Missing the library and your favourite book store? It may be time to start reading again and maybe even revisit some of the classics you’ve already read. If you don’t know which book to read, we prepared a list of books and their wine pairings for you. Hopefully, they will be able to keep you company during the lockdown. We also hope that you’d love them as much as we do. All products featured in this article are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Wine pairing suggestions will solely focus on wines sold on this website. 

 

Book 1: The White Tiger
By Aravind Adiga

Aravind Adiga’s New York Times bestseller The White Tiger examines the ongoing dialectic between modernity and tradition. Set in India, Adiga’s young protagonist moves through the different levels of the Hindu caste system as he partakes in India’s newfound economic strength. As a parable of what is described in many words as capitalist India, the young man’s tale is a success story with a macabre twist. Balram, as he is called, is not only a businessman but a criminal operating in an impoverished landscape. You’d likely need a glass of Virginia Blush to get rid of the bitterness from this beautiful novel. 

 

Book 2:  Outliers: The Story of Success
By Malcolm Gladwell

This stunning book takes you on an exciting intellectual journey as it answers the question of how achievers are different from most people and how their environment shaped them. This masterpiece from Malcolm Gladwell  tackles culture, family, and circumstances that made the greats the way we see them now. This is a rather serious (yet entertaining) read, that’s why it is a good idea to get a glass of our sweet red Ambaristo while you’re at it. 

 

Book 3: The Joy Luck Club
By Amy Tan 

 

Amy Tan examines the tender yet sometimes painful relationship between daughters and their mothers. Written with sensitivity and humour, The Joy Luck Club reveals the secrets of four Chinese mothers and the complexity of the lives they have lived in their motherland. Their experiences would later intertwine with that of their daughters. Amy Tan is one of our favourites because she is an astute storyteller and she proved in The Joy Luck Club that exploring cultural conflicts through the eyes of immigrant mothers can be both magical and educational. Pairing this beautiful story with our sweet white wine De La Bodega is a good idea because in every mother-daughter story, no matter how painful or different it is, there will always be sweetness. 

 

Book 4: One Hundred Years of Solitude
By Gabriel Garcia Marquez

 

Written by Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude tackles a multi-generational story about the Buendia family, their village, and the centrifugal forces of modernisation and unfortunate events. It all starts with an isolated village that is free from the problems of the world until it opens its doors to its neighbours. Garcia Marquez’s book ends the way it began – the village where the Buendia family is from is isolated once again but this time, after all the tragedy that it has seen, there is nostalgia for the good old days. You would need a bottle of Basidina to go with the acerbity of this story. 

 

Book 5: 1984
By George Orwell 

 

George Orwell’s 1984 is a nightmarish vision of how the world will operate in the future. The fact that it mirrors how the world operates now makes it more relevant than ever. The power of this novel does not lie on how Big Brother broke the protagonist but on the hope that we can draw from it despite its tragic ending. Pair this with a glass of Basi Puro to match the dose of reality that you will get from 1984. 

 

Book 6: A Grain of Wheat
By Ngugi wa Thiong’o

 

Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s A Grain of Wheat is about Kenya’s struggle for freedom and the stories of ordinary folks whose personal troubles are interlaced with their aim to defend their land. Of all of these heroic stories, the one that dominates is that of Mugo and as he unravels, the novel unravels its layers, too. Explore the inner workings of the Kenyan psyche in this book with a glass of Ambaristo because there is nothing as sweet as freedom. 

 

Book 7: Memnoch the Devil
By Anne Rice

 

Rice stuns her audience once again as her favourite protagonist embarks on a journey that inspires sympathy for the devil himself. The devil calls upon the vampire Lestat in Memnoch the Devil which leads the vampire and the reader to the depths of hell. The author tackles religion and faith while exploring a role reversal between good and evil. This entertaining read goes well with a glass or maybe even a bottle of Basi Maria. Our elegant red wine will leave a bittersweet note that matches this Anne Rice novel. 

 

Book 8: The Little Prince
By Antoine de Saint Exupery

 

Who doesn’t love Le Petit Prince and the life quotes he conjures while planet and asteroid hopping? In these trying times, we will likely benefit from revisiting this literary classic. One of our favourite quotes from the book is: “What makes the desert beautiful,’ said the little prince, ‘is that somewhere it hides a well…” You can drink our wine Virginia Blush while reading this book as it is meant for celebrations big and small. This includes little a-ha moments that you will likely experience with The Little Prince.

 

Book 9: My Sister, the Serial Killer
By Oyinkan Braithwaite

 

My Sister, the Serial Killer gives off a thriller vibe but it is laced with dark comedy that you won’t tire of. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, the novel is an exciting, punchy story that tackles murder, boyfriends, and lots of cleaning. Drink this with a glass of De La Bodega.