If you’re anything like me, you love all things pop culture and media. 2023 was my year for listening to new music, watching new movies, and reading new books. I also spent a considerable amount of time on social media, reading up on the latest news in pop culture and finding out everything there is to know. Here is my Media of the Year for 2023!
Music
During 2023, I listened to approximately 27,000 minutes of music. I would wake up, turn on music, and listen to it until I absolutely had to turn it off. These are my favorites of the artists and songs I listened to! (None of these are artists I discovered in 2023, but they are who I listened to throughout the year.)
Taylor Swift
I was completely obsessed with the entirety of Folklore, Evermore, and Red (Taylor’s Version) and I highly recommend you listen to them. Songs like “Electric Touch” from Speak Now (TV), “Maroon” from Midnights, and the vault tracks from 1989 (TV) also made frequent appearances while I was listening. When 1989 (TV) came out in October, I was obsessed. I couldn’t stop listening to it for a month.
SZA
I listened to the following songs on repeat: “Open Arms”, “Nobody Gets Me”, “Seek & Destroy”, “F2F”, “I Hate U”, and “Good Days”. SOS came out in December 2022, so I spent the first half of 2023 listening to it all the time. I also listened to songs from Ctrl like “Broken Clocks”, “The Weekend”, and “20 Something”.
The 1975
Being Funny In A Foreign Language was released in October 2022, but I didn’t come across it until 2023 and I was hooked from the first song. My favorites from the album are “About You”, “All I Need To Hear”, “Oh Caroline”, “I’m In Love With You”, and “Human Too”. My favorite album is A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. I love every single song on that album, and I listen to it regularly.
Movies
In 2023 I watched a ton of movies. I saw some that I loved and some that were just okay, but 2023 was not the year for bad movies. Here are my favorites for the year!
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
This was my favorite watch of 2023! The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is about Coriolanus Snow’s journey before becoming president of Panem. He meets a vibrant young woman named Lucy Gray Baird and serves as her mentor in the 10th annual Hunger Games. The film is a captivating story from start to finish and I loved every second of it. TBOSAS stars Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler.
Barbie
Going to see Barbie was my favorite theater experience of the year! Everyone was wearing pink, and the theater was packed. It was such a fun experience to see people care so much about the same things I do: pink and feminism. Barbie is about everyone’s favorite plastic doll, Barbie. She takes an adventure into the human world, leaving Barbieland and all of her friends behind, except Ken, who snuck into the back of Barbie’s car while she was leaving. Barbie and Ken learn a lot of valuable lessons during their short time in the human world, and it is a must-see for everyone. Barbie stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and America Ferrera.
No Hard Feelings
No Hard Feelings is a hilarious movie about a 19-year-old boy named Percy and a 31-year-old woman named Maddie. Maddie is hired by Percy’s parents to pretend to be interested in him, and it is definitely a comical story. It’s a great movie to watch when you’re hanging out with friends or just need a laugh. No Hard Feelings stars Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman.
Books
I started to get into reading in late 2022, so I read quite a few books in 2023 that I absolutely loved. These books gave me so many feelings- they made me laugh, ugly cry, made me feel excited and anxious, and gave me something to look forward to. I love to crack open a good book. Here are my 2023 favorites!
The Hunger Games Trilogy
The Hunger Games trilogy follows a young Katniss Everdeen and her journey through the Capitol in Panem. When Katniss’ younger sister, Prim, was selected to participate in the Hunger Games, where contestants fight to the death, Katniss volunteered to take her sister’s place. She met Peeta Mellark, who was from District 12, just like Katniss, and they make an undeniable connection. The pair win the Hunger Games twice, and the final book focuses on a rebellion against the Capitol. A must read by Suzanne Collins.
Layla
Layla is a supernatural story written by Collen Hoover. It follows Leeds and Layla and their relationship. They meet at a wedding and spend a great night together until Layla gets hurt. The accident changes her in ways that Leeds wasn’t expecting and didn’t know how to deal with it. Layla was a shocking story with plot twists when you least expect them. It is one of my favorites by Colleen Hoover!
The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy
The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy follows Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah as they navigate life and love as teenagers. The three, accompanied by Belly’s brother Steven and occasionally her best friend Taylor, spend their summers at Cousin’s Beach. Belly has been in love with Conrad her whole life, convinced he didn’t feel the same way, until one summer when everything changed. This is my favorite series, and it is near and dear to my heart. If summer is your favorite season, I highly recommend you read this series by Jenny Han!
Well, there you go! There is my media of the year for 2023! I really loved everything I came across and I sincerely hope you give these movies, books, and songs a chance!