcast has several hundred episodes, so I just pick based on title or guest when I have an hour to fill, and already she has inspired me to make practical changes to my life for the better.
- Simplified Podcast with Emily Ley
I discovered Emily Ley through Jordan Raynor’s podcast and immediately read her new book and followed her on social media and found her podcast. She was a big inspiration for my own podcast because she writes out her episodes ahead of time as a writing practice and to make sure her podcasts stay on topic. She has a soft and sweet disposition and gives helpful advice to simplify your life, which I, as a minimalist, love.
- The Tim Hawkins Podcast with…take a guess.
Tim Hawkins has been one of my favorite comedians ever since my parents came home with an Ultimate Comedy Theatre DVD when I was like 12. I’ve seen him live a couple times and like to follow his work, so when he brought his podcast back I was thrilled. He used to do one called Poddy Break with the guys on his tour bus, which was super fun. This is a revamped version of his podcast with his family. Literally they just sit in a room and chat for an hour and a half but it is so good. They hit on real topics and funny topics and they sing and watch TikToks and you just feel like a part of the family.
- Pod and Prejudice with Becca and Molly
Another huge inspiration for my podcast! Becca and Molly read through Jane Austen books and talk about them a few episodes at a time. They started with Pride and Prejudice, which I read for the first time this year, and then they watched the two main movie adaptations. Their commentary is from the perspective of modern-day feminists, but they can’t help but fall for the cheesy romance. They are hilarious and truly help me to understand Austen better. I plan to read the rest of her work along with them.
- Born to Fly with Jane Trapman
Great podcast from fellow writer, Christian, and Jordan Raynor fan, Jane Trapman. Jane and I met during a Jordan Raynor launch team meeting and started chatting about our own writing journeys. Born to Fly is about building a community of Jesus-loving entrepreneurs who encourage each other to follow their God-given calling and “fly” in their own unique ways. I actually had the great honor of being interviewed on this podcast, and you can check out that episode here.
Songs
Our technical top 5 songs according to Spotify Wrapped are All Eyes on Me by Bo Burnham, Comedy by Bo Burnham, Roses by SAINt JHN, You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring, and A Conversation with Death by Khemmis, but I’ve already talked about Bo Burnham and I actually mentioned the Khemmis song in my choice awards last year, so I’m going to list 5 other songs that I had on repeat this year (in order of number of listens)…
- death bed by Powfu
This song is somehow sad and fun at the same time. It has a catchy tune but very real and solemn subject matter. It reminds me to live life to the fullest, tell the people I love that I love them, and that a cup of coffee will cure whatever ails you.
- Come Around and Forever by Papa Roach
I’ve been really into Papa Roach lately! He’s been in our top 100 for two years in a row. In fact, a lot of our top 100 songs are the same from years past. So we are looking for new music for 2022! If you have any recommendations, send them our way. We like rock like Papa Roach, punk/alternative like Panic! at the Disco, and folksy stuff like Mumford and Sons.
- Wellerman by Nathan Evans/Sea Shanty Medley by Home Free
Colton played Assassin’s Creed Black Flag with his siblings earlier this year and made a pirate playlist for their gaming sessions. He became obsessed with Wellerman and played it for me, and I became equally obsessed. There’s just something about those old pirate songs that are so fun and upbeat you can’t help but sing along. The medley by Home Free features some of the best ones, and I just love the deep harmonies of their a capella.
- The Disclaimer Song by Ethan Nestor and Mark Fischbach
Ok technically this song isn’t on Spotify, but a weird remix version is, and that did make my top 100 list. But the original song is on YouTube and is so fun and catchy and gives me all the feels. It is a clip from a YouTube channel Colton and I used to watch, UnusAnnus (AKA Latin for one year). Mark and Ethan released one video a day for one year and then deleted the channel. This was during the dark times of Covid and Other Things, so these videos became a bright part of our day. And now that they’re gone, clips and songs like these keep the memories alive and make the whole experience that much more special.
- I Do Believe It by Strawberry Season
One of my friends is in this band and they’ve released a few great songs! I Do Believe It is probably my favorite, and I even got one of their merch shirts that says that on it. I just think it’s so fun to see my friends following their dreams and showing up on my Spotify! Another girl I know had like a million streams of her songs. It’s cool to see, but it’s also important to support your friends in their creative endeavors! Listen to their music, buy their merch, read their blogs, share their posts, etc.
TV Shows
- Squid Game
Sometimes I find it cringey when I give into global phenomena. I want so badly to be a hipster who goes against the grain and watches real indie shows, but hey, they became popular for a reason, right? Squid Game became number one on Netflix in several countries. It spoke to Colton because normally foreign shows do not hit number one in America. It spoke to me because suddenly my entire meme timeline was full of guys in black masks and red jumpsuits. So we gave in and watched the first episode and were hooked. We would then go on to watch the whole show in a couple days and even dress up like characters for Halloween. If you haven’t seen it yet, give in to the hype. It is worth it.
- Queen’s Gambit
Another super hyped up show that followed through. This is a limited series that follows a young orphan named Beth Harmon as she struggles at her orphanage, gets adopted, and deals with family and personal crises, all while becoming a chess prodigy. It plays with the crazy = genius idea, and wrestles with serious issues all under the chess umbrella. It was so well done and definitely led to us buying a nice chess set.
- WandaVision and other Marvel shows
Marvel came out with some great stuff this year after the dry spell we got in 2020. There was Falcon and Winter Soldier, Loki, What If…?, Hawkeye, plus the movies Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and Spiderman: No Way Home. I could honestly write a whole blog post about each of these, but for now let’s focus on what I think was the best show of the year, WandaVision. To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to it at all. I thought it was going to be weird, plus, it was about two characters who were not exactly my faves. But I was hooked from the first episode. It was so fun to see them play with TV tropes from various decades, with something sinister hanging in the background. Three episodes in and you’re introduced to the true story and you get intrigued all the more. It was just an amazing, heart-wrenching, surprising, tear-jerking show that really contributed to the MCU as a whole.
- Supernatural
Again, I was hesitant to watch this show, but fell for it in less than one episode. Jenson Ackles is everything right with the world and the show may even be healing my Jared Padelecki wounds I got from Gilmore Girls. It’s a suspenseful show about brothers who go hunting for ghosts and spirits and monsters after being personally victimized by them. I thought it would be too scary for me, but they have a more secular view on angels and demons, so it’s more funny to me. There are definitely scary moments, but the hijinks of the characters balance it out well. We watched season one in two days, but slowed down a bit through season four. Then we had to take a break for a bit so we wouldn’t get burned out because there are 15 freaking seasons. But don’t worry, we will be back, because I have to see what happens next!
- Better Call Saul
After loving Breaking Bad, you know we just had to check out this prequel series, Better Call Saul, starring the amazing Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks. It takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, following flailing lawyer Jimmy McGill, or Saul Goodman, into his demise that eventually leads to his shady law practice in Breaking Bad. Prequel series are interesting because we know how this character is going to end up, and yet we are intrigued to see the path that led him there. This show is still going, so we’re still not sure how it’s going to turn out, but I’m sure it’s going to keep being great. Also on our way to Colorado this spring, Colton and I got to stop by Los Pollos Hermanos in Albuquerque, so that was pretty cool.
Video Games
- Stardew Valley
Last year, Colton and I played through over 30 video games, but this year instead, we just got super obsessive about a handful of video games. The first of our year was dominated by Stardew Valley. This is a game we got a while back, but it was single player only. This year, the two-player co-op was released just in time for snow-pocalypse. We were both off school and work for a solid week and couldn’t leave our house, but luckily we had electricity, so we played Stardew all day everyday for the entire week. It was awesome. You get to play as a farmer in a small town, befriending villagers and exploring the mines and it’s just wholesome and fun and just perfect escapism fuel. I wrote a whole blog about it earlier this year, and you can check that out for more info.
- Animal Crossing
The second part of the year, we were finally able to purchase a Switch, after they were flying off shelves during the pandemic. One of our first games we got was Animal Crossing, because I was obsessed with the original game on GameCube as a child. This game is similar to Stardew in that you befriend villagers and just build up your little home, but this time you are on an island, and for me, there’s the whole nostalgia factor. I got my siblings into it as well and the three of us had a group chat going on giving tips and swapping furniture and visiting each other’s islands, it was super cute.
- Walking Dead Saga
TellTale Games came out with a video game series in the same universe as The Walking Dead TV show. There are several games in the series, but we played the main four games that follow the story of a young girl named Clementine who was orphaned time and time again during the zombie apocalypse. These games are episodic so they have a story that plays out like a TV show, but you are a part of the story, making decisions that have major effects on the characters and plot. The game mechanics are fairly easy, mostly just quick time events, so you really just play for the story. Which you end up caring so much about! Because you follow Clem from the age of 9 to 17, in this post-apocalyptic world. You see her grow and change and get close to people, only for them to be tragically taken from her. And yet, she survives.
- Mario Party
So in getting our Switch, we naturally bought several Mario games, including two different Mario Parties, which I thought I would discuss a little here. We got Super Mario Party when we first got the Switch. The actual main game, where you play on the board, is a little underwhelming. The boards felt shorter and there wasn’t that much added to make it seem like a new and improved game. But the side stuff in that version is pretty cool, particularly the river and the rhythm games. But then they came out with Mario Party Superstars, and Colton’s siblings said it was really fun, so we got it, expecting to see elements from our favorite older Mario Parties, especially 5. But there were just a couple maps from the first two Mario Parties, and no fun side games like the other versions had. The main game itself was better than Super Mario Party- it felt longer and did remind us of how the game used to be, but still a bit underwhelming. Maybe we’ve just grown up out of the phase where games like this are fun. Or maybe we just need to play with more people. Hopefully soon we can play with Colton’s siblings online!
- Subnautica 1&2
Really the only games Colton wanted to play through and show me this year were the Subnautica games. You play as an explorer who crash landed on a foreign planet made almost entirely out of water. You have to mine elements in order to build a shelter, research the alien life forms, and figure out what caused your ship to crash, and why. At face value it seems just like a Minecraft-esque game that lets you explore and build as you see fit, but there is a pretty cool story hidden a couple layers down, literally, very far under the water surface. The second game in the series is from a different person’s point of view, on a different part of that planet that is frozen over, and there is a little bit more story going on. Overall, they were pretty cool games, and I think there will be more in the series.
I had high hopes for this year but ended up only reading like half of what I did in 2020. But that’s okay. I’m going to maintain my love for stories and that means I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself to do a certain amount each year. But for 2022, I’m planning on going through the Goodreads Awards winners from this year and any and every movie/podcast/song/show/game that gets recommended to me. So please let me know what stories you enjoyed in 2021!
If you like what you read, share it with your friends. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @kdsubcreations. Subscribe to my email list to receive monthly emails including blog highlights, book recommendations, updates on my writing projects, and the occasional free perk. Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me.
Keela Dee Subcreations 
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