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Kyle and Avvai’s 2021 Top Ten List!

We’ve been enjoying all the year-end top ten lists and bookmarking a bunch of books, comics, movies, and games we want to check out! We then decided to make our own because it’s fun! Here’s mine and Avvai’s list of things we enjoyed this year from books, to movies, to silly YouTube videos. 

Craig of the Creek

Craig of the Creek show poster

Kyle: I love cartoons. Few other mediums are able to mix unbridled freedom and unapologetic fun with poignancy and touching deepeness — it’s like we feel we have to trick kids into feeling things! Thankfully, there are a handful of cartoons on now that encourage, teach, and lift up young people while still being really flipping funny. At the top of this list is Craig Of The Creek.

The show is about Craig and his friends hanging out in the neighbourhood woods… but because all of these kids are so imaginative/weird/energetic the woods become a mix of every genre, movie, and niche interest that real kids could possibly be into. Craig’s passion in life is making maps and exploring, which gives him a great excuse to get involved with the more eclectic corners of the creek. There are the anime kids (who dress up as ninjas and fiercely defend their territory), the horse girls (who literally run around like horses), the sewer kids, paintball nerds, D&D sages, and so much more. I’m jealous of the creativity on this show and inspired by the imagination!

Also, it’s super funny. If you miss Adventure Time and Regular Show, go visit Craig and his friends. For me, it’s a beautiful 15 min. break from reality that is always guaranteed to charge you up.

Avvai: Craig is on my list too! I’m 100% a fangirl and want all the merch. Give me the Craig of the Creek lunchbox, stickers, backpack, everything. Craig’s life is how I want to live my life every day. After watching this show I went on to Tumblr to see if I can immerse myself into the Craig of the Creek fandom lol (there wasn’t much that I could find, unfortunately). I haven’t enjoyed a show so much since Gravity Falls or Avatar the Last Airbender. It’s just good, wholesome, fun!

A Swim in the Pond in the Rain

Kyle: This is my book of the year. A Swim In A Pond In The Rain by George Saunders. 

Ever wonder how the great writers read? Surely they must be doing something different than the rest of us… how do you actually read like a writer? Well, I’ve read a lot of books on the subject and can say that this is the best one ever written. Do you want to become a better reader? A much better writer? Look no further.

George Saunders, who I think is one of the best living short story writers, teaches a class at Syracuse University on writing/reading. This book is his successful attempt to convert his class into a book. Each chapter is a different Russian short story, which he deconstructs, sometimes a page at a time. This book made me feel like I am sitting in class with a master and each chapter left me with the sense that I am slowly becoming smarter, more creative, and a better writer.

This book is encouraging, challenging, and enjoyable. If you have ever dreamt of joining a creative writing class or sitting at the foot of a master writer while talking literature, this may be the book for you.

Braiding Sweetgrass

Avvai: My book of the year is Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This book rocked my world like no other book has ever done (except for maybe the Malcom X autobiography). I read a lot about climate change and science/nature books and every time I’m left with more doom and gloom about where Earth and all its inhabitants are headed. 

Braiding Sweetgrass was a sweet and healing balm that I didn’t know I needed. It totally shifted my perspective on human-nature relationship and how best to interact with the natural world. I found myself reading passages out loud to Kyle and having long discussions about the different ideas and lessons presented in each chapter. The alternative ways of living that Kimmerer presented sparked my imagination and got me excited for the future and the ways we can move forward.

If you can find this book on audiobook then I highly recommend listening to it (though this might be a personal preference because it put Kyle to sleep haha).  The author has such a soothing voice and you can hear the joy and laughter in her voice as she reads out loud. Going on long walks and listening to this was a beautiful experience.

Siberian Haiku

Kyle: I’ve always had a secret draw to Siberia, maybe because I have relatives who were sent there after WWII (and are still living there!). In Siberian Haiku, the subject immediately drew me in, the delightful art hooked me, and the story pulled me up wriggling into the boat.

This is a story about a group of Lithuanians who are taken to Siberia to work in the labour camps. The events are depressing and dark, but the book subverts this by making the story from the perspective of the children. Magical events and imagination pervade the pages, showcasing the incredible perseverance of young people in the face of suffering. Even crazier is that this is based on the true story of the author’s father.

I feel like the pages here speak for themselves. Take a look and see if this style and a story about the incredible power of children’s imagination resonates with you.

N. K. Jemisin

Avvai: This is cheating a bit because it’s like ten books in one, but I honestly can’t choose. An author that I read a lot of this year was N. K. Jemisin. Her Broken Earth Trilogy, the start of a new series called The City We Became, and her short story collection How Long ‘Til Black Future Month have all been so excellent.

