2024 Content Recap
The best of what I watched, read, and thought about in 2024
Hello friends,
Welcome to year five of the Eric Brunts content recap. I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season. Below, I present the best of what I watched, read, and thought about in 2024.
For previous editions, check out 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020.
Let’s get to it!
Books
In 2024, I read more “modern” books than I have in previous years and to no one’s surprise, I read more books in total as a result. In 2025, I’ll be pivoting back to read some classics but it was a good reminder that a book doesn’t have to be old for it to be a great and/or enlightening read. I expect a mix of modern fiction, classic literature, and a biography or two in 2025. Here were my top five from 2024.
The Wright Brothers - David McCullough
A hat tip to my illustrator and design guy Teddy Rounds for this recommendation. This book is equal parts great biography and instructive history of how humanity conquered the air. As John Collison says, "The world is a museum of passion projects," and there's no better evidence than the Wright Brothers' quest to get man airborne. Orville and Wilbur did what they did not because they were going to be rewarded by some economic outcome or commercial success. They did it because they so craved the feeling of flight that nothing would get between them and experiencing it for the first time. This is a beautiful, thorough, and at times heartbreaking story and one of my favorite biographies I’ve ever read. Well worth it whether or not you are interested in the subject matter.
The Red Rising Trilogy - Pierce Brown
Generally, I don't stay up late reading. I get into bed, get out my Kindle, read for about 15 minutes, and when my eyes start to droop, I put my Kindle away and fall right to sleep. These books kept me up well past my bedtime on numerous occasions. The world is immense and well thought out. The story is gripping and suspenseful. The characters are sufficiently nuanced to make you not only believe them but pull for them at every turn. The best part of this series is that the author treats you like an adult, weaving world-building naturally into the story rather than front-loading exposition in the Frank Herbert fashion.
This was the most engaging sci-fi book/series I’ve read in a long time and I would recommend this to just about anyone who likes science fiction, great stories, or who just wants to pick something up that they can’t easily put down. Thanks to many of my friends for convincing me that this was worth my time.
A Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan
I’ve never read a book structured like this one and I’m a little surprised at how much I loved it. The story bounces between narrators and weaves a handful of stories together in a way that not only works but is intoxicating. I am a sucker for a story about flawed protagonists and this book did an incredible job of portraying the fallibility of man and the sadness that arises from the depths of our psyches. I loved this book and not that my vote counts but I thought it was absolutely deserving of the Pulitzer that it won. Thanks to my fiancé for pushing me over the edge to follow in her book club’s footsteps and getting me to pick this one up.
The Killer Angels - Michael Shaara
This book has been on my to-read list for a long time. My dad recommended it to me as one of, if not the best works of historical fiction he’s ever read (and he’s done the legwork) and it did not disappoint. The best depiction of the horrors of the Civil War that I’ve ever read and some of the most beautiful prose I read this year. The story of Gettysburg was one I knew only from a surface level and getting to experience it from the perspectives of the participants gave me an entirely new appreciation for just how terrible this conflict was. Not for everyone but if the subject matter interests you then you won’t find a better read.
The Brothers K - David James Duncan
Another Tom Brunts recommendation (you’ll notice that most of what I read I only pick up once it’s been pre-vetted by those I trust). This was a long and wide-ranging story that gripped me partially because of the fact that it follows a baseball family and partially because the characters portrayed are beautifully broken in a way that you can’t help but to love. I damn near cried at numerous points in this book and after finishing it I felt I left a part of myself within its pages. Absolutely fantastic book that I wouldn’t recommend to many people (I’ve already tried and so far no one has stuck with it) but without question one of the five best books I read this year.
As a reminder, my entire book list is at this Notion site with my highlights and general thoughts. My list for 2025 is below, so if you have a recommendation for something I might want to include, please drop me a line!
Podcasts
As with the previous three years, I stumbled upon a podcast hyperfixation in 2024 and this year’s edition was recommended to me by the always wonderful Tom Brunts. The Rest is History is hosted by two Brits who don’t take themselves or their subject matter too seriously but cover their topics in such depth that many of their sagas are split into hours long series. It is the happy medium between Hardcore History and those history podcasts that do one surface-level episode per topic. I’ve listened to a LOT of this show this year, so instead of recommending various podcasts, I’m sharing my five favorite series from The Rest is History.
The French Revolution - I went to Paris for the first time this year and as a result got sucked into this extremely long series on the origins of the French Revolution and French Society in the 1780s. The story of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI has elements that would feel right at home in a Hollywood thriller. This story paired well with my read of Alexis Tocqueville’s The Ancien Régime and the French Revolution from last year. If you like the French Revolution (and who doesn’t) or have visited Paris recently I can’t recommend this one enough.
The Titanic - Both heartbreakingly tragic and surprisingly humorous. I realized that I knew nothing about the Titanic or its historical context, making this one of the most entertaining and informative podcasts I listened to this year. As it turns out, the movie got a lot wrong (surprise surprise) but the story of cross-Atlantic travel and the industrialization of the world is well told through this series.
