Hopefully this year will be the last that I'll be waiting in vain for my own books to be published alongside the likes of those who win Pinecones year in and year out. But until then, let's start, as is traditional, with the best books of 2018!
BOOKS:
Honorable Mentions:
* Victoria Aveyard, War Storm
* Pierce Brown, Iron Gold
* Tahereh Mafi, Restore Me
* Ransom Riggs, A Map of Days
* Sabaa Tahir, A Reaper at the Gates
Special Salute: Ava Jae, The Rising Gold
Every book Gabe has given us thus far has totally slid under the radar, and the conclusion to their first trilogy has made it one of my all-time favorite series on the basis of Eros and Deimos alone. They epitomize how powerfully awesome a slow-burn ship can be, and for me as a once and future bi boy forever feeling like nobody will ever love me, Eros brought me to happy tears, representing some of my deepest dreams. There's so much more to the story, of course - it's pretty gritty, dealing with decolonization and unlearning prejudice on so many levels, with disaster after disaster for our royal heroes to deal with on the daily, but overall a more sweet than bitter ending. Even if it'll make you cry. But Kala knows how much Eros' story is a fairy tale for me to aspire to, and that's why I'm still waiting, waiting, bloody waiting for the complete Beyond the Red trilogy to hit the shelves at my work.
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| Also, why the hell are there still so few Goodreads reviews for this book? |
5. M.K. England, The Disasters
On a similar front to the Special Salute is another space-opera story with a mixed brown bi boy for a protagonist. Pakistani and North Carolinan and all around awe and some, our boy Nax isn't Eros, but he'd be one of Eros' best friends for sure if they ever met in a crossover. He'd probably be the bro Eros needed in his life before Deimos came along (and before Deimos and Eros became lovers), and Eros would probably laugh a little too hard at all of Nax's snark - just as I very often found myself doing throughout M.K. England's debut. Gloriously diverse at all levels, actively highlighting South Asian cultural influences on at least one of humankind's new homeworlds, al-Rihla (and coming across aesthetically like City of Brass in space as a result), and unapologetically intersectionally queer, The Disasters has a little something for everyone, and if it's not a hit and a half for years to come, this entire community has a ton of explaining to do.
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| Still fancasting Zayn as Nax and John Boyega as Rion. |
4. Alex Evansley, Love Scene, Take Two
Somewhere in here I'll slip in a Stiles GIF or two because we all know who inspired Teddy Sharpe, lol.
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| Couldn't resist jumping in with it already, though. |
No, but seriously, Alex Evansley's long-awaited debut is a pure masterpiece of fun and love - even when the sweet ship sails into some rocky waters. It's got a few key differences from the old Wattpad and SwoonReads manuscript I've read before, but that's okay. It's still the best NA book I've ever read (except perhaps Scott Westerfeld's Peeps, but that's always gonna have a special place in my heart anyway), and even better for being outside of my genre comfort zone. But what's not out of my comfort zone is the sheer meta-tastic nature of this book, inspired so strongly by Dylan O'Brien and playing out like a old fantasy of mine as a writer, wanting to one day meet and pair up with the star of my own book's film adaptation. I just really hope the plan for a second book in this series comes through soon enough.
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| My question is, why can't love be for me, period? I'm on the wrong damn timeline. But at least this timeline still has #Shardwell5ever! |
3. Marie Lu, Wildcard
I've never been the biggest fan of the current duology trend - I say while plotting a seven-part fantasy series - but of all the duologies we've got, the best and most perfect one is Warcross and Wildcard. Here, Marie Lu gives us two pitch-perfect books, a year apart, and the second half of the series is so much more awesome and twisty and unpredictable than the first that I think it's the new candidate for her best book ever. That I was able to read this book in only an hour or so, powered by Frappuccino, made me very glad that my boss at work set aside this ARC for me as a sort of birthday present this summer.