N. K. Jemisin is a fantasy/sci-fi writer. She unapologetically throws the reader into huge worlds that she has built so meticulously. As a reader, for about half the book, you’re wandering around discovering new things and piecing information together like you’re in a Zelda game. Some parts are slow and steady, some parts are intense and exciting, and all of a sudden you’re totally invested. The characters in her books are always diverse in gender, sexuality, age, race –  and they just exist without a big fuss about it. It just is and it’s totally normal in her worlds– and that to me is so refreshing and nice. I have truly loved getting lost in Jemisin’s creations this year.

Also, it’s fantastic to see a Black woman just killing it in a very white, very male world of sci-fi/fantasy books. 

How To Avoid A Climate Disaster

Kyle: In 2019, Avvai and I went zero waste, which means you don’t make any garbage. Mainly, this means avoiding all things plastic, which is super difficult because everything comes in plastic. Spearheaded by Avvai, we actually did pretty good at this — after three months, Avvai could fit all her garbage into a pickle jar… until the pandemic started.

I still can’t believe how much work I would go through to avoid getting a plastic bag only to see someone get a plastic bag from the store, walk outside, and immediately throw it away. Is there anything we can do that will actually make an impact and help the world?

How To Avoid A Climate Disaster is a great answer to that question. Bill Gates lays out the facts of the situation: how difficult it is going to be to solve anything, the targets we have to achieve as a planet to make a difference, and what you can personally do. The answer is basically policy, but learning the facts of the matter is an important first place to start. This book helped me feel informed and not entirely helpless, while taking away a lot of the guilt I used to feel each time I unwrapped a granola bar.

Avvai: This is on my list as well. Believe me, I see the hypocrisy in Gate’s writing a climate book — the guy’s a billionaire, owns a few mansions, and goes to climate conferences in his private jet. However, I don’t think it should deter anyone from reading this book because there was so much good stuff in here while being very readable and easy to understand. Gates is obviously very smart and well-researched and he’s also investigating and working with other very smart scientists who are dedicated to solving the climate crisis and I think that makes this book worth it. (Perhaps just roll your eyes when he’s being a bit arrogant and pushing the Gate’s Foundation.)

The book shifted my perspective on how I consume and understand climate news in media and it’s the closest I’ve gotten to reading a climate change book that presents realistic solutions to our world and how we currently operate. He’s not calling to dismantle capitalism (after all why should he?) but he’s working with the system to find solutions … which I think is probably quite practical for now? It’s focused on big policy and industry shifts instead of individual effort. 

I didn’t agree with everything but I learned a lot and it led to lots of great discussion!

Gideon Falls

Kyle: When people ask me who are the great Canadian writers I always say Jeff Lemire. He’s created some of the best comics about Canadian life, the most popular superheroes of the past few years, and some killer horror stories. Gideon Falls is one of the latter; a multiverse story of a barn that houses something worse than the devil. The story is surprising and dark throughout and the art is absolutely incredible. I found myself sketching some of the layouts as the comic progressed simply because I was so blown away by the structure of the pages.

It feels like comics are getting progressively better. Jeff Lemire is one of those guys who is leading that change. It feels super exciting to be at the forefront of something like Gideon Falls.

Oaxaca Journal

Avvai: I love reading travel diaries – they always inspire me to create more while I’m travelling (see Peter Kuper or Guy DeLisle). I also love stories about science nerds going on adventures – like this awesome illustrated book on Humboldt. Oaxaca Journal was no exception and it was even better reading it while we were in Oaxaca this year!

This is a travelogue by Oliver Sacks (the famous British nuerologist) going on a fern expedition to Oaxaca, Mexico with the American Fern Society. It literally is a group of professionals and amateurs frolicking in the mountains surrounding Oaxaca City trying to find as many ferns as possible. It was a delightful read.

However, in true Oliver Sacks fashion, the book was much more than just ferns. Oliver Sacks fills his journal entries with thoughtful questions, ponderings, history, and cultural information about Oaxaca. You can really feel his joy and amusement from his ten days in Mexico. After reading this book, hiking around Oaxaca and even driving outside of the city felt like a different experience. I kept imagining the Fern Society bumbling about in the hills, having the time of their lives, and it made me smile.

Slaughterhouse-Five: The Graphic Novel

Kyle: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut has always been one of my favourite books… which is why I think it is INCREDIBLE to say that Ryan North has made something just as good – if not better – than the original with this graphic novel adaptation.

A satirical, sci-fi, take down on the horrors of war, Slaughterhouse-Five was the first thing to make me really look at war as something absurd. Vonnegut rips into situations that so many people look at as sacred and North has taken this to the next level. The soldiers and their gear is deconstructed and presented as rip out paper dolls. Time is fluid and the pictures swirl and shift on the page. Aliens look in on us like zoo animals. It’s so good. So funny. Just so good.

Tim Ferriss Ep. 524: Ramit Sethi

Avvai: I’m a little surprised this made it on my list but as I reflect back on the year, this Tim Ferriss podcast episode where he chats with personal finance advisor Ramit Sethi, really stuck with me and I keep returning to the ideas in here. 

Over the past couple of years I’ve been immersing myself in personal finance education, budgeting, paying off student debt, building a self-directed investment portfolio, etc etc… but not once did I think of my money psychology. And, in my opinion, that’s what makes Ramit unique in the personal finance world.

This episode in particular, Ramit talks about couples, finances, and his famous “Rich Life” idea. Kyle and I have obviously talked about finances together, but this episode got us talking about our relationship to money and our money psychology that we’re bringing into each other’s lives. It’s so deeply influenced by our parents, our upbringing, and our cultural expectations. And that’s been really interesting. Also trying to figure out how to build a rich life and learning to guilt-free spend money has been fun to chat about haha. 

(A side note, Ramit Sethi has also started his own money podcast called I Will Teach You To Be Rich, which is a podcast version of a reality TV show haha. He interviews couples that are not on the same page about their money and asks guiding questions to help them out. TBH, most of these couples need couples counselling more than anything, but in a few of the episodes Ramit does ask good questions and it’s interesting for Kyle and me to discuss what we’d do in those situations (we don’t always agree haha!). Also, I like that Ramit discusses the cultural differences and expectations when it comes to money — a nice palette cleanser from the plethora of white, dude-bro advice.)

Paul Bowles

Kyle: I’d never read Paul Bowles before visiting Mexico and was blown away by this globe-trotting author. 

Bowles spent most of his life in Tangier and wrote extensively about his travels all over the world, changing his experiences into some fantastic short stories. Occasionally he wrote non-fiction accounts, which I read while travelling earlier this year. His travel stories are full of people astounded by his ignorance of their culture and his amazement at the things that perfectly normal for others. Though I love to immerse myself in other cultures while travelling, it is too easy to fall into the tourist traps and expat culture bubbles. These stories reminded me of the sheer wonder that comes when you dive into situations where you have absolutely no idea what’s going on and encouraged me to jump out of my comfort zone.

Kim's Convenience - The Final Season

Avvai: Oh Kim’s Convenience. My little, brown heart just loves this show so much and was devastated when they cancelled the show (though the drama around it was interesting and a bit fun to follow). This year they released the final season and it was definitely a highlight for me.

Kim’s to me feels like home. It takes place in Toronto, with immigrant parents and first-gen kids, and obviously, it was super relatable. Some of the scenes and lines felt so familiar, every immigrant kid has experienced it, and it felt so good to see it on TV and be able to laugh at it, sympathize and cry with it, be embraced by it. 

I admit, the show gets a little silly in the second and third season but they pull it back together for this final season with lots of character development and very heart-warming episodes. 

Arcane

Kyle: This is the biggest surprise on my list, but Arcane is hands down the most exciting show I watched this year.

Based on the video game, League of Legends (that I’ve hardly played), this show immediately surpasses its source material and establishes itself as an incredibly touching, imaginative, sci-fi fantasy about two sisters living in the undercity of a world about to rediscover magic. Things escalate quickly but never lose sight of the relationship of the two sisters, which is the real heart of the story. For me, it was an exciting escape and a masterclass of fantasy writing. No matter how big the world and the adventure gets, relationships are the reason why people keep coming back to a story.

Plus, this is the best animation since Spiderverse. I nearly jumped out of my chair at a few scenes I was so thrilled by what I was seeing.

If you’ve liked any fantasy or animation show ever, I’d highly recommend Arcane. Wow, I’m making myself want to watch it again!

Ariel Bissett booktuber

Avvai: All right, I might lose folks here, because YouTube is already a weird place, and BookTube is even more strange and nerdy and niche. However as I reflect back on this year, Ariel Bissett’s videos have been such a joy for me to watch. Ariel’s been making book videos for almost a decade now. I’ve always liked hearing her thoughts and discovering some unknown gems through her. 

However, last year she bought an old run-down house in the middle of nowhere Nova Scotia because as a millennial that’s the only thing we can afford these days. And all this year, interspersed between her book videos, she’s been posting these house renovation videos where she’s fixing up her house, and I just love them so much. I love long-term, hands-on projects where you learn valuable skills and it’s been really exciting seeing Ariel progress through her house, renovating it room by room. 

