The Shortlist: Best Of 2018

Well, the time has finally come for me to compile my annual year-end list of my favorite books, movies and songs from the past twelve months. This is something that I've been doing for fun since 2012 and have continued to do every year since. Listed below are my top three favorite books, top three favorite movies and top ten favorite songs from 2018. As usual, all must be published/released in 2018 to count and I only select one song per artist. I hope you enjoy my list for this year!

BEST BOOKS OF 2018:

We Own The Sky
Luke Allnutt

Girl Made Of Stars

Ashley Herring Blake

We Are All That's Left
Carrie Arcos

BEST MOVIES OF 2018:

Thoroughbreds
Cory Finley

Searching
Aneesh Chaganty

The Party's Just Beginning
Karen Gillan

BEST SONGS OF 2018:

Numb
Meg Myers

[listen]

Inside Your Mind
The 1975

[listen]

Dressed To Suppress
Metric

[listen]

Privilege
The Weeknd

[listen]

Light On
Maggie Rogers

[listen]

Romance
Ex:Re

[listen]

That Feeling When
Dagny

[listen]

My Enemy
CHVRCHES

[listen]

Blur
MØ

[listen]

Take This Lonely Heart
Nothing But Thieves

[listen]

The Shortlist: Best Of 2017

It has been so long since I've posted on my blog, but I wanted to stick with tradition and continue my annual year-end list compiling my favorite things in entertainment from the past twelve months. Below I have listed my top three books, my top three movies, and my top ten songs that were published or released in 2017 (to allow for diversity I only chose one song per artist). Keep in mind that these are all personal favorites, and what is to be considered "the best" of the year is completely subjective. Please share your own favorite things from 2017 in the comment section, and enjoy my list!

BEST BOOKS OF 2017:

You Don't Know Me But I Know You
Rebecca Barrow

They Both Die At The End
Adam Silvera

The Night Bird
Brian Freeman

BEST MOVIES OF 2017:

Lady Bird
Greta Gerwig

Logan
James Mangold

What Happened To Monday
Tommy Wirkola

BEST SONGS OF 2017:

I Dare You
The xx

[listen]

Truth Is A Beautiful Thing
London Grammar

[listen]

Perfect Places
Lorde

[listen]

Run For Cover
The Killers

[listen]

This Isn't The Place
Nine Inch Nails

[listen]

Almost Had Me
Lights

[listen]

Planet Hunter
Wolf Alice

[listen]

The Sound Of War
Susanne Sundfør

[listen]

J-Boy
Phoenix

[listen]

Black Rain
Creeper

[listen]

Movie Review: What Happened To Monday

The science fiction thriller What Happened To Monday, starring Noomi Rapace, was recently released on Netflix. The trailer for this movie promises viewers an edgy, action-packed experience and I wanted to share my thoughts about it with all of you.
What Happened To Monday follows the story of seven sisters who are secretly living together in a world where only one child is allowed per family. Their father names them after each day of the week, and together they assume the identity of a single woman and take turns living her life on the day of their name. When Monday goes missing, the remaining six sisters set out to find her and must avoid compromising their true identities to the government.
After watching What Happened To Monday, my overall opinion about the film was pretty mixed. There were certainly elements about it that impressed me, perhaps most notably the acting on Noomi Rapace's part. I found it quite impressive how well she pulled off acting seven different characters on screen and gave them all unique personalities and traits that made them stand out as individuals. I also enjoyed the main plot of the film; how it told a different story that I haven't seen in many other movies. I was immediately drawn into the lives of the seven sisters and the fear that they had living in a world where they were targets.
Where What Happened To Monday missed the mark is with its use of unrealistic sequences throughout the storyline. Whether it was having characters get shot down while leaping off rooftops or dramatically fainting on stage, these scenes transported the film too far into the realm of unbelievable, rendering it nearly comical at times. There is also the issue of how this film rehashes extremely common plot points found in most movies. What Happened To Monday has a very creative storyline on the surface, but the insertion of predictable shootoffs turn it into a slightly modified version of a typical action flick.
To summarize my final thoughts on What Happened To Monday, it's an enjoyable film to watch and certainly was able to hold my attention for the entirety of its two hour run time. It does fall a bit flat in terms of delivering a truly unique storyline, but it is acted well enough to make it worth watching if you have the chance.
Rating: TV-MA

