My 5 Bests of 2023:
2023 was a year filled with unforgettable entertainment and trends that left a mark on our lives. From binge-worthy TV shows to thrilling novels, here are my top five picks that defined the year for me. Join me as we revisit these moments and find out why they stood out in a sea of options.
- TV SHOW: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Hopefully this newly released show lives up to everyone’s high expectations. Based on Rick Riordan’s popular five book series, Percy Jackson. The tv show was released on December 19th 2023 and will contain nine episodes in the first season. The main actor, Walker Scobel plays Percy Jackson alongside his co-stars Leah Jefferies who plays Annabeth Chase, and Aryan Simhardi who plays Grover Underwood. This series is one I look forward to every week as a new episode of this series is released every Tuesday at 9pm EST.
A brief synopsis of the show and book series: 12 year old Percy Jackson, beginning the biggest journey of his life. He travels with Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood by his side. Along the way he battles many mythological creatures determined to stop him from completing his goal.
This series has such a special place in my heart because Percy Jackson fans, like myself, have been waiting for a movie or series to finally fulfill our needs, because we were greatly disappointed by the movie that was created based on the novels in 2012, because of their inaccuracy, it was almost a completely different story. Fortunately, this series finally fulfilled the desire of fans working with Rick Riordan to make this show accurate.
Based on the 2020 novel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins this prequel to the Hunger games series was extraordinarily popular, and for good reason. The main characters were Rachel Zegler playing Lucy Gray, Tom Blyth playing President Snow/Coriolanus Snow, and Hunter Schafer playing Tigris Snow. It was released to theaters November 17, 2023. This movie was so incredibly popular that theaters even had special cups and popcorn tubs themed after the Hunger games.
I enjoyed this movie so much because of how long it has been since a new Hunger game movie was released which I was a huge fan of, and it is always nice to see a movie after reading the book it was based on.
As a continuation of the series One of Us is Lying this novel was very well liked. A quick synopsis of One of Us is Back is: The mysterious billboard that reads: “Time for a new game, Bayview” initially seems like a joke. However, it becomes apparent that this ‘game’ is no joke, and that no one is aware of the rules of this so-called game when one of the crew members vanishes. Anyone can be a target, and things are becoming deadly now that an unexpected visitor has returned to Bayview. This was one of the best spooky reads of 2023, and if you have not read it yet I one hundred percent would recommend reading it.
- WATER BOTTLE: Owala FreeSip Water Bottle
There have been countless popular water bottles over the years, it went from Swell water bottles to HydroFlasks, but in 2023 there was a very big debate (and still is) about which water bottle is the best, the Owala or the Stanley?
The Owala FreeSip Water Bottle is a clear winner over the Stanley because the Stanley is very inconvenient since it has a straw can easily spill, and has a very big form making it inconvenient to carry around. Sadly, I love to drink out of straws with water bottles so it made it very difficult to find a good water bottle but the Owala was able to solve this problem. The Owala water bottle has a built-in straw as well as a wide mouth opening if you do not want to use the straw. The Owala is not to large to carry around, but it is the perfect size for a day.
- BEAUTY BRAND: Summer Fridays
Summer Fridays is a skincare and beauty brand that was launched in 2018 and is very well known because of their Lip butter balms. This lip balm has a smooth consistency, and a nice scent to add fragrance to your day. After applying a layer of the lip balm, your lips feel extremely soft and hydrated. My favorite lip balms are Pink Sugar and Vanilla. My least favorite is the Poppy one.
This product has a very nice applicator which allows you to easily apply the product evenly across your lips. The applicator wraps around your lips, so every part is evenly covered. It also has a very nice packaging and has a sleek look to it.
Lastly, I love this lip product because it can be used for any occasion, whether you are going to a fancy event, or just going to school, because the tint is not to strong but just strong enough, and it adds the prefect hint of gloss.
