2016 Year in Review

3 min readDec 31, 2016

At the risk of making an overly superlative declaration:

Wow, 2016 was the worst.

As you can see, it’s a struggle for me to check my cynicism. I — and all of us, really — learned a lot of hard lessons about humans this year. (And to be uncomfortably honest, I mean that to include lessons about myself as well.) But I’m working on it, because I really do want to believe in the fundamental goodness of our species and society; and I think I need to believe it to keep going.

In the spirit of positivity and optimism, three gratitudes about my year:

Through everything, my friends and family have been and continue to be amazing. I live and die by the multitude of messaging apps by which I stay in touch with far flung friends and family.
I had incredible opportunities to travel and explore the world and meet the most wonderful diversity of people in 2016; and especially in my new home, New York City!
I successfully hit both my reading and running goals for the year (a book a week, 100 miles a month). I’m grateful for having had not only the time but also the energy to make them happen.

Reading List

favorites starred

Honeydew
Yellow Crocus
When Breath Becomes Air 🌟
Turn the Ship Around!
Green Island
Mountains Beyond Mountains
Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us
The Industries of the Future
The Firesteel
The Color of Secrets
Dept. of Speculation 🌟
The Girl on the Fridge
Mornings in Jenin
Exodus (Leon Uris)
One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories
In the Country
Seveneves 🌟
The Corpse Walker
Feminism Is for Everybody
Neither Snow nor Rain
On Love 🌟
Sex Object
The Three-Body Problem 🌟
Fates and Furies
The Wonder Trail
Wild
You May Also Like: Taste in an Age of Endless Choice
To the End of the Land
The Little Book of Icelanders in the Old Days
The Course of Love
This Is How You Lose Her
Chaos Monkeys
Crazy Rich Asians
China Rich Girlfriend
A Streetcar Named Desire
Bloodangel
A General Theory of Love
Wayfinding: Food & Fitness
Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
Search Inside Yourself
The Corrections
My Brilliant Friend
Hillbilly Elegy 🌟
The Night Circus
The Thing Around Your Neck
To Save Everything, Click Here
A Monster Calls
Milk and Honey
Never Split the Difference
A Little Life 🌟
The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book About Relationships
The Handmaid’s Tale
Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time
Alexander Hamilton (Ron Chernow) 🌟
Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running