Lists of 2012

This is not a complete list, as there's plenty of good stuff I didn't get to in 2012. But of the stuff I got to, this is what I liked. The lists are roughly in order, but sometimes I liked the #7 pick just as much as the #1 pick...

Favorite TV:

1. Mad Men
2. Breaking Bad
3. Homeland
4. 30 Rock (This final season of 30 Rock has been fantastic. A real improvement from the most recent seasons. The shows is definitely going out on a high note. I love all the digs at NBC. And Liz's wedding was such a great episode)
5. Parks & Recreation
6. Community
7. Girls
8. Louie
9. Downton Abbey
10. Veep

Honorable Mentions: Sons of Anarchy, Key & Peele, Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Nurse Jackie, Portlandia. The Olympics (so many great TV events during the Olympics. Especially USA vs Canada women's soccer semifinal match -- what a jam-packed, intense 124 minutes that was). Euro 2012 (yay Spain!).

Favorite Movies:

1. Moonrise Kingdom
2. Argo
3. Beasts of the Southern Wild
4. Silver Linings Playbook
5. Rust and Bone
6. Safety Not Guaranteed
7. Bernie
8. The Sessions
9. Celeste & Jesse Forever
10. Sleepwalk With Me

Honorable Mentions: Pitch Perfect, Arbitrage, Time of My Life, Ruby Sparks, Anna Karenina, Jeff Who Lives at Home.

Documentaries:
1. The Revisionaries
2. The Queen of Versailles
3. Ann Richards' Texas
4. Escape Fire
5. Detropia / The Ambassador (tie)

Favorite Books: 
(Note: These are books I read in 2012, and not necessarily books released in 2012)

Fiction:
1. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
2. The Age of Miracles - Karen Thompson Walker
3. The Buddha in the Attic - Julie Otsuka
4. New York - Edward Rutherfurd
5. Running the Rift - Naomi Benaron
6. This is How You Lose Her - Junot Diaz
7. The Newlyweds - Nell Freudenberger
8. The Book of Jonas - Stephen Dau
9. Silver Sparrow - Tayari Jones
10. A Hologram for the King - Dave Eggers

Non-Fiction:
1. Columbine - Dave Cullen
2. Nothing to Envy - Barbara Demick
3. Behind the Beautiful Forevers - Katherine Boo
4. Wild - Cheryl Strayed
5. Half Empty - David Rakoff (his essays on his cancer are even more poignant and sad after the news of his death)
6. Fever Pitch - Nick Hornby
7. The American Way of Eating - Tracie McMillan
8. Let's Pretend This Never Happened - Jenny Lawson
9. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Mindy Kaling
10. Girls Walks Into a Bar - Rachel Dratch

Some Highlights of 2012:

-Trips to Vancouver, Austin, Rehoboth Beach, Southern California, and Utah

-Live taping of Jeopardy! 

-Live show of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour 

-Portlandia: The Tour

-Nick Kroll & Gabe Liedman stand-up

-Rachel Maddow book reading

-CONCACAF Women's Soccer Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Vancouver and USA vs Canada game in Utah. I got to see the US Women's National Soccer team play 6 games and Canada's team play 5 games this year. 

-DC sports. The Nationals, The Capitals, DC United, and The Redskins all reached the post-season. Got to see all the teams play in person, except for the Redskins. We were at the Caps game when they earned a playoff spot (with Emma there!) and we were at the Nats game when they clinched the division. This was an incredible year for the Nats -- playoff spot, clinched the division, best team in baseball, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg (we were at the game where he got his first homerun!), and then an emotionally devastating postseason -- and I'm glad we got to go to a bunch of games.  

Best Concerts:

1. Beirut

2. Patrick Watson

3. Lisa Hannigan

4. First Aid Kit

5. Ben Gibbard

6. Kathleen Edwards

7. Sharon Van Etten

8. Damien Jurado

9. Fiona Apple

10. Snow Patrol