The Fall of the Aztecs - If you've read or watched a sci-fi story that depicts humans meeting an alien species, there's a 90%+ chance that the author at least loosely based it on the story of the Old World meeting the New World—particularly Cortez meeting the Aztecs. This was a fascinating series not only for the facts but for what we do not know for sure. The hosts do a phenomenal job of calling out what is inaccurate about the Spanish accounts of this epic and what could plausibly be the real story. Humorous and thorough - I learned a ton from this one.
Custer’s Last Stand - I knew almost nothing about General Custer except that he had a last stand, but this series showed me just how emblematic he was as a figure on the cusp of “modernity”. He died fighting wars in the west but aspired to be a New York aristocrat and someone who would have, given the chance, been on the Titanic’s first voyage. The story of the Native American in American History is tragic all the way through but the nuances of it I did not appreciate until after this series. Great for anyone interested in the American West and this charismatic character in US History.
Movies
If I could encourage you to do one thing in 2025, it would be to look up reviews of movies you've seen on Letterboxd after you watch them. The top reviews are frequently hilarious and oftentimes the best part about watching an underwhelming movie. In any case, I've included links to the Letterboxd reviews for each of my top 5 movies this year. There may be spoilers, so tread with caution for those movies you still wish to see.
Anora
Without question, my movie of the year, Anora follows the relationship between a New York City stripper and the son of a Russian magnate. I went in knowing only that much, and by the time the credits rolled, was speechless—along with everyone else in the theater. This movie captures the full range of human emotion and was not only my pick for best of the year but many of my friends' as well.
We Live in Time
I’m a sucker for a tragic love story with two great lead actors and this hit the spot on that genre perfectly. Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh are amazing in this one and the story is as beautiful as it is devastating. I don’t tear up much in movies but I felt the water works coming at certain points in this one. Great one to watch with a significant other or if you want to have an emotional night alone.
Dune Part 2
Yeah, yeah, I know how basic of me to include the biggest sci-fi blockbuster of 2024 on my list. Well, all I have to tell you is that I don’t go see movies twice in theaters often and after seeing this in a regular theater and then in Dolby I was seriously considering going to see it a third time in IMAX. The scale of what Villeneuve accomplishes with this movie is beyond comparison and Timothée Chalamet’s performance was something that I’ll be thinking about for a long time. If you haven’t seen it already you should watch it but just know the reason I include it on my list is because it was epic on the big screen. I can’t vouch for its impact at the home theater.
Talk to Me
This movie is from 2022 but I only got around to watching it this year after being told by many of my friends that I’d love it. They were right. This indie(ish) horror movie was gripping, suspenseful, and as scary as I needed it to be. I didn’t know anything going into this one either but all I’ll say is that if you like thriller/horror flicks then this should be at the top of your list. Ideally you’d gather with some friends, have some wine, and enjoy the show but I won’t judge if you want to rip this solo.
Interstellar (in IMAX)
The first time I saw Interstellar in college, I fell asleep at a critical moment and the second half made zero sense. I hadn't seen it since, and I'm so glad I waited. Getting to see this for the ~first~ time in IMAX was a true experience in every sense of the word. I saw Oppenheimer in 70mm IMAX last year and this was a much better fit for the format. Some of the best effects and cinematography I've ever seen and a story that earns the scale that it's told on. If you get the chance, run—don't walk—to your nearest IMAX theater and get involved.
Lessons Learned
I'm going to try something new this year. I know you're here for the book and movie recommendations, but 2024 taught me a lot and I would be remiss if I didn't document it somewhere. These are some of the big lessons I learned—partly to help me remember them, and maybe they'll help some of you with whatever you're facing.
You have to be detail-oriented to do great work. No way around it. The 80/20 rule is great for getting things done, but creating something worthwhile requires diving so deep into the details you risk getting lost in them.
Objectivity is a superpower. Most people are either unwilling or unable to be honest with themselves, but when you step outside your ego and evaluate situations impersonally, you’ll find answers that were previously invisible.
When you’re stuck, step away. Time and again this year, when I hit a wall at work or writing, a workout or a walk offered a solution - or at least a new path to try. Related: don’t underestimate the power of a walk.
Your community will show up for you if you give them the chance. But first, you have to let people in on what’s really going on in your life. Once you do, you’ll be amazed at how much effort people will put into showing up for you.
Onwards and Upwards
To wrap up what has been quite honestly an insane trip around the sun, I'll leave you with a quote from the late Norm Macdonald. If you do anything in 2025, believe—in yourself, your friends and family, and in the magic of this world. When we step back from our daily minutiae, we realize that 2025 is an incredible time to be alive.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a great end to 2024. See you next year.
also read red rising series! huge +1 on the insane world building and detail/the continuity of it throughout the series 🤯
5th edition🥵 well done❤️