The books I've read (or am currently reading) this year:
Martyr! (Kaveh Akbar)
Stoner (John Williams)
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (Ocean Vuong)
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (Matthew Desmond)
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking (Susan Cain)
When Breath Becomes Air (Paul Kalanathi)
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
Giovanni's Room (James Baldwin)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
M Train (Patti Smith)
Bel Canto (Ann Patchett)
Below is a list of great New York City restaurants I've curated after ~4 years of living there (of course, with a huge Upper West Side bias!):
This is my puppy, Ruby, who keeps me company when I am not doing research: