Books I read in 2017
In chronological order, with a word or two about each.
February
Four Reincarnations by Max Ritvo - I always make an effort to read the work of fellow Yale writers, especially those who sadly must write no longer.
March
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin - Perhaps my favorite book, in no small part because it contains a plurality of my favorite quotes in English literature. Planning to reread this in 2018 because it’s just that good. It always leaves me with a newfound appreciation for love and life.
June
Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong - I once wrote Ocean an (unrequited) email after his first poem was published in The New Yorker several years ago. I’ve been a fan ever since, and this book is among my all-time favorite books of poetry. Somehow it recalls a beet: raw, bloody, beautiful. (Ocean would devise a far better metaphor.)
August
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese - I spent 20 minutes watching his TED talks in search of the pronunciation of his last name, so that I could tell everyone how much I liked him. I haven’t read anyone who expressed so dearly all the reasons I love medicine.
September
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee - A friend recommended this as “a sci-fi book where the world is based on math, and an interesting exploration of gender identity.” Spot on.
October
Complications by Atul Gawande - The first nonfiction book published by Gawande, apparently written during residency! I read it for inspiration for my future first book. The first third was searingly honest; the other sections didn’t quite connect. I didn’t finish the last third because I got distracted by the next book on this list…
November
The Wine Lover’s Daughter by Anne Fadiman - Irreducible.
December
The Odyssey by Emily Wilson - I had been dying to read the first full-length translation of The Odyssey by a woman, and it sure didn’t disappoint. Wilson opened my eyes to an epic I thought I knew. (The various profiles of her are worth reading for the time-sensitive who wish not to embark on the full text.)
The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking - The book of Danish cozy was as surprisingly insightful as it was cute. I will probably reread this, along with The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, when moving to a new home after medical school, as it points out innumerable details that make life all the more pleasant.
The Cider House Rules by John Irving - Recommended to me by Dr. Mary Jane Minkin (OB/GYN) when I was a senior in college. I am so glad I finally got around to it. I typically value aesthetics over storytelling, but it’s impossible for me to decide which one won the day.
Happy reading in 2018!