Media Favorites of 2014

Considering the amount of media I listen to, play, watch, and read each year, I decided to put a list together highlighting my favorites. Included in this list are my top picks for 2014 releases in Music, Books, Video Games, and Movies. But of course, throughout each year, I also discover great titles that were released in previous years, and I've included my favorites out of those too. 

Now, maybe it's just me, but I felt that 2014 was a bit of a dry year for media releases. New books,

music albums, movies, and video games worth checking out seemed to be in short supply. All that means though, is that it was less of a struggle for me to determine my absolute bests of 2014. And now that we have the introduction out of the way, let's begin with...

Best Book of 2014

The Ever Afters Book 3- Of Sorcery and Snow

by Shelby Bach

The Ever Afters is a series that I have been eagerly following since book 1, Of Giants and Ice, first appeared on store shelves. It is the first time I have truly identified with a 1st-person-narrative main character, a feat which is quite rare for any book to accomplish. Rory Landon is a three dimensional character that you just can't help caring about, and her two companions are no different. With a unique premise, plenty of humor, and a good dose of quality writing, it's a wonder that this series still doesn't have the recognition it deserves. When I picked up book 3, I didn't have the highest expectations for it. How could Bach put out 3 books, keep the characters consistent, and have genuinely funny moments, especially with the plot growing deeper and subtly darker? To my delight, everything that has made The Ever Afters my favorite series was present in its third installment. Even though I've read a few incredible books this year, Of Sorcery and Snow makes the list due to the fact that I read it all in one day, and when I was finished, nearly cried because I realized that book 4 wouldn't come out for another year. 

Best Old Book of 2014

So B. It

by Sarah Weeks

To clarify what I mean by "old", it is simply a book (or whatever else) that came out before 2014, but one that I encountered for the first time this year.

Another book I devoured in one afternoon. It's not uncommon for stories I've read to keep coming back to me, and for me to think about them frequently. What is rare, however, is for me to be reminded of a story and feel the exact same way I did as when I read/heard it. So B. It is one of those. It's a sad story, incredibly sad, yet so moving and full of things to chew on long after you put the book down. 

Best Album of 2014

As Sure As the Sun

Ellie Holcomb

In all honesty, when I downloaded Ellie Holcomb's album, I wasn't expecting to listen to it all that often. As a lover of rock music, electric guitars, driving beats, and all that fun stuff, I really thought I would just put this on when I needed some calming background music. Obviously, I was wrong. I was captivated from track 1. Not only did Holcomb's unique voice hook me, but the melody was at once catchy and healing. I was forced to stop what I was doing at the moment to just sit and listen. I've never experienced that before when I first listen to an album. Usually, what happens is a few certain tracks will stick out to me, but fade from memory until I've listened to them another 3 times. Not so with this one. With the end of every track came a sadness that it was over, but then the next track would begin and a new wave of emotions would crash into me. If ever there was am album that made you feel like you had wings, it would be this one.

Best Old Album of 2014

Self-Titled

Paramore

When I first heard Still Into You in a music store, I'll admit, I was annoyed. I found Hayley Williams voice to be grating to the nerves. Funny thing though, the more I heard the song, the less annoyed I was by it, and then I began to like it. But I still wasn't interested enough to check the band out. Then I heard Ain't It Fun. It was such a different song, and yes, it took risks as far as radio singles go, and oddly enough, it worked. My day brightened immediately whenever Ain't It fun started playing in restaurants, department stores, and my phone radio station. Finally, I bought the album. How good was the rest of the album? Well, I became an instant Paramore fan and then spent all my money to buy the rest of their albums in the span of a week. So I guess you could say it was pretty amazing.

Best Movie of 2014

The Lego Movie

Yeah, OK, go ahead, scream. It's not The Hobbit. It's not Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It's The Lego Movie. I'll be the first to admit that it's not a movie to go down in history, but it's still my favorite of 2014 for the simple fact that it's one of the most fun movies to hit theaters in a long while. Few were the moments that I wasn't laughing while watching it. Also, as someone who used to make homemade Lego movies as a little kid (and a slightly better, albeit still cheesy Lego movie in my teens), I loved how The Lego Movie had that atmosphere. From the drawn on Good Cop face, to the falsetto voices of the sentry bots, it brought back many wonderful memories of sitting in the middle of my room, shaking a minifigure at the camera and screaming my head off. And for a bonus: how many times are Will Ferrell , Morgan Freeman, and Liam Neeson going to be in a movie together?

