Although 2016 may not have been the worst year, a lot of people were nevertheless happy to see it end last week.  But for Pens and Junk, at least, the year was pretty good. I’ve been able to keep up with posting at a weekly pace, and all said and done, average monthly views jumped from 1,650 in 2015 to 4,345 in 2016. Not too bad, I think.

Over the last year, I’ve written more than 30 pen reviews. Some of these pens have been good and some have been bad, but the most popular review on the blog, as well as my 2016 Pen of the Year, was undoubtedly the Grafton by Everyman.  It’s one of the very few pens I’ve actually run dry.

The overall most popular post of 2016, however, was my review for Aaron Draplin’s book, Pretty Much Everything. Though, I’m also happy to have read and written reviews for Paper by Mark Kurlansky and The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting by Anne Trubek. I plan on writing at least a couple more book reviews this upcoming year, so if you have any suggestions, drop me a line.

In 2017, you can also expect more posts about Field Notes and Retro 51 Tornado pens – I haven’t grown tired of collecting either. Baron Fig also launched their own quarterly subscription service for their popular Squire pen, which I bought. It was a bit expensive, and I don’t know what to expect. But I guess we’ll find out together.

Additionally, more Kickstarter pens should be arriving on my doorstep this year, including the TriTac and the SQ1. And though it’s not exactly stationery related, I even backed The Fidget Cube, which I may write about here.

Oh, and I have to write the final three parts to my Nib Novice series. I’ve had a blast with it, and I’ve really learned a lot. Afterwards, you may see increased posting about fountain pens and inks.

As for non-pen/stationery/blog stuff to look forward to in 2017. Uh… obviously, Star Wars Ep. 8. Although Logan and Spider-Man: Homecoming look pretty awesome too. And, once again, I’m excited about Game of Thrones coming back on air this summer for the penultimate season (which is good since George R.R. Martin will probably never finish writing the book series). I also am looking forward to a new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is back after a six-year break. And, if I’m lucky, I might finally be able to get my hands on an NES Classic.

Overall, I think a lot of awesome stuff will happen in 2017, and I hope it makes for a wonderful year for everybody.