Top 5’s of 2023

I’m starting a new tradition of rounding up annual Top 5 lists for everything I watch, listen to, play & read. So here goes nothing. My inaugural Top 5’s list for 2023.

Top 5 Book I Read in 2023
Wool, Shift & Dust

I read all three books in the Silo trilogy and would definitely recommend them. The first is the best by a wide margin, the second is a bit of a slog to get through, but it’s worth it to get to the end of the third – which ties everything together. Very fun scifi read. (I havne’t tried the show just yet.)

The Alchemist

This was a bit of a “palette cleanser” – after reading some of the heavier entries on this list, I needed something short, sweet, and easy. This book has been on my shelf for years so I finally picked it up. A little old fashioned, but really easy to pick up, simple yet beautiful prose, and undeniably makes you want to get outside and live your life.

The Psychology of Money

I can only recommend this to a certain group of people. It’s not the best finance book I’ve ever read, but again, it’s an easy read, it does have some pretty eye opening stuff in there, and while it’s not necessarily going to change your relationship to money, it’ll definitely get you thinking about it.

Stories of Your Life & Others

Another scifi book – this time a collection of short stories by Ted Chiang. One of the stories in this book is what the movie “Arrival” is based on. That story is good, but I actually loved some of the lesser known ones even more. “Hell Is the Absence of God” is just a wild  concept,  “Liking What You See: A Documentary” will get you thinking and once “Division by Zero” settles in, it’ll break your heart.

Codependent No More

This is a heavy book. Again, it’ss not something I’d recommend to anyone. But if you know anyone who has addictions or is stuck in codependent relationships, I found it to be a good no-nonsense guide to healthier relationships.

Honorable Mentions
  • Old Man’s War
  • Maus
  • Bullet Journal Method
  • Outliers
  • The Hike

Top 5 Movies/TV I Watched in 2023
Bluey

All I can say about Bluey is that, if you have kids in your life, it is 100% necessary viewing. The writer’s of this show are incredible at nailing what being both a parent and a kid is like. It’s one of the most delightful TV shows I can remember seeing in a long time – animated or others, whether for kids or adults. It’s that good.

Taskmaster

I’ve been a huge Taskmaster fan since Season 1 and it likely would have been on my Top 5 list in previous years, but I’m including it here because I thought the cast of the latest season (Series 16) was reeeeally funny. A good cast makes Taskmaster great, and that latest series was very fun.

John Wick 4

Listen, this isn’t the greatest movie ever made. But I watched it one night when I really needed a break. I watched it really big on a projector in my garage. It was action packed nonsense and I loved it. That’s all I’m sayin’.

Blue Eye Samurai

This is the best adult animated show of the year for sure. A really cool revenge story, amazing characters, really cool tone. Think Kill Bill but less kitschy and more artistic. Mix that with the recent Arcane animated show’s style and tone. That’s Blue Eye Samurai and it’s solid.

Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain

If you need smart-dumb fun, this is the movie. I find these guys quite funny, they have that perfect blend of clever low brow humour that makes you laugh without melting your brain in stupidity. It’s dumb, but it’s clever dumb.

Honorable Mentions
  • Literally any true crime / war / history documentary series Netflix has produced this year
  • All Of Us Are Dead
  • Glass Onion: A Knive’s Out Mystery

Top 5 Videogames I Played in 2023
Tales of Iron

I love this game. Perfect amount of ‘deep’ RPG customization without demanding 200 hours of your life. I’m a dad, I got limited time to play videogames, and Tales Of Iron was the perfect blend of cool art style, enough RPG to feel invested, but with all the fat trimmed away. It’s an underrated gem for sure.

Medieval Dynasty

I am not a AAA videogame guy. I kind of like the janky, indie, simulator type game. Medieval Dynasty is exactly that. It’s a cross between survival games like Stranded Deep or Subnautica, crossed with a life simulator like The Sims. It’s real janky, but I had a lot of fun with it – probably the game I spent the most time with this year.

Stardew Valley (again)

My partner and I have been playing Stardew Valley of and on for years now. We’ve had a tired year and I gotta give Stardew it’s credit for being a lovely way to collapse at the end of the day and play a game together. It’s not something I’d play on my own, but with a partner or a friend, it’s a great way to unwind.

The Artful Escape

This is a short little game, very linear, mechanically very simple – but aesthetically incredible. The art direction is so good it goes into my Top 5. You don’t unlock the character customization until quite late in the game, but when you do, the options are perfect. Anybody to is a music fan and wants to get lost in a wildly artistic world should play this.

Quake Remaster

This is not a new game by any measure – even the remaster is a few years old now I think. However, I don’t think I’ve gone back to a game more times than I’ve gone back to Quake. It’s incredible how fun it is, with dated graphics, dated gameplay, it’s still my goto when I only have 5-10 minutes to pick up and play.

Honorable Mentions
  • God Of War: Ragnarok
  • Olli Olli World
  • Untitled Goose Game
  • Forager
  • House Flipper
  • Sea of Stars

Top 5 Songs I Heard in 2023
Silverfish – The Felice Brothers

This is not a feel good song, but there is something about it’s simplicity that I love. When the chorus repeats, “I gotta do something” over and over, that line it so perfectly vague, yet also relatable that it nearly brings me to tears. If you’ve ever been exasperated with how life is going and I know you have to shake things up, but you’re afraid of how it might turn out – this is the soundtrack to that feeling.

Clair De Lune – Debussy

Listen, I’m a dad of a 2 year old. I’m so tired. Most days I don’t have the energy to crave my old metal favourites. When I’m not listening to awful manic children’s songs, I want to mellow out. I want to catch my breath and I want to goto sleep. So this ol’ favourite gets a mention on my Top 5’s in 2023.

Pamphlets – Squid

I don’t know much about these guys, other than the fact that they’re young and their music is good fun. The music video for this song turned me onto Squid – it’s great. It’s like a mix of post-punk and the B-52’s. Also, singer drummer. Can never beat a singer-drummer.

Illusion of Seclusion – Photay

Just a good tune. Photay has some cool tunes, sample-y, loop-y, no vocals. Great working background music. If you’re looking for (digestible) Aphex Twin-y sound -this is one of my favourite tracks.

Old Note – Lisa O’Neill

It’s clearly been a quiet, thoughtful, (maybe even a little sad) year for my playlists, but what can I say. This is another one that will wrap you up in warmth and crank the nostalgia up to 11. Lisa O’Neill’s vocals are pretty alien, so you’ll either love them or hate them straight away – but if you’re in the love them camp, this song is a doozy.

Honorable Mentions
  • I Want To Break Free – Queen
  • Adderall – shame
  • 100% Endurance – Yard Act
  • From The Dead – Shintaro Sakamoto
  • Work Song – Dan Reeder