In December the &yet team had an all-day, all-remote holiday party. One of our activities was live-collaborating on a Recommendations doc for all the things we enjoyed throughout 2018 (and earlier years too). There’s some good stuff in here so we figured we’d share it with you!
(Things are organized in the order they were added and include some comments that were left in the document, too.)
Books (nonfiction)
- One From Many by Dee Hock
- Principles by Ray Dalio
- Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer
- The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
- Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms by Dr. Hannah Fry
- The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer
- The Art of Gathering: How we meet and why it matters by Priya Parker
- The Folded Clock by Heidi Julavitz
- Ask Baba Yaga: Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Troubles by Taisa Kitaiskaia
- A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life by Parker Palmer
- The Dance of Intimacy by Harriet Lerner
- A Soprano on Her Head by Eloise Ristad
- The Chairs Are Where the People Go: How to Live, Work, and Play in the City by Misha Glouberman
- Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard
- The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
- The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
- The Courage to be Diskliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
- Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine
📝 +1 - The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
- The Seven Day Weekend by Ricardo Semler
- How To Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
- Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Books (fiction)
- The Three Body Problem trilogy
📝 The first is great, the second is amazing, and the third is ambitious. definitely worth reading all three. - The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
📝 Great entry point to the SK universe if you’ve ever been curious. This isn’t horror either, 100% fantasy. - An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
- The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
- Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
📝 +1 - Mistborn series (or anything really) by Brandon Sanderson
- I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes
- Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
- Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
- Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
- The Vision Volumes 1 & 2 by Tom King (comic)
- Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson (and any Moomin book)
- The Kingkiller Chronicle (series) By Patrick Rothfuss
- Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
Music
- Neko Case — Hell-On
📝 Pretty much all Neko Case ever is 💯 (Fox Confessor is my fave), but her new album is great. - Avett Brothers
- The Mountain Goats — Sunset Tree
- Clare and the Reasons — Alphabet City
- Granddaddy
- Beach House — Bloom
- Hayden — Skyscraper National Park
- Andrew Bird — Armchair Apocrypha
- Lucius — Wildewoman
- Midlake — The Trials of Van Occupanther
- Lewis & Clarke — Bare Bones and Branches
- Nada Surf
- Eels — Blinking Lights
- Manchester Orchestra — Hope
- TV on the Radio
- John Vanderslice — Pixel Revolt
- The Long Winters — The Worst You Can Do is Harm
- Josh Ritter — Sermon on the Rocks
- Stephen Malkmus — self titled
- Alvvays
- Dirty Computer — Janelle Monae
- Staying at Tamara’s — George Ezra
- What is Love? — Clean Bandit
- Inside Llewyn Davis Soundtrack
- The Punch Brothers
- Love - Alone Again Or
- Durand Jones & The Indications - Smile
- Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard - Pancho and Lefty
- Chance the Rapper - Same Drugs
- Fountains of Wayne - any album, but especially Utopia Parkway
📝 YES - Dear Evan Hansen original broadway cast recording
- Fall Out Boy - the song Young Volcanoes
- Years & Years - the song If You’re Over Me
- Kenny Loggins - the song Footloose
- Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion
- Angels and Airwaves - the song The Gift
- Tame Impala
- Rameses B - Spacewalk and Spacewalk II
- Bomba Estéreo - Ayo (esp. ‘Duele’)
- Lizzo
- Duvet - While (True) 😉
- Tales of the Forgotten
- The xx
- Sylvan Esso - Die Young
- MISSIO - Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea
- LCD Soundsystem
- Bishop Briggs
- NIN - Only
- Trent Reznor + David Bowie - Afraid of Americans
- TWICE - Yes or Yes (Kpop)
Podcasts
- Song Exploder
📝 (really loved the Fleetwood Mac one) - Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
- The Good Place podcast with Marc Evan Jackson
📝 +1 - The Anthropocene Reviewed with John Green
- MBMBAM
📝 Start with the latest episodes! It’s really best at around ep 300. Also do yourself a favor and watch the video I linked here because it’s *chefs kiss* - The History Chicks
📝 This is a BRILLIANT podcast hosted by 2 women who talk about women in history. - Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
- Boom Time with Fula Borg
- My Favorite Murder
- Homecoming
- Bubble
- The Moth
- The Adventure Zone
- Habitat
- The Mad Fientist
- Absolute Worst Podcast
- Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway
- Techmeme Drive Home
Board Games
- 5 Minute Dungeon
📝 A cooperative game where you throw down cards together to complete certain goals (three of one type of card, etc) together and fight battles. - Dropmix
📝 It’s like Uno and Guitar Hero had a baby. This is super fun to just have running at a party. Lots of fun and laughter. - Lords of Waterdeep
📝 LoW is the best - Dominion
- Pandemic (co-op game)
📝 Depending on which version you buy, it’s sort of a dice rolling game where you’re trying to stop the spread of disease with your teammates. It’s you against the game! TO SAVE THE WORLD - Scythe
- Hanabi
- Forbidden Island (great with kids)
- Boss Monster
- Star Realms
- Bang!
