Jewish Book Club discussion
Literary Chat & Other Book Stuff
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WHAT ARE YOU READING? A place for remarks, recommendations or reviews
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I'm back!
Operation Mincemeat looks like a fun read. I think just about everything is packed into that book. Has over 14,000 ratings if you look under the authors books.
I did read Agent Zig-Zag and the Spy ...novel about Kim Philby.
I enjoy his books. Lmk if you like this one.
Stacey wrote: "No, religions are not treated the same, unfortunately.
Seems that one persons naivety spreads quickly in their POV. It plays a larger role not only in the book.
So, its late where I live, which i..."
The big war between merry christmas vs happy holidays. How conservatives get mad when people wish them happy holiday, how its nonstop christmas music everywhere. But yeah, thats the reference. Chanukkah often gets lost in December and most people dont know or dont care.
Seems that one persons naivety spreads quickly in their POV. It plays a larger role not only in the book.
So, its late where I live, which i..."
The big war between merry christmas vs happy holidays. How conservatives get mad when people wish them happy holiday, how its nonstop christmas music everywhere. But yeah, thats the reference. Chanukkah often gets lost in December and most people dont know or dont care.
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Seems that one persons naivety spreads quickly in their POV. It plays a larger role not only in the book.
So, its late where ..."
I honestly have not witness this. I use the term " Happy Holidays" when its appropriate and when Im not sure of the religion.
Hanukkah does get lost, Retailers rarely keep decor equal.
Let see what happens this year.
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Quite impressed at your taking this on, Irene.
Look forward to your reaction, too, Stacey!
I picked this book up because I wanted to read the essay by Mark Twain. I am in the niddle of it now. He supports and then denigrates at the same time, so I wouldn't count on him as pro-Jewish. I'm going to re-read what he wrote before I can say more. I feel like I'm slogging though mud when I read his sentences.
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I'..."
Irene..
I so understand the feeling of slogging.
Are you by any chance reading an excerpt from his 1899 "Concerning the Jews" ?
He used jews as scapegoats at the point when he was in Austria.
What else is new. :(
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I'..."
I have made inroads several years ago on a book called The Jew In The Text: Modernity And The Construction Of Identity and then had to put the book aside. It is an in-depth exploration of how Jews appeared in literature, drama and art in the early modern period. Finally I had to lay it aside because, while instructive, it was dispiriting. That's why I'm impressed with Irene's reading What Did They Think of the Jews.
Likely when we read certain sentiments by a particular person, it's probably the accepted "wisdom" of his culture and times. Not that everyone thinks alike, but that it's probably "in" the culture.
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It was recommended to me by somebody who said it sounded as though it would be boring, but isn't. I agree.
If it weren't for audio books in the car I would have gone stir crazy. I used to work an hour's drive from home. My husband and I also take them with us when we travel. My friend, the librarian recommended this book to me and I really enjoyed it. Not boring. It is about the fire at the LA library.
I don't remember the Jewish content, so if you remember, can you remind me waht it was? Thank you.
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The author makes reference to her memories as a child growing up in Cleveland where she spent a lot of time there. She felt libraries
enhanced a sense of community; hers being Jewish.
Today libraries as we knew have to compete with computers and tech, which competed in that sense of community.
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My friend, the librarian r..."
Hi, Irene; I'll also venture an answer.
We are a little over half-way through. The most Jewish chapter so far is the one about book burning, since the Nazi era loomed large there. She related the destruction of books to the place books hold for Jews, and did a very good and sensitive job. She is Jewish herself, so no matter what her level of observance or religious feeling (which I don't know), that could have helped her to do a good job.
I do love that she is reading it herself, so you don't get those occasional mispronunciations, etc. Also she just reads it straight, which also helps. She lets the book speak for itself! ;)
I used to have a long commute myself, and feel as you do. Got through a lot of good books that way!
Reading now Mr. Mani in the original Hebrew. Really interesting writing style. I love A.B. Yehosuha's other books, but this one is quite different... First it is told in 5 different dialog form, but each of these has only one of the speakers words, not both. Then it goes back in history of a Jewish family, where the common thread is a Mr. Mani in each of them.I quite enjoy it!
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I have yet to read A. B. Yehoshua, Moshe, so since one of his books was nominated for our last poll, I'd been looking him up and came across this interview from 5 years ago. And he spoke about Mr. Mani. Glad you're enjoying. Is it a lot different experience being able to read it in Hebrew?
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/19/bo...
Nice share Jan, thank you!I prefer reading the original language if I can, that's what motivated me as a kid to learn English and get better at it, since the Hebrew translations to English originals are never as good as the original. With other languages I don't have much of a choice of course.
