Classic Reading For our Quarantined Times

Much of the nation, if not the world, is sheltering in place—many of us alone at home and feeling uneasy about our times. To keep from obsessing about my financial portfolio (or what's left of it) and chickpea and pasta larder, I scanned my bookshelves in search of something to feed my mind, if not my soul. I usually have down time for reading only when I travel, and then I like reading in context. But what are the options when your wanderlust is hobbled during a pandemic lockdown?

Turns out there are plenty. When I asked friends for their reading recommendations, I ended up with a long and intriguing list — too many tomes, in fact, to include here. After a pleasurable day of researching reviewers notes, I divided the list, which I'll present in two parts. The first installment for your reading pleasure: classic literature and historic chronicles.

Oh, and as a wine journalist, I can't not think about what I'd like to drink, so each book comes with a wine pairing, if for no other reason than to be reminded of how wine gets us through the best of times and the worst of times (Sorry, Dickens!)

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