Favorites of Fall 2024

   🍂 My Favorites of Fall 2024 🍁

Below, I have listed some of my favorite music, movies, YouTube videos, and TV that I have watched or listened to this fall. This has been a great season for some amazing entertainment. I also wanted to share the stories I loved on A03 from this season. 

🎞️ Movies/Movie Trailers/ Specials:

1. Annie

~ Mom and watched this early in September and we had such a great time. I’ve seen this many times when I was a child but not in recent years. I love all of the music and the story. 

~ The only part I really don’t enjoy is the song with Carol Burnett, Tim Curry, and Bernadette Peters. I know they are all famous singers but I think it could have been cut and the musical would have been much more enjoyable. 

2. Wicked

~ I got to see Wicked twice, once on November 24th and the second on December 7th. It was even better the second time around, especially getting to see it with my best friend. We had the time of our lives. This was one of the best musicals I have seen in a long time. The story is one that I have known details about for years but it was great to finally be able to see it. Looking forward to Part 2 next year. 

~ There are so many great scenes throughout this entire movie. Cynthia, Ariana, and Jonathan do an incredible job with the rest of the cast. Cynthia is absolutely incredible in this role. My goodness, she gave me goosebumps multiple times throughout the movie. Especially, during “The Wizard and I” and “Defying Gravity.” I’m so glad she was chosen for Elphaba. She’s literally perfect. Ariana is hilarious and so much fun to watch. Her voice is as great as usual. Love how charismatic Jonathan was as Fiyero. I adored him from his first introduction with Elphaba in the forest. He is such a charming man! 

~ I love the musical numbers which have been playing in my head a lot ever since seeing the movie. “Defying Gravity” has been one of my favorite songs for over 15 years and I adore this version. But I’m surprised to say that my favorite song from this part was actually “What is This Feeling.” I adore it so much! Also, I love the foreshadowing in many of the songs, especially “The Wizard and I” and “Dancing Through Life.” 

~ Loved the surprises, especially in “One Short Day.” That was an absolutely incredible Easter Egg. Also, the nods to The Wizard of Oz  were great additions and I cannot wait to see what they use for Wicked: For Good. 

🎵 Music:

This year has been great for new music. Here are some of the best that I loved in Fall 2024. 

1. The Great Impersonator album by Halsey 

    🎶 Love this album.

2. Wicked (movie version) 

    🎼 I have had a great time listening to this music on repeat ever since seeing the movie. My favorite songs are “What is This Feeling,” “Defying Gravity,” “One Short Day,” “The Wizard and I,” and “Dancing Through Life.” 

3. Wicked (2003 version) 

    🎧 Leading up to the musical, I listened to my favorites from this album quite a lot. I didn’t listen to the ones I never heard before though because I wanted to hear them for the first time in the musical. This will forever have some of my favorite songs. 

4. “Popular” by MIKA and Ariana Grande, “Happy Ending” and “Lollipop” by MIKA

    🎵 I had a resurgence of MIKA coming back into my life in November. Was obsessed with listening to them all throughout high school, but I haven’t listened to them in years. Thanks to “Popular” getting played a lot because of Ariana being G(a)linda.  

5. “Thinking About You” by Dustin Lynch and Lauren Alaina 

    🎼 Such a beautiful song! 

📺 TV Shows:

1. Ghosts (Season 4)

~ I adore this show with all my heart! 

2. Agatha All Along (Episodes )

~ I made posts for each episode of this show. Definitely, one of my favorites ever. 

3. House of the Dragon 

~ Finally got to watch House of the Dragon. Had such a great time watching both seasons. Cannot believe I now have to wait for almost two years to see the next season. I plan on picking up Fire and Blood next year so I can see what happens next in this story. 

🖥️ YouTube:

1. BooksandLala

~ reading until I get a 5⭐️ from 2004!! 

    - Another time I got to watch one of Kayla’s videos as it premiered. I want to read The Shadow of the Wind sometime soon. I’ve owned it for many years and it sounds very good. Now, Kayla has made me want to read this book even more. 

    - Kayla and Rob are pretty good singers. lol

~ I read the final mystery in a 26-book series 🔎

    - Gosh, I love this video series so much! 

    - The videos with Rob are always the best. 

~ Finding a 5⭐️ from 2006!! Series Finale

    - I’m going to miss this series but am looking forward to the bonus episodes she talks about at the beginning. 

    - So many books, I’m planning on reading myself. Especially, The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. 

~ 🎃 Halloween Tournament of Books👻🔮

    - Such a great video 

    - I love Kayla’s videos with Rob so much and the games were great. 

~ Assigning each Book a Halloween Candy 🎃 October reading wrap-up

   - Great way to wrap up her reading month.

    - I love the way she describes the books using the candy. Such a clever idea. 

~ Dress to Impress Controls What I Read!

    - Cute idea! Used to be obsessed with games like Dress to Impress when I was a preteen and young teen. One of my favorites was Jojo’s Fashion Show, which is somewhat similar with the categories of outfits. 

    - Definitely going to listen to Maybe This Time. I adore Noah Reid with all my heart!

~ 10 Years of BooksandLala 💕

    - I haven’t been watching her for 10 years but it has almost been that long. Love Kayla’s videos so much. 

    - Love seeing Liam grow up throughout this video. So cute!

~ *TWO* Reading Challenge Announcements | 2025 Buzzwordathon

    - I haven’t done the Buzzwordathon in a couple of years and I definitely want to try to do it this coming year. 

