Best of 2024

My favorite music, books, and TV shows

In 2024, I’ve listened to a lot of music, read plenty of books, and watched a good bit of television. Here’s the best from this year:

Television

My TV habits were a little unusual this year. I’ve been streaming a lot of older shows like “The Love Boat” and “Knots Landing.” But a couple of shows from this year got my attention.

Slow Horses

I can’t remember if I discovered “Slow Horses” in 2023 or 2024, but this British show is one of the best. It combines spycraft with loads of humor. Gary Oldman leads a team of misfit MI5 agents paying for their misdeeds. Spoiler alert: the “slow horses” always end up saving the day. It’s great fun.

Survivor 46 & 47

I’ve been a fan of “Survivor” almost from the start. The show has made a few format changes over the past few years, and I think those changes really came into their own in this year’s seasons. Here’s hoping “Survivor” keeps getting better as it approaches its 50th season.

Books

I read 77 books this year, although that total includes some books I reread. Here are some of my favorites:

Power and Glory: Elizabeth II and the Rebirth of Royalty

This was the final book in Alexander Larman’s House of Windsor trilogy, and in it, he explores the young life of Elizabeth II and how her upbringing and the mistakes that her uncle, Edward VIII, made. A fascinating glimpse into the early years of her long reign.

Ten Years to Save the West: Lessons From the Only Conservative in the Room

I thought Liz Truss was going to be a smashing, game-changing prime minister. She was a genuine conservative in a Tory party that keeps drifting to the left. Alas, I was wrong; maybe the UK wasn’t ready for her.

This book is a political memoir, but she also includes advice on how conservatives can retake the West. Hopefully we can learn from it.

Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up

Abigail Shrier takes on our culture that’s obsessed with giving kids therapy and prescription drugs. I didn’t expect to love this one so much, but everyone should read it.

Walking in Unity: Biblical Answers to Questions on Race and Racism

Krista Bontrager and Monique Duson of the Center for Biblical Unity wrote this essential book on race relations. They puncture the myths of the “anti-racism” movement and show us how God’s Word provides us a framework for unity.

On the Resurrection, Volume 1: Evidences

A thousand pages from Gary Habermas on the scholarly evidence for the resurrection of Jesus — and it’s part one of a four-part series. Don’t let that intimidate you; it’s worth reading.

The Surprising Genius of Jesus: What the Gospels Reveal about the Greatest Teacher

For some reason, we don’t talk about how smart Jesus was in the Bible, but Peter Williams does this expertly in this short but powerful book. Williams uses Jesus’ parables, particularly the Prodigal Son, to show how clever Jesus’ teaching was and how many hyperlinks to the Old Testament we can find in the parables.

It’s even more enjoyable in audiobook format, with Williams reading it himself.

Music

I went to more concerts this year than I have in a long time. Interestingly enough, the best music all year for me has been country.

The Castellows, A Little Goes a Long Way (EP), Miss America (single), Ways to Go (single)

This trio from southwest Georgia sings those harmonies that only siblings can achieve. A co-worker of mine turned me on to them, and he and met in Milledgeville, Ga., to see them live in October.

So good. I wrote about “Miss America” at PJ Media, too.

Zac Brown Band, Pirates and Parrots (single)

ZBB teamed up with Mac McAnally for this poignant and beautiful tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett.

Sam Barber, Restless Mind (album)

I have been an evangelist for Sam Barber ever since my nieces turned him on to his music earlier this year. I didn’t think anything would top “Million Eyes” in my book — that song still stops my in my tracks.

I took two of my nieces to see him live in Columbia, S.C., in September, and he played several songs off his upcoming album. That album, “Restless Mind,” blows me away over and over again.

There’s a rawness to Barber’s sound that’s appealing. He inhabits characters and situations in these songs that I can’t imagine are autobiographical, but his writing and interpretation make you believe every word.

A few of the songs on “Restless Mind” have been out for a while, but the songs fit together as a cohesive whole. I’m going to be a fan of Sam Barber’s music for a long time to come.

Image created by the author using Grok