I love lists. It’s the Virgo in me, plus a bunch of other personality aspects, but I adore crossing off items on a list as much as I adore reading other people’s lists of things they loved. Top 40. Top books. Top best deals. Top fave cozy socks. I’ll read them all. From everyone.
I decided it would be fun to create my own – I’d do it anyway- but it’s even more joyous when I get to share! **and yeah, I know I’m late – but better late than never!**
Disclaimers: some of these faves were not released in 2023 – but I CONSUMED them in 2023 so for my rules – they count.
No one paid me to say any of this.
There’s a TON of more of my favorites – with the amount of books I read I don’t want any authors to get hurt – these were literally the ones I remember the most today and that I’ve kept thinking about.
I think that’s it. Drumroll please!
Movies:
Big Screen:
Barbie + Oppenheimer = Barbenheimer – the best movie experience of the decade and worth all the hype!
John Wick Chapter 4 – the stair scene? The traffic circle scene? Epic…
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 – really heartfelt – such a great installment.
Thanksgiving – a new horror ritual for the holidays – watch this scary movie! So much fun.
Netflix:
The Fall of the House of Usher – series the BEST adaptation and series this year. My horror loving soul adored every moment!
Daisy Jones and the Six – everything I ever wished or dreamed that the book would be!
Squid Games Reality Show – watched this with the boys on Netflix – it was so well done and addicting to watch.
Fair Play – OMG really smart and sexy and extremely frustrating to watch – this one was a sleeper it’s really worth watching!
May December – this movie was disturbing but it’s also on my list because I keep thinking about it. If I keep thinking about it, it’s a great movie.
Blackberry – I thought this was so well done in the perfect amount of time. – absolutely fascinating.
Books:
Black River Orchard – Chuck Wendig. *If you love horror this is a MUST read. I am now scared of apples. Now, that’s great writing!*
Fault Lines – Emily Itam (Haunting and beautifully written – I am obsessed with this book)
Mad Honey – Jodi Picoult/Jennifer Finney Boylan (A perfect, big, dynamo of a book to dive into)
Yellowface – RF Kuan (It’s about a writer, publishing, editing, diversity. Brutally sharp and so relevant. One of my all time faves.)
Bath Haus – PJ Vernon (slick and different – I tore through this one)
The Dead Romantics – Ashley Poston (beautiful and lyrical and romantic. I’m about to read her newest Seven Year Slip next.)
Wrong Place, Wrong Time – Gillian McAllister (A completely different take on the thriller loved it)
Local Woman Missing – Mary Kubica (such twisty goodness! This is my fave book of hers.)
A Good Neighborhood – Theresa Anne Fowler (heartbreaking and surprising)
Wolf – Rebecca Zanetti (A huge fan on everything Zanetti writes, but this was so alpha yummy)
Summer Reading – Jenn McKinley (a perfect summer romance read!)
Love on the Byline – Xio Axelrod (Adored this smart, emotional story that has all the feels)
Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros – nothing to say about this one except DUH! Of Course!
Haunting Adeline – HD Carlton (for my dark romance lovers. this is DARK but so good).
Emergency Contact – Lauren Layne & Anthony LeDonne – (made me laugh out loud and feel good)
Things/Items:
Not much here – I think I tried to scale back on my shopping? Or else didn’t find a ton that was worthy of my memory? Here we go:
Shinery – jewelry cleaner/wash and buffer – I have never found something to remove all of that awful tarnish from my silver jewelry until now. I’m obsessed – just buff the tarnish away and I can wear all my stuff again!
Substack Subscriptions: can these be considered a thing? I’m deeming them a thing! I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of subscriptions from talented authors who dig into various subjects and share their amazing ideas. Reading their analysis gives me new perspectives, and I’m always open to change and growth and possibilities. Here are a few I loved this year:
Author Analyst by Monica Leonelle: The Author Analyst | Monica Leonelle | Substack
Emma Gannon at The Hyphen – The Hyphen by Emma Gannon | Substack
The Author Stack by Russell Nohelty The Author Stack | Russell Nohelty | Substack
Becca Syme – Patreon – she’s the bomb in this industry for making writers aware of their strengths and feeling normal in a nutty world. I love her. Becca Syme | Creating Books, Podcasts, and Content | Patreon
Elizabeth Gilbert – Letters from Love –beautiful notes written from LOVE on various subjects.
Letters From Love with Elizabeth Gilbert | Substack
Ideas:
Ream. I’m so happy to be here everyone!!! Ream is this cool subscription for authors in FICTION. I’m finally going to be able to give you more personal content and stories! Here’s the link for a sneak peek -more coming later!
https://reamstories.com/jenniferprobst/public
Trips for Readers – I’m doing a Trovatrip to Italy for my readers August 2024. I think this is the coolest thing to do for fans and a memory of a lifetime. Basically, I host the trip which is a full tour and itinerary and I invite readers to come with me. Here’s my link to see what it looks like:
Meet Me in Italy! (trovatrip.com)
Hungry Root food subscription: I’m vegetarian – well, pescetarian, and I don’t like to grocery shop, I have really loved this specific service for the groceries/recipes they offer, and the affordability. Plus I can skip any weeks I want without a hassle.
Music:
Taylor Swift. Yeah, I know you were really surprised by that one, right? I simply love her. Not just the music, but her savvy and sharp business self. The cool way she handles things, even when it’s admitting to the world that she’s not being cool. I learned a lot from Taylor Swift this year. But the biggest lesson for me was the way she consistently remakes herself without whining about it.
Matchbox Twenty – new album Where the Light Goes. SO. GOOD.
Olivia Rodrigo – Guts. Love it.
The Barbie album. Danced my ass off.
Aurora – Daisy Jones & the Six – obsessed.
COURSES:
Lord, my input has been in overdrive this year! I simply can’t name all the course materials I ingested and still have to go through. Here are a few main ones I loved:
HB90 – Sara Cannon is the ultimate planner and helped me re-organize my life. If you’re a writer and need help focusing on ALL the things, this system is a life saver. Take the course. Do it. It’s epic.
Inkers Con: Alessandra Torre runs the amazing Inkers Con conference, and you can buy this digitally and feast on all the amazing presenters and material all year long. They also have a mini con with a few courses if you want a bite size portion.
Meditation with Deborah Hanlon: I attend every Sunday night for a guided meditation to start my week. It’s been a game changer. I also took an Intuition course with her that was really helpful – she teaches a bunch of different courses throughout the year I’d highly recommend.
I guess this is it? I don’t really listen to podcasts. I geek out on normal writerly things so nothing knocked me over the head and made me need to write it down for this year.
I will look forward to reading all of YOUR lists!
