Nursing Clio’s Best of 2015!

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January 4, 2016

Nursing Clio’s Best of 2015!

With acknowledgments to our friends at Tropics of Meta who thought of the idea first, here are Nursing Clio’s “best of” the year.

Favorite Book

Lauren MacIvor Thompson

I got nothin’. #dissertationproblems

Lara Freidenfelds

Shaping Our Selves: On Technology, Flourishing, and a Habit of Thinking, by Erik Parens. Parens is wise, humble, insightful, and pleasingly clear. He writes within bioethics, but I think his insights are widely applicable.

Leah Reis-Dennis

Divinity School, by Alicia Jo Rabins. Beautiful, engaging, and surprising poetry.

Sarah Handley-Cousins

I have a hard time keeping up with new releases, but I can tell you the best book I read this year: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. A sci-fi/mystery page-turner with an ingenious take on gender. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

Elizabeth Reis

This is a YA novel, but worth reading! It’s called None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio. It features a young woman with an intersex condition. The author is a urologist, and she also “gets” what being intersex is all about. Highly recommend for anyone age 13 and up.

Austin McCoy

Between the World and Me

Jacqueline Antonovich

Sex in a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings and YOU. Yes, it’s not a history book and it’s not a book for grownups, but I have an 8-year-old daughter and we recently had to have “the talk” and this graphic novel helped guide our discussions. The best part about it is it’s sensitive to the ways in which similar books often portray “the body” in ableist, homophobic, and trans-exclusive language. The authors’ aim is to highlight and respect the diversity and beauty of all bodies. I can think of a few GOP candidates who should probably read it.

Cassia Roth

Well, it’s from 2014 but I read it in 2015. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie.

Adam Turner

Secret Loves of Geek Girls (Bedside Press, 2015)

Sarah Pripas

N.K. Jemisin, The Fifth Season (fiction)

Ginny Engholm

The Martian, Andy Weir. The science nerd in me totally geeked out about all the science in it.

Ian Lekus

Hmmm, looking at my shelves & my Kindle, I sure started a lot of books this year, but finished them? Not so much. Of books actually published in 2015, Kim Stanley Robinson’s Aurora was a great read, but overall, the most gripping read this year was Octavia Butler’s Kindred. Up next in non-fiction: Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me and Tom Gjelten’s A Nation of Nations (on immigration here in Fairfax County). Also, given our readers, I have to make a shout out to Julie Schumacher’s Dear Committee Members: A Novel (2014), a story told entirely through recommendation letters.

Carrie Adkins

I’m the worst. I’ve got piles of books I’m excited to read — the new Sarah Vowell, the new Toni Morrison, the Carrie Brownstein memoir, Girl Waits with Gun — but have gotten to none of them. I need to re-allocate some of this TV, movie, and podcast time.

Favorite Album

Lauren MacIvor Thompson

Ryan Adams’ cover of Taylor Swift’s “1989.” On repeat on my iTunes.

Lara Freidenfelds

I mostly encounter music as a dancer, and I have found Travis Scott, Rodeo, affecting and compelling in dance class this year. (Clean version for me). Related, of course, is best class: advanced contemporary with Oliver Steele at Steps on Broadway and Gibney Studios.

Leah Reis-Dennis

Cheers to the Fall — Andra Day’s debut album. Her voice, her style, her songs… I can’t stop listening. The perfect combination of jazz, R&B, soul, and pop.

Sarah Handley-Cousins

The soundtrack to the musical Hamilton. I mean, really. How could I not fall in love with a musical that features Alexander Hamilton rapping about economics?

Elizabeth Reis

Adele’s new album: 25.

Austin McCoy

I have two, one personal, one political: Joey Bada$$, B4.Da.$$. This album is part throwback to the mid-1990s and part current. The best (mostly) political album is Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly.

Jacqueline Antonovich

Erykah Badu’s But you Caint use my Phone. Badu. Enough said.

Cassia Roth

Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd.

Adam Turner

Sleater-Kinney, No Cities to Love on Sub Pop (and of course, the Sleater-Kinney–Bob’s Burgers collab on the “A New Wave” video).

