Next up we have Kimberlee Lockhart and Arielle ‘Toasty’ Fragassi discussing what they loved and loathed in 2015! What a year it has been and to close out the year we are doing a series of 4 blogs where we discuss what we have loved and loathed through 2015. From films and TV to games, movies, books and things we’ve shopped and places we’ve visited 2015 has been quite exciting! Not all the things we have loved and discovered have been released this year but just because they are new to us doesn’t make them any less fun!

Tell us about some of the movies and TV shows you have enjoyed (or hated) this year

Kim: New Show Love: Into the Badlands, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Existing shows I go back for: Supernatural (the last couple of seasons were rough but they seem to be getting back to some better monster hunting!), Grimm, Flash, and Arrow.

Toasty: Some people might hate on it, but I really enjoyed Scream Queens. Ash vs. Evil Dead has been fun and I also enjoyed the new season of American Horror Story. As always, I enjoyed The Mindy Project, even though it was a bit sadder than usual, and Last Man on Earth.

How about comics?

Kim: Confession: I haven’t picked up a comic in ages!

Toasty: Kim and I are comics failures. I did get the audiobook version of Locke & Key (if that even minutely counts) but I haven’t listened to it yet. (Kim: Locke & Key was sooooooo good as an audio book!!!)

What literature have you had your nose in through 2015?

Kim: Furiously Happy re-affirmed that I am still in a wild and secret love affair with The Bloggess. I’ve just started the Codex Alera series from Jim Butcher. For “fluffier” reading (paranormal with a hint of romance) I’ve also been working my way through the House of Commaré series from Kristen Painter. I also recommend checking out offerings from: Nick Harkaway, Jonathan Maberry, and the awesome Patrick Rothfuss.

Toasty: I’ve been reading a lot of Brandon Sanderson. I consumed most of his books this year, and I’ve been working my way through the Dresden Files series for most of the year. I HIGHLY recommend the Dresden Files books on audiobook. They’re amazing! I also read Station Eleven and enjoyed it greatly. The only book I really hated was Seveneves. It got so much acclaim but I just really disliked it all around. The Magicians wasn’t great either.

Now games, both tabletop and videogames…what have you loved? Any you wish you had avoided?

Kim: Loved: Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, Lego Dimensions, Sunless Sea. I tried starting the Assasin’s Creed series, after putting it off for years, but I find that the controls aren’t intuitive for me so unless I can dedicate time to playing it it’s hard to get back in to the game if you’ve left it for a while.

Toasty: I played a buttload of Fantasy Life on my 3DS. We imported Puyo Puyo Tetris and it’s been so worth it. An amazing Tetris game! I’m saving Yokai Watch for next year.

Lets get audible, what artists and/or albums have you been jamming out to this year?

Kim: Straight No Chaser for Christmas. New to me: CHVRCHES, not necessarily with new albums, but I still love me some Coldplay, David Guetta and Daft Punk.

Toasty: I’m a big fan of Electronic Dance Music. It’s so versatile. It’s great for working out, keeping you awake while you’re driving, and the upbeat pace makes it awesome for writing too. One of the things about EDM is that new music is constantly coming out, so it’s hard to keep up with all the new artists. I’ve been jamming out to whatever plays on the stations I listen to, BPM on the satellite radio in my car and Evolution on iHeart Radio. I’ve also been listening to the Tomorrowland playlist on Spotify. Anything with a good beat gets me going. My favorites are Avicii, Deadmau5, Skrillex, Calvin Harris, DVBBS, Major Lazer, DJ Snake, Armin Van Buuren, Hardwell, Tiesto…this list could go on forever.

And podcasts?

Kim: Women of the Hour, TED Radio Hour, Radiolab, Welcome to Night Vale, and The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio (because I’m a sucker for old radio plays).

Toasty: Invisibilia, 99% Invisible, EOS 10, Snap Judgment, TED Radio Hour, Welcome to Night Vale, Serial, Radiolab, Limetown, and Author Strong.

Favourite IGGPPC activity this year?

Kim: The theme posts! I love seeing everyone’s answers to the questions and reading responses from the community!

Toasty: Summer camp is always fun, but I also enjoy making the staff picks posts every month. I love seeing what others picked!

Are there any other notable things from 2015 you want to mention?

Kim: I made a tiny nerdling! My life has had so much more chaos than I imagined but also more joy than I could ever have earned.

Toasty: I joined a gym in the middle of the year and I’ve lost 22 pounds! I’ve been working at it pretty hard and even though it’s been pretty slow going, I know it’s worth it. I also finished second draft of my novel and I’m moving into the editing stages.

Finally what are you looking forward to in 2016?

Kim: New interactions with the IGGPPC community through fun posts and activities. Also, relaunching my personal blog with new branding and hopefully a geeky product line later in the year.

Toasty: I’ve been planning a trip to Japan, and I’m crazy excited about that. I plan to spread the word about IGGPPC while I’m there and hopefully get more Japanese people excited about our club. I see a ton of people who want Japanese pen pals every month when I’m pairing. I also plan to journal every day and continue my weight loss journey to reach my goal! I also have a goal to publish at least one of my novels next year.