Jewish Book Carnival discussion
Authors Announcing Their Books
Hello, I'm Daniel M. Jaffe, and I appreciate the chance to announce my new book here. THE GENEALOGY OF UNDERSTANDING is a novel-in-stories that poses the question: Is ancient Torah relevant to contemporary social issues?The novel's narrator explores whether Torah can illuminate and guide responses to such issues as intermarriage, gay marriage, women's equality, infidelity, and prejudice that threaten to splinter families in the suburban New Jersey Jewish community of his upbringing.
Each of the novel's 53 stories responds to a weekly Torah reading, resulting in a work of fiction that explores Jewish spirituality, ethics, and community values, as well as the nature of human heart, mind, and soul.
The Association of Jewish Libraries says: "This very personal collection of stories makes for a unique approach to Torah study. It is also an excellent choice for book clubs because the content is thought-provoking."
Again, many thanks for the chance to mention the novel.
I wanted to let this group know about a Goodreads giveaway running through Monday (7/21) for our upcoming title, "Shall We Not Revenge" a historical mystery that takes place within Chicago's Jewish community right after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
It just received a starred review from Kirkus (This “deeply nuanced mystery is bolstered by fine writing and historical detail.”)
Here's a description:
In the harsh early winter months of 1872, while Chicago is still smoldering from the Great Fire, Irish Catholic detective Frank Hanley is assigned the case of a murdered Orthodox Jewish rabbi. His investigation proves difficult when the neighborhood’s Yiddish-speaking residents, wary of outsiders, are reluctant to talk. But when the rabbi’s headstrong daughter, Rivka, unexpectedly offers to help Hanley find her father’s killer, the detective receives much more than the break he was looking for.
Their pursuit of the truth draws Rivka and Hanley closer together and leads them to a relief organization run by the city’s wealthy movers and shakers. Along the way, they uncover a web of political corruption, crooked cops, and well-buried ties to two notorious Irish thugs from Hanley’s checkered past. Even after he is kicked off the case, stripped of his badge, and thrown in jail, Hanley refuses to quit. With a personal vendetta to settle for an innocent life lost, he is determined to expose a complicated criminal scheme, not only for his own sake, but for Rivka’s as well.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this book with you.
Emily Victorson
Allium Press of Chicago
Laura wrote: "Hello everyone! Author Claudia H. Long's new book, THE DUEL FOR CONSUELO, was just released, and I thought you might be interested in the giveaway:https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh......"
The Giveaway is over, and over 400 people entered! 5 got free books. I hope someone from this list was one of them. Do check out the book, even if you didn't win it. It's one of the very few books that centers on the Secret Jews of Mexico, and has gotten incredible reviews. Thanks. Claudia
So many interesting new books! Thanks for sharing the news.
Apart from love you shouldn't beTake my book, it's yours, it free!
★ Love reading? Download this book now ★
And while you get it, check out the audio edition, too!
Apart From Love
Free 07/24-07/26
Secrets, passion, betrayal...
Written with passionate conviction, this story is being recorded by two of its characters: Ben, a twenty-seven years old student, and Anita, a plain-spoken, spunky, uneducated redhead, freshly married to Lenny, his aging father. Behind his back, Ben and Anita find themselves increasingly drawn to each other. They take turns using an old tape recorder to express their most intimate thoughts, not realizing at first that their voices are being captured by him.
Meanwhile, Lenny is trying to keep a secret from both of them: his ex-wife, Ben's mother, a talented pianist, has been stricken with early-onset alzheimer. Taking care of her gradually weighs him down. What emerges in these characters is a struggle, a desperate, daring struggle to find a path out of conflicts, out of isolation, from guilt to forgiveness.
These tapes hold the secret of the story. As one of the characters concludes, "I wish I could be more confident of its veracity and completeness. I wish I could do more. This, I suppose, is the nature of the quest for truth--even if it is truth in fiction."
Where does the title, Apart From Love, come from?
The word Love is used sparingly in the novel, which makes it ever more precious. The title comes from a phrase used three times in the story:
After a while I whispered, like, "Just say something to me. Anything." And I thought, Any other word apart from Love, 'cause that word is diluted, and no one knows what it really means, anyway.
