Enjoying the Best of 2018 with the Cook Smarts Community
This year featured some awesome forms of entertainment, so see what received five-star ratings from our cooking community on our Best of 2018 List!
Every year is filled with busy schedules, but it’s also filled with rejuvenating little breaks, smile-worthy entertainment, and all of our favorite ways to unwind after a long day. As 2018 comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the things that made us happy this year.
Three years ago, we started the tradition of surveying our cooking community for their best books, movies, shows, music, podcasts, and games to compile our year-end lists. Since we always love hearing from you, we especially love hearing about what YOU love.
Thank you to everyone in our community for your wonderful recommendations that will help us all bring more enjoyment into our daily lives. (Also, if you haven’t finished your holiday shopping yet, then this list and our 30 Meaningful Gift Ideas can come to the rescue!)
Join us for a fun way to engage with your fellow Cook Smarts home chefs! And for more recommendations, check out our best of lists from 2016 and 2017.
Didn’t get a chance to participate in our survey? Let us know your 2018 favorites in the comments or excitedly gush about why you love any of the entries below.
2018 Favorites of Your Cook Smarts Team
Before we look to our cooking community’s favorites of 2018, let’s start with recommendations from those who run, plan, and bring our special meal plan service to life!
Sarah Byun (Washington, DC) | Kitchen Happiness Cheerleader
Best Book: Everybody, Always by Bob Goff
Best Movie: Incredibles 2 – It was so worth the wait!
Best TV Show: The Great British Baking Show
Best Song: You Say – Lauren Daigle
Best Album: Look Up Child – Lauren Daigle
Best Games: This year I introduced my kids to old-school Mario – I had forgotten how fun good ol’ 8-bit Nintendo was!
Jess Dang (Mountain View, CA) | Chief Kitchen Cheerleader
Best Book: Couldn’t decide – Evicted by Matthew Desmond; Born a Crime by Trevor Noah; Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
Best Movie: Couldn’t decide – Crazy Rich Asians and Free Solo
Best TV Show: Ugly Delicious
Best Song: Sorry Not Sorry – Demi Levato
Best Album: Rainbow by Kesha
Best Podcast: NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour
Best Games: Drawful 2
Jackie Sun (Portland, OR) | Content Manager
Best Book: The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (sci-fi and fantasy at its finest, with amazing characters you can relate to and politics and religion woven throughout)
Best Movie: Song of the Sea (the storyline is wonderful and the art is simply beautiful!)
Best TV Show: Hilda (from Netflix – such an adventure and the illustrations are awesome!)
Best Album: Ten Years (EP) by Aly & AJ and Wanderlust (EP) by Hollow Coves
Best Podcast: Geek Critique Podcast (for fans of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, this podcast is filled with thought-provoking discussions regarding specific themes of each geeky property) and How I Built This
Jess Smith (Kansas City, MO) | Meal Plan Creator
Best Book: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Best Movie: A Star is Born
Best TV Show: The Handmaid’s Tale
Podcast: This American Life – The Walls (Episode 641)
Best Books
If you think about the books you have loved most throughout your life, you probably picked up many of them because of a recommendation. Here are the books your cooking community recommends, organized into genre.
Top Picks:
- Everybody, Always by Bob Goff (2 entries)
- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (2 entries)
Fiction:
- The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
- Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews
- Startup: A Novel by Doree Shafrir
- The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
- The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
- You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld
- We Were Mothers by Katie Sise
Historical Narrative:
- Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson
Non-Fiction:
- The Bible, specifically Ignatius Press’s NT
- Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
- Evicted by Matthew Desmond
- I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel
- Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything by Anne Bogel
- The Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden ND
- Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
- Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining by Shelly Rambo
- Thoughtful Theism: Redeeming Reason in an Irrational Age by Fr. Andrew Younan (“Charming, witty, slightly cynical, always good natured, Fr. Andy tackles a huge question with logic and humor.” – Dana H.)
- Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
- You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero
Memoir / Biography:
- A Mother’s Reckoning by Sue Klebold
- Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
- Educated by Tara Westover
- I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
Parenting:
Sci-Fi / Fantasy:
- The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
- Nicholas Flamel Series by Michael Scott
- Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
Best Movies
It doesn’t matter what kind of movies you love, our list is sure to satisfy your itch for a quality film. Among our top picks with 2 or 3 submissions are action, rom-com, musical, drama, and documentary. You’ll probably want to head to Redbox tonight so you can start making your way through this thrilling list!
Top Picks:
- Black Panther (4 entries)
- Crazy Rich Asians (3 entries)
- The Greatest Showman (3 entries)
- A Star is Born (2 entries)
- Mission Impossible Fallout (2 entries)
- Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2 entries)
Adventure:
Animation:
Comedy / Drama:
Crime:
- BlacKkKlansman
- Ocean’s 8 (“A perfectly fun movie with a fantastic cast.” – Chelsea S.)
Documentary / Biography:
Horror / Mystery:
Best TV Shows
Spanning topics of stand-up comedy, ability, exploitation, friendly baking, coming out, and a very peculiar after life, our community has got you covered with a list of riveting TV shows. The unceasingly clever show The Good Place has topped our list with 9 emphatic recommendations, so you should definitely check it out if you want to add some pure joy to your day.