There is definitely something special in reading the original Hebrew of the great Hebrew authors. A.B. Yehoshua is one of them.
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It's even hard for Israelis to understand Israeli politics LOL
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Phoenix-
Where did you post it?
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Phoenix-
Where did you post it?"
Never mind- I found it.
Was this book written from a specific perspective, such as reform or conservative?
Mr Mani is on my at - home book shelf though not at the top of the list to be read. Since it has been mentioned, I may read it sooner. I feel that I don't read as fast or as much as so many of you. There are so many suggestions for good books, and I know I can't get to all of them. I'll comment separately on one I just finsihed.
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Irene..
I had to smile when I read you don't feel you read as much
or as fast as others. Its about enjoying what you read. If we received medals for speed reading, I would lose :)
I like this author and did read four of his books.
This one, "Mr. Mani" received the Israel Lit. Award and the Nat'l Book Award. It was because of that I began reading it a few years ago. And to your point, put it down to start a six month pre-order novel that finally came.
Guess what- I was very disappointed.
There are so many outstanding books to be read- all in good time.
That was a lesson learned. Hope I can find the book.
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Just finished a book for another book club: How to Make a Life. It's a good one. About a woman who came to America after a 1905 pogrom in Ukraine, and her one child who survives becomes the source of generations. Very good characterization. I think the author writes well. I learned from her characters' (fictional) lives.
Many books looming now. My platter is full! :)
I have The Gustave Sonata, Stacey. I think you said it's an award winner, right?
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Just finished a book for anoth..."
I believe I did.... :) It won the Nat'l Jewish Book Award in 2016
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On that synagogue's rules, I'm guessing it's a blue state. Although ostensibly a matter of conscience, my guess is that the norms at the state's top are not without effect. I live in a red state, and my synagogue, or temple, since I'm Reform, has identified with progressive values, more so than I'd prefer, and yet as they begin to reopen, they have made masks optional, although there will be no pressure against mask-wearing.
My guess about the norms coming from the state -- that's just a hypothesis. Am I right about your being in a Democratic-led state?
I disagree re the role of the state, as protection of the citizenry is one of the main roles of a nation -- protection against epidemic disease as well as against foreign attack. I truly wish the whole pandemic thing had not been politicized. But that's where we are! I don't feel you've dumped at all, since you are so civil.
As someone who retained adolescent aspects of character way beyond their time, I do identify, though, with your more general issues of affiliation and how to balance ties with difference! It's hard to retain difference in the face of expectations of conforming. Whereas we don't have to deal with covid germs here, sometimes it seems we can't even discuss a book without expectations that everybody will react the same! Hoping for any input you'll shed on that, Phoenix, as we go along.
Books and discussing books is a way for me to expand my horizons learn and sometimes to relax and be distracted from the stresses of daily life and the world at large.. While I am a very political person- an atty. and a poli sci major way back when, I choose to come to a book site to discuss books- NOT POLITICS, especially partisan politics. I could write a book on the discussion you two just had, but if this site becomes a forum for red vs blue, I'm outta here.
can I respond only to you in some way?
Mod
I hope my PM is working.
Did you try it?
Mod
I hope my PM is working.
Did you try it?"
I sent you a "test" from my end (PM) to see if it is working.
This always happens to me. Please tell me you got it...?
since this has been posted to all thus far, I will write a short response so as not to give more attention to this matter. I found the initial post very provocative- but knowing people who became ill and died from covid, as well as those of us who made great sacrifices in order to be safe and keep our community safe.. I also found its tone somewhat aggressive and judgemental. I was sorry that Jan engaged and I wrote only to make the point that this discussion belonged elsewhere. I reread my post and didn't think it needed softening. You may not have noticed that my "I'm outta here" was a direct quote from the initial writer. I have been on this site from before you two took charge and I have appreciated the content and book discussions. We all have our sensitivities and this exchange was a trigger for mine given in part its unexpected appearance. I am sorry if you felt my response was too strong, as I certainly didn't intend to offend you ,and if others feel that way I apologize to them., but I did have very strong feelings about the exchange.
Stacey wrote: "Shelley wrote: "can I respond only to you in some way?"I hope my PM is working.
Did you try it?"
yes couldn't get on pm
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Thank you for your response.
Mod
I thought it was good we were talking. People of different views can inhabit the same space and talk, maybe rub off on each other.
A way of repairing the world.
As long as we're often the canaries in the coal mine, we might as well be doing something good and useful: talking even when we disagree.
Maybe others will follow suit!
