The last few years I have compiled a list of my favorite book, album, and movie of the year. Here are the lists from 2022, 2021, and 2020. It’s a fun way to chronicle what really spoke to me over the course of the year. So, without further ado, here are a few of my favorite things from 2023.
Favorite Book:
Christian Philosophy as a Way of Life: An Invitation to Wonder by Ross Inman
This book is not an introduction to philosophy so much as it is a prolegomenon to its proper study in a Christian mode. Ross suggests that a Christian approach to philosophy is an invitation to wonder. He writes that wonder is “a window through which we can see reality in its proper light; what is genuinely good, true, and beautiful–and subsequently worth pursuing–tends to evoke wonder.” And as he demonstrates, philosophy is not the exclusive preserve of tweed-jacketed academics. We are all invited to take on the philosopher’s mantle, as we seek to live in light of the truth and to pursue the good life. Ross writes from a deep well of knowledge (he’s range is incredible), with wisdom and virtue to boot. The book is artfully written, intellectually enriching, and spiritually nourishing (and challenging!). It’s accessible too. Everyone from high schoolers to seasoned philosophers can benefit from this phenomenal book.
Honorable Mention: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Favorite Movie:
Killers of the Flower Moon, directed by Martin Scorsese
This might be the greatest film from one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. I know that opinion will be disputed, because Scorsese’s corpus is filled with so many all-timers and fan-favorites. From one angle, it is classic Scorsese: it is an epic tale of organized crime, greed, and violence. But this time the canvas is spread wide on the flatlands and open skies of Oklahoma, and the themes are at the very heart of the American story: prosperity and opportunity on the frontier, but with the dark stain of racial injustice coloring nearly every brushstroke. The conflicted love story at the center of the narrative humanizes these sweeping motifs. Leonardo DiCaprio turns in a career performance as the ambitious Ernest Burkhart, but the subtlety of Lily Gladstone’s portrayal of his wife Mollie Burkhart steals the show. Plus country crooners Jason Isbell (see below) and Sturgill Simpson have cameos, and the late Robbie Robertson’s score was masterful.
Honorable Mention: Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan
Favorite Album:
Weathervanes, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Isbell has been one of my favorite singer-songwriters since his days with the Drive-by Truckers. He almost never misses. Southeastern (2013; a ten-year anniversary edition was recently released) and The Nashville Sound (2017) are generationally good in terms of song-writing. This album is true to form. It many ways, it feels like an homage to our shared homestate of Alabama (one track even centers on “Vestavia Hills”). His standard soundscape of Southern Rock and acoustic Americana is woven together with some Muscle Shoals soul on tracks like “Middle of the Morning” and “This Ain’t It.” The track commemorating the passing of Isbell’s erstwhile friend and collaborator Justin Townes Earle (“When We Were Close”) might be my favorite song from 2023 as well.
Honorable Mention: Echo the Diamond, Margaret Glasby