Friends, let’s start this post with the song I listened to the most last year (at least according to Spotify Wrapped):
My Favorite Movie(s) to Come Out In 2022:
“Prey” directed by Dan Trachtenberg and starring Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, and Dane DiLiegro
In this thrilling addition to the “Predator” franchise, a young Comanche woman dreams of being a hunter. When a vicious monster begins to hunt the members of her tribe, she takes it upon herself to defeat it once and for all.
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” directed by Daniels and starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu
Evelyn, a middle-aged Chinese immigrant, must fight the all-powerful, multidimensional version of her daughter or face the destruction of her universe.
My Favorite Movie I Watched in 2022 That Didn’t Come Out in 2022:
“Ophelia” (2018) directed by Claire McCarthy and starring Daisy Ridley
This retelling of Hamlet is from Ophelia’s perspective and features an impressive performance by Daisy Ridley. The movie is based on the novel, “Ophelia,” by Lisa Klein, which gives more agency (and a happier ending) to the tragic character.
The Book that Influenced Me the Most in 2022:
“The Love Hypothesis” by Ali Hazelwood
This was the book that first sparked my interest in trying to use entertainment media as a means of science communication. I doubt that when Hazelwood first penned this AU-Reylo fanfic, she imagined I would one day use it as an example of narrative persuasion and how it can be used to teach people science.
My Favorite Romance Novel I Read in 2022:
“The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren
Through a series of wacky coincidences and unfortunate events, perenially-unlucky Olive Torres finds herself on a romantic, all-expenses-paid vacation with Ethan, her sworn enemy. They don’t stay enemies for long.
My Favorite Weird Romance Novel I Will Deny Reading in 2022:
“I Married a Naga” by Regine Abel
A woman is required to marry a snake man because of a science fiction plot contrivance. I have to give the author props because she went above and beyond the call of world-building by including multiple paragraphs dedicated to showcasing how the snake people eat, digest, and excrete their food.
My Favorite Science Fiction Novel I Read in 2022:
“Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir
A man wakes up alone on a spaceship. He has strange gaps in his memory, but soon, learns one thing: he must do everything he can to stop the deadly threat that is slowly killing the earth’s sun. Andy Weir has gradually become one of my favorite authors and I love that this book was so successful. One of my goals in 2023 is to write about Andy Weir and how his novels have positively impacted science communication.
My Favorite Non-Fiction Book I Read in 2022:
“The Almost-Nearly Perfect People” by Michael Booth
I read this book with the intention of killing the weird crush I’ve been harboring on Finland since first learning about their cute baby boxes. All it did was reinforce my love for the Sauna-obsessed country (while also giving me too many reasons to dunk on the other Scandinavian countries).
My Favorite Show I Watched in 2022:
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+
If Anton Mount is trying to seduce me with his earnest and charming portrayal of Captain Pike, then he will be successful. “Strange New Worlds” manages to be thrilling, thought-provoking science fiction and a beautiful homage to the original series. My greatest hope for this show is that it finds a way to bring back Vina, his Talosian love interest. Their love story has bewitched me, and I will not rest until I see those two reunited.
My Favorite Shows that Returned in 2022:
“Ghosts” (2019) on BBC One
My only complaint about the BBC One version of Ghosts is that there isn’t nearly enough of it. How am I supposed to wait a year and then be content with just six episodes (and a Christmas special)? HBO Max does not yet have the rights to air the 4th season so, until HBO gets its act together, I’ll just have to speculate about the past year’s events at Button House.
While there is an American version of the show that’s a lot of fun, when I need more content from my favorite ghosts, I like watching old clips from “Horrible Histories,” as it features almost all of the same cast.
“The Orville: New Horizons” on Hulu
I am a massive fan of Seth MacFarlane‘s “The Orville,” and I was thrilled that it came back for season 3. For those unaware, the second season finale debuted in 2019, so viewers like me had to wait years for this season. I was not disappointed. “The Orville” is one of those shows that gets better with each season, and the third season had a few really spectacular episodes, with the episode “A Tale of Two Topas” serving as a particular stand-out.
My Favorite Blog Posts from 2022:
Last year I wrote a lot, and while many of my blog posts fall short of the Pulitzer committee’s expectations, there were still a few entries from last year that I put a lot of work into and wish more people had read.
- “Ali Hazelwood’s ‘The Love Hypothesis’ is a Cool Prototype for Future SciCom“
- “‘Cube’ Is the Best Movie with the Worst Ending“
- “Tony Stark May Not Have To Try, But You Do“
- “Seeking Star Trek in Times of Stress“
- “A Secular Humanist’s Review of ‘All-American Christmas’ By FOX News“
Extra Mention: “Ice Planet Barbarians: The TV Show” Full Fancast. It’s not my favorite, but I did spend literal weeks hunting down the actors for these roles, and it would be dope if Ruby Dixon could see it.
My Most Popular Blog Post from 2022:
“What Kind of Cookies Did Atlas Corrigan Make” was my way of criticizing Colleen Hoover’s lack of detail in her wildly popular 2016 novel “It Ends With Us.” Now people mistakenly click on my blog because they think it holds the key to the Atlas cookie mystery when in reality, I just go on a dumb rant about the need for food descriptions in books. I hope no one felt duped when they clicked on my blog and found no Atlas-approved cookie recipe waiting.
Though if you need a good cookie recipe, then let me direct you to this post I wrote about cookies.
Happy Hagfish 
“Prey” was REALLY GOOD GOOD
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