Best Old Movie of 2014

The Sixth Sense

Yes, it's taken me this long to see it. Probably because my parents thought it would freak me out when I was younger. And they were right. It was a creepy movie, but one so entertaining that I really didn't mind being creeped out by it. The actors were incredible in their roles, the music perfectly haunting, and the plot well paced. I already knew the twist ending, yet I still enjoyed it immensely, and that counts for something in a world where many movies hinge completely on their big end-reveals. The Sixth Sense is an original story that still holds its own in the film industry.

Best Video Game of 2014

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

I've only played this game for about 4 hours, and it's already secured its spot as my favorite game this year. I had high hopes for this game, and was not disappointed. Everything, from the environment, the music, the great voice acting, character design, and combat just feels like it belongs in Tolkien's universe. The gameplay is simple enough, sneak around and pick off Orcs and Uruks one by one, or if you're feeling brave, throw yourself into the fray, but there's enough depth to it that it's addicting and just plain fun. I have only two cons to this game: It's a little unclear when it autosaves, and the voice volume is far below the music volume (although I guess that's just like the movies, isn't it?) But all that is forgotten once you take into account the attention to detail put into the game. Not only do each of the Uruks you fight have unique names, weaknesses, and strengths, but the Uruks will occasionally converse with one another and get into fights with each other, which means you can have just as much fun sneaking around and listening to Uruks talk about their pet peeves, or watch them tackle each other. It's obvious a LOT of work and love for Tolkien's books and Jackson's films have gone into this game, and it pays off quite nicely, culminating in one of the best experiences this year.

Best Old Video Game of 2014

Fire Emblem: Awakening

I'd heard about the series and its popularity in Japan, but I didn't really know anything about it. And then the 3DS entry arrived in 2013, and I learned a little more about it, thought it looked fun, but didn't buy it until earlier this year. It's a tactics game, which means it borrows a lot from tabletop Role-Playing games (at least the ones I've played). Move your character along the grid-marked arena, then choose to attack, or use an item. It's a simple formula, really and it's easy to pick up and understand. A couple things, however, play a part in the combat and story, adding a strong depth to the strategy. If you have two characters fight side by side, their relationship with each grows stronger, they fight more powerfully together, and their relationship can play a part in the story. Oh yeah, if you play Classic mode, there's this thing called permadeath, meaning if your character falls in battle, that's it. He's gone from the game permanently, so you better choose your moves carefully. All this alone was enough to keep me hooked for months, but then there was also the story... Hands down, it was the best story I've ever seen in a video game. It's suspenseful, full of intrigue, funny at times, and heartwarming, with the most moving and satisfying ending I've ever experienced. It's a story first and foremost of friendship and sacrifice, with deeper themes of peace, leadership, and responsibility over personal desires. Now, I played this game through twice this year, which doesn't normally happen. The first time, I concentrated on just the story, but the second time around I took my time, enjoying the game itself, and opening up more of the story in turn that I hadn't seen the first time through. It has become more than just a favorite from 2014; it has become my favorite game of all time, and it will take an awesome, amazing game to steal that crown from Fire Emblem: Awakening.

So that's it. That's the list. I look forward to 2015 and seeing what awesome forms of entertainment it brings (as well as every other awesome thing that can happen in a year). Just one last thing I want to do though. Below is a simple list of the books, movies, games, and albums that came in second place for my favorites of the year. Also, feel free to let me know what your favorites were from the year in the comments below. Happy New Year, folks!

The "Almost Made It List" of 2014

-Best Book of 2014: The Books of Elsewhere Volume 4- The Strangers by Jacqueline West

-Best Old Book of 2014: Remarkable by Lizzie K. Foley

-Best Album of 2014: Whole- Jessa Anderson

-Best Old Album of 2014: Another Journal Entry- BarlowGirl

-Best Movie of 2014: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

-Best Old Movie of 2014: Iron Man

-Best Video Game of 2014: Pokemon Alpha Sapphire

-Best Old Video Game of 2014: Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch