My Favorite Books and Films from 2021 /  by Todd Henson

Some of my favorite books and movies from 2021.

This is the last day of 2021, so as a send-off I thought we’d take a look back at all the great entertainment I consumed this year in the form of books and movies. Perhaps you’ll find something of interest that you might also enjoy.

And just in case you missed it check out my favorite photographs created in 2021.

Some of the links below are affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on these links. This is at no extra cost to you.

Favorite Non-fiction Books

Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan

A book in which Carl Sagan debates with himself our future on this planet, and whether we should extend that to a future beyond the confines of this world. I love how he approaches the topics, debating various perspectives, and then slowly coming around to his own. In doing it this way it provides far more weight as you can see he isn’t just spouting meaningless propaganda, but actually researching the issues before coming to any conclusions. I miss Carl Sagan.

Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting by Mary Gauthier

I won a copy of this book through a goodreads giveaway. Music is a powerful medium, capable of moving us in profound ways and of helping to heal. In this book, Mary Gauthier tells the stories of how music helped her and how it then enabled her to help others. A wonderful book about the redemptive qualities of music, using Mary’s life and experiences as an example.

Favorite Fiction Books

Neuromancer by William Gibson

I loved this book when I first read it long ago. And I loved it again when I reread it this year. This was likely the first cyberpunk book I read and being a young kid very into computers it was right up my alley. This one has become a classic of the genre.

The Pariah (The Covenant of Steel #1) by Anthony Ryan

I won a copy of this book through a goodreads giveaway. My first book by Anthony Ryan but certainly not my last. This first book of a series tells the story of Alwyn and how he went from being a member of an outlaw band hiding out in the forests to a soldier fighting in an army led by a noblewoman on what appears to be a crusade against the terrible future she sees in her visions. A fantastic set of characters in an interesting world with lots of foreshadowing of what may come.

The Poison Prince (Hostage of Empire #2) by S.C. Emmett

This is the second book in this series and actually follows a very similar pattern to the first, with lots of court politics, conniving and back-stabbing in a secondary world fantasy setting. It begins somewhat slowly but by the end is moving much more quickly. I love the characters in this series and I very much look forward to reading the next book.

Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries #5) by Martha Wells

Murderbot. Enough said! I love Murderbot, every single story. This is the first actual novel length story, the rest having been novellas, and I’d recommend starting at the beginning if possible as they each build on those that came before, with Murderbot slowly learning and evolving, developing new relationships and struggling to understand them. A fantastic series!

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

This was not only a beautiful story, but a beautifully told story. It tells the tale of Addie LaRue, someone who makes the proverbial deal with the devil, letting her live forever but being quickly forgotten by everyone she meets. And yet, what an unforgettable character she turns out to be, leading so many different lives, being so many different people, and all through her life having periodic interactions with the being she made the deal with. A very beautiful and unforgettable story.

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings 1) by J.R.R. Tolkien

Any year I do a reread of any part of The Lord of the Rings it will end up a favorite of that year. I just love this story and always have. This time around I read the book on paper while also listening to Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the movies, narrating the audiobook. It was such a fantastic way to re-experience this wonderful tale.

Favorite Graphic Novels & Comics

Critical Role Vox Machina: Origins (Library Edition: Series I & II Collection)

I’ve been a fan of Critical Role for a while, which is a group of friends who get together to play Dungeons & Dragons and stream it for anyone to watch. Brings back memories of times I used to play. So I was very pleased to find this comic book version of their origin story. So much fun to read, perhaps even for those who aren’t already fans.

The Electric State by Simon Stålenhag

This felt like a very unusual book but I really enjoyed it. It was part art book, full of these amazing realistic images, but also part narrative story of someone heading for the coast in a post-apocalyptic world where technology had changed everything. I felt the art and the story worked so well together.

Favorite Movies

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

I probably shouldn’t put rewatches down as my favorites of the year, but nothing else could really come close to my enjoyment of them. The Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite books and also happens to be some of my favorite movies. Peter Jackson and his crew did such a fantastic job translating Tolkien’s prose to visually stunning movies. I absolutely prefer the books, but I also completely love the movies.

A Knight’s Tale

Another rewatch. This was a refreshing take on this story, mixing history with modern flourishes, creating something that perhaps isn’t at all accurate, but that captures something special just the same. Just a fun and entertaining story.

