ajumma travels
It’s already the last day of January and the start of a new series: the best books read this month. Time to get cozy this winter with a blanket, cup of tea, and a few of the best stories from this past January.
Best Books Read in January
1. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW (2016) | AMOR TOWLES
Set in Moscow, Russia during the late 19th to early 20th century, the plot follows the life of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov in the Hotel Metropol under house arrest. Each detail from the description of food and drink pairings to the hotel interior create a beautiful backdrop for the story that unfolds in the Metropol.
“If a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.”
-A Gentleman in Moscow
2. MEXICAN GOTHIC (2020) | SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA
The gothic horror novel set in the 1950s follows Noemí Taboada’s journey to save Catalina, her cousin, while unveiling the dark secrets of the Doyle family. Moreno-Garcia artistically portrays the lengths families will go to save what they cherish most.
“Books, moonlight, melodrama.”
-Mexican Gothic
3. THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY (2021) | AMOR TOWLES
The story revolves around four young men who travel from Nebraska to New York City, delving deeper into themes of atonement and loss. This historical fiction novel will have you questioning motives and what justifies one’s actions.
“There are few things more beautiful to an author’s eye, he confessed to Billy, than a well-read copy of one of his books.”
-The Lincoln Highway
4. THE BLUEST EYE (1970) | TONI MORRISON
The first novel published by Toni Morrison in 1970, the plot follows the life of Pecola Breedlove following the Great Depression and is told primarily from the point of view of Claudia MacTeer.
“Love is never any better than the lover. Wicked people love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people love weakly, stupid people love stupidly, but the love of a free man is never safe. There is no gift for the beloved. The lover alone possesses his gift of love. The loved one is shorn, neutralized, frozen in the glare of the lover’s inward eye.”
-The Bluest Eye
5. The CIRCADIAN DIABETES CODE (2021) | SATCHIN PANDA
Written by Satchin Panda, PhD, the topic covers the importance of our circadian rhythm or our biological clocks to nurture our overall health. The books emphasizes the benefits of time-restricted eating (TRE) or intermittent fasting (IF) as well as timing other activities for managing diabetes.
“Don’t worry, the fix is equally simple: Just set an eating routine and stick to it. Timing is everything.”
-The Circadian Diabetes Code
6. BRAIDING SWEETGRASS (2013) | ROBIN WALL KIMMERER
The book discusses the relationship of humans and nature as well as the impact on cultural traditions.
“Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.”
-Braiding Sweetgrass
7. lord of the flies (1954) | WILLIAM GOLDING
The allegorical novel follows a group of boys stranded on an uninhabited island and their attempts at self-government, questioning the realms of morality and individuality.
“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it’s only us.”
-Lord of the Flies
8. THE STRANGER IN THE LIFEBOAT (2021) | MITCH ALBOM
After a ship sinks at sea, ten people struggle for survival on a lifeboat. The story follows the thoughts of the narrator, Benji, and the mystery shrouding the lives of the survivors on the boat.
“When someone passes, Benjamin, people always ask, ‘Why did God take them?’ A better question would be ‘Why did God give them to us?’ What did we do to deserve their love, their joy, the sweet moments we shared?”
-The Stranger in the Lifeboat
9. ALEXANDER HAMILTON (2004) | RON CHERNOW
The biography of Alexander Hamilton covers early American history and the life of one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. The book was later adapted into Hamilton, a musical by playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda.
“Men give me credit for some genius. All the genius I have lies in this; when I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. My mind becomes pervaded with it. Then the effort that I have made is what people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought.”
-Alexander Hamilton
10. BLACK CAKE (2022) | CHARMAINE WILKERSON
The family saga of Eleanor Bennett’s life unfolds after her passing as a recording is shared with her children. The plot follows her tumultuous past, intertwining lives across space and time. The novel was adapted into a Hulu series with the same name.
“And what about a person’s life? How do you make a map of that? The borders people draw between themselves. The scars left along the ground of one’s heart.”
-Black Cake