The Top 5 of (almost) Everything, 2012

With 2012 now behind us and awards season upon us, it's time to look back at the past year.

Readers of Nick Hornby's "High Fidelity" may remember protagonist Rob Fleming's habit of developing Top Five lists for everything in his life (Top Five Books, Top Five Episodes of "Cheers," Top Five Women Who Don't Live on His Street, but Would Be Very Welcome if They Did, etc.). If you haven't read it, please drop whatever you're doing and do so now, and also read "Fever Pitch," which is a billion times better than the Jimmy Fallon movie with the same title.

So here's my Top Five of Everything for 2012. Let's get warmed up, first.

Top Five Nick Hornby Books 

1. "A Long Way Down." Only for those with a twisted sense of humor.
2. "Fever Pitch"
3. "About a Boy"
4. "High Fidelity"
5. "Juliet, Naked"

Top Five TV Shows

1. "Justified"
2. "Downton Abbey"
3. "Boardwalk Empire"
4. "Game of Thrones"
5. "Homeland"

Top Five Albums

1. Damien Dempsey, "Almighty Love"
2. The Chieftains, "Voice of Ages"
3. "Treme" season two soundtrack
4. Sinead O'Connor, "How About I Be Me (and You Be You)"
5. (tie) Kid Rock, "Rebel Soul" and Green Day "¡UNO!"

Top Five Movies

1. "Moonrise Kingdom" You'll either love it, or you won't.
2. "Argo"
3. "Lincoln"
4. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
5. "Romantics Anonymous" I know it didn't come out in 2012, but that's when I saw it, and I loved it, and it's my list. 

Top Five in Sports 

1. The greatest Olympic commentary since "Do you believe in miracles?"
2. The last day of the English Premiere League season
3. Buttfumble
4. Bruin Adam McQuaid annihilates the dastardly Raffi Torres
5. R.A. Dickey wins Cy Young award at age 37 on a horrible Mets team. 

Top Five News Stories

1. December 21 arrived, and the world did not end.
2. President Obama was re-elected, and the world did not end.
3. Hurricane Sandy
4. People young and old keep getting shot, and the NRA thinks more guns is the best solution.
5. Ongoing strife in the Middle East (This has been a Top Five story for two thousand years, give or take a few centuries.)

Top Five Massachusetts Stories

1. Brown out, Warren in.
2. Sharks are going to eat everyone on the Cape.
3. Fenway turned 100, and the Red Sox were horrible and boring.
4. The state's most famous export: meningitis.
5. Mitt Romney lost (though he's just barely "from" Massachusetts).

Top Five Novels

1. "Sweet Tooth" by Ian McEwan
2. "On Canaan's Side" by Sebastian Barry
3. "Raylan" by Elmore Leonard
4. "The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes
5. "Mistaken" by Neil Jordan (again, late 2011, but close enough)

Top Five Shows My Kids Watch that I'll Watch, Too

1. "Phineas and Ferb"
2. "Tom and Jerry"
3. "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern"
4. "Cash Cab" (we also play a home version)
5. "SportsCenter"

That will do until next year. Feel free to add your own in the Comments below.

Jon McGrath grew up and lives in Westborough; you can follow him @JonMcGrath01581.