Best of 2014! – What did we like this year?

Posted on June 12, 2014 by nobles

We asked the Nobles to community to give us their top five of anything this year. Here are their eclectic responses! And come check out the Best of 2014 display in the library if you would like to borrow anything suggested here! Art Teacher Lisa Jacobson: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie– interesting love story about race, country, family. Funny. I’ve gotten soft– I just don’t like reading books where children or animals are hurt.  That said (I’m a total hypocrite!) “Homeland” is such a good show! English Teacher Ashley Bradley:

1. “90 Day Fiancé”
2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
3. Before Your Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans
4. Cronuts
5. “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars

Assistant Director of Achieve Laura Steele:

1. “Homeland” (TV series) –always keeps me on the edge of my seat. Just when you think you have it figured out they twist it all around!
2. “Game of Thrones” (TV series)
3. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett–I didn’t read it in 2014, but I love this dang book.
4. “Shameless” (TV series) –makes me feel good about myself, LOL
5. “Downton Abbey”(TV series) –guilty pleasure

Classics Teacher Mark Harrington:

1. Book: Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War, by Mark Harris. Five great directors, and what they did to serve in WW2… and how that service affected their careers afterwards. Good for classic film geeks. I gave it 4.5/5 on librarything.
2. TV (from DVD): “Orphan Black.” Main actress plays about 4 or 5 characters in each episode — which is possible because she is a clone. Hysterical, really, with some weird pseudo-science thrown in. Weird enough for me to get hooked. I gave it 9/10 on imdb.
3. Movie (in theater): Snowpiercer. Saw it at the Brattle with my sons. Again, weird dystopia — the boss woman on the train is hysterical, and John Hurt (Caligula from I Claudius) is always great. I gave it an 8/10 on imdb.
4. Movie, DVD while giving blood platelets: San Francisco (1936), Clark Gable and Jeanette MacDonald. I wasn’t ready to like this one, but it surprised me — SF Earthquake was cool, and I had never heard of Jeanette MacDonald — or heard her sing. Not for everybody (B&W) but I liked it. I gave it 9/10 on imdb.
5. TV series, “Rake” (the Australian version). The U.S. version barely made it through 10 episodes, but the Australian series was more acerbic and funny.  The court cases are interesting — who else but Rake could defend a cannibal? It made it through 3 seasons. I gave it 9/10 on imdb.

Medhanit Felleke ’17

1. “FAIRY TAIL! “(Anime)
2. Learning Japanese
3. Bastille (band)
4. Welcome to Nightvale (podcast)
5. “Doctor Who” (TV show)

Kiara Curet ’17

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
2. “How to Get Away with Murder” (TV show)
3. Mockingjay (movie)
4. The Selection series by Kiara Cass
5. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Campaign and Major Gifts Coordinator Anne Sholley ’07:

1. Salad Days – Mac Demarco. This album came out last spring and suited the season’s mood perfectly — I love when that happens.
2. Boyhood – Richard Linklater. Beautiful, remarkably tender, relatable at any age.
3. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage – Haruki Murakami. My first Murakami novel – I’m eager to read more by him. A quick and captivating read.
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson. I’ve been skeptical of his more recent films but this one restored all confidence.
5. “Mad Men,” Season 7. This series has gotten stronger with age and I lament its pending finale.

Breene Halaby ’19

1. Struck By Lightning (movie). It’s a very unique and profound little indie movie that makes you question your existence.
2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (book). I expected it to be kind of embarrassing, but it turned out to be a really great story with really relatable characters.
3. Big Hero 6 (movie) Adorable Disney movie with very multicultural characters and strong female characters!
4. The Selection trilogy by Kiara Cass. I’m not even really sure if I liked these, but I read all 3 in about two days, so. It’s sort of like the Hunger Games, except without the murder. Also, the prize is to win a prince’s heart and to marry into the royal family of Illea. It’s the only story with a love triangle where I actually had no idea who the girl would choose.