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| Fear the neon balloons. |
2. Tomi Adeyemi, Children of Blood and Bone
I'm most proud to share a birthday - same exact day, no less! - with 2018's best debut author of all, and one of YA's best authors, period. Taking epic fantasy convention and steeping it in the Yoruba culture of her ancestors, Tomi Adeyemi's first novel more than earns all the hype, and all the sales to which I'm more than happy to have helped contribute. What distresses me is that we're still waiting on a cover for the sequel, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, only about two or three months before the planned release date - but the fact that Adeyemi's admitted to having her mother try to get her drunk to spill secrets means we hopefully won't have too much longer to wait for what I'm pretty sure is going to be a big winner at the 2019 Pinecones!
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| As one of this book's three starring POVs, ZĂ©lie Adebola looks super ready to kick ass and take names. |
1. Cassandra Clare, Queen of Air and Darkness
The final novel of The Dark Artifices, it's a 900-page bomb of pure, unadulterated feels. Or, in some cases, lack thereof, making me feel all the feels in place of a certain character who's lost the ability to emote. I shall spoil nothing for those of you who haven't gotten around to tackling this beast yet, but until then, know that this book was the perfect one to be among my last big reads of 2018 for all the reasons.
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| The faeries and the Cohort have simply too much shit to answer for. |
MOVIES:
Honorable Mentions:
* Maze Runner: The Death Cure
* Ant-Man and the Wasp
* Alpha
* Ralph Breaks the Internet
* Bumblebee
Special Salute: Love, Simon
Though I'm unlikely to end this year as my last year still in the closet (at home, that is), getting to see this long-awaited adaptation of Simon Vs. was a pretty nice balm to my raw queer heart. Well, other than playing up certain aspects of Simon's friends being less than properly sympathetic because they're just too wrapped up in their own drama. Drama which makes me fervently hope that they never, ever, EVER adapt Leah on the Offbeat because my God, Albertalli laid the drama on thick in that book. Also, I do kinda feel personally attacked that Martin, that assbutt geekboy desperate to get a girlfriend, is the one who does such villainous things in service to his goals. I've got similar goals to him, at least without the malicious Machiavellianism of what he's most infamous for, and I already feel like I have a hard enough time convincing my friends to wingperson for me without having to put up with such stereotypes. But Simon, though? I wish people could see more of how much of a Simon I am. I'm at least Simon-like enough to get people to buy a lot of books at work, including Simon Vs., of course. And if I can find a Blue in my life, a person of any gender willing to take a chance on me? Then I'll truly live up to the ideal that Simon represents.
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| One thing Simon and I have in common for sure: we'd both wanna be behind Keiynan Lonsdale. ;) |
5. Deadpool 2
I still haven't gotten this one on DVD yet, mostly because I'm holding out for a potential double-DVD bind-up of the original DP2 and Once Upon a Deadpool. But while I wait, I can still wax rhapsodic about this gloriously messed-up sequel to Wade Wilson's first gloriously messed-up cinematic outing. Maybe it's a little too messed-up at times in the wrongest ways, but Wadey, the most screwball pansexual guy in the business - any business - carries the movie, along with an increasingly inclusive supporting cast and some of the best set pieces in cinematic history.
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| Well. Call me impressed. Lady Luck here can take my wheel- Okay, Wade, I know my compliments swell your head, but step aside, bro. |
4. Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Imagine the 'Dragons playing "Friction" in your trailer and you know your movie's a crowd-pleaser and ass-kicker of the highest caliber. Tom Cruise vs. Henry Cavill? Stunt sequences every bit as iconic as any ever seen in the franchise and then some? Hell, the fact that Cruise is starting to show his age but takes a licking and keeps on ticking. There's a reason why Fallout is the most financially successful M:I movie yet, and it more than earns every buck of money and hype.
