So, every good 90’s sitcom had the episode about the parents rushing around the night before Christmas because, oh no, someone forgot to buy Christmas presents and the relatives are coming tomorrow/kid’s toy is hard to get/we need to work in the Gift of the Magi somehow because Christmas. I always rolled my eyes at these episodes (though of course I watched them. I wasn’t going to miss an episode of Family Matters or Step by Step). Who waits that long? What a thin plot line, I mused.
Oh, hey karma, it’s me. Rachel. Just hanging out, completely unprepared for the holiday season.
Still, looking back on the year I think this procrastination is just trying to squish too much into too small of a space, so I’ll give myself a pass and thank God that my son didn’t want a Hatchimal.
Instead of decking the halls, here’s my 2016 wrap-up:
Reading
Books read: 98 (though I’m angling for the full hundred before the 31st… have a few in progress)
Favorite Authors Discovered and immediately Binged: Rainbow Rowell, Octavia Butler, Curtis Sittenfeld, Leigh Bardugo, V.E. Schwab, Lisa Lee
Books that Made Me Ugly Cry: Sister of My Heart (Divakaruni), A Man Called Ove (Backman), The Underground Railroad (Whitehead), Harmony (Parkhurst), The Darkest Child (Phillips)
Longest Book: Infinite Jest (Foster Wallace)
Books I Couldn’t Put Down: Underground Airlines (Winters), The Book of the Unnamed Midwife (Elison), A World Without You (Revis), IQ (Ide)
Books of Poetry: Three
Books of Feminist Essays: Five
Best Non-fiction: Musicophilia (Sacks) or Without You, There is No Us (Kim)
Best friends acquired from reading this year: numerous, via Litsy
Favorite Reads of the Year: Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple and Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
Writing
Pieces accepted for publication: 5
Political think-pieces started and then discarded immediately in a rush of angry tears: at least 2
McSweeney’s rejections: oh God, a lot.
Novels completed: one
Novels re-vamped: also one
Queries sent: enough
Agents acquired: one! As of just last week!
Etc.
TV Series Binged: Last Week Tonight, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office (again), VEEP (again), The West Wing (currently in progress because once, a long time ago, there was optimism in politics)
Forts made in the living room: at least five, and some of them were pretty good
Episodes of Curious George watched: probably only ten to fifteen, but it’s really a question of repetition of those ten to fifteen.
Oceans I’ve dipped my toe into: one
Times a cashier has caught me singing along to the song over the speakers at the grocery store: one
Political elections that I never want to talk about again: one
Years ahead that I’m nervous for, but can’t help but hold the slightest amount of hope for as well: one
Love to all of you during the darkest days of the year, and many blessings for the year ahead.
Rachel Mans McKenny 