    - Love how she added in book covers this time.

~ Reading the Goodreads Awards 2024 🏆✨ 15 Books across EVERY Genre 

    - Such a great video 

~ Can I complete 12 challenges with just 3 books? 📚 Reading Vlog

    - I love these types of videos from Kayla

    - Had to see if I completed the 2024 Buzzwordathon without even trying, so here are the categories and the books I read this year that could fit. I will put what month I read them in. 

    ❄️ January: there, their, or they’re 

    💖 February: positive, happy words (ex: sweet, cute, happy, joy, smile, cheer, luck, pretty)

            - Charmed Life: Read in October ✔️

    ☘️ March: character names in titles

            - Reynard’s Tale: Read in March ✔️

    🐇 April: anything related to the planet (Earth, dirt, grass, ocean, tree, etc.)

            - Hilda: The Night of the Trolls- Hilda and the Stone Forest/Hilda and the Mountain King: Read in January ✔️

    💐 May: titles that include the word “every” (every, everything, everyone, everybody, etc.)

            - Life the Universe and Everything: Read in May ✔️

    ☀️ June: titles where the same word is used twice or more (including “the,” “of,” “and,” etc.)

            - The Search for the Red Dragon: Read in August ✔️

    🎇 July: anything that could be related to measurement (ex: time, distance, short, long, tall, small, middle, half, mile, pound, etc.)

            - Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West: Read in November ✔️

    🏖 August: titles that included the word “like”

    🍁 September: touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing, and any related words (ex: feel, mouth, eat, nose, eyes, see, watch, look, etc)

    🎃 October: titles that include a relation of any kind (examples: sister, friend, brother, aunt, mother, husband, wife, etc.)

    🦃 November: titles that include the word “only.” 

    🎄 December: titles that include any holiday related words (ex: Christmas, Hanukkah, Santa, merry, holiday, wreath, snow, winter, reindeer, gift, family, etc.)

            - The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: Read in December ✔️

~ Guessing YOUR #1 Top Book of the Year 

    - Another great video from Kayla. Love this idea so much. Definitely, looking forward to seeing more of this series. 

2. Dominic Noble

~ The Black Cauldron ~ Lost in Adaptation

    - I love The Chronicles of Prydain so much and am so glad Dom has finally done this video. One of my favorites. 

~ The Little Mermaid ~ Lost in Adaptation 

    - Love this episode, especially learning about Hans Christian Anderson some more. I didn’t know most of what Dom said in this. Did not know “The Little Mermaid” was an author self-insert, brings new context to the original story. 

3. Daniel Greene

~ I Got Engaged 💍 Great Gerwig Narnia Movie 🦁 Marvel & D.C. Lose BIG TIME 🦸~FN~

    - Oh my goodness, Daniel. This is great! So excited for Daniel and Kayla. 

    - Beautiful interior art for Wind and Truth. 

    - So excited for the Greta Gerwig Narnia movies and have been ever since I first heard about them. I’m hoping Saoirse Ronan plays Jadis also. 

~ A COMPLETE HOBBIT SUMMARY! 🧙‍♂️

    - Such a great video. Loved listening to Daniel’s summary of The Hobbit and he had me laughing so many times. Also, I need to reread this and The Lord of the Rings listening to the Andy Serkis audiobooks. 

    - I’ve read this book 2 times and have made many lessons on it but I still had to watch this video. 

4. DanandPhilGames

~ Dress To Impress IN REAL LIFE

    - They are so hilarious.

4. The Library of Allenxandria 

~ Book Jeopardy, Season 2 Episode 6! | Johanna vs Murphy vs Laura

    - I cannot believe I haven’t watched this before now. Great video. I love doing these questions so much. Got a pretty good amount of them correct.  

Other Favorites

1. The Plucky Squire- Nintendo Switch Game 

   🎮 I have been waiting for this game for over two years, ever since it was in the Nintendo Direct in June 2022. The Plucky Squire focuses on how storytelling and art can inspire an individual throughout their entire lives. I loved the talks on how a story can have an effect on a child’s development and interest in being creative. This is a story that greatly resonates with me. It is the perfect mix between a 2D and 3D platforming game. Not hard to play but it had enough challenge to make it worthwhile. 

    📖 Love the literary/meta jokes and references throughout. They were so clever. I particularly enjoyed the Sonnet Swamps. Definitely, had so many laughs from that part of the game. 

    🎮 Also, the childlike aspects of it make the game feel nostalgic and just so much fun. The style is very charming. It was great going back and forth between the book and Sam’s bedroom. Some of it even had me thinking of Toy Story with Sam’s room. 

    📖 They now need to publish a The Plucky Squire book like the one Sam has in this game. Would love to have it in my collection. Or even a graphic novel. 

    🎮 Overall, this was a wonderful mix of platforming, puzzle solving, combat, and adventure. The mini games were a great addition to the overall game and many were such clever ideas. My favorite is probably the magic games (which I will not spoil here). The Plucky Squire has become a new favorite game for me and I know I will play it again and again. If you think it looks great, definitely try it. I’m sure you will not be disappointed. Cannot wait to see what else comes out from All Possible Futures. Wouldn’t mind another Plucky adventure. 

2. My favorite stories on A03

~ They Took My Hat by AppleSeeds

    - Such a hilarious story, like always from AppleSeeds.

~ Hunger by AppleSeeds

    -Oh my goodness, I love this story so much. I have enjoyed reading it throughout Oct, Nov, and Dec.