This posting provides a list of books, movies, theatre and music (listed alphabetically) that have brought me pleasure in 2024. I tried to keep each list to a clear 5 titles but I needed to push a little further at times. Yes, each of these suggestions is a favourite, but alas there were some favourites amongst favourites which I’ve designated with an asterisk (*).
PICTURE BOOKS
Big Bad Wolf Investigates Fairy Tales by Catherine Cawthorne; illus. Sara Ogilvie
Dr. Color Monster and the Emotions Toolkit by Anna Llenas (also: The Color Monster)
The Ferris Wheel by Tulin Kozikoglu; illus; Huseyin Sonmezay *
My Heart is a Tree by Michael Morpurgo; illus. Yuval Zommer (anthology)
The Yellow School Bus by Loren Long *
PICTURE BOOKS: Canadian
Dad, I Miss You by Nadia Sammurtok; illus. Simji Park
Do You Remember? by Sydney Smith
Skating Wild on an Inland Sea by Jean E. Pendziwol; illus, Todd Stewart
SOS Water by Yayo
Two Pieces of Chocolate by Kathy Kacer; illus. Gabrielle Grimard
When You Can Swim by Jack Wong *
FICTION: MIDDLE YEARS (ages 9-12)
And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps *
Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
Finally Heard by Kelly Yang
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Olivetti by Allie Millington
The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate
Tree Table Book by Lois Lowry *
FICTION: (ages 12+)
Call Me Al by Wali Shah & Eric WaltersTig by Heather Smith
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
The Red Court by Matthew Hastie (YA)
Tig by Heather Smith
When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman
BOOKS: GROWN-UPS
How Sondheim Can Change Your Life by Richard Schoch (nonfiction)
James by Percival Everett *
Long Island by Colm Toibin *
The Little Big Things by Henry Fraser (nonfiction)
The Little Liar by Mitch Albom
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
MOVIES
A Real Pain *
All of Us Strangers *
Conclave
The Great Escaper`
The Outrun
September 5
The Wild Robot (animated)
Will & Harper (documentary)
MOVIES INTERNATIONAL
Flow (animated) / Latvia
The Green Border / Poland, Czech Republic, France, Belgium
Io Capitano / Italy, Belgium, France
Perfect Days / Japan, Germany *
The Teachers’ Lounge / Germany
THEATRE: Toronto
Age is A Feeling
Big Stuff *
Dana H *
Home
La Bete
Playing Shylock *
The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes
Titanique
Wonderful Joe
THEATRE: Outside of Toronto
My Fair Lady (Shaw)
One Man, Two Guvnors (Shaw)
Salesman in China (Stratford)
Something Rotten (Stratford)
Stereophonic (New York)
MUSICALS: New York & London
Hello Dolly / London
Cats: The Jellicle Ball / New York *
Operation Mincemeat / London
Pacific Overtures / London *
Standing at the Sky’s Edge / London
Sunset Boulevard / New York
SHOUT OUT’s
Jon Batiste: Beethoven Blues (CD)
Maev Beaty starring in My Name is Lucy Barton (theatre)
John Boyne (Water, Earth, Fire) * (novella)
Kate Di Camillo: The Hotel Balzaar (novella)
Cecile Mclorin Salvant / Meridian Hall (concert)
Jon Batiste / Massey Hall (concert)
Oh Mary / New York * (theatre)
Ripley / streaming (Netflix series)
Vanya / starring Andrew Scott (NT Live)