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi

Run Time: 123 minutes

Release Date: August 18, 2017

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

Book Review: The Night Bird

Brian Freeman's recently published thriller The Night Bird was quite riveting from the first page. I had been on the lookout for an engrossing mystery to read, and this novel certainly fulfilled my desire for a suspenseful story. As it is a newly released book, I wanted to share my thoughts and opinions in a review for anyone debating whether or not to read this book.
The Night Bird follows detective Frost Easton as he delves into the mysterious deaths of several women who have seemingly gone crazy immediately before they die. His investigation leads him to Frankie Stein, a psychiatrist who uses a controversial form of therapy to erase terrifying memories from the minds of her patients. As the so-called Night Bird continues to terrorize more victims, Frost and Frankie scramble to unearth more details surrounding the case and discover that many secrets lurk beneath the surface than they ever could have imagined.
Ultimately this book is very well executed. Freeman introduces diverse and complex characters in The Night Bird that make this novel stand out among the hoards of other crime thrillers and mysteries available to readers. By alternating the storyline between the determined detective Frost, stoic Frankie Stein, and cautiously romantic Lucy, a varied narrative is created. Another strong element to this book is how it is more than just a mystery. The addition of certain elements transforms it into a psychological thriller with appropriate doses of emotion for each character.
Where The Night Bird falls just slightly short of its potential is regarding its villain, the infamous Night Bird. The image that Freeman creates for this character almost passes from creepy to comical with the Night Bird's sing-song voice and smiling mask. This clown-like appearance makes the Night Bird harder to take seriously, and undermines the credibility and intelligence of the villain. Adding to this, the identity of the villain was slightly disappointing when revealed. I had expected a big twist ending and felt that how the book concluded was slightly restrained.
To conclude my review in a short statement, I would say that The Night Bird delivers a fast-paced story that will take a very short amount of time to read. It will sweep you along until the very end, where it unfortunately loses just a bit of its intensity. But despite having a few very minor faults, The Night Bird is a walloping novel with a unique and intriguing plot that I would highly recommend.
Author: Brian Freeman
Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Pages: 346

Year Published: 2017

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Molly's Music: Entry 5

I've been discovering a lot of great new songs lately from both mainstream and indie artists alike. As I occasionally have done in the past here on this blog, I wanted to share some of these tracks with all of you fellow music lovers out there. Give the tracks below a listen and let me know what you think! I would also love to hear what you've been listening to as well, so feel free to comment with your own favorites.

The Japanese House - Clean:
A recent artist that I had the pleasure of discovering is The Japanese House, the solo project of English musician Amber Bain. I've only just started listening to her music, but from the dreamy, electronic indie sound of "Clean" I'd certainly say she's one to watch.


Phoenix - J-Boy:
Although I will always associate the band Phoenix with the atmospheric, new wave sound of their hit "1901," their recent single "J-Boy" delivers an infectious injection of groovy energy. It's a bit different from their old style, but I'm really starting to appreciate their musical divergence.


Bishop Briggs - Hi-Lo (Hollow):
Another English musician to check out is Bishop Briggs. Completely by chance I stumbled on her 2017 single "Hi-Lo (Hollow)" and was blown away at the vocals that she delivers on this track. If you haven't heard it yet, it is absolutely worth a listen.


Lorde - Perfect Places:
Lorde's "Perfect Places" was a song that slowly grew on me over time. After my first listen I can't say it was a favorite, but something about this song's chorus is so incredibly catchy. Now I find myself listening to it quite a bit. I would say that so far it's my favorite single from Lorde's upcoming album Melodrama.


VÉRITÉ - Saint:
I've been a fan of solo artist VÉRITÉ for some time now, and she never fails to deliver when she releases a new song. This trend continued with "Saint," taken from her debut album that's due to be released on June 23. If you haven't heard of VÉRITÉ yet, then I'd recommend giving her songs a listen.