The Mid-year Best-of List Is a Travesty

If you've been alive between Christmas and New Years, you've probably read a Best of the Year list. Last year, according to The New York Times, Víkingur Ólafsson's recording of Bach's "Goldberg Variations," the actor Bella Ramsey, and a sushi-and-scuba video game called Dave the Diver were worthy of your time and attention. These annual rundowns arrive during a period of reflection, when a full year's worth of human art and industry is about to recede into history. A new take on this list has now emerged: the Best So Far list. What does it mean to offer an account of the best culture of … the first five months of 2024?