A celebration of form, of technique, of pushing limits and personal achievement.

Culinary nostalgia is some of the most severe.

Maybe there’s something of a solution there, I don’t know. Or else maybe this really was complaining. If it’s the latter, to whoever is reading this, know that none of us are perfect all the time and we all need breaks and moments to pause and reflect.

It is a story of perseverance and living as much as it is a murder-mystery and a book of philosophy (the latter inevitably a book about death). It is bewildering and deep without being dense, and I feel it is everything Snicket so idolizes when he expresses a desire for us all to read mysterious, bewildering literature that turns stories into magic. Into literature.

To listen to the wisdom of The Mitchells vs. the Machines, we’re all a little weird, too. And that’s great.

See the world a little differently and deeply, through natural talent or a dedication to preserving the ephemeral romance of life.

Staring up at these works reminds me that there’s some worth in just making something.

Some rest on a sunlit rock, looking at the trail behind and beyond. Maybe write a poem or two, if only in your head. Take a picture.

We’re on the verge of a near year of life.

With luck, another year of progress.

Justin X. M. Corriss reflects on the top five stories of 2021!