For the past few years, I have written “My [YEAR] Recommendations” blog posts. These posts recap what I really liked and wanted to share with others. However, when I was composing this year’s list, I realized that there was some distance there. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the things I liked most, and vice versa.
And also, there were things that really changed me that I wouldn’t necessarily were things I “liked” per se. For those heavier things, I want to gesture to them, but I’m not quite ready to bare my soul on the internet about it.
Let’s get into it.
Honorable Mentions
This year’s honorable mentions are notable but didn’t quite hit the mark for one reason or another.
TTRPG: Daggerheart is undoubtedly my favorite TTRPG right now, and I would absolutely recommend it over D&D. However, it feels like a high quality amalgamation of today’s TTRPG trends and mechanics rather than a progression per se.
TV Series: I am undoubtedly a Michael Schur fan. Like his other works, A Man on the Inside is funny, meaningful, and wholesome.
TV: Derry Girls is all-around solid, including the setting, political backdrop, and character growth. However, the stand-out part of this show is the humor. I can’t think of a show since Arrested Development that committed so hard on absurd bits and situations.
Video Game: I was really into I Was a Teenage Exocolonist for about two weeks when we played it for book club. It’s unique, poignant, and accessible.
Video Game: Brotato hits a sweet spot of being both stimulating and relaxing. However, I didn’t quite find the depth I wanted in a game to really make a mark.
Video Game: I’m so late to the game that there’s already a sequel, but Hades is the game that I’m recommending everyone right now. It just feels really good to play. Hades (along with Brotato) has convinced me that it’s worth getting more than one clear in a rogue-like.
Recipe: Basque Cheesecake. For a recipe that requires minute-precision in the oven, the approach is pretty foolproof. It’s fast, easy, keeps, attractive, and delicious. Now if only it was healthy.
Podcast: Dodoborne
As a TTRPG fan, I have consumed many Actual Plays (AP) of recorded TTRPG gameplay, with Critical Role as the obvious standout. However, AP is a hard format. Like with TV, I prefer funny, meaningful, and wholesome vibes. The biggest problem with AP is that playing a TTRPG is just slow, and I don’t have the attention span for it.
I found Dodoborne pretty early, and this playgroup gets it. They’re not only having a ton of fun themselves, but it comes through on the recording. And they hit all of the notes above. Through a good table dynamic and good editing, the game actually moves along really well. It feels punchy and doesn’t drag like most APs.
They genuinely are doing something in Actual Plays that I have never found before, and it’s a shame that they haven’t blown up more.
Video Game: Battlefield 1
I enjoy playing shooters, but I find most modern shooters too complicated. Today, shooters have experience systems, meta-progression, skins, looting, special abilities, achievements, and so forth.
I just want to point and shoot. Give me cover and aim down sights, and I’m good.
Battlefield 1 did it for me. I actually played Battlefield 3 earlier this year, but Battlefield 1 really hit the sweet spot for me.
Yes, the Battlefield games are mostly about multiplayer, but in Battlefield 1, they also included a five hour campaign spanning six different settings each with a protagonist. There are real stories here. Some say the single-player campaign is too short, but I didn’t mind: I appreciate getting time back by avoiding padding.
Podcast: Naval Ravikant on Modern Wisdom
In my last blog post, I already wrote about the impact that this podcast had on me. Over more than a decade, I slowly iterated on my daily routine and how to set goals. Had I stayed on that path, I would keep tweaking forever, but with the sense that I was asymptotically approach the ideal setup.
Then Naval came along and completely changed my mind on how I choose to spend my time.
Over three hours, Naval covers a lot of ground. I listened to the entire thing twice, and only at 1x speed. And the second time, I kept pausing to take notes of what he said. I don’t agree with everything, but he certainly made me think hard on my own views.
Sports: 2025 World Series
I was absolutely devastated by the way that the Blue Jays lost the World Series this past year. And the craziest part about it?
It doesn’t matter. And I know it.
