Tag: Best of
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2016 in Music
[This post is part of a large project in which I am going through the popular music released in each year. Please see the note at the bottom of the post re: omissions and limitations.] Introduction While there were a lot of strong albums released in 2016, from first rate artists like Sia, Ariana Grande,…
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2015 in Music
[This post is part of a large project in which I am going through the popular music released in each year. Please see the note at the bottom of the post re: omissions and limitations.] Introduction 2014 was an all-time great year in pop music for me, so it’s not surprising 2015 was a bit…
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2014 in Music
[This post is part of a large project in which I am going through the popular music released in each year. Please see the note at the bottom of the post re: omissions and limitations.] Introduction There are some years whose music is universally acknowledged as being superlative — 1969, 1984, and 2024 come immediately…
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2013 in Music
[This post is part of a large project in which I am going through the popular music released in each year. Please see the note at the bottom of the post re: omissions and limitations.] Introduction If I had to pick a theme for the music I loved in 2013, it would have to be…
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2012 in Music
[This post is part of a large project in which I am going through the popular music released in each year. Please see the note at the bottom of the post re: omissions and limitations.] Introduction 2012 is the year that 2010s music finally feels like 2010s music. You have Taylor Swift’s shift towards pop…
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2011 in Music
[This post is part of a large project in which I am going through the popular music released in each year. Please see the note at the bottom of the post re: omissions and limitations.] Introduction If 2010 musically felt like it had one foot in the 2000s and one in the 2010s, 2011 felt…
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2010 in Music
[This post is part of a large project in which I am going through the popular music released in each year. Please see the note at the bottom of the post re: omissions and limitations.] Introduction The dawning of the new decade of the 2010s was marked with a lot of optimism. It was just…
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Top Reads of 2025
I’ve been doing these best reads of the year lists since 2017 and it’s become one of my favourite traditions. This year, I thought I’d recognize the top 25 of ‘25, fifteen fiction and ten fiction. Fiction 15. Life, and Death, and Giants, by Ron Rindo (2025) If I wanted to be nitpicky, there were…
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2025 Bookish Superlatives, Part 2
Yesterday I undertook the first half of my 2025 Bookish Superlatives. That post focused on questions of format, style, and readerly expectation. Today in Part 2, I’ll turn to genre and authors representing specific communities. Genres Best Romance You & Me, by Tal Bauer (2022) Coming in hot with an unexpected pick at the start,…
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2025 Bookish Superlatives, Part 1
I’m happy this morning to introduce my fourth annual Bookish Superlatives, highlighting books that excelled in different specific categories, but which may not have been among my very favourite reads of the year. Today’s post will focus on readerly expectation, media, and style. Tomorrow’s will turn to genres, audiences, and communities. Note: Because part of…
Matt's Books and Music 