Spoorthi Balu ’17

1. Guardians of the Galaxy (movie)
2. “Reign” (TV series)
3. Big Hero 6 (movie)
4. Mazzi Maz (YouTube star)
5. “The Blacklist” (TV series)

Archivist Isa Schaff:

1. I will have to go to a reread: Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen. Of the six Austen’s books, It is the most difficult to understand for modern audiences, and yet every time I read it, I find in it new depth, new nuances I had missed before. And Fanny, the poor heroine maligned by casual readers, becomes more and more real.
2. I usually don’t go very much for short stories but “Astray”, by Emma Donoughue, captivated me and when I found myself imagining what happened after the end of each story, I knew I had a winner.
3. How it All Began By Penelope Lively. The mugging of an elderly woman starts a chain of events that changes the lives of so many individuals close and far from her. In appearance, such a simple story and yet so profound in its implications, it left me wondering on the repercussions of apparently inconsequential events.
4. Every Day by David Levithan. I am a big fan of YA literature and every year, one of my favorites always turn out to be a YA book. The idea at the heart of the book (waking up every morning in a different body) is so interesting and difficult to follow fully all the ramifications, but it is fascinating. I can’t wait for Rhiannon’s version of the story!
5. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.  There were so many candidates left for the last spot, that I am not so sure why I am picking this one. I can’t really say that I LIKED the book, and I doubt I will ever read it again, but I can’t let go of the stories, the dilemmas, the moral quandaries left without an answer… I know this is a book that will stay with me and I will keep going back to it in my mind, over and over again.

Samantha Walkey ’20 One of my favorite books of 2014 was Going Vintage. It had a cute plot and was a fun read. Prom was quite similar to it. I liked the progress of the book and the story was fun to read also. I also liked Before I Fall, which was a lot longer than Prom or Going Vintage, but it was a great action book and reminded me of the movie Groundhog Day (starring Bill Murray!). Some Assembly Required and Rethinking Normal were definitely my favorite books of 2014 because I loved hearing about Katie and Arin’s different points of view of the story and coming out about their transitions. All the books I’ve checked out over the year are really good and it was hard to pick which were my favorite! Bianca Thompson ’15 This year I loved Mockingjay (of course, such solid dramatic acting work), Edge of Tomorrow (SO COOL AND THRILLING), “Orphan Black” (season 2 OMG perfect show; it’s brilliant acting), “Orange is the New Black” (funny and I’m obsessed with all the inmates’ characters), 22 Jump Street (a stupidly fun movie, I honestly liked it better than the first). Art Teacher John Dorsey:

1. Book: The Martian, Andy Weir. Super fun ride into space via ingenuity and dark humor.
2. Movie: Boyhood, Richard Linklater, director. Touching movie that stayed in my consciousness for weeks.
3. Music: The Breeze, an appreciation of JJ Cale. JJ Cale passed in 2013 and this is a wonderful tribute album.
4. Web: Twisted Sifter – by far, the best mix of art, science, storytelling, and cat videos out there.
5. TV: “World Cup 2014” – I love seeing teams from all over the world compete on the global stage played out over four weeks.

Ariana Wasret ’17

1. All the CW shows
2. TRXYE by Troye Sivan (album)
3. The Hidden Series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
4. “Sherlock” (TV series)
5. Sweaters

Head of the Upper School Michael Denning:

1. The Family: Three Journeys Into the Heart of the Twentieth Century by David Laskin. Beautifully written, Laskin’s book chronicles his family’s tragic and triumphant history during the twentieth century.  Set initially in Volozhin, the famous yeshiva town located in what is today the Minsk area of Belarus, The Family takes its readers through the story of three branches of a Torah scribe’s family as they struggle through the horrors, challenges and triumphs of the twentieth century in Europe, Israel and the United States. While the branch that immigrates to America realizes tremendous successes– particularly as they found and grow Maidenform, one of the great companies of the last century– the family members who settle in what was then known as Palestine embrace many of the opportunities and challenges that emerge during the twentieth century in that part of the world, including the rise and fall of the British Mandate and the birth of the State of Israel. Most difficult is reading about the fate of the branch of the family that remains in Volozhin. After surviving the anti-semitism and the pogroms of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this community suffers immeasurably during the Holocaust, and Mr. Laskin renders this all-too-familiar horrific story in a way that really impacted me. My wife, Emily, gave this book to me as a gift; it was my favorite of the year.
2. Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War I in 1914 by Christopher Clark. On the centennial of the outbreak of the Great War, Cambridge historian Christopher Clark revisits the question of why World War I begins, arguing that historians have underestimated the role played by militant nationalistic groups in the Balkans, historical contingencies, and the lack of understanding on the part of the great-power diplomats of the events transpiring around them. While many of Clark’s conclusions are not what I would describe as new, his work deepens and broadens our understanding of the period and the historical events that precipitated this horrific conflict’s outbreak.
3. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. In this acclaimed biography of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mr. Metaxas examines the famous German theologian’s life from his upper-class upbringing to his training as a Lutheran pastor and academic theologian to his founding of Germany’s Confessing Church to his protests against the Nazi regime. For his role in the plot to assassinate Hitler in July of 1944, Bonhoeffer is executed in April of 1945, just two weeks before the allies liberate the prison camp in which he is held. In his work, The Righteous, the historian Sir Martin Gilbert encourages us to work to better understand those inside racist, fascists regimes–the righteous– who risked and gave their lives to save others and who spoke our against injustice, bigotry and genocide. And it is with this idea in mind that I commend to you Bonhoeffer and this work.
4. Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. Set in 2009, July 1942 and the ensuing decades of the 20th century, Sarah’s Key is a moving, tragic story that raises questions about guilt, memory, culture, justice and much more. In her moving prose, Ms. de Rosnay brings to life a too-little known part of French history, raising along the way important questions about how we know and learn about history. BTW: The film version of the book is very good, too.
5. The Book Thief (film and novel). Along with JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, this is an amazing movie version of a great book. Markus Zusak is a master storyteller who uses multiple narrators in captivating ways. In a manner found only in great works of fiction, this book and movie bring to life the experience of regular, good people living and dying during one of history’s most horrific periods.

