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85 Books I Read in 2016

Although I’ve attempted to categorize my reading, many books could fall into multiple categories. In no particular order, these are the books I read in 2016:

Business & Personal Development

ask

Personal Development

Productivity
smarter-faster-better

Entrepreneurship
leanstartup

Real Estate

realestate

Psychology

Fiction

wheredyougo

History
historyofiran

Biography

alexanderhamilton

Memoir

breathbecomesair

Race

betweentheworldandme

Family Relationships and Child Development

unselfie

Theology & Christian Living

songsofjesus

Various Non-Fiction

vagabonding

At the end of the Booklist Countdown, I’ll share my Top 10 Reads of 2016.  I’ll post with 10 Books on Race That Every American Should Read (i.e., 10 books that personally shaped my understanding of race.)

I’d love suggestions for my 2017 reading! And if you’re on Goodreads, I’d love to connect there.

(Note: all books are linked to Amazon, using my affiliate link.)

A note on my philosophy of reading:

I try to read broadly. I read broadly to expand my knowledge of the scope of the world. Without this, I am not able to cross-pollinate ideas, connect dots, or keep the big picture in mind. I try to read deeply. “Should you read broadly? Or should you read deeply?” That is a question that many ask, but the answer can be “both,” on some level. Without reading broadly, you cannot connect your depth to other areas of life and information. I try to read bestsellers. I watch very little TV/movies and sports, but still feel it is important to understand what is shaping and influencing contemporary societal thinking. (Not to mention, it’s an awesome way to connect with people!) There’s also usually a reason a book is a bestseller. 🙂 I try to read books that challenge my beliefs, not just merely confirm my bias. This is how we grow and change and strengthen our understanding, scary as it may seem. I try to read books that strengthen my faith. But I also try to read books that challenge my current perception of my faith. It should also go without saying, just because a book appears on my reading list, does not mean I endorse or condone the contents, microscopically (every detail) or macroscopically (the major premise(s) of the book). 