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| "I find it best not to look!" |
3. Black Panther
Maybe you thought everything we needed to know about Black Panther was shown in Captain America: Civil War? But nah, you thought wrong. A sort of origin story in which we start with our hero's origin in medias res, it's also such a strong showcase of Black talent before and behind the camera, with tons of inspiration from all over Africa - and from Oakland too! - and so much thought put into the world-building that it begs for its own spinoff film or even novel series. Naturally, we're all pretty sure this is the one that got the Academy to try and create a "Best Popular Film" Oscar, right? Nah, I'm rooting for this one to wipe the floor with all the other Best Picture nominees and then some.
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| Also, goddammit let's give Shuri her own movie! And have her meet Peter Parker too, while we're at it. |
2. Avengers: Infinity War
Every three years since 2012, we've had a new Avengers movie to shake the cinema up and down. The first one was a groundbreaker as a superhero crossover, and the second, while less groundbreaking, still has tons of merit for giving us James Spader as the MCU's best-ever villain: Ultron, live and in motion-capture, one week only. But here, the most ambitious Marvel project yet, it's a big crossover but also full of heartbreak and despair and legendary in the destruction it wrought both in-universe and out. Rest assured we're now only a few months away from Endgame, but those four months will be the longest ones to wait.
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| Hey, Pete. Yeah, I know, there's a lot to see, ain't there? Still time to kick names and take ass, though. |
1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
High on my list of the best Spider-Man movies ever made (TASM 2 is still my absolute fave, but there's room for all the Spider-Fam to play in this section of my brain) is this utterly beautiful piece of animation - which I still need to rewatch in hopes of more properly enjoying it without a headache like I had on the day the movie first hit theaters. But for Miles and Dad Bod Peter and Spider-Gwen and Spider-Ham and Sp//dr and Spider-Noir? I'm firmly in all their corners and can't wait to see this section of the franchise continue.
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| As Speedy would say, "MY SON!!!!" |
TV:
Honorable Mentions:
* Timeless
* Arrow
* Doctor Who
* God Friended Me
* Vikings
Special Salute: Colony
It really bloody sucks that this is the last year we're gonna get with Colony. It's one of the smartest shows that's graced our screens in the last couple of years, and with this final season, they finally left Los Angeles and started exploring other parts of this alien-invaded world. Most notably Seattle. It's just too bad that they not only ended on a cliffhanger, but dropped just enough tantalizing hints of a Falling Skies-like direction for the show to take going into Season 4 or even 5. *le sigh* If nothing else, that this show inspired the wickedly droll @ProxySnyder parody account on Twitter is reason enough that it should've finished its run properly.
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| That's cool, Proxy. But there's still one major character death this year for which I will never forgive you. |
5. The 100
As increasingly grimdark as this fifth season of The 100 was - even by this show's already horrifying standards - it's still managed to make itself the first four-time Pinecone winner. And that, I'm going to admit, is largely on the basis of the final moments of this year's season finale, a roller coaster of emotional devastation leading up to the most unexpectedly hopeful setup going forward for Season 6 next year. Yes, I'm pissed at the writers for spitting in the fans' faces as much as they do. And for their often incredibly idiotic decisions to amp up the drama. But then again, a lot of those idiotic moments are pretty reflective of human nature, no? And then there's that very end of the finale, when things are finally looking bright again. I really, sincerely hope Season 6 is going to be the massive reinvention the show needs. And until then, those last moments are super inspiring some of my own plans for my own work.
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| Oh hai, Blodreina. Please leave us now. We'd like Skairipa Octavia back, thank you very much. |
4. A Series of Unfortunate Events
I'm most overjoyed that I finally got around to getting myself a Netflix subscription this year, and that along with that subscription came access to one series I'd been holding off on for too long: the long-awaited complete adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, all 13 books to be adapted over three seasons. And this year, 2018, we got a great second season adapting Books 5-9, each one with its own distinctive aesthetic, and also adding even more of the V.F.D. backstory than ever. Just like how the first season wove V.F.D. in from the get-go - unlike the books where it didn't start happening till Book 5 - here we get a lot more of a look behind the scenes. And what a look it is, even if the characters involved are super doomed...but that's why this is A Series of Unfortunate Events. Which will also be the first great series of 2019 as the third and final season is set to drop on Netflix on New Year's Day. You've been warned.
