Well, it’s almost over. 2022 is almost upon us. It’s been an interesting year, to say the least. 2021 has definitely been a year to remember, for the good and the bad. Here are some of the highlights of the year.
Books
This year, bookworms have been blessed with some wonderful reads. From some of our old favourites to new and up-coming, some truly amazing books have been released this year. Sally Rooney, author of Normal People, released her third book this year. After the success of Normal People and Conversations With Friends, Beautiful World, Where Are You was of course going to be a hit. The book instantly became a bestseller and won the Best Fiction award for Goodreads Choice Awards.
The iconic Kazuo Ishiguro published Klara And The Sun: A Novel in March. The dystopian-science fiction novel is the eighth novel Ishiguro has written. The novel was longlisten for the 2021 Booker Prize. In terms of content, the novel follows Klara, a solar-powered AF and her companion, Josie, a sickly child.
Some other notable mentions include The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, Reputation by Lex Croucher, and The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman.
Films
For a year of post-pandemic movies, 2021 has not disappointed. Film lovers have been inundated with some truly brilliant movies. Award contenders such as Spencer and tick tick…Boom! were a pleasure to watch, exciting film fans for a new age of cinema. Both Kristen Stewart and Andrew Garfield have been cited as two of the best actors of their time. They are also both big contenders for award season and it’s no wonder, especially with their fantastic performances.
Marvel dominated the cinemas, releasing four movies so far this year. This included Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings as well as Black Widow, a film that all Marvel fans have been dying to see was also released this year, giving Black Widow fans the closure they needed.
The feeling of nostalgia was very alive this year. Films such as Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Spider-Man: No Way Home allowed movie-goers to experience things they never had before. Being taken back to a happier time in your life will always conjure up certain emotions. Watching these films wasn’t exactly sad, it was happy and joyous to feel as we once did.
T.V
With the number of streaming services that are available to us, we are spoiled for choice when it comes to T.V. In 2021, we had so many great shows. The MCU expanded, with several Marvel shows being streamed on Disney+. This included WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye. WandaVision, the first to be released, surpassed Bridgerton in viewership.
Squid Game, which is undoubtedly the most successful and popular series this year, streamed on Netflix back in September and took the world by storm. The Korean drama quickly became the most-watched Netflix show to ever grace our screens. Although rumours of a second series have died down, it’s unlikely Netflix will pass up an opportunity to cash in on the success.
Another Netflix show that surprised viewers was Maid. This devastatingly real drama, follows Alex, a young mother, trying to save both herself and her daughter, Maddy from the domestic abuse from her boyfriend. Adapted from Stephanie Land’s 2019 memoir, Margaret Qualley shone in this role as the young mother, showing that not every case of domestic abuse is the same. For example, there were times when watching the show that the viewer wasn’t sure who to root for. This was a spectacular mini-series and deserved all the praise it received.
Netflix has had a fantastic year when it comes to its shows. In addition to those mentioned, two notable series released this year were Shadow and Bone, and Young Royals. Both were a success with Netflix subscribers, both being renewed for a second series.
Music
The music scene has seen many comebacks in 2021 from Adele to Taylor Swift, music fans have been blessed with some great releases. Staring way back in January, Olivia Rodrigo released her first debut from her debut album, Drivers License. This was a hit. It broke Spotify’s record twice for the most daily streams for a non-holiday song, having over 15.7 million global streams on the 11th of January. Her debut album, Sour, was released in May and was cited as one of the best coming-of-age albums. Many comparisons to the likes of Lorde and Taylor Swift have since been made to Rodrigo.
Speaking of Taylor Swift, she has had one hell of a year. After the success of Folklore and Evermore in 2020, Swift released the first re-recording of her album Fearless. It peaked the Billboard 200, the only re-recorded to do so. Tiktok became obsessed, with the re-recording of Wildest Dreams being used in nearly every video on the app. Swift later went on to re-record Red. Alongside the re-recordings, a short film written and directed by Swift, All Too Well was released.
Similarly, Adele has also had a fantastic year. After a long wait, her fourth album, 30 was released this year. Her first single this year, Easy On Me, debuted at number one in the U.K Singles Chart. This is Adele’s third U.K number one. Adele also hosted a unique show, An Audience with Adele, which was shown on ITV.
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