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  • If 2.5 weeks ago you had told us we’d be sitting in Greenville, SC with the baby chicks we owned, I would think you were crazy. Yet here we are — our hearts filled with both sorrow and joy, gladness and grief. And chickens. 6 of them. ❤️😂🐤⁣ ⁣ To put it in the words that I shared along with an article entitled, “That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief...”⁣ ⁣ I've found myself wishing countless times that we had stayed in Guatemala. ⁣ ⁣ But I know that if I had stayed there, I'd also be wishing we'd left. ⁣ ⁣ My children miss their friends there, but they also miss their friends here. ⁣ ⁣ Those feelings of loss and confusion, I've realized, are rooted in grief.⁣ ⁣ You don't need to have just made an international move to feel it. ⁣ ⁣ You don't need to be a healthcare worker who cannot see your children to feel it. ⁣ ⁣ You don't need to be in Italy watching a convoy of coffins drive by to feel it. ⁣ ⁣ You don't have to be an exhausted delivery worker to feel it. ⁣ ⁣ You need only exist in the world that is now, and see the strangeness and sorrow that is outside your window, and inside it, too...⁣ ⁣ ...and hold space for yourself and your community who are in this together.⁣ ____________⁣ #travelwithkids #trekarooing #coronavirusevac #coronavirus #greenvillesc
  • ⁣Since January, we have been privileged to call Antigua, Guatemala our temporary home. It has been a gift to be in a place where we can see the Milky Way on most clear nights, or view orange lava crest over the top of Volcán de Fuego. As February disappears into March, we watch as the town fades into purple, the blooming jacaranda trees announce the arrival of spring and daily additions of purple fabric tell us Semana Santa is coming. ⁣ ⁣ With three of our kids enrolled in a bilingual green school here in town and a worldschooling community basing here for several months, we planned to stay here through June so that our kids could experience a full semester at one school, as well as be part of the community here. ⁣ ⁣ (Apart from homeschooling much of their lives, they've only had partial semesters in Germany and South Carolina.) Our kids spend their evenings and weekends running around hearing a mix of languages, often barefoot and covered in dust, and experiencing a childhood with lots of freedom to explore. We have had more community here than we have had time to spend part of it. ⁣ ⁣ On Friday morning, Guatemala announced the first reported case of COVID-19, a quarantined traveler who had arrived from Europe, and thankfully followed the quarantine protocol here of quarantining directly from the airport to the hospital in Guatemala City. However, like much of the rest of the world, we await the unavoidable. We feel very safe here, but also know that realistically the infrastructure here is not equipped to handle either a mass quarantine or mass hospitalizations. (For us as a family of 6, with no vehicle, even the latter has foreseeably challenging implications, as rationing has already started.) ⁣ ⁣ Yesterday evening, Guatemala announced that in addition to no longer permitting entry for Europeans, visitors from the USA and Canada would also no longer be allowed to enter the country, starting March 16. Today, we heard that this will likely also mean limited or restricted flights from Guatemala to the USA and elsewhere. For us, I think this is the immediate concern -- is there a way out if it comes to that? ⁣ ⁣ (Continued in comments ☺️) ___________
  • Antigua usually looks amazing from all angles, but a hike up to Cerro de La Cruz is a pretty amazing sight to see the city from above. You get to see how big the city is, but also how neatly it’s arranged. ____________ #cerrodelacruz #antiguaguatemala #guatelife #locationindependent #quechileroguate #quechilero
  • Local markets are such a window into the economies of daily life in a new place, and often the pulsing heart of life for locals. ⁣ ⁣ Last year we were in Antigua for just 3 days, but I never made it to the real market here. Topographically, the massive market is just outside the artisan market, which is catered toward tourists. But for the real experience, visit both. ⁣ ⁣ When we moved to Germany, I felt “off” without a car until I could master public transportation; then when we returned to the southern USA, I felt “off” without subways and trains. Similarly, I’ve felt “off” here without knowing how to shop as easily as in the US or urban Mexico, but I’m slowly figuring out where to find things in the mercado; I suspect that when we are no longer here, I’ll also feel “off” without having access to the mercado. ⁣ ___________⁣ #guatelife #antiguaguatemala #guatemala🇬🇹 #mercadodeantigua #mercado #locationindependent #travelphotography #sacatepequez
  • If you ask me to take your photos, I might ask you to take one back. So, thanks to the cute couple who took this—I hope yours turned out great, too! ☺️ This is the classic Antigua photo, but you can’t see the volcano every day. The air has been clearer this week, and the views have been incredible. So thankful to be living where there are such amazing views every day! ⁣ ________⁣ #guatelife #antiguaguatemala #womenwhotravel #locationindependent #arcodesantacatalina #yesiusuallywearblack #womenwhowearblack #quechilero
  • Volcanoes for days. Antigua, Guatemala is surrounded by four volcanoes, so it’s fairly likely that they’ll show up in my photos often. I’m looking forward to hiking one sometime soon, too. It’s also fairly likely that Kyrie will be wearing this dress in photos—she loves her dresses, but especially this blue one. ____________ #guatelife #guateever #travelwithkids #locationindependentfamily #volcandefuego #volcandeagua #antiguaguatemala #worldschooling #thirdculturekids
  • New school, language school, new country, new clients, new schedules, new friends, new goals, new books. That’s how we’ve filled our recent weeks of the new year, and the time transitioning from January to February. Our kids are loving their new school at Antigua Green school, and hopefully soon we will all speak a little more Spanish, too. _____________ #travelwithkids #worldschooling #locationindependentfamily #antiguaguatemala #guatelife #antiguagreenschool
  • Beautiful Antigua market basked in the end of day’s light. ______________ #antiguaguatemala #guatemala🇬🇹 #guatelife #guatelinda #mercadosdeguatemala #travelphotography

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