Dylan Does Santa + Toby’s Top 10

Hello, friends! 

Happy holidays! Here’s Bob Dylan singing “Must Be Santa” in case you need some extra cheer. Below are some of my favorite pop culture highlights of 2022 and please feel free to drop your own in the comments section. It’s been lovely sharing my Sundays with ya’ll and I’m sending extra love to you and yours. 

Xo,

Toby

The Most Ideal Time To Be Very Online

There was that one glorious moment in time back in late summer, early fall when we all came together to watch the ongoing drama surrounding Don’t Worry Darling, which culminated in Nora Ephron’s salad dressing recipe. This is why the Internet was invented. (Vox)

The Movie I Will Corner You At A Party And Talk Your Ear Off About 

Drop everything you’re doing and watch Fire of Love, a documentary about two French volcanologists narrated by Miranda July. A charming pair of volcano-obsessed scientists find each other and fall in love: “After their 1966 honeymoon, they decide they will not have children. From here on out their life will only be volcanoes, volcanoes, volcanoes.” Everything about the couple is sooo French and you’ll instantly be sucked into their weirdness. I only wish I caught this one on the big screen because the shots are stunning, especially for 70s/80s camera technology. (Disney+) 

The Best Album That Wasn’t Renaissance
For a few different reasons, I listened to a ton of new music this year: I started writing for my local alt weekly + I literally live in Music City + going to concerts gives me life. Despite all that, my second favorite album of the year was Bjork’s Fossora. I know this is nothing groundbreaking—please don’t revoke my blogger license. Maybe I’ve officially reached the age (40) where I gravitate toward music I discovered in high school/college? Do all people of a certain age (40) feel this way? (Apple Music)

The Most Shared Meme In My Group Chats 

Easy. (Twitter)

The Best Book To Revive Book Club

I’m polyamorous when it comes to book club, and am currently a member of three clubs across the nation. So I can report that the pandemic really did a number on everyone’s reading and we’re all just now starting to recover. If you’re in the same boat, you’ll want to put this book in your library queue: Girls They Write Songs About by Carlene Bauer. It led to the most lively discussion I participated in this year and resonated with every woman in the group, whether they were single or a mom or whatever. Also, in the last third of the book, Bauer wrote a beautiful analogy of feminism that I won’t begin to butcher here. Go ahead and read it for yourself then share with your book group. (Bookshop)

The Recipe That Made Me A Cookie Convert

Look, I know this isn’t the crowd for the confession I’m about to make but here it goes: I’m not a cookie person. Like, obviously I respect a good cookie (obviously!) but it’d never be my first choice when it comes to dessert. That is, until I happened to try Joy’s Easy 4-ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies last winter. The recipe is non-fussy and delicious, and it made me change my mind on the whole cookie front. I’m excited to dive deeper into her cookie archive in 2023 and have even bookmarked this recipe for winter break. (Joy the Baker)

The Concert That Doubled As Cardio

A girlfriend and I went to see Florence + the Machine play in the middle of a heat wave and the show was explosive. We danced so hard, I clocked 11,000 steps. That’s not even a humble brag. It’s a plain brag! (Spotify)

The Celeb Who Deserves To Be Seen

Give Keke Palmer all the attention. She’s super charismatic, has been in the biz forever, and her performance in Nope is the most accurate representation of kid sister energy I’ve ever seen. I loved spotting her on all media fronts this year, from TV to TikTok to YouTube. And I’m especially pumped for her podcast. (Amazon) 

The Book That Needs A Screen Adaptation

Back in April, I had coffee with a friend who works in publishing. It was a social call but also my version of insider trading. I’m always hungry for her tips because she reads all the books when they’re little newborn manuscripts. So I was intrigued when she told me about Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. My informant told me to imagine if Ready Player One was written by Sally Rooney, and she was spot-on. Now I’m thrilled to see its cover every time I open my social feeds. It’s so ripe for a movie or TV adaptation, let’s hope it’s in development somewhere. (Bookshop)

The Best Show To Watch When You Have C0vid

I finally caught the bug in August and had everything under control until I was hit by a coughing fit. Then I chugged the one thing I had on hand: half a bottle of Children’s Robitussin. Grape flavored. After that, I was blitzed out and in a prime position to binge This Fool, which made me laugh like a…fool. The show about a 30-year-old in South Central L.A. is so light and funny, it’s perfect for when you need something that goes down easy. (Hulu)