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| Also, Count Olaf singing "Welcome welcome welcome to the House of Freaks!" Terrifically catchy song. |
3. The Good Place
As is tradition for when I bring up The Good Place, no spoilers. Just know that if you haven't begun at the very, very beginning, you're totally missing out and need to fix that. It's only one Netflix binge away!
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| Can't remember if it's Chidi or Eleanor saying this, but I agree re: myself. Lol. |
2. Legends of Tomorrow
The thought of going forward without a CW DC series in the Top 5 Pinecone rankings is weird, especially now that I've given up on Supergirl and resigned myself to the fact that my old fave The Flash is just not back up to Season 1's quality level. But this year, when we got more of Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West in the back half of Season 3 (not to mention Beebo OH MY GOD!!!!), and also an extremely openly bi Constantine in Season 4, Legends of Tomorrow surged to the forefront, beating out Arrow by a long shot and Black Lightning very narrowly. It's goofy af and every bit worth slogging through a couple of seasons of melodrama and shit - because the content we've gotten from Season 3 onward is nothing short of bloody brilliantly bonkers!
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| Have I mentioned I love Keiynan Bloody Lonsdale? Because I most certainly do!!! |
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| Me every time Johnny Constantine graces my screen, tbh. |
1. Agents of SHIELD
This was supposed to be the end of the series this year? And yet we're getting TWO more seasons. And thank God for that, because Agents of SHIELD is still my absolute favorite show on TV right now. Propulsive, powerfully action-packed, and absolutely deadly to the feels, I have no idea where it's going next...but you know I'll be watching ever single episode next summer, and the summer after that...
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| Your reminder that though I love Keiynan, Chloe Bennet's got a longer and greater stranglehold on my heart. |
MUSIC:
Honorable Mentions:
* The Decemberists, "Severed"
* Fall Out Boy, "The Last of the Real Ones"
* Imagine Dragons, "Zero"
* Iration, "Press Play"
* Shawn Mendes, "In My Blood"
Special Salute: Muse, Simulation Theory
Well, this is unusual, no? An entire album getting the Special Salute in Music, which is rare because up to now I've always ranked individual songs instead of albums. But this latest album from Muse, their eighth, has really charmed its way into my heart with its aggressively 80s sound, most apparent perhaps on its opening track, "Algorithm," to which I've linked above. Even the bad songs on this album are good, if you can believe that - they all like to sneak into your head. But "Algorithm," it should've been the lead single. It's like "Uprising," the perfect opening track, and it sounds like a particularly kick-ass segment of the Stranger Things score. There's a reason why their upcoming show in Oakland, in March, is going to be my first-ever concert. Okay, eleven reasons, one for each track on this glorious album.
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| "We are caged in simulations Algorithms evolve Push us aside and render us obsolete!" |
5. Keiynan Lonsdale, "Kiss The Boy"
I was long debating whether to spotlight Shawn Mendes' "In My Blood" or this song in the Top 5 this year, because both songs, I can super relate to them. The Mendes song because he's absolutely 100% right about what it's like to live with constant chronic anxiety - and also because I've never much liked his music before, but my God, that song! That said, though, Keiynan Lonsdale made an even greater impression on me personally as a bi man who just wants to be loved. And yes, it's a little unfair because Lonsdale's a celebrity crush of mine while Mendes is not, but I'm going to give the spotlight to Lonsdale because daaaaaaaaaaaamn, y'all slept on this song. I never heard it ONCE on the radio! This must be how the Zquad feels, lol. But that's okay, because radio airplay or not, Keiynan's best tune of all has never once left my head.
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| "'Cause love is a game we deserve to play out loud!" |
4. Panic! At The Disco, "Say Amen (Saturday Night)"
I admit I still don't know half the words to this song, but good God, did Panic! pick out the best possible lead single to Pray for the Wicked or what? And even better, of course, is the official video, a Deadpool-esque piece of bloody hilarious ultraviolence that would've made even Sam and Dean Winchester laugh before they started exorcising Brendon Urie in their best Latin. The song itself, though? It's nigh-impossible to categorize in terms of gender, but I'll call it "gothic pop-rock" because it's such a lovely throwback to the Danny Elfman-like glory days of such great Panic! songs as "Sins" and, of course, "The Ballad of Mona Lisa."
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| "I pray for the wicked on the weekend! Mama, can I get another amen?" |
3. Imagine Dragons, "Natural"
It was only a year or so after Imagine Dragons gave us their third album Evolve, so was "Natural" here meant as a standalone single? Nope, it turned out to be the lead single to their fourth album Origins. And just like its predecessor, this album had a super kickass first taste. Even more operatic than "Believer," and blessed with more driving percussion that reminds me of the "smashing of antique objects" backbeat to Muse's "Exo-Politics," this song is Imagine Dragons stepping up their game with another smash hit that's super uplifting...and also actually very hard to sing, but way to make us feel up to the challenge, Dan Reynolds, am I right?
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| "Will the stars align? Will Heaven step in? Will it save us from our sin? Will it? 'Cause this house of mine stands strong..." |
2. twenty one pilots, "Jumpsuit"
I've never been too much of a big twenty one pilots fan - that's more my sister's wheelhouse. But as much as "Stressed Out" made me a nice casual fan, it's their latest album, Trench, that's got me really interested in them because of how Pink Floyd-y it is. I'm talking a super dark and immersive concept, rooted in Zoroastrian storytelling and exploring the same mental-illness themes as Blurryface. It's a strange and deadly beauty underlying this album, nowhere more so than on its lead single and opening track, in which this band really channels not only their inner Floyd, but also their inner Muse and 30 Seconds to Mars. I just love how dark and gritty this track is, and how organically it ties into the themes of brotherly love in "My Blood," especially. And for a 2019 New Year's resolution? Hopefully I'll finally learn to the whole damn album.
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| "Spirits in my room? Friend or foe?" |
1. ChronoWulf, "Flowers"
Just like last year, I'm feeling a little bit prejudiced putting one of my best friends in the Pinecones, but my God, how could I not after he produced such a fine - and finely against type - song as "Flowers?" Though primarily a hip-hop artist, Koda's really a one-man twenty one pilots. Here, he gives us a sweet light alt-rock tune, named for Ramona Flowers and embodying all the feelings of wanderlust that I myself feel and then some. Needless to say, it wasn't long before I went on stage at a local open mic night and sang the first-ever cover of this song, or any ChronoWulf song, to the best of my knowledge. I wish I'd done better on the falsetto - my voice broke doing it - but it does seriously inspire me that Koda's come this far in his own musical ability. He used to say he couldn't sing? Well, this year he's proven himself more than capable on tracks like "Another Place" - that one will make you tear up a ton - and his latest release, his Christmas gift to us in the chilling "Empire." And he's not done adding to his rap sheet, either, not with the banger "Spaced Out" and of course "Empire" with its hella fast-flowing verses. But "Flowers" is my personal favorite of his to date, the one song I myself plan to use to hopefully attract someone to love. Even if it does talk about leaving lovers behind.
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| "Every time that I close my eyes I'm dreaming about a different life..." |
And so endeth the 2018 Pinecones. Fight me on all these rankings, friends. Especially if you're Koda. Love you, brother. 🖤💙
Till next time...
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| #FeedTheRightWolf |
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| Remember: Denis Leary is always watching. Always. |
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