Best of the Best of the Decade Lists

Now that I'm done with LSAT's, I'm trying to revel in non-law school bliss before I need to actually start applying.

In the meantime, the end of the year is always a robust list-making season. Lists of presents to ask for, lists of people to buy for, and lists of resolutions to aim for. Most fun are lists of the year's best media products. What makes this year ten times better is that it also marks the end of the Gregorian decade. I'm tempted to make a personal list of this decade's best, but considering I spent the bulk of the decade being an emo teenager, I am probably not a good source. Instead, I've taken the opportunity to discover all the things I missed while in my emo trance most of this past decade by looking at some publications' best of the decade lists. The top three (one each for books, films, and music) best best of the decade lists are as follows:

Books
The Times Online 100 Best Books of the Decade is a pretty uncontroversial list that's large enough to leave no one slighted. Personal favorites like Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell and The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud both made it. The list spans both non-fiction and fiction and recognizes influence over quality. The DaVinci Code, for instance, appears at number 10 with this explanation "A murder in the Louvre, and the clues are all hidden in the works of Leonardo. Some love it, some hate it (see our worst of the decade article), but you can’t deny that its mix of conspiracy, riddles and action dominated the decade." The most refreshing aspect of this list is its attention to British writers. Two items that got much less press on this side of the Atlantic that this list includes are Lorna Sage's Bad Blood and a collection of poetry, Rapture, by Carol Ann Duffy.

Films
My boyfriend introduced me to The Onion's AV Club several months ago, but it really established credibility in my mind with its month long "Best of the Decade" feature. The AV Club gives kudos in unconventional categories such as best comics, best comedy albums, and best tv episodes. The most helpful list by far is the Best films of the '00s. The list's trustworthiness is revealed in its strong picks included in the top 5: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, There will be Blood, No Country for Old Men, and Memento. The top 5 also includes something I hadn't seen: 25th Hour, which I now trust to add to my Netflix queue. The other 45 picks include many Asian films that I wasn't aware of. Also, don't take my word for it: David Plotz gives the list a shoutout on Slate's Political Gabfest.

Music
Music lists are of a different character than books or films. Music is more of a continuous experience; once you put something on your iPod or download it, it becomes part of your collection. Whereas you can always borrow a book or rent a movie and quickly return it. Music, on the other hand, reflects one's personal tastes more. That's why I find best music lists to be so gratuitous. They can only advise others who have the same taste as you or say what the influential things have been. NPR has taken the latter path with a wholly unsurprising list on All Things Considered. (Kelly Clarkson, Kanye, J-Z inevitably make that list). But I prefer lists that cater to my taste. Paste Magazine has a terrific one that seems targeted towards the aging hipster (40-65) demographic (i.e. perfect for me). It's very strong on mellow productions like Damien Rice's O, the Once Soundtrack, and Jens Lekman. It's also heavy on alt-country and introduced me to Drive By Truckers and inspired me to re-discover Ryan Adams. The story-telling focus on both these acts would have once bored a younger me, but make an older me really happy.