Anita
Why, why can't you say nothing? Say any word--but that one, 'cause you don't really mean it. Nobody does. Say anything, apart from Love.
Anita
For my own sake I should have been much more careful. Now--even in her absence--I find myself in her hands, which feels strange to me. I am surrounded--and at the same time, isolated. I am alone. I am apart from Love.
Ben
Now through August 18 [one week only], my publisher is doing a 10-book giveaway for my new historical novel Enchantress: A Novel of Rav Hisda's Daughter. Here's the link - https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh....Fantastic tales of demons and the Evil Eye, magical incantations, and powerful attractions abound in Enchantress, a novel that weaves together Talmudic lore, ancient Jewish magic, and a timeless love story set in fourth-century Babylonia.
One of the most powerful practitioner of these mysterious arts is Rav Hisda’s daughter, whose innate awareness allows her to possess the arcane skills men lack. With her husband, Rava--whose knowledge of the secret Torah enables him to create a “man” out of earth and to resurrect another rabbi from death--the two brave an evil sorceress, Ashmedai the Demon King, and even the Angel of Death in their quest to safeguard their people, even while putting their romance at risk.
The author of the acclaimed Rashi’s Daughters series and the award-winning Apprentice: A Novel of Love, the Talmud, and Sorcery has conjured literary magic in the land where “abracadabra” originated. Based on five years of research and populated with characters from the Talmud, Enchantress brings a pivotal era of Jewish and Christian history to life from the perspective of a courageous and passionate woman.
I would like to announce the publication of my novel Klara with a Kwhich is available on Amazon.
In Klara with a K, a letter read and a letter intercepted drive the choices made by Klara, a young woman at the center of my novel that opens in Germany at the Buchenwald concentration camp in the last days of World War II, and moves to Atlanta, Georgia, through the turbulent Civil Rights years. Klara with a "K" connects the Holocaust with life in the American South in a novel that illuminates the unique perspective of German Jewish survivors who found freedom living in a region where Jim Crow rules and restrictions were eerily similar to the Nuremberg laws that victimized their families.
Maggie wrote: "Now through August 18 [one week only], my publisher is doing a 10-book giveaway for my new historical novel Enchantress: A Novel of Rav Hisda's Daughter. Here's the link - https://w..."Wow! Magnificent, Maggie!
Sandy wrote: "I would like to announce the publication of my novel Klara with a Kwhich is available on Amazon.
In Klara with a K, a letter read and a letter intercepted drive the choices made by Klara, a young ..."
Hey, Sandy, your book sounds intriguing!
Helen: Thank you.
I hope you'll give it a try. I was an archivist for thirty years at a Jewish museum in Atlanta and interviewed countless survivors who made their way to the American south after the war.
I agree with Helen, Sandy. It sounds wonderfully interesting. Thank you for sharing.
This isn't so much *my* book, but it's one I'm a contributor to (and I've also purchased multiple copies): The Hope: American Jewish Voices in Support of Israel. Proceeds are going to support The Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin. (Blog post about the book at http://erikadreifus.com/2014/08/from-....)
Joanne Gilbert just released a new book, Women of Valor: Resisters to the Third Reich - I think it should be made into a movie I am enjoying it so much! Also, E. Thomas Wood just re-release Karski: How One Man Tried to Stop the Holocaust with new information
I'm excited to announce the publication of my novel, Serpent on a Cross, Book One in a Jewish fantasy adventure series set in Medieval Eastern Europe. It's available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.It was previously only available as an ebook, but it's found a home with a new publisher, has new content, a new cover, and is now also available in print!
Here's the Goodreads link. I hope you'll check it out! Serpent on a Cross
Shalom Y'all!Here's one that's timely for the upcoming holidays.
A Damaged Mirror follows a survivor of the Birkenau sonderkommando in his search for teshuvah, healing, and forgiveness.
More about the book and how it came to be written can be found at: http://www.damaged-mirror.com.
A reader's guide can be found at: http://www.damaged-mirror.com/damaged...
All the best,
-Yael
Yael wrote: "Shalom Y'all!Here's one that's timely for the upcoming holidays.
A Damaged Mirror follows a survivor of the Birkenau sonderkommando in his search for teshuvah, healing, and forg..."
Yes! So glad to see this book announced. I read it. A profound look inside the world of Birkenau. And what emerges is an unforgettable coverage of such topics as: Survival, Teshuvah Redemption and Repair !
I am excited to join this group! I just published in paperback and Kindle editions, From Generation to Generation: A Story of Intermarriage & Jewish Continuity. This inspiring true story follows the journey of a Jewish woman who, through the ups and downs of her interfaith marriage, ultimately rediscovers her faith and finally finds her Jewish voice.I look forward to digging into many of the titles shared in other posts in this forum.
Ta raMilords ladies and gentlemen, may I announce my book " A Mishmash of Miscellany: A journey into Jewish Trivia" which is available as a printed book on the Lulu and Amazon websites (www.lulu.com and www.amazon.co.uk), and as an e-book in in e-pub format from www.lulu.com and kindle format from www.amazon.co.uk.
So if you want to read all about Gribele, why there was a Kosher kitchen on the Titanic, and why the Cohenim had such an influence on Star Trek, then this is it.
It is not highbrow, and does not have great literary value, but is fun.
I also have a blog
http://jewishmiscellany.blogspot.co.uk/
Somehow an entire week went by since the Sept 2 pub date for my new historical novel/fantasy Enchantress: A Novel of Rav Hisda's Daughter. For more about my research into women's role in ancient Jewish magic, which I drew upon for my novel, here's the link to a guest blog I wrote for Lilith Magazine Maggie Anton
Hello everyone. I've written a story that encompasses a unique journey. My great grandparents immigrated to Argentina prior the Russian revolution. In 1962,the year of my birth, my parents immigrated to the United States fleeing a Peronista government and raging antisemitism. When my dad lands a job with Pan American Airlines, we become jet-setters; crisscrossing the continents for our summer vacations, not to mention Spring Breaks, Winter breaks and even Thanksgiving weekends.This is a story about a young, immigrant girl on a journey; how she finds a place for herself and comes to terms with her heritage and culture.
The 21st Annual Writer's Digest Awards provided the following review: "...The elegant and detailed writing brings the family to life. The mix of cultures is also captured well; the author shows a good grasp of history and the ability to draw a reader right into the heart of the family. Delightful and nicely written book."
I hope you take a quick peek: With Love, The Argentina Family: Memories of Tango and Kugel; Mate with Knishes
~Mirta
Hi Everyone,I’m happy to announce the recent publication of my novel Evie, the Baby and the Wife by Inanna publications, a Toronto feminist press. Played out against the backdrop of the fight for women’s reproductive rights in Canada, Evie, the Baby and the Wife is the boisterous tale of a Jewish mother and daughter at odds, struggling to reconnect across a uterine divide.
The story....
Evie Troy has a tendency to overcomplicate things, and that can get her into trouble. When her dying friend cons her into carrying out his last wish, delivering a cash mea-culpa to his ex-wife Amélie, Evie decides she knows better. She appropriates the money to set herself up as a surrogate mother on behalf of the barren Amélie, a plan she keeps so secret not even Amélie has an inkling a baby is headed her way.
Evie’s scheme pops so many holes at the seams that she’s forced to enlist the aid of her estranged mother Marilyn. Back when she was Evie’s age, Marilyn lit out on the Abortion Caravan, a cross-Canada road trip whose final blow-out demonstration in Ottawa brought the work of Parliament crashing to a feminist halt. Marilyn can’t fathom her daughter’s daft idea of saddling up her womb on spec, but she comes on board and the two of them head-butt their way through every step of Evie’s program, from arm-twisting Mr. Right into coughing up his sperm to staging the flimflam that will relay the newborn to the oblivious Amélie.
But will Amélie accept the baby they’re offering up gift-wrapped?
The book is available through Inanna Publications , Brunswick Books, or Amazon.ca.
Hope you enjoy it.
Phyllis Rudin
Well, I'm not the author, but I am part of the company, Fig Tree Books LLC, that will be publishing the following four novels next spring: Prayers for the Living: A Novel by Alan Cheuse; Compulsion: A Novel by Meyer Levin, The Book of Stone: A Novel by Jonathan Papernick, and Safekeeping: A Novel by Jessamyn Hope. All four books address Jewish experience, and I suspect strongly that they'll appeal to members of this group. Please also visit the Fig Tree Books website, where you can read a free chapter from each of these books: http://FigTreeBooks.net. Thanks so much!
Erika wrote: "Well, I'm not the author, but I am part of the company, Fig Tree Books LLC, ..."Mazel Tov, Erika, on your new position with Fig Tree Books.
Maggie Anton
Thanks, Maggie!Maggie wrote: "Erika wrote: "Well, I'm not the author, but I am part of the company, Fig Tree Books LLC, ..."
Mazel Tov, Erika, on your new position with Fig Tree Books.
Maggie Anton"
I've just published a food memoir entitled The Well-Spiced Life with Israel Bookshop Publications...when I married a nice Jewish boy from Casablanca, it brought me into a brave new world of Sephardic culture and cuisine! As I struggled to master it--while raising six children in the wilds of Brooklyn--I collected some great recipes (included in the book). Available from the publisher and Amazon.
The Reading Group discussion questions for Enchantress: A Novel of Rav Hisda's Daughter are on my website. There are 16 for readers to consider and 3 for the author that I answered. Appropriate for this week as we approach Yom Kippur, Q16 asks “What role does forgiveness play in the novel?”http://www.ravhisdasdaughter.com/Egui...
Erika wrote: "Well, I'm not the author, but I am part of the company, Fig Tree Books LLC, that will be publishing the following four novels next spring: Prayers for the Living: A Novel by Alan Ch..."Hey, Erika! When did this happen? Congratulations and good luck!
Helen wrote: "Erika wrote: "Well, I'm not the author, but I am part of the company, Fig Tree Books LLC, that will be publishing the following four novels next spring: [book:Prayers for the Living: A Novel|227503..."Thanks, Helen! Been there since early August.
I wish you all much success in the New Year! It seems like a great venture, and it really fills a necessary niche. :)
Another update from Fig Tree Books--we now have a newsletter! Check out the first issue at http://bit.ly/11LZkn2 and if you like what you see, please subscribe at http://figtreebooks.net/fig-tree-book.... Thanks!
Chanukah is a-coming. The ideal present. Print or ebook.http://www.lulu.com/shop/marc-michael...
http://www.lulu.com/shop/marc-michael...
Mordechai wrote: "Chanukah is a-coming....."Yes, it's just over 6 weeks away. Right now Amazon has Apprentice: A Novel of Love, the Talmud, and Sorcery for sale at 60% off. It's the prequel to my new release Enchantress: A Novel of Rav Hisda's Daughter. Here's the Amazon link.
My new book, In The Land of Armadillos, a collection of linked stories illuminated with magical realism, following the inhabitants of a small town in 1942 Poland and tracing the troubling complex choices they are compelled to make, is coming from Scribner in Spring 2016!
Mazal tov, Helen! That's huge!Helen wrote: "My new book, In The Land of Armadillos, a collection of linked stories illuminated with magical realism, following the inhabitants of a small town in 1942 Poland and tracing the troubling complex c..."
Erika wrote: "Mazal tov, Helen! That's huge!Thank you, Erika! I'm still floating!
I just received another 5-star review. It's heartwarming and humbling. I'm eager to share it with you...https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just released my historical fiction/family saga novel, "American Journeys: From Ireland to the Pacific Northwest (1847-1854) Book 1". This volume follows Jewish and Irish Catholic families emigrating from Ireland during the Great Potato Famine; their travels across the Atlantic and across the frontier as they struggle to find their place and raise their families in America. Read full synopsis at http://villagedrummerfiction.com.
Helen, that's fabulous and it sounds right up my alley. Looking forward.
The American DelugeHello everyone.
Another year, another book.
Please, allow me to introduce my latest novel released today by "Highwood Publishing NY." Although the story has strong Jewish undertones, it goes much deeper into revealing what role Jews play in modern American society. Here is an excerpt from the Press release:
"There are no coincidences! There are no twists of fate. And there are no things that just happen…
Millions of Americans woke up on January 20, 2009 thinking they knew where they lived and who was in power in their country. They should’ve thought twice!
