This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are the books, movies, shows, and music that I loved this year. And they are not all things that came out this year. I would love to hear your 2022 favorites as well, so please let me know in the COMMENTS! Also, don’t forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE! I know it’s lame to ask, but it really helps get my newsletter out into the larger Substack community.
So, without further ado, here we go!
CHOKEPOINT CAPITALISM: HOW BIG TECH AND BIG CONTENT CAPTURED CREATIVE LABOR MARKETS AND HOW WE'LL WIN THEM BACK by Cory Doctorow and Rebecca Giblin
In their new book, Cory Doctorow and Rebecca Giblin unpack the complexities of Big Tech finance, and how mega-corporations exploit workers, surveil users, and rig the political game in their favor so that shareholders and a small number of executives can get filthy, filthy rich.
The primary way that these Silicon Valley robber barons do so is by baking so-called chokepoints into the system: a variety of strangleholds that keep most of the money in the hands of a small number of shareholders and executives. That much I already knew or, at least, assumed. That’s how capitalism really works, right? What I didn’t know prior to reading this book was the myriad “hows” of it all and, most importantly, what systemic changes can and need to be made.
I confess I have a vested interest in this change. As an artist who lives in capitalism, I want to get paid fairly for my work. But more importantly, I want the freedom to make my art without having to worry about some moronic corporate overlords screwing me over.
A SPECTRE HAUNTING: ON THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO by China Miéville
I read this book twice in one week, partly because it’s so good, and partly because I needed the dictionary app open on my phone for the first reading. It works as a good companion to Chokepoint Capitalism. For my full review of Miéville’s book, read my LAST NEWSLETTER.
THE ANTHROPOCENE REVIEWED by John Green
In which John Green writes 1-5 star reviews of different aspects of our modern human era, ranging from the hilarious to the devastating, often in the same review. One, his review of the opening scene of the animated children’s film Penguins of Madagascar, is a scathing indictment of humanity's impact on the environment.
In previous newsletters, I have pondered the purpose of bad reviews, the importance of embracing subjectivity in criticism, and embuing the self into this writing. The Anthropocene Reviewed is a shining example of what I have been hoping to find in criticism.
John Green is a national treasure, and one of America’s greatest writers.
CONCRETE ISLAND by J.G. Ballard
HEARTBURN by Nora Ephron
TRUE GRIT by Charles Portis
THE HEARING TRUMPET by Leonora Carrington
THE ENORMOUS RADIO by John Cheever
FOR ÉSME—WITH LOVE AND SQUALOR by J.D. Salinger
LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green
TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green
THE SATANIC VERSES by Salman Rushdie
THE JOY LUCK CLUB by Amy Tan
THE BLOODY CHAMBER by Angela Carter
ORYX AND CRAKE and YEAR OF THE FLOOD by Margaret Atwood
THE WITCHER SERIES by Andrzej Sapkowski
LANGUAGE OF THE NIGHT by Ursula K. Le Guin
MONSTERS IN AMERICA: OUR HISTORICAL OBSESSION WITH THE HIDEOUS AND HAUNTING by W. Scott Poole
MUSIC
ALVVAYS
LAS LIGAS MENORES
DEEP SEA DIVER
WOLF ALICE
TAYLOR SWIFT
JUNK DNA
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
MOVIES & TV
BEST MOVIE OF 2022: PREY
BEST SHOW OF 2022: RESERVATION DOGS
WEDNESDAY
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER
REACHER
ANDOR
CABINET OF CURIOSITIES
MO
METAL LORDS
THE PERIPHERAL
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
And that’s it! Again, this is by no means an exhaustive list, just the ones that stuck out from 2022. I would love to know what your favorites were this year, so let me know in the COMMENTS! And don’t forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!