Sarah Pripas

The soundtrack for Hamilton

Ginny Engholm

Father John Misty, I Love You, Honeybear. Amazing live too.

Ian Lekus

Fun Home, Original Cast Recording. Technically released in 2014, but 2015 was the year that I, & pretty much everyone else discovered the sheer genius that is Lisa Kron’s adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s amazing graphic novel. Honorable mentions go to the Drive-By Truckers’ It’s Great to Be Alive!, which reminded us that live albums can be magical experiences rather than revenue-generating fodder in between studio albums, and Blitzen Trapper’s All Across This Land, a terrific homage to American rock from this Portland (OR) band. Also, I just downloaded the cast recording to Hamilton, so ask me about that in a few weeks.

Favorite TV Show

Lauren MacIvor Thompson

Outlander. Men in kilts and the women who lurrrrve them. While time-traveling!

Lara Freidenfelds

I don’t watch TV. It’s all about live performance for me. How about, Best Dance Concert: Steeledance, Strictly Personal, presented Nov 4-5 2015 in a beautiful brick-walled performance space in Brooklyn.

Leah Reis-Dennis

Transparent. No question.

Sarah Handley-Cousins

I should say Grace and Frankie or Master of None (both were wonderful, really!) but I was distracted by all the kilts. Outlander. Sigh.

Elizabeth Reis

I agree with Leah Reis-Dennis: Transparent, hands down!

Austin McCoy

Broad City made me laugh the most. The Americans was my favorite drama.

Jacqueline Antonovich

The Leftovers on HBO is amazing. Season 2’s “International Assassin” has some of the most innovative TV writing I’ve ever seen. It shouldn’t work AT ALL, but it does — and it’s beautiful, haunting, and hilarious all at once.

Cassia Roth

Broad City and Transparent.

Adam Turner

Jessica Jones seriously bowled me over in 2015. For continuing shows, I’m still thoroughly in love with Doctor Who, in spite of being very skeptical about the reboot oh-so-many seasons ago.

Sarah Pripas

Jessica Jones.

Ginny Engholm

Fargo. The only anthology series so far that has a second season that either matches or even exceeds the brilliance of the first one.

Ian Lekus

Doctor Who. Peter Capaldi faced plenty of ageism following Matt Smith as The Doctor, but this year, he really showed why he deserves to be ranked among the very best Doctors of all time (so to speak).

Carrie Adkins

Impossible to choose. Transparent, Master of None, Last Week Tonight with Jon Oliver, and also the Netflix documentary series, Making a Murderer.

Favorite Movie

Lauren MacIvor Thompson

Pitch Perfect 2.

Lara Freidenfelds

See Best TV Show.

Leah Reis-Dennis

Inside Out. An animated movie that all ages can enjoy is a rare treat.

Sarah Handley-Cousins

I’m with Leah — definitely Inside Out. A funny, adorable, and simultaneously heart-breaking movie. (Listen, I wasn’t crying, it was a dusty theater.)

Elizabeth Reis

I thought The Big Short was surprisingly compelling even though I didn’t really understand the economic intricacies. It doesn’t matter though; it’s still good.

Austin McCoy

Selma & Straight Outta Compton, in spite of its warts.

Jacqueline Antonovich

Star Wars, obvs. (Note: I’m writing a dissertation and have children so going to the movies is a rare, exotic adventure.)

Cassia Roth

Ummmm. MAGIC MIKE XXL. GREATEST.OF.ALL.TIME

Adam Turner

What We Do in the Shadows and What Happened, Miss Simone? (which, like so many things, has some important flaws but remains powerful).

Sarah Pripas

I honestly haven’t seen enough to make a definitive judgment, but I saw Trumbo last week and really enjoyed it. And it had historical content.

Ginny Engholm

I’m gonna cheat and have a three-way tie between Trainwreck, Inside Out, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Not coincidentally, all three movies feature complex, nuanced, and real female protagonists.

Ian Lekus

Tie between Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian. Both are masterpieces of visual storytelling, set in terrain where survival defies all odds. One features the resilience of strong women in a post-apocalyptic society; the other is a love note to science & logical thinking in an age where the war on science threatens us with environmental catastrophe.