What if the history, they had been taught in school was all made up to brainwash them into happy slaves? What if everything they knew was just to program them to destroy the bases of society that once gave them an opportunity to be free and themselves. What if they were of the last generation, who could ever experience Freedom? Welcome to the end of the world, the way we know it.
How the most powerful country in the world had arrived to what eventually culminated in the new regime taking over America? Many controversial opinions have ventured into explaining that. But no one has offered yet a story one will find in this novel. The author takes you on a journey of discovery and exploration of known historical facts, leading to the final prize — controlling you."
"REBIRTH" about the rebirth of Israel will shock you! It's a drama based on the actual events of how Israel became a mighty superpower in the Middle East within three years of the Holocaust.Rated by rabbis with 5 stars on Amazon, you will not want to miss this intriguing Pro-Israel novel; And it has been converted to a film script as well and being shopped to top film companies for the big screen.
See the 90-second trailer at: www.rebirthofisrael.com or type in the author's name at Amazon: Dave Longeuay
Great news for fans of Alan Cheuse: giveaway copies for Prayers for the Living: A Novel are now available.
Hello there,My name is Suri Rosen and I was so delighted to discover this group on Goodreads! I'm quite excited to check out some of the new releases that are being announced here.
I'd like to share with you my recently published novel, Playing with Matches. It's a Young Adult comedy that takes place within the Jewish community. It centers on the foibles of Rain Resnick, a sixteen-year-old Red Sox fanatic who is kicked out of her Manhattan high school and sent to live with a strict aunt in Toronto. A chance encounter on a city bus sets off a chain of events that spiral out of control as Rain becomes an accidental and anonymous Internet matchmaker. Student by day and matchmaker by night? What POSSIBLE mayhem could occur:)
I hope you check it out - and if you do - I really hope you enjoy it!
Cheers,
Suri Rosen
Chosen for the 2014 Jewish Book Council Author Tour, "Enemy in the Garden" combines the theme of anti-Semitism in America with an exciting adventure story, as a young suburban family faces a deadly threat when the husband is kidnapped. "I read it in one day because I couldn't go to bed until I knew how it turned out," said a reader. Available in bookstores and on Amazon.com in paperback or e-book. Book group questions included.
Hello to everyone and Happy Chanukah. I'd like to post about my new book, "The Synagogues of Central & Western Pennsylvania: A Visual Journey", which was published this year by Fonthill Media. The book contains 230 photographs (32 in color) of current, former and some demolished synagogues plus lots of historical information. Jewish communities, past & present, from Harrisburg west to Pittsburgh are featured. I've had great reviews in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette so far. Signed copies are available for interested folks and the book is also available online. You can find out more on my website: JPreisler.com/Books.htm - If all goes well with the book, the publisher in interested in having me do a book that covers the synagogues of Eastern Pennsylvania. I'm looking forward to the possibilities.
Last month, I popped in to let you all know about a giveaway (ending tomorrow) for Alan Cheuse's Prayers for the Living: A Novel. But now I can also tell you about a brand-new offering: a giveaway for a re-issue of Meyer Levin's classic Compulsion: A Novel. The re-issue features a new intro by one of Levin's sons, Gabriel, and a foreword by Marcia Clark. Enter to win if you're intrigued!
My book, With Love, The Argentina Family~ Memories of Tango and Kugel, Mate with Knishes, is now available for only $10.95. For those of you who have purchased the paperback, an E-book is available for Free. In addition, if you have Kindle Unlimited, the E-book is Free.Happy Holidays!
Jewish Book Carnival
Books mentioned in this topic
In the Dybbuk's Pocket (other topics)The Midwives' Escape: From Egypt to Jericho (other topics)
It's Real Life: An Alternate History of The Beatles (other topics)
In That Sleep of Death (other topics)
Walk the Earth as Brothers: A Novel (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Wallace Markfield (other topics)Csilla Toldy (other topics)
Barbara J. Ostfeld (other topics)
Sherwin Gluck (other topics)
Barbara J. Ostfeld (other topics)
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https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
This is a gripping historical novel and the author's second on the Castillo family. It tells the story of secret Jews in Mexico during the last throes of the Inquisition. Don't miss out on your chance to win a new copy! The giveaway ends on July 15.