I started 2023 by knocking down three books in my January reading list. The books include The Heist: A Novel, The American Revolution: A History, and Tao Te Ching. The book categories of a spy novel, the American Revolution, and philosophy and stoicism were all over the map. I like it that way. The American Revolution: A History helped strengthen my understanding of the American Revolution. Tao Te Ching performed admirably in grounding me at a much-needed time. For all of the books I have read, you can check out my reading list here.
Tao Te Ching was my favorite of the three books in my January reading list. The principles laid out in the ancient text are ones that I implemented right away. The American Revolution: A History was my next favorite book in my January reading list. I appreciate concise books like this one focused on key points in history. In a close third was The Heist: A Novel. Israeli spy Gabriel Allon is back at it in this spy novel, taking you across the world. With that background, it is time to unpack the January reading list.
The Heist: A Novel
The Heist: A Novel starts in Venice Italy with legendary Israeli spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon repairing an altar when he is summoned by the Italian police. Julian Isherwood, an art dealer, finds himself being held as a suspect in a murder in Lake Como. Allon chooses to save Isherwood by trying to locate the most famous painting in the world. The individual who was murdered in Lake Como is a spy with a secret. This spy had been selling stolen artworks to a mysterious art collector. Among the stolen paintings is Caravaggio’s Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence’s masterpiece. Allon begins a chase to recover the Carratviio that takes him on a hunt through Marseilles to Corsica to Paris to Geneva and finally Austria. It is in Austria where Allon comes face to face with a man guarding the wealth of one of the world’s worst dictators.
The American Revolution: A History
The American Revolution legally created the United States. It also highlighted the ideals of freedom, constitutionalism, and values of the American people. The American Revolution: A History shows how Americans were a people destined to lead the world to freedom. Author Gordon Wood poses that the Revolution gave birth to a purpose Americans were seeking. The story starts with the thirteen irrelevant colonies controlled by the British three thousand miles away. In three decades, the thirteen colonies grew to a republic of nearly four million inhabitants. The story of the revolution is complicated as noted in The American Revolution: A History. The book poses important questions like how the revolution started and what were the consequences of the revolution. The author answers these and other material questions throughout this concise book.
Tao Te Ching
Traditionally credited to Laozi, Tao Te Ching is a classic Chinese text written around 400 BC. However, the author and date the Tao Te Ching was written is up for debate. The book is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism. Tao Te Ching “influenced other schools of Chinese philosophy and religion, including Legalism, Confucianism, and Chinese Buddhism.” Readers of this book, including me, found many parts of the text as a source of inspiration. The book’s influence spread throughout the world, particularly among the artistic and academic communities.