Top Picks:
- The Good Place – NBC (9 entries) (“Because it is forkin’ hilarious and is an excellent playground for morality and theology topics.” – Dana H.)
- The Handmaid’s Tale (3 entries)
- The Great British Baking Show (2 entries)
- This Is Us – NBC (2 entries)
Animation:
Crime:
Comedy:
Documentary:
Drama:
Fantasy:
Mystery:
- The Haunting of Hill House (“Scary, sad, and filmed with incredible technical expertise.” – Chelsea S.)
- The Miniaturist Series on PBS’s Masterpiece
Best Music
We know that one of the most enjoyable ways to cook is with some great tunes on in the background. Although we couldn’t find a few of our member’s favorites on Spotify, we compiled as many as possible into this fun playlist. With hours of songs to try, you can bob your head along with us as you cook your way through the next several weeks!
*Note: Some of the lyrics are explicit, so you may not want to listen with kids around (or just pop on some headphones for your first listen).
Top Pick artist:
- Lauren Daigle with your favorite songs being Still Rolling Stones, You Say, and Your Wings (all from the album Look Up Child)
Top Pick albums:
- Rainbow by Kesha (3 entries)
- Look Up Child by Lauren Daigle (2 entries)
- Greatest Showman (2 entries)
Songs:
- Bullets by Needtobreathe
- Despacito x Shape of You by Pentatonix (“Two of the catchiest recent songs mashed together.” – Chelsea S.)
- Don’t Blame Me by Taylor Swift
- DVD Sweetener by Black Moth Super Rainbow
- Good Old Days by Macklemore
- Happiness by Marshmello
- It’s Alright by Mother Mother
- Joy by For King and Country
- Life is Beautiful by Lil Peep (“It is a haunting posthumous release that could not have been released at all. While examining some of the darkest parts of life, he simultaneously gives comfort, showing us that our love for each other is what makes life beautiful. His Orwellian lyrics mixed with emo-trap beats make impacting but simple statements ring through to your soul. – Dana H.”)
- No Tears Left to Cry by Ariana Grande
- Perfect by Symphony (with Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli)
- Run Run Run by Celeste Buckingham
- Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Levato
- Still Rolling Stones by Lauren Daigle
- Who You Say I Am by Hillsong Worship
- You Say by Lauren Daigle
- Your Wings by Lauren Daigle
Albums:
- Art Angels by Grimes
- Audrey Assad by Evergreen
- Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life by The Wombats
- Cinematic by Owl City
- Come Over When You’re Sober Pt. 2 by Lil Peep
- Dance and Cry by Mother Mother
- Durand Jones and the Indications
- Floating Harmonies by Júníus Meyvant
- Forever on Your Side by Needtobreathe
- Hamilton (Soundtrack)
- Land by Unspoken Tradition
- Moana (Soundtrack)
- Space by Sleeping at Last
- Ten Years (EP) by Aly & AJ
- Wanderlust (EP) by Hollow Coves
Best Podcast
As we perfect recipes or edit photos for your meal plans, we love to keep our mind engaged with a stream of fascinating podcasts. Whether you have a long commute or simply want to be a good Ravenclaw (yes, we are all Harry Potter fans here!), have fun with a bit of hands-free learning!
- Armchair Expert
- Balance365 Life Radio
- Choosefi
- Dirty John
- Food Psych
- Gastropod
- Geek Critique Podcast
- Hidden Brain
- Hey Riddle Riddle
- How I Built This
- In This Together with Dr. Josh and Christi
- My Brother My Brother And Me
- NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour
- Ologies
- S-Town
- Saying the Right Thing When Your Child Misbehaves (Part 1 of 2)
- Serial – Season 1 & Season 3
- That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs
- The Dollop (“Smart and depressing, but funny as hell.” – Amanda B.)
- The Moth
- The Liturgists Podcast
- This American Life – The Walls (Episode 641)
- This Sounds Serious
- Unruffled with Janet Lansbury
- Where Should We Begin with Esther Perel
Best Games
Since we’re never too old to have fun, it’s great to see that our members still make time for play in their lives. If you have family or friends coming into town for the holidays, think about ordering one of these fun games to spice up your festivities!
Top Picks:
- Code Names (3 entries)
- Azul the board game (2 entries) (“It is so calming and beautiful!” – Emily W.)
Board / Card:
- Chickapig
- Coloretto
- Drawful 2
- Keyforge
- Kingdom Death (“A multi-layered game packed with deeply rich art and fun combat.” – Dana H.)
- Oregon Trail (board game) (“Way fun, but we never did make it to Oregon!! Died every time! Haha!” – Ruth G.)
- Pandemic (board game)
- Play 9
- Spirit Island
- Sushi Go! – The Pick and Pass Card Game
- Ticket to Ride
- Werewolf One Night
Computer / Video:
- Mario (Nintendo)
- We Happy Few (videogame) – (“Creepy alt history game set in a British town after surrendering to the Germans during WWII.” – Chelsea S.)
- The Witcher 3 (video game)
MOBILE:
A little note: Some of the above links are Amazon affiliate links, which means we earn a small percentage from those sales. We use this affiliate revenue to support the continued growth of Cook Smarts. Thank you!
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