🌞
FInished reading THE LIGHT OF THE MIDNIGHT STARS and decided to go back to Goodreads to check out reviews. Here's a "gem" I found that seriously disgusted me: first of all the book has nothing in it about Middle East politics, and second of all, anti-Judaism from this particular user:
"Azrah rated it did not like it
Shelves: dnf
I was gifted a copy of this book by Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review however, I will not be reading this book. I do not feel comfortable reviewing and in any way supporting an author who is complicit in the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians.
If you can come online to promote your book then you can come online and say something or even simply RT something about the disgusting behaviour of the settlers kicking people out of their homes, of the people being murdered in your literal back yard – silence can speak louder than words.
But then again this author is a settler themselves and was also advocating for a Romeo & Juliet retelling between an Israeli and Palestinian so…
If you’re unaware of what I am referring to then I urge you to check out the #SaveSheikhJarrah hashtags on both Twitter and Instagram
Also this video explains the current situation quite well. "
"Azrah rated it did not like it
Shelves: dnf
I was gifted a copy of this book by Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review however, I will not be reading this book. I do not feel comfortable reviewing and in any way supporting an author who is complicit in the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians.
If you can come online to promote your book then you can come online and say something or even simply RT something about the disgusting behaviour of the settlers kicking people out of their homes, of the people being murdered in your literal back yard – silence can speak louder than words.
But then again this author is a settler themselves and was also advocating for a Romeo & Juliet retelling between an Israeli and Palestinian so…
If you’re unaware of what I am referring to then I urge you to check out the #SaveSheikhJarrah hashtags on both Twitter and Instagram
Also this video explains the current situation quite well. "
Mod
Aurora-
I haven't read it the book; did you enjoy it? I read the synopsis, it reminded me of the monthly genre we had on jewish folklore and stories. Would it have fit?
Just saw the review that was quite unexpected. Curious what made her choose this book to spout off.
Then again, it would make no difference which book it is.
The innate behavior that is posted to forums is an easy way to gather attention and reaction.
I often wonder how GR's decides which comments they pull while allowing hate posts to circulate.
Many years ago I wrote to an author about his new book in the genre of espionage. The comment which followed mine ... "does this book let the jews win? I wont read it if it does".
The author responded attempting to be "Switzerland".
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I received this book as a gift with no strings attached.
This book is written with an unyielding fervor about the State of Israel.
Are some the actions Israel takes misunderstood- Of course they are, but most may depend on your beliefs and politics.
If there are those of you that are able to read this book without having a predisposed opinion or two, it will be a fair read, taking in consideration Israels history and the rationale we assumed we may have known, but did not.
Congrats to the author-
Mod
Shelley, just wanted to let you know that when I wrote my above response to the member previously known as Phoenix, I wasn't meaning to ignore you. My computer was out of commission for an hour or two and when I got back on, all I saw was that all their prior comments were gone.
I know you are worried I'll become embroiled in a political discussion. Although I had no intention in becoming enmeshed in a punch and counter-punch discussion, it's true I didn't want to leave a particular assertion unanswered. Facts are still facts!
Also in this case there was a certain gamey feel. I was not sure it was on the level or if the person was who they purported to be. While we'll never know and while it may be grandiose to think we would warrant a troll, some may get off on playing us against each other. So glad that didn't happen. For now the individual has evaporated.
Regards,
Jan
Mod
I received a book suggestion las week from one of our members and am posting it here. My apologies for "brain freeze" :)
" From Sarah to Sydney : The Woman Behind All -of- kind Family"
by June Cummins.
This book, a biography, tells a fascinating story behind the
life of author Sydney Taylor.
Hence- "The Sydney Taylor Award" -
An award presented annually in recognizing titles/books for children and teens that exemplifies high literary standards. There is specific criteria for these books to be entered and nominated for this award.
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Hi.
I of course cant take the credit for this. I'm just the messenger on this one. :)
But, you are welcome!!
Im sure we know many books that have won this award.
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in this group who have won the "Sydney Taylor Award" , please
let us know by writing under under the discussion topic of
" Book Awards, Announcements, Recognition......"
The above thread is always open to "all" award winning members.
Sometime last year I was reading historical fiction ( I don’t remember what book it was) and it mentioned Solomon Schecter, Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Gibson and the Old Cairo geniza. This was all new to me so I immediately checked online to see if it was real or part of the story. I was happy to learn it was real history and not part of the fiction. When Goodreads talked a few months back about Old Cairo, I read the Last Watchman. I had hoped for more from the book. I wanted the ending to be more solid. I had also recently finished several other historical fictions and found that they had more substance in their history and plot.