Carrie Adkins

Also impossible to choose. Miscellaneous collection of stuff I enjoyed: Inside Out, What We Do in the Shadows, Trainwreck, Grandma, Tangerine, Carol.

Best Podcast

Jacqueline Antonovich

Invisibilia and Season 2 of Serial. Also, did you know that Sarah Handley-Cousin and her Buffalo comrades have a cool new podcast called The History Buffs? You’re welcome, America.

Ian Lekus

I’m still addicted to Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me and Only a Game. Just listened to the first three episodes of Season 2 of Serial, and I’m definitely intrigued, though not quite as much as I was immediately captivated by Season 1. Now let’s see where my plans to develop my own podcast go… watch this space!

Carrie Adkins

How Did This Get Made, Nate Corddry Presents Reading Aloud, Sawbones, Serial (Season 2 is amazing so far!).

Adam Turner

Welcome to Nightvale, Good Job Brain, and a +1 to How Did This Get Made. I also want to throw in the Welcome to Nightvale Live Show, because it’s overwhelmingly good and wonderful.

Best Historical Call Back

Lauren MacIvor Thompson

When Obergefell was issued in June, and the amicus curiae briefs from historians like Nancy Cott basically schooled the entire country on what role marriage has played in relationship to the state and the individual in American history. Hint — it ain’t only about men and women having babies.

Lara Freidenfelds

I described life in my NJ suburb, and a friend exclaimed, The Feminine Mystique lives! Indeed.

Sarah Handley-Cousins

As a Civil War historian, I have to say the national conversation that took place this summer over the place of the Confederate flag in today’s society. Historians have long argued that the flag is a symbol of racial terror and white supremacy, so it was really wonderful to see much of the rest of the nation have the same “lightbulb” moment.

Jacqueline Antonovich

Some of the best writing this year has been on the #blacklivesmatter movement and its connections to and differences from the classic Civil Rights Movement. It’s been especially exciting to see all of the syllabi and teach-ins devoted to the long histories of oppression and racial justice activism in this country.

Cassia Roth

The Planned Parenthood fetal tissue circus (shameless plug to my post, Baby Parts for Sale).

Adam Turner

I second all the good historical discussions around the Obergefell case.

Sarah Pripas

Normally I wouldn’t want to repeat myself, but it has to be Lin-Manuel Miranda’s creative re-imagining of the American Revolution and political battles of the early American republic, Hamilton.

Ginny Engholm

I agree with Lauren that the Obergefell decision and the amicus curiae briefs from historians like Nancy Cotton on the history of marriage were great.

Ian Lekus

Pretty much everyone fighting the good fight by telling America’s 200+ year history of anti-immigrant culture (from “No Irish Need Apply” to the Japanese American internment camps) that contextualizes the surge of Islamophobia and the cynical manufacturing of anti-refugee hysteria.

Favorite News Story

Austin McCoy

The Feds arresting Martin Shkreli and everyone wondering whether or not they could seize the secret Wu Tang Clan album he bought for $2 million.

Jacqueline Antonovich

New Horizon’s beautiful pictures of Pluto. Breathtaking. #TeamPluto

Favorite Discovery

Lauren MacIvor Thompson

Grocery delivery from Instacart. The “sharing economy” gives you milk and bread in under 2 hours! Yay?

Lara Freidenfelds

Whole-wheat raisin walnut bread from Levain Bakery, NYC.

Leah Reis-Dennis

Pickled eggs.

Sarah Handley-Cousins

Polar Seltzer. How did I ever live without it? (Especially grapefruit!)

Elizabeth Reis

Camper Shoes (thank you, Leah Reis-Dennis!)

Austin McCoy

Cold pressed juice from Babo in Ann Arbor.

Jacqueline Antonovich

Omg, I’m officially addicted to subscription box services. I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I love Stitch Fix (clothing), Hello Fresh (food), and Birchbox (makeup). Send help.

Cassia Roth

That Flo Rida meant Florida.