I woke up the next morning, and the world was exactly the same as it was the day before. Sports teams win and lose every day. It all happened thousands of miles away from me to people I don’t personally know.
There are bigger Jays fan who were more hurt than me. Every day, people face real pain, hardships, and tragedy. In my own life, I have faced greater setbacks and loss with more grace.
I rationally know this, but it still hurts, and I can’t quite understand that.
But this isn’t a sob story because, for me personally, it might be better that they lost.
If the Jays had won, I would have been insufferable for about a week. Then, I would have written about it here as a triumph, and I would be none the wiser.
Because the Jays lost, I have really grappled with the paradox above in understanding what really matters in my life. Also it made me realize how much of my experience happens in my head.
I have done plenty of reading, thinking, and meditating on being proactive, self-awareness, mindfulness, and whatnot. This experience has most significantly highlighted the difference between reality (the Jays losing is rationally not a big deal) and my response to it ( me feeling devastated).
Anyways, this topic probably could have been a whole blog post on its own. However, it still kind of hurts, so I don’t want to talk about it too much. I’ll just bury this topic inside of this post.
TV: Andor Season 2
I was alright with Andor season 1. It was impressive, but overall, I found it slow without much of a payoff.
But Andor season 2 hit me hard.
Andor really isn’t my kind of show. Again, my preference is the trifecta of funny, meaningful, and wholesome. Andor has some jokes, but it’s mostly really, really dark and gritty. That’s trendy, but it’s not my cup of tea.
However, Andor is deep, and honestly, this show has no business being this good as part of a franchise like Star Wars. Everything, whether the set design, subtext, or acting is just so good. I went off the deep end on YouTube commentary, analysis, and interviews to really understand what Tony Gilroy and the entire team did with this show. There are just layers and layers worth unpacking and understanding that only made me appreciate the show even more.
I rarely rewatch anything, but I know I need to come back for Andor one day to get all of it again.
Recipe: Char Siu Style Spare Ribs
Before this year, I had never made ribs. Growing up, I didn’t often eat ribs. After college, I had a friend who smoked delicious ribs, and that set a really high benchmark for my expectations of what ribs should be. Since I don’t even have a grill (much less a smoker), I never considered making ribs myself.
This year, we found out that one of our children loves ribs, so naturally, I need to make ribs. I made okay American-style ribs in the oven, but then, I picked up A Very Chinese Cookbook (from America’s Test Kitchen) at the library. Julie pointed out the recipe for our child, and it seemed like a lot of work.
But I kept thinking about it, and figured it was worth trying. The ribs takes a few hours to braise, but the ribs were delicious. This recipe really convinced me that there’s something to other styles.
I actually have been tearing through this cookbook. The results have been mixed, but it has turned into something of a quest for me to make these dishes that I had only ever had at restaurants.
Board Game: SCOUT
I almost didn’t get this game. I was browsing the booth at a board game convention and asking the salesman for his opinion on different games. I guess he didn’t think I was a serious customer because half-way through, he broke off and just started talking to his friend (not even another customer).
Anyways, I found another salesman who would take my order and bought it.
On the surface, SCOUT looks like a typical shedding card game. However, there are two wrinkles: you mostly can’t re-arrange the cards in your hand, and the cards are two-sided with different numbers on top and bottom.
I like this game a lot because it bridges the gap between card games that normal people play (like Uno) and more serious board games (like 7 Wonders). It isn’t too complex, plays quickly, makes you feel clever, and has plenty of potential for surprises.
Final thoughts
I haven’t put a book on my annual recommendations list since 2022, which is impressive because I have read almost 70 books in the past 3 years. That’s way more than the number of video games, movies, TV shows, or board games I have consumed in the same time, and I have picked plenty of those.
And I’m not sure why.
The problem isn’t that I don’t enjoy reading or am forcing myself to do it. I read because I like it. They just haven’t hit me quite the same way, and I’m not sure why.
It’s probably okay: not everything I consume has to change my life.
But I should probably re-evaluate how I pick books and read.