A collage of book covers for "Pericles and Aspasia," "Not Pink," and "The Merchant from Sepharad."

TBH Tomes: My To-Read List for January 2023

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to read more. Last year was a bit rough, but now that I’m not, you know, buying a house, moving, and other sorts of adulting, I can spare more time to read. In this inaugural article of “TBH Tomes”, I’ll share some of the books I’m looking forward to reading this month! Happy reading!


Witness to the Revolution

By Kiersten Marcil (@kierstenmarcil)

Book cover of "Witness to the Revolution". A woman in an ornate green dress stands in a grassy field looking wistfully to the left. A tagline in the upper-left says "The twenty-first century doesn't prepare you for 1778". Beneath that is text that indicates this book is part of "The Enlightened" series, and the author is Kiersten Marcil.

“The first soldier I killed was a kid, and he haunted all my dreams after that.

The twenty-first century doesn’t prepare you for 1778.”

Savannah Moore is inexplicably sent back to 1778, right at the beginning of the American Revolution. But little does she know there’s no chance of her being an innocent bystander for very long. Rather, it’s very possible that she’ll have ability to change American history as we know it.

Author Kiersten Marcil has graciously gifted me a copy of Witness to the Revolution, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts on it soon!


The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites

By Libby O’Connell (@drlibbyoc)

Book cover of "The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites" by culinary historian Libby O'Connell. Various kinds of food such as cheese and vegetables surround the title and subtitle.

I first encountered O’Connell when she served as an expert on the History Channel TV show “The Food that Built America”, and the title of her book intrigued me. It presents America through a culinary lens and how food and our relationship with it impacted America’s development. I’ve not really read much about food history. However, this book seems quite enlightening!

Historical periods covered include pre-Columbian, colonial, the American Civil War and Reformation, the Gilded Age, World War I, World War II, and the post-war.


Hawai’i’s Story by Hawai’i’s Queen

By Queen Lili’uokalani

Book cover for "Hawai'i's Story by Hawai'i's Queen" by Queen Lili'uokalani. The book cover is tan and appears to show an antique rendering of some of the Hawaiian islands.

Unfortunately, I’ve been slow in reading this last year, but I hope this changes in 2023. I have been reading Queen Lili’uokalani’s memoir for the last couple of months. It’s quite good! However, once the holidays hit, I put it aside. It’s my hope to finish it this January!

Queen Lili’uokalani, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai’i, Hawai’i’s Story by Hawai’i’s Queen authored this work five years after the American government overthrew the queen and forced her abdication in 1893. The queen recounts her personal history and anecdotes that offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the Hawaiian court. Lili’uokalani was a powerful, tenacious, intelligent woman who clearly valued her people and her position as leader. I’ve been immersed in her story and look forward to its completion.


That’s it for today! I’m trying to keep it light for January and look forward to sharing my thoughts about these books on Goodreads and Instagram! Don’t forget to check out my profiles on each site for updates!

Featured image: Collage of book covers featured in the article

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.