- Terraforming Mars
Video Games
- Hearthstone
📝 F2P Warcraft-themed CCG. Super fun, casual game. - Stardew Valley 😜
- Undertale
- Gone Home
- Beat Saber
- Jazzpunk
📝 It’s a silly nonsense game. Basically all about finding strange easter-egg-type jokes all over the place - Firewatch
- Donut County 🍩
- Stanley Parable
- Overcooked (fun co-op!)
- Spiderman 2018 (PS4)
- Divinity Original Sin 2 (best spouse co-op rpg)
📝 +1 - Return of the Obra Dinn (Fritzy’s Game of the Year)
- Life is Strange
- FTL
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Haque (roguelike with pets)
- Into the Breach
- Minit
- Celeste
- Tetris Effect (Switch)
- Disgaea 5 (systems on systems on systems)
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2 (epic jrpg fantasy timesink)
- Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)
- Portal (1 and 2)
- Hotline Miami (violent)
- Civilization V (great co-op)
- holedown (iOS)
Newsletters
- Money Stuff
📝 This is one of the funniest and most educational newsletters I have ever read - Now I Know by Dan Lewis
YouTube channels
- Patrick H Willems (film essays)
- The Nerdwriter
- Pop Culture Detective
- Every Frame a Painting (oldie but goodie)
- The Art Assignment
- Lindsay Ellis
- Gavin Webber (HE MAKES CHEESE AND HE’S ADORABLE)
- Numberphile (Interesting math concepts)
- Matt Baume
- Pushinguproses
Movies
- Searching (2018)
- Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
- Eighth Grade (2018)
📝 This was amazing. it feels like it should be required watching for anyone with a kid in junior high or soon to be in junior high. - John Mulaney’s Kid Gorgeous special on Netflix (2018)
- BlacKkKlansman (2018)
- Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
- Top Secret! (1984)
- Cool Hand Luke (1967)
- Big Night (1996)
- Ocean's 8 (2018)
- Love, Simon (2018)
- A Quiet Place (2018)
- Anything from Ghibli
- Roma (2018)
- A Quiet Place (2018)
- The Night Before (2015)
- Trading Places (1983)
- It (2017)
- Game of Death (1978)
- Arrival (2016)
- Meru (Documentary) (2015)
- Moneyball (2011)
- Dunkirk (2017)
TV Shows
- The Good Place
- Fresh Off The Boat
- Top Chef
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
- Mindhunter
- Stranger Things
- Bob’s Burgers
- Justified
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
📝 SO GOOD. I wish I could eat this show. - The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
- Harmon Quest
- Big Mouth
📝 +1 - Salt Fat Acid Heat
- Black Mirror
- Homecoming
- Doctor Who (Season 11)
- Maniac
- Fargo
- Superstore
- Nightflyers
- The Expanse
📝 +1 - Wild Wild Country (documentary series)
- It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 13 Finale
- Patriot
- Succession
- Billions
- Atlanta
- The Durrells in Corfu
- Churchill’s Secret Agents: The New Recruits
- The Last Kingdom (Netflix series)
- Sherlock
Food
- Darrell Lea soft eating licorice
📝 YES - Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn
- Inglehoffer creamy dill mustard
- Tropical flavored Sour Patch Kids
- Candy cane chill blizzard from Dairy Queen
- Cello Whisps
- Those giant candy cane sticks that you can only find at the dollar store for some reason
- Fried cheese with a sunny-side up egg in the middle
- Bone marrow
- Tony’s Chocoloney - Milk Chocolate
- yesplz.coffee
- Tonkotsu Ramen from Ramen Tatsu-ya in Austin, TX if you’re ever there. It’s one of the most delectable things I've ever had
- Sarah’s homemade from-scratch ramen 💯
- Maultasche (german dumplings), they’re delicious
- Creme Brulee donuts
Recipes
- Party chip dip I make that is :chef-kisses-fingers:
- I made these Buzzfeed sugar cookies this year and they were pretty good
📝 I made them too and +1 to this recipe! - Chocolate Cake
- GF Almond Cake
- Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
- Monkey Bread (super easy!)
- Bittenbender
Drinks
- Diet Dr. Pepper
- Rekorderlig pear cider (very sweet, but amaaazing)
- Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
- Weller 107 Antique
📝 Best bourbon for the money hands down. - Hot Water
📝 +1 - Hot Water with Lemon!
- Buffalo Trace Burbon
- Kusmi Imperial Label Green Tea
- Spindrift sparkling water (esp. mixed with Tart Cherry juice)
- Blue Lotus Chai (it comes with a tiny wooden spoon)
- Reed’s Extra Ginger Brew
- I went to the Schilling Cider House in Seattle and had all the best ciders I’ve ever had
- Sugar-free Red Bull