Adam Turner

My new favorite cornbread recipe: Sean Brock’s “Cracklin’ Cornbread” (and everything else in his cookbook, Heritage).

Sarah Pripas

Michelle Wallace’s Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman. The book originally came out in 1978, granted, but I first learned about it this year, and a new edition was printed this year.

Ginny Engholm

Piktochart — a great website for creating infographics and presentations. I use it all the time to create teaching materials.

Ian Lekus

Teaching a course on social justice in metro Washington, DC brought me a much deeper understanding of the fascinating cultural tapestry & webs of power relations in this region.

Favorite Public Institution

Lauren MacIvor Thompson

I got the chance to visit and do research at the New York Historical Society earlier in the year. Their library is great. And best minestrone soup in the café. I would go again just for the soup.

Lara Freidenfelds

The Museum of Math, NYC. Great for geeky families like mine. All-day entertainment (i.e., math puzzles).

Leah Reis-Dennis

My local public elementary school and its bake sales.

Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian American Art Museum. (/Flickr | CC BY-SA) — Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian American Art Museum. (/Flickr | CC BY-SA )

Sarah Handley-Cousins

The National Gallery. I can’t visit Washington, DC without taking some time to visit.

Elizabeth Reis

The New York Public Library. I took my students there this semester and learned all about the building’s history.

Austin McCoy

All public libraries.

Jacqueline Antonovich

The Denver Public Library Western History and Genealogy Department. Friendly staff, exciting collections, beautiful reading room, and all things American West. What else could you possibly want?

Cassia Roth

The Parks Departments across the country. Yay open spaces!

Adam Turner

The Southern Foodways Alliance, for all its amazing work to document, study, and share the diverse past and present of the American south through food. Public history at its best.

Sarah Pripas

Any botanical gardens.

Ginny Engholm

We have a phenomenal main library in Baton Rouge. The caliber of its design and resources is akin to what you’d find in New York, Boston, or Chicago.

Ian Lekus

WAMU public radio, hands down. Having moved up & down the East Coast, I’ve been very fortunate to live around some terrific NPR stations (WUNC in Chapel Hill; WGBH, & WBUR in Boston), but hands down, WAMU is my favorite. The blend of outstanding reporting on metro DC and its national and global programming has been the key to keeping me (relatively) sane on the endless hours spent commuting on the Beltway & beyond.

Favorite Frivolous Enjoyment (once referred to as a guilty pleasure)

Lauren MacIvor Thompson

OUTLANDER IS NOT FRIVOLOUS, OK?

Lara Freidenfelds

Cappuccino at Birch Cafe (the one at 7th Ave and 14th St., NYC). The staff is as nice as the coffee, and it has a hang-out-and-chat vibe (no Internet).

Leah Reis-Dennis

Netflix and Chill?

Sarah Handley-Cousins

Okay, I’ll admit it. Adult coloring books. What can I say, those things are soothing.

Elizabeth Reis

I like the adult coloring books too, Sarah. They keep me awake when I’m watching anything other than Transparent, which actually demands close attention.

Austin McCoy

Probably watching TV and most things concerning Watergate. It’s weird.

Jacqueline Antonovich

Did you see the thing above about subscription boxes? They curate lovely things, put them in a pretty box… and mail them to you!

Cassia Roth

I think no enjoyment should be considered frivolous. But I love watching lots and lots of TV while knitting.

Adam Turner

Rekindling my love of games with the beautifully remastered Grim Fandango (originally published by LucasArts in 1998) by Double Fine. A favorite from my younger years. (And thanks to GOG and the community there, for providing a haven for DRM-free classic games.)

Sarah Pripas

Watching Project Runway.

Ginny Engholm

Netflix TV shows: Jessica Jones, Orange is the New Black, Master of None, etc.

Ian Lekus

Instagram. I plead completely guilty to being part of the selfie culture (though I rarely Instagram my food & I will never own a selfie stick).

Best Meme

Lauren MacIvor Thompson

Best liveblog exchange of the day captured by @stephh. Justice Ginsburg arrives @ #scotus via unicorn. pic.twitter.com/6JFvKVPFDI

— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) June 26, 2013