My Favorites of 2025

Here are my favorites of the year! They might not have been released this year, but they were new to me, and we're all about me here.

My Favorite Album

Cameron Winter's Heavy Metal. I played this album the most I think, and the apps couldn't tell me that because I have the CD! (And because I often listened on car rides using my husband's phone.) I love this guy's voice and his silly lyrics, and I never want to know anything about him personally.

Drinking Age is my favorite song on the album, and you will have lots of fun doing an impression of it.

I linked to Bandcamp there because it's a good way to support your favorite artists. Put Bandcamp Fridays on your calendar now! And I swear to god if everyone posts their Sp****y Wrappeds again next year, I'm going to get mad and post one or two Instagram stories about it again. If ICE used their surveillance tech to let you generate a cute, designed graphic of everywhere you frequented in 2025, some of you would post it. (Not you, but some of our friends for sure.) "i definitely think it's bad we're all being surveilled 24/7, and i have soo much love for immigrants, but can y'all believe i went to covell 12 times?? 🤪"

Covell is a wine bar in Los Angeles. This is about an amalgamation of a person I made up.

Honorable Mention

This came out in 2023, and I am still not over it. I will cry if you play the title track.

Another Honorable Mention

Every time my husband puts Stereolab on, I say, "Ooh, who's this?" so I think I gotta give it up and learn literally anything about the band.

My Favorite Read

This came out in 2024, but I read it in September of this year. It was described to me as an incel novel, but it's not. It is funny and disgusting, and I gasped, hand-over-mouth at a moment in this. I guess John Mulaney also just posted that he liked the book, so looks like he is a pretty smart guy.

My Favorite Read by a Person I Know

Highly recommend reading books by friends and wondering what of the book's characters' politics are really your friend's politics but mostly just enjoying it and reflecting on being an American in a very different European culture. I sped through this one – Andrew writes legitimate page-turners full of anxiety (complimentary) and is also funny.

I switched from the Amazon-owned Goodreads to StoryGraph this year. Follow me there and see what I have going on mentally.

My Favorite Period of Really Powerful Mental Unwellness in Retrospect

There was a period this summer where Love Island USA and Love Island UK were both airing at the same time, and so I of course watched both – one as a way to stay connected with friends back home, and one as a way to connect with people in my new country who might want a new best friend who was also watching LIUK (which often features Irish people, but won't allow the Irish public to vote! Colonialism! Or something.).

What this looked like was watching LIUK on my TV as it aired in the evenings (co-viewing with the subreddit on my laptop), going to bed, waking up to watch LIUSA on my laptop (co-viewing with the subreddit on my phone), then watching I'm not even kidding you at least two hours of Love Island TikTok content.

I did not make it outside enough to even meet people who would potentially want to chat about LIUK.

I cannot recommend that lifestyle to anyone, but I enjoyed this 2025 novel inspired by the show. A fast read and pretty bleak.

My Favorite App That Was Ruining My Life but Is No Longer

I finally got off TikTok. My screentime was unmentionable. I'd done 30 days off before, but it didn't stick until I did 90. I still haven't downloaded it back, and I don't miss it. Unfortunately, I think it was very bad for me. Maybe one day I can use it responsibly! Not today!

My Favorite Podcast (New)

The hosts just ask the guest what they got up to yesterday, and it's a delight. It started in 2024, but I only started listening this year once I knew I was moving to Ireland and wanted to listen to more Irish people podcasts. (David O'Doherty is a really funny Irish comedian. He somehow does non-corny musical comedy.) I don't think they've had a single American guest so far, now that I think about it, and I won't be fact-checking that.

I'm being careful to note what year things actually came out because once in college I posted a year-end wrap-up of some favorite music and got some dates wrong, and I still remember my friend correcting me. That was over 15 years ago. Only normal brain stuff over here.

My Favorite Podcast (Old)

I just love it! Sorry, I'm starting to feel like a professional art recommender, so I am losing steam. It's really funny, and I wish they never had guests, which I bet they wouldn't like me saying because they seem to really love their friends, which ultimately is so nice.

(The podcast was not new to me this year, but the new episodes were. Give me a break!!! Same with the next entry!!)

My Favorite Podcast (Mine)

Sorry to do this – and this won't be the last time I promote a project of my own in this list – but my podcast that I do with my friend Kelley is really funny and good. If you're reading this, there's a high chance you've been a guest on it (and if not, please reach out and we'll rectify that).

The show is an improvised recap of a sitcom that doesn't exist, and I personally think it is a very funny way to comment on the state of the entertainment industry. We play former sitcom stars who haven't booked much of anything since their hit show left the air. Kelley is one of the funniest people in the world, and getting to do the show with her is a treat.

My Favorite Country That I Moved to This Year

Ireland! I loved this video essay on Americans and Ireland. It's long! But as my friend Erin said: "it's just like 240 tiktoks all in a row, extremely doable"

My Favorite Movie

The movie I have watched and loved the most this year is the one I co-wrote and co-directed with John. It's called Dead or Dying, and we're so proud of it. It'll be premiering in early 2026 at a festival – details to be announced – and I can't wait for the world to see it. Here is a brief synopsis for you:

In a near-future Los Angeles, humans are dying in droves — and most people have gotten pretty used to it. This dark comedy follows a series of characters at various stages of coping, including a tech bro whose favorite billionaire dies in humiliating circumstances, a personal assistant to a flailing TV star who struggles to maintain her professionalism after a traumatic day on the job, and a frustrated therapist who live streams his latest therapeutic innovation: complete avoidance.

It's funny, and everyone in it (and behind the scenes) was so perfect. I'd put the poster here, but it's my face. You can follow the Instagram page and see it there!

I feel too old or too wise or too woke to have blind optimism about new years anymore, but I know that some really nice moments await us all. Wishing you and yours a lovely end to this year and start to the next. Get in touch if you'd like (I would).