Information Systems and Services Librarian Talya “the cold never bothered me anyway” Sokoll:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy (movie) – I legit saw this movie in theaters 400 times. And I listen to the soundtrack on a daily basis.
2. The Only Thing to Fear by Caroline Tung Richmond – What would life be like if the Hitler and Third Reich had won WWII?
3. This performance from Glee season 5. And this one. This one too! And this one! Also this one (from season 3, not 2014 but still awesome).
4. Finding Neverland the musical. So breathtaking.
5. The Unwind series by Neal Shusterman – no spoilers on this one, check it out on your own.

Collection Management and Technical Services Librarian Emily “winter is coming” Tragert:

1. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (book)–Historical fiction exploring the intertwining lives of two children–one French, one German–during the second world war and how their lives are changed by world events. Really beautiful prose.
2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (movie)–I love superhero movies, and this was a great one. This spot almost went to Guardians of the Galaxy, but Captain America’s great villains and awesome action sequences put it over the top (but you should probably watch Guardians of the Galaxy too.)
3. Whiplash (movie)–Engrossing story of a drumming prodigy and his mentor. This movie asks the question, “Can you go too far in pursuit of greatness?”
4. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (book)–A Canadian writer finds a diary belonging to Nao, a Japanese teenager, washed up on the shore near her home. As she becomes more engrossed in Nao’s strange account of her life, the writer starts to wonder about the nature of narrative and reality. Chock-full of strangeness and deep questions about life.
5. “Welcome to Night Vale” (podcast)– In turns absurd, philosophical and hilarious,this podcast is simply delightful. It takes the form of a community radio show for the (fictional) town of Night Vale, “a friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep.” Night Vale is a place where every strange, Lovecraftian conspiracy theory is actually true–sort of Lake Wobegon meets Stephen King. Also check out their Twitter.

Library Direction Erin “polar vortex again?” Twohig

1. Magazine: Mother Earth Living
2. TV show: “The Affair”
3. TV show: “Fixer Upper”
4. Movie: Grand Budapest Hotel and Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued.
5. Book: Congratulations, By the Way by George Saunders (Forget enlightenment.  Focus on kindness.)
6. Book: Cooked by Michael Pollan

Reilly Macdonald ’17

1. Lorde – a new outlook on pop music.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy – good sound track, acting and everything else.
3. FROZEN – because FROZEN
4. Maze Runner, Fault in Our Stars – love the books; LOVED the movies

Grady Zink ’15

1. Fall Out Boy, Centuries. 2. Bagelville on Rt. 1. 3. Blank Space by Taylor Swift

Sam Parizeau ’15

1. The Hunger Games 3 (Mockingjay) 2. Pitbull World Takeover Tour 3. The New Mars Rover

Billy Sweezy ’15

1. ACDC’s new album 2. The free U2 album on iTunes 3. Hoagies on Rt. 1

Saffiyah Coker

My top 5 TV shows are 1.” Supernatural” – my friend introduced me to it earlier this year and I couldn’t stop watching it. 2. “Sherlock” – there are not enough words to describe my love for this show. 3. “Merlin” – one of my favorite BBC Shows EVER. 4. “Doctor Who” – I don’t really know how to describe my love for this show. AMAZING. 5. “New Girl” – LOVE it, it is really funny.