Kyle calls Ariel my internet best friend, and over the year she really has become my internet best friend. Maybe I just need more girlfriends to talk about books, and projects, and life with, but for now I’ll keep enjoying my one-sided relationship with Ariel 🙂 

I Think You Should Leave

Kyle: Sometimes you just need to watch some really absurd comedy. I Think You Should Leave is a ridiculous show takes a simple premise to the wildest reaches of imagination: each sketch is about someone who does something embarrassing/faux-paux and instead of admitting their mistake they barrel forward and make things a million times worse.

I love watching this show when I’m feeling down and discouraged. It’s a guaranteed laugh. Plus, it managed to enter the cultural consciousness and has spanned a ton of memes and other jokes, which makes it sort of feel like a modern day Monty Python Holy Grail — you can bust out the I Think You Should Leave quotes and you’ll soon have half the room quoting along and busting out laughing.

Tick, Tick, Boom

Avvai: Kyle told me that he teared up multiple times watching Tick, Tick, Boom, and that was really all I needed to watch this myself. (Kyle never cries when watching or reading things, like some kind of weird robot boy, so it’s saying something). Also it’s a musical and it’s by Lin-Manuel Miranda. I feel like I don’t really need to say anything past that. 

But yes, it became a new favorite movie. I love a good biopic — last year my favorite movie was Rocketman about Elton John. 

I can see why Kyle got emotional in this. It’s about Jonathan Larson, the guy who made Rent and his struggles of being an artist. Any artist can probably relate to this. But I think anyone who has or had a dream and that dream was incredibly difficult can relate to this.

The music was also great. Of course. 

The Mitchells VS The Machines

Kyle: This is my movie of the year.

I was emotionally moved in the very first scene of this movie: the main character is a teenage girl about to go to film school where she will finally be amongst ‘her people’, a bunch of other film weirdos that she has already met online. She is pumped, especially since her dad (who doesn’t get the Internet) struggles to understand her. She is so excited and for some reason I was touched… for so long I have struggled to find my own group of creatives. In 2020 I went to Vancouver Film School and finally found that group. The film captured that excitement so perfectly. We all desire to be among those who understand and accept us.

Of course, on the way to college, the world is taken over by malicious machines and the film becomes about a girl and her father bonding and learning to understand and accept each other.

It’s a beautiful message in a funny animated package. The jokes are fast and furious and the animation beautiful.

Now that school is done and the world moving into yet more covid, it feels like so many things I built in 2020 are further away than ever, but I still remember the excitement I felt when I was finally amongst those who understood me. I have some great friends from that time and some awesome creative communities… and of course a supportive family, which is the real message of this great movie.

Avvai: This is on my list too. It was great. Give me the lunchbox, the t-shirt, the stickers, everything. 

Joel Haver

Kyle: I’m not a big YouTube guy, but whenever I stumble onto the site I am thrilled to dive into the work of comedian/short film maker Joel Haver.

This guy is funny. He feels like the funny friend I wish I could have met earlier in life. He make a short comedic film every week (some of them animated) and they are almost all funny… but even when they aren’t, he still releases them, which is a huge reason I like the guy. He’s making videos because he LOVES making videos. He doesn’t pander to the audience or worry about this work being perfect. He just makes stuff with his friends. Right now he is driving across the country making collaboration videos with other comedians and it is inspiring to see him learn, improve and put himself out of his comfort zone.

I wish I could be a little bit more like him with my writing… but until I have the guts to be releasing writing regularly to the world I’ll watch and be motivated by Joel’s hilarious videos.

Avvai: I don’t think I like Joel Haver as much as Kyle does, but this one video of his does make my top ten list. It’s weird and stupid, and I quote it at least once a week with Kyle lol. *Hold.* 

Well, that’s it! Hopefully, there’s at least one thing on this list that piques your interest! Send us a message if you indulge in one or two! 👋🏻👋🏾

6 Comments

  1. David Scott Moyer

    So much to check out on this list! I am only familiar with Jemisin, and I have to say, Avvai and i are in complete agreement with respect to this remarkable author. I would give anything to be half as good as she is.

    • Kyle

      Thanks Dave! Yeah, she is amazing. I haven’t read much but I’m going to after reading Avvai’s great review! I think you should make a top ten – it would be a lot of fun to see what has impacted you 🙂

    • Kyle

      Thanks Charlene! I hope you’re having a merry Christmas! I would love to hear if anything on here resonates with you – let’s meet up when I’m back in town 🙂

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