Favorite Anime & Animated Movies

Tokyo Godfathers

A beautifully told story of a ragtag group of homeless friends in Tokyo on Christmas Eve who happen to find an abandoned baby while rifling through trash for anything useful. This then leads to a wild and emotional journey as they debate what to do about it and eventually go searching for the mother. By Satoshi Kon, one of my favorite anime creators.

Have you read any of these books or watched any of the movies? What were some of your favorites this year. Let me know in the comments below.

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Best Photos of 2021: My Favorites of the Year /  by Todd Henson

This time of year is when some of us look back at what we’ve created and attempt to pick out the best of it, or at least our favorites. So today I’m sharing my 10 favorite photographs created in 2021. Some years it can be a challenge to find 10 photographs worthy of showing, and others it can be a challenge to narrow them down to just 10. Thankfully, this was a year when I had more than 10 to choose from.

If this is your first time seeing my work, thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it. And if you’ve seen these all before as they were first posted throughout the year then I hope you enjoy this brief look back.

Click on any of the photos for a larger view. Below each photo is the name of the image and a link back to the blog post where it first appeared, along with the month I created it, and a link to purchase the photo as wall art or on various products (the puzzles are very cool).

 

South Fork Rapids, January (available for purchase)

Storms on Jupiter, March (available for purchase)

Mid-May Blooms, May (available for purchase)

And there they are. I’m happy with how this collection turned out and I hope you enjoyed viewing them. It’s been another tough year for many, but I’m happy to report it’s been a relatively good one for me. Any year I can create and share is a worthwhile year. And I very much appreciate you spending a little time here. Thanks very much!

How has your year been? Did you put together any lists of favorites, whether they’re photographs or paintings created, books read, or anything else? If so feel free to share them in the comments below. Unfortunately, this comment system doesn’t provide a link back with your name or nice looking links, so please feel free to leave the actual https address in the comment.

Thanks again, and here’s to a fantastic 2022!

Do you enjoy these posts?

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Quarterly Look Back - 4th Quarter 2021 /  by Todd Henson

And here we are, the final quarter of 2021. Overall I feel pretty good about it, though I can’t really think of anything specific to say about it, other than: “it was a quarter.” 😀

Let’s take a quick look back, see if I managed to get anything done.

Photography

Looking back at the photos from this quarter I realize there’s virtually no sky in any of them. Of course a good reason for that might be that most of the photos were created under the cover of trees. One side of me thinks that may be a message to start getting back to some of the more open locations. But another side of me is perfectly content with how things turned out. I love spending time in the woods and have always been someone who prefers the closed in and comforting spaces within a forest over places like wide open coastal beaches. I will visit both. And I love photographs of both. But I feel happier and more comfortable under the trees.

Below are links back to this quarter’s posts. Check them out if you missed any or just want to revisit.

Field Notes Updates

Ebony Jewelwing

Holidays

Happy Halloween 2021

Mostly Photos

Autumnal Fungi on the Forest Floor

Maple Leaves in Autumn - 2 Perspectives

A Canvas of Fallen Leaves

Autumn’s Last Gasp

Lines of Light and Shadow in a Late Fall Forest

Photo Failures

When Autofocus Fails Us

Promotions

2021 Holiday Promotions

Random Thoughts

Moss and Lichen on the Forest Floor

Captured Falling Leaves

Reviews - Fiction

These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham Grant

Story Behind Image

South Fork Quantico Creek, October 2021

Trip Report

A Return Visit to Voorhees Nature Preserve

Reading

I was very pleased with some of the books I had the good fortune to read this quarter. There weren’t any that thoroughly disappointed me and there were some that I absolutely loved. Below are the books I read with a little description of my favorites. The books in the photo are in the order I read them, most recent first.

The books I consumed this quarter (paper, ebook, and audio).

The Poison Prince (Hostage of Empire #2) by S.C. Emmett

This was probably my favorite read of the quarter. There’s just something about the world and cultures Emmett has created, I love returning to them. It’s a fantasy story but so far one without any apparent magic or creatures. It feels more like historical fiction full of court drama and politics, things I’m typically not interested in. And yet here I find myself absolutely craving them. I can’t wait to read the final book of the series.

Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I’ve had good luck so far with Tchaikovsky’s work, though I’ve only read his shorter novellas so far. This story takes place on a planet that was colonized long ago by humanity and is studied by a lone archaeologist who’s not supposed to interfere, just to study. But his technology makes him appear as a great sorcerer to the local people and when one of them comes knocking on his door asking for his help he’s left with a decision to make. Fantastic story!

Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan

Each time I read something by Carl Sagan I’m reminded of what a treasure he was to the world of science, someone who could communicate with both scientists and the general public and who was capable of making the public understand why some things matter. In this book he explores the questions of our place in the cosmos, whether we should remain here on our planet of birth or whether there’s value in attempting to live elsewhere. It’s fascinating seeing him argue with himself as he explores the questions and potential answers.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

This might actually be my first time reading this classic Christmas story. Why did I wait so long?!?! This was such a treat. A cautionary tale, but also one of redemption. I can see why it is a favorite of so many people, and I could see myself rereading this each year before Christmas.

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien

Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite books of all time and I’ve read it many times, both as paper and as audiobook. This time around, because there was a newly released audiobook edition narrated by Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the movies, I decided to listen to the new audiobook while also reading along to one of my hardcover copies. And I loved this experience. It reminded me a bit of being back in school when the teacher or students would read aloud while the rest of the class followed along in the book. And Andy Serkis does an absolutely incredible job narrating. Highly recommended. I can’t wait to continue on to the last two sections (The Two Towers and The Return of the King).

Movies

The movies I watches this quarter.

This was a slow quarter for movies. I really didn’t watch as much as usual and stuck mostly to movies I’d already seen. Given that Halloween fell in this quarter I was drawn to horror movies. I decided to rewatch Resident Evil which I’ve always enjoyed. I bought Sleepy Hollow long ago but never watched it, so decided to this year. And I went back to one of the first Japanese horror movies I watched, Ringu (The Ring). It was fun watching again.

But my favorite movie of the quarter was a rewatch of Tokyo Godfathers, an anime by Satoshi Kon. You could think of it as a Christmas movie, of sorts, taking place on Christmas Eve and dealing with the sorts of hopeful and healing topics that so many great Christmas movies do. In this case a group of three homeless friends are shocked when looking through some garbage they find an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve. The anime then tells the story of what happens next.

Music

This has been a very good quarter for music. I’ve listened to a lot of music that was new to me. In some cases the music, itself, was new, but in many I was just late to the party, which is often the case. I found myself absolutely loving so many new songs it was very difficult choosing just three (or four) to share.

Much of the music I’ve been listening to is German and one of the bands I really enjoy is dArtagnan, who label themselves as Musketeer rock. Watch enough of their videos and you’ll know why. I love their sound, and one I’ve really enjoyed lately is Farewell, which guest stars Patty Gurdy singing and playing her hurdy-gurdy. The lead singer is also a member of the band Feuerschwanz, who have a harder sound but who I also highly recommend.

A new discovery to me is the band Ad Infinitum started by Melissa Bonny of Switzerland and with band members from Germany and Sweden. I’m really enjoying their style of music and I love her voice, which is often very melodic but she’s also capable of distorted growls when she wants to (though I’m most drawn to the melodic). The video for the song Inferno was released this quarter.

Ok, so I couldn’t mention Feuerschwanz above without also sharing a newly released video they put together, along with guest singers Thomas Winkler, Saltatio Mortis and Melissa Bonny. This group usually sings in German but this song, Warriors of the World United, is a cover by Manowar, so it’s in English. I’ve never listened to the original song but I love this one. The location, costumes, makeup and music have a very epic feel.

Finally, some of you may know how much I enjoy Japanese music. Well, one band I’ve been aware of for a while but hadn’t really spent much time listening to is Man With a Mission. Each member dons a wolf mask during their performances and they’ve even crafted an origin story for the band. But it’s their music I’m most interested in and I’ve found myself listening to their song, yoake, over and over again.

 

Life

It’s felt like a busy quarter, perhaps because of the holidays and other year end obligations. But it’s also felt like a good quarter. I think I was reasonably productive from a photographic perspective, and I even had the opportunity to participate as a judge in a photography club’s annual competition.

I did struggle with some things. I’ve continued to have trouble making time for my guitar practice, so that’s an area I still want to work on. And there are always the typical areas I can continue to improve on, such as time management. I’ve always been a skilled procrastinator.

Music was a big part of this quarter. I found myself listening to music, and looking for new music, more often than I usually do. It was nice spending a little more time absorbed in it. Listening to music I enjoy can be very similar to reading a book I enjoy. It briefly takes me to another world, lets me experience something different from what I could on my own, and I very much enjoy that.

What about you? Have did you feel about your quarter? Are you ready for 2022? Let me know in the comments below.

And stop by again on the 30th and 31st for my favorite photos of 2021 and my favorite books and movies of 2021.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!