I came across Adina Hoffman’s and Peter Cole’s book Sacred Trash – the Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza. It is a history of not just the finding of the geniza, but also of many of the manuscripts that were found. It talks of some of the great scholars that spent their lives researching each little bit. The piles of daily notes, wills, contracts, and lists show the detail dramas of their lives. There were religious tracts, petitions, magical charms, and all variety of literature. Study of the items found in the geniza explain how or why poetry or philosophies seemed to change at different times in some countries. So many gaps were filled in. So many answers.
Literally hundreds of thousands of pieces, now scattered in several countries, in museums and universities . Amazingly , with new technology researchers are able to determine that the missing page of a manuscript is being held by a museum in a different country. The bottom of one page is here and the top is there. The poem was not written by husband to wife, but by wife to husband, and so the question is answered.
At times the writing discusses details of literature that I know nothing about, authors and genres, so specific and detailed. At other times the authors wax poetic about the amount of work to be done and the magnitude of the discoveries. This is from page 125 and I particularly liked it. “ But like Ben Sira’s craftsman, ‘who labors by night and by day…diligent in his making, ‘ and like his ‘smith sitting by the anvil, {as} the breath of the fire melts his flesh…his eyes on the pattern of the object, his heart set on finishing his work and completing its decoration,’ these deliverers of Hebrew’s makers ‘maintain the fabric of the word, and the practice of their craft is their prayer.’ For in giving themselves day after day to poem after poem and manuscript after manuscript, they become links in the chain of transmission that Schecter himself sought to extend back to the Wisdom of Ben Sira, and from that spirit to its source. And so, in their way, they too partake of eternity.”
The book covers one small part of Jewish History. At a few points it seemed tedious because as I said I didn’t know any of the literature, or the names. The book is 2011 and there was a possible hint of another book to follow this one, though I didn’t see it listed online. Worth reading just for the uniqueness of the topic.
Mod
Was it a book other than The Last Watchman, Irene? That one's on our bookshelf, if you care to comment.
The book you read, Sacred Trash, is more recent, I think, than Sacred Treasure -- The Last Watchman, by Glickman. I actually own the audio version of that one but haven't read it. Not sure how it would work in audio!
Another fictional treatment is Dara Horn's A Guide for the Perplexed. Was that the other one you were reading?
I agree: fascinating!
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Well, there is indeed a book titled Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza by Adina Hoffman -- and I read it about five years ago. (I hadn't heard about Glickman's book). One take-away for me (the father of three daughters) was that Jewish women at the time ran successful businesses and were the equal of their male counterparts on many levels in that society. The bits and pieces of letters, business receipts, ledgers, journals and the like show this to be true. The story of Geniza itself -- how it was formed, why it was kept, how it was rescued, how pieces of it were spread around the world -- all make for an engaging, interesting story in itself.
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Yes, definitely. So good to have this window on the past, Mel.
The geniza also got a mention in Genius & Anxiety, although that source tends to suffer from the author's agenda, or so it appeared to me.
Also I think I'm remembering something about another geniza. Was that in one of Matti Friedman's books, do you know, Mel?
Jan wrote: "Irene wrote: "Sometime last year I was reading historical fiction ( I don’t remember what book it was) and it mentioned Solomon Schecter, Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Gibson and the Old Cairo geniza. This was ..."Sorry if my shorthand was confusing. I read the Last Watchman of Old Cairo by Lukas. It was Ok, though I don't think great. I read it about a month or so after it was one of the Goodreads pick of the month.
Dara Horn's book is on my to read list someday when I don't already have three books started.
I read several historical fiction books, more or less one after the other, so I'm not sure where it was mentioned. Each of the books traced the history of a book, or music, or religious writings through the centuries (People of the Book, Weight of Ink, And After the Fire) . I also read about the golem of Prague and a geniza figures in that story also.
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I just meant you could comment on the Last Watchman thread (if you haven't already). Can't remember how I rated it & hope I didn't overrate it. I've read People of the Book but a long time ago & can't remember. Don't think it was in The Weight of Ink ... wait a minute, getting it confused w/If All the Seas Were Ink. 😅 If there was a reference to the geniza in Weight of Ink, would have to have been in the part set in the near-present. Was the Golem of Prague by Cynthia Ozick? Have only read one by her. I know what you mean about three started. My stack is so unwieldy! (but beats not having enough to read!) Comment any time, Irene.
Jan wrote: "Mel wrote: "...t Jewish women at the time ran successful businesses and were the equal of their male counterparts on many levels in that society. The bits and pieces of letters, business receipts, ..."Jan -- Might you be thinking about the The Aleppo Codex ? It was a good read as well.
Mod
Oh--maybe I am. I did read it. But that's not a geniza. I may have my wires crossed here.
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Hi !!!!
Title has a nice ring to it. :)
Going to look it up when I get my second wind. I think I read one of his books. Will find out when I look up this one.
No wonder Im up all night.