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WHAT ARE YOU READING? A place for remarks, recommendations or reviews
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Perlie
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Jun 17, 2023 08:16PM
The Book of Paradise: The Wonderful Adventures of Shmuel-Aba Abervo
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Half way through Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra.So far, so good
Mod
So far, so good"
Susan, I heard that book was good which I can say now. I think the title is clever and really thought I read it but I couldn't remember the content. No wonder :(
Mod
So good and IMO this will appeal to almost everyone.
A treat at 107 pages.
"My Left Skate..." 'is a first-person biography of a Jewish teenager who had it all on the hockey guts, drive, and exceptional talent. When a freak accident leaves him with a permanent disability and no feeling below his left knee, everyone believes Eliezer's career is over - everyone except his mother, a professional power skating coach. She teaches Eliezer to skate using the muscles in his upper leg.."
Stacey B wrote: "I reread the book "My Left Skate..." by Ana Rosen this morning.So good and IMO this will appeal to almost everyone.
A treat at 107 pages.
"My Left Skate..." 'is a first-person biography of a Jewi..."
Sounds fascinating. I will get a copy. Thanks for this review.
Mod
So good and IMO this will appeal to almost everyone.
A treat at 107 pages.
"My Left Skate..." 'is a first-person bi..."
You are welcome.
Just finished The Seven Good Years, The Book of Paradise: The Wonderful Adventures of Shmuel-Aba Abervo, and The Betrayal of the Duchess: The Scandal That Unmade the Bourbon Monarchy and Made France Modern. Each was interesting in its own way; I thought Keret's book of vignettes was particularly strong!About to start In Mr. Lublin's Store and re-starting Grade's The Yeshiva: Vol. 1 (although I'm not sure if I have volume I/II, or both in one??
If anyone here is on Twitter, check out "I read this on Shabbos", which is a fun way to find new (often Jewish) reads! Happy reading, all.
Mod
I looked up the Shmuel Abervo book, but couldn't more than a one line synopsis.
According to GoodReads, I read Keret's book in 2018 and gave it a 4* rating. I have to back and to reacquaint myself with it.
Perlie, I never knew S Y Agnon was a his "pen" name- or did he change it permanently? Never read that book.
Yes, Stacey B!I reviewed them on my "Read" page.
The Book of Paradise is probably better read with a teacher than on one's own. I'm sure I missed layers of meaning and subtlety, but it's still a charming story. It was my first Manger book.
I have been working my way through Agnon, and if you want to have some great insights into the man and his work, I recommend YUTorah Online. In particular, I love the three-part series on his "The Outcast", https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lect...
I think Agnon did change his name permanently. I haven't read the story it's drawn from (Agunot), but eventually, I'll get there!
Mod
I can't see your read page as your profile is set on private. :(
Mod
Thank you for the webpage Perlie and the advice.
I cant see your read page as your profile is set to private. :(
Kantika, by Elizabeth Graver (2023)Although billed as a novel, Kantika is tightly based on the life of the author’s grandmother, Rebecca Cohen Baruch Levy. The book spans from 1907 to 1950. Rebecca was a young girl born to wealthy Jewish parents in Constantinople. At the time of her birth, Jews, Muslims and Christians lived in a relative peaceful environment. She even attended a Catholic school, where she spoke French. She was also fluent in Ladino and Turkish. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the family lost its wealth and Turkey became increasingly hostile to its Jewish citizens. The family was forced to leave Turkey to seek employment elsewhere. Her father found a menial job at a synagogue in Barcelona, Spain, where echoes of the Inquisition were still resonating. They had a very uneasy life in Spain. Rebecca set up a dress-making business and married one of the few single Jewish men in her community. It was an unhappy marriage; her husband was basically a good-for-nothing. He returned to his family home in Turkey, ostensibly to find employment married, and was gone for so long, that Rebecca took their two young sons to be reunited with him. Once there, she learned that he had died.
Rachel ultimately was invited to immigrate to the United States to marry the widower of her best friend. To meet her potential new husband, she must go through Cuba, but leave her young sons with family back in Spain. That way, she figured, that if she didn’t like her proposed intended, she could more easily return to Spain. Upon her second marriage, she also gained a disabled stepdaughter, Luna. Her husband’s family was content to let Luna be, but Rebecca saw the girl had potential, despite her handicap.
Rebecca and her new husband, Sam, set up a life in New York with her two sons, his daughter, and eventually have three children of their own, one of whom was the author’s mother.
Kantika is Ladino for song. This book was a beautiful song.
4.5 Stars
Mod
Although billed as a novel, Kantika is tightly based on the life of the author’s grandmother, Rebecca Cohen Baruch Levy. The book spans from 1907 to 1950. Rebec..."
Hahtoolah,
This is beautiful review of her book. I suppose within a memoir comes heartache and tragedies, yet Im happy to see a happy ending. I have this on my list, so thank you for posting your thoughts.
Seems like Cuba is a popular subject this year. :)
Mod
Although billed as a novel, Kantika is tightly based on the life of the author’s grandmother, Rebecca Cohen Baruch Levy. The book spans from 1907 to 1950. Rebec..."
Hahtoolah, I'm excited to read your review of Kantika since I just read a review in Jewish Review of Books -- the Spring issue, not the Summer, as I'm just catching up. And that review lauds it as well. So a good one to keep in mind!
Jan
Thank you for posting a review of Kantika, by Elizabeth Graver. I won a copy from a Goodreads giveaway. I'm even more excited to read it now. I've moved it up to the next book on my TBR (for when I finish The Source).
Küstlers in Paradise, by Cathleen Schine (2023)Twenty-four-year-old Julian has just lost his job, his roommate, and his New York apartment. He runs back to his parents, expecting them to bail him out, but they don’t. They are tired of his expectation of privilege. So, he sets across the country to stay for a while with his 94-year-old grandmother, Salomea Künstler, who is recovering from a broken wrist.
Salomea Künstler was just 11-years-old when she fled with her parents and grandfather from Vienna at the start of World War II in 1939. Although very young at the time, she was just old enough to know of the horrors of the Holocaust. While not religious Jews, they were Jews none-the-less, and barely escaped with their lives. Much of her family perished. She came from a family of musicians, and Los Angeles and Hollywood seemed a logical place for the family to land.
Salomea Künstler, known to friends as Mamie, still lives in the family bungalow along the beach in Venice, California. Just as Julian arrives and begins interviewing for jobs, the world shuts down because of Covid-19. Julian is now stuck with his grandmother and her aging housekeeper, Agatha.
With nothing much to do, Mamie begins to share with Julian the stories of her life. Mamie has wonderful tales of life in Vienna and America with her beloved grandfather. In America, her family also rubbed elbows with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars ~ Greta Garbo, Otto Preminger, Thomas Mann …
As Mamie is in the twilight of her life, Julian has yet to come into his own. Being with Mamie and Agatha, however, jolt him into reevaluating what is important to him in the quiet world of the pandemic.
This was a delightful story.
4 Stars
Stacey B wrote: "I just finished "The Liar" by Ayalet Gunder-Goshen. 4 starsWhat would you do if you were a seventeen yr old girl who told a lie that skyrocketed out of control, you couldn't take it back because o..."
I read Waking Lions by Ayalet Gunder-Goshen and loved it. I will have to check out this book by the same author.
Mod
Twenty-four-year-old Julian has just lost his job, his roommate, and his New York apartment. He runs back to his parents, expecting them to bail him..."
Did you find it a little slow in the beginning by chance?
Mod
What would you do if you were a seventeen yr old girl who told a lie that skyrocketed out of control, you couldn't take ..."
Just saw this- Im not convinced The Liar is as wonderful compared to Waking Lions. Loved it!! I have never forgotten that book.
Actually, its one of the best I have read.
Stacey B wrote: "Hahtoolah wrote: "Küstlers in Paradise, by Cathleen Schine (2023)Twenty-four-year-old Julian has just lost his job, his roommate, and his New York apartment. He runs back to his parents, expectin..."
I could not have been more interested in refugees in 1939 Los Angeles but I found the book very slow. I wasn't a fan of bratty Julian either. His dialogue often made me cringe.
Just finished Gallery of Beauties, by Nina Wachsman, and really enjoyed it. Historical mystery /thriller set in 16th century Venice, with two female protagonists. An artist is painting the most beautiful women in Venice...and someone is killing them. It's up to Diana, the rabbi's daughter, to discover who did it before she becomes a victim herself.
The 2nd in what I assume will be a series comes out tomorrow! I'm sure I'll get around to it, although not immediately. So many books on my TBR list!
Mod
Mod
Single Jewish Male Seeking Soul Mate, by Letty Cottin Pogrebin (2015)Zach Levy is the son of two Holocaust survivors. Although not raised in a religious household, Zach’s family was culturally Jewish and his parents insisted on fighting for Jewish survival. Zach promised his mother he would marry a Jewish woman and raise his children to be Jewish. As he studied for his bar mitzvah, he was became obsessed with his Jewish identity and refused to participate in the Christmas festivities in his public school.
By the time Zach has become an attorney for ACLU, his parents have both passed. He fulfills his mother’s promise, marries a Jewish woman, and has a daughter. All was seemly going fine until his wife suddenly springs it on him that she has found someone else and is moving to Australia, taking their daughter with her.
In his legal practice, Zach becomes involved in controversial social issues. As such, he becomes involved in a community program to discuss Jewish-Black relationships. It is there that he meets Cleo Scott, a Black radio host and social activist. She grew up in a religious Baptist household. From the start, Zach has informed Cleo of his promise to his mother. Still, as their relationship develops, they fall in love and move in together.
His love for Cleo forces Zach to consider his identity as a Jew. Who is a Jew? How can he keep his promise to his mother and continue his relationship with Cleo?
The title of the book might suggest that this novel is a rom-com. It is not. It is a thoughtful discussion about identity with dialogue about Jews and Jewish tradition and theology without being heavy-handed.
5 Stars
Mod
Zach Levy is the son of two Holocaust survivors. Although not raised in a religious household, Zach’s family was culturally Je..."
This one looks good. Thank you for writing a review.
I'm 2/3 done with Daniel Silva's latest, "The Collector". Am I the only one he thinks are getting increasingly far-fetched and repetitive?
M wrote: "I'm 2/3 done with Daniel Silva's latest, "The Collector". Am I the only one he thinks are getting increasingly far-fetched and repetitive?"Hello, M. I'm almost finished with The Collector, and yes, it is repetitive. It's also strangely parallel to a season of Jack Ryan. Not sure how that happened unless it's just that the writers are writing alongside current events and happened upon the same twist.
It does bring up the question about reading a thriller series...just how long can a human author sustain the thrill of those first books? Human beings change, and we age, and as we grow older, we tend to play the record of thought in increasingly predictable grooves. Unless the author decides to freeze his characters in time, like say, Nancy Drew, then keeping our protagonist within the frame we loved when we first fell in love with Gabriel Allon might be impossible. Characters can stretch within that frame, but how far? Perhaps the readers decide.
I would not want AI to generate endless stories from the fountain of youth, but I do miss the old Avenging Angel Prince of Fire. That said, I see in the reviews that readers continue to buy even if they complain about the political commentary they read fiction to forget and the predictable plot. Perhaps it's like a franchise drive-thru. No matter which city you're in, the burger or pizza or taco is pretty much the same, not great, but predictably acceptable.
Maybe a new tormented Mossad assassin is out there ready to thrill us?
Mod
Hi M,
Not sure I wrote what your looking for, but IMO
I have always loved Gabriel Allon and still do. Having a very special place in my heart for Mossad I read every book Silva wrote. I admit I unhappily divorced him a few years ago without a closed mind.
Yes, repetitive for me in the sense that Silva did major overkill on the subject of the Vatican too many times. I was happy to see a change in venue this past July. I broke down and read The Collector . It was obvious Gabriel Allon was aging out- as he said it himself in a different book a few years ago again in this one.. His formula was great, but maybe could be shaken up a little.
The nature of his books are such that Silva keeps his same loyal characters involved and updated as each book is a stand alone. For those who choose to read them in order and for those that don't, Silva includes a bit of Allon and team's history in every book for continuity sake.
I think the author may have experimented with his formula when he wrote The New Girl. It was the only book I can remember where he left us with a cliffhanger. Could that be testing his audience for the expectation of a sequel.
As Allon will become a year older next July, might he have to painfully begin to train one of his children-who inherited their father and their mother's moral compass- That may be a new series.
I'm reading The Long March by Esther Markish, a memoir about her marriage to Peretz Markish, a great Yiddish writer who lived in the Soviet Union and the lives of various Yiddish writers during the time of Stalin and after. I love her voice and it's a fascinating window into a lost world.
Sorry, it's actually called The Long Return!
Mod
Aaron,
This book is a little familiar to me.
I could be so wrong here, but was Esther married to a poet?
Mod
Thank you!!!
With the high holidays behind us and sukkot fast approaching, I have been reading books for sukkot and found this delightful book about holidays through the year. I wish that I had this book 25 years ago when my children were young! 
Beni's Tiny Tales: Around the Year in Jewish Holidays My Review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hahtoolah wrote: "Single Jewish Male Seeking Soul Mate, by Letty Cottin Pogrebin (2015)Zach Levy is the son of two Holocaust survivors. Although not raised in a religious household, Zach’s family was culturally Je..."
Really enjoyed this one, too. The title does make it seem lighter, but I love Letty Cottin Pogrebin - such clean writing with depth.
Mod
worthy of 4.5 stars. This author truly ties it together.
Sometimes being young and in love doesnt always allow to see the forest from the trees. Similar to the Rod Stewart song "
I Wish I Knew All I Know Now.
There is a review of this book that I felt was written so much better than I could have done to express my thoughts. See below.
"Illumination shines a bright light on the trials, tribulations and triumphs of American Jews. Rachel Walsh is our engaging guide through the challenges faced by many the lure of assimilation and secular success, the pain of antisemitism, and the search for a spiritual grounding in the modern world. Richard Lazaroff weaves a compelling multi-generational family saga in which all must seek an answer to the eternal questions of faith and a meaningful life."
Mod
I'm reading The Gates of November, which covers some of this same history. Reading it for another book club, plus it was one of our past poll winners. Also links up with some of what Dara Horn wrote in People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present. One the few (the only?) nonfiction books by Potok. Very dark. Interesting. But I'm thinking I may see how much I get through in another week or so and then move on.
Has anyone read Dinner at the Center of the Earth? I finished reading this a few weeks ago and with everything that is happening in Israel right now I am that more respectful of the plot.
Mod
Ksar, I read it a few years ago.
I agree with your comment.
Just wanted to say - not a Jewish themed book, but really was taken with the powerful The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. That was really all the feels for me.
Mod
I read The Color of Water about 20 years ago, maybe more. I don't remember it but I must have liked it a lot because those are the only books I keep. It was a gift from a Black friend of mine whose mother was white.
"The Color of Water" is a great book- I use it for my 11th and 12th graders who really appreciate it as something they are totally unfamiliar with!
Mod
Mod
It's on our bookshelf for August of 2020. If anybody wants to add to those thoughts, click here.
I just finished reading and reviewing a PB ARC of “Workitu’s Passover: A Story from Ethiopia.” It’s available from NetGalley and Green Bean Books/Pen & Sword if any of you would like to review it.The book was originally published in 2022, most likely in Hebrew, and will be published on February 28, 2024.
This book was written by Zahava Workitu Goshen and Mayaan Ben Hagai, and discusses the Ethiopian Jewish community and Goshen’s childhood and one of her experiences during Passover.
Overall, this is an excellent PB and helps young readers to understand how this community celebrates Passover. I highly recommend and hope that it finds its way to many libraries!
Mod
..."
Matal,
Thank you for the alert to this new children's book.
The synopsis sounds as though its based on a true story. We know the Ethiopian communities well since their arrivals in Israel, thank goodness.
Hello. I am new to the group and wanted to mention Displaced Persons: Growing Up American After the Holocaust by Joseph Berger, the book I just finished reading. The book was particularly interesting to me because he and I have so much in common, yet our differences are vast. I explain that in my review which I am posting below.I suppose others have also read it, maybe the group has discussed it?
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mod
No, Dvora, I don't think we've discussed this book, or at least I don't remember . There are so many books, and this isn't a brand new one, either. Just goes to show how important your post is: now others have heard of it too.
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