I don’t know about y’all, but Spotify Wrapped Day is one of the highlights of my entire year. They’ve somehow turned creepy data collection into “Hey, this is fun!” and as an advertising major, I have to admire the hustle. I’ve seen a few tweets, though, asking for more Wrapped-Esque summaries for other platforms, such as Netflix. So, I’ve been inspired to write down all my favorites of 2022; aka TV shows I discovered, music I fell in love with, books I couldn’t put down, recipes I tried, and more!
My personal favorite cultural moments of the year
- Met Gala and all the horrible outfits *cough* all the Kardashians *cough*
- The Don’t Worry Darling cast drama
- Specifically when everyone thought Harry spit on Chris Pine
- Maddy’s hand motions when she finds out Cassie was with Nate
- WORDLE!
- I haven’t thought about it in months.
- Ned Fulmer and Adam Levine’s adultery being put on blast
- All the ensuing Try Guy memes were >>>>>
- Lea Michele being cast in Funny Girl
- This one’s for the Gleeks!
- Top Gun: Maverick
- The beach scene. Y’all know what I’m talking about.
- ”Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush, a song from the ‘80s, absolutely dominating the charts over the summer
TV Shows that altered my brain chemistry (in a good way)
- Bridgerton: Season 2
- I mean come on. This was easily one of the best shows of the year. Before season 2 came out, I thought it would be virtually impossible to top season 1— and yet here we are, at the top of the rankings.
- Maid: Season 1
- This came out in 2021, but I watched it for the first time a few months ago and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I remember people telling me “Only watch it when you’re okay with being extremely depressed.” So naturally, I steered clear of it because I have enough problems on my own! Eventually, I caved, binge-watched it, and declared it as one of my favorite shows of all time. It’s not a comfort show, but just an incredibly thoughtful piece of art. 16/10 recommend.
- Stranger Things: Season 4
- Not much to say here; iconic.
- The Summer I Turned Pretty: Season 1
- If you haven’t read these books and watched this adaptation, what are you doing? Hop on the bandwagon.
- Heartstopper: Season 1
- This was such a fun, easy, light watch. Heartstopper is an adaptation of comic books written by Alice Oseman, and I highly recommend both the books and show for when you’re craving some escapism.
Most Hated Show of 2022
- Moon Knight: Season 1
- I can not even begin to explain how disappointing and boring this show was. I think Oscar Isaac was almost unwatchable and I’ll never look at him the same. Don’t ask me to explain, because I can’t—it’s just a gut feeling of extreme loathing towards everything about this show *shrugs*.
Books! Books! Books!
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
- Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter
- Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
- The euphoria I experienced while reading this book is unmatched.
Most Hated Books of 2022
- People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
- Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
- Both of these books sucked so bad—I’m sorry. I’ll never trust TikTok recommendations again. I only finished them so they would be added to my GoodReads yearly goal.
Favorite music discoveries & songs I had on loop
- “Tornado Warnings” by Sabrina Carpenter
- “A Concert Six Months From Now” by FINNEAS
- “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift
- “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” — Encanto Soundtrack
- Don’t lie to yourself—this was one of the best songs of the year.
- “Satellite” by Harry Styles
- “I Bet You Think About Me (feat. Chris Stapleton) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)” by Taylor Swift
- “Family Line” by Conan Grey
- “Crisis” by Joshua Bassett
- “Woodland” by The Paper Kites
- “January Wedding” by The Avett Brothers
Best, most successful recipes I tried
- Mac and Cheese
- Toffee Brownies (best paired with Vanilla Ice Cream)
And that’s it! My 2022 condensed into bullet points. It was really cool to go through this year and revisit things I had completely forgotten about. I can’t wait to see what next year will bring!
