What are you reading?

[Erika]

I was excited to find out that Ann Kirschner has a biography of Josephine Marcus Earp, Lady at the O.K. Corral: The True Story of Josephine Marcus Earp, coming in March, and even more excited to receive an advance galley. Talk about history that's new to me!

[Mark]

Really enjoying A PIGEON AND A BOY by Meir Shalev and so glad to be reading again. Gobbled down 250 pages this weekend and all it took was time away from the television set! Also recently read THE LOST by Daniel Mendelsohn, which knocked me out. As a fledgling nonfiction writer, the way he integrated the story of the search for lost relatives with thoughts on Torah commentaries, ancient and modern, without slowing the pace or falling into portentousness impressed me greatly. Heck of a job. Great book.

Update 1/15/13

Wow, this community thing really works. I'm embarrassingly uninitiated at things like this. Great to hear from everyone.

Well, just finished Pigeon. That was a hurtful blow. Did not expect that bravely realistic ending with everything withering away. Just shows how contaminated I am by pat Hollywood-type endings (and I've been a lifelong reader). But it is more than that. There was something about the ending that made it very different than many American novels that end on a more buoyant note (even Moby Dick has Ishmael floating unhurt on the waves after the disaster, and my personal favorite Saul Bellow also has jaunty endings, for which he's been criticized).

This was different. Pigeon was drenched in an intelligent and wry sadness that was very moving and, as the Greeks understood about tragedy and death on stage, satisfying. The only character that did not quite work for me was Meshulam the builder. Felt Shalev was trying for a lovable and exaggerated Dickens-type character that was just a bit off for me, but that's minor. I enjoyed it.

[Global]

Maggie wrote: "Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World is probably not on your average Goodreads shelf, but I find it fascinating. It is also very informative into an area I need to know about as ..."

Thanks for this title... I will check this out...

[Erika]

Mark wrote: "Really enjoying A PIGEON AND A BOY by Meir Shalev and so glad to be reading again ..."

I loved THE LOST, too. Have been meaning to get to Shalev but haven't managed yet. Maybe I need more time away from the television, too!

[Lorri]

Mark wrote: "Really enjoying A PIGEON AND A BOY by Meir Shalev and so glad to be reading again. Gobbled down 250 pages this weekend and all it took was time away from the television set! Also recently read THE ..."

Both books are excellent, and I have them in my personal collection. A Pigeon and a Boy is one of my favorite books, and so is The Lost.

[Lorri]

I am currently reading The Flower of God: A Jewish Family's 3,000-Year Journey from Spice to Medicine, by Herbert Ausubel. I am just about finished with it, and have been consumed by it, I can't put it down.

[Dave]

One not to miss: "Rebirth" by Dave Longeuay, about the rebirth of Israel in 1948. www.rebirthofisrael.com

[Tony]

Decided to read MILESTONES by Sayyid Qtub. I spent some time in the ME and now teach ME studies at a Fl college. It seems all Jihadi read this book. Qtub is considered the Thomas Jefferson of radical Islam. May be a nice project for this semester's class

[Erika]

Dave wrote: "One not to miss: "Rebirth" by Dave Longeuay, about the rebirth of Israel in 1948. www.rebirthofisrael.com"

Dave, this comment seems to appear in multiple threads. It really belongs only in one thread, which is provided for authors to announce there own books. Thanks for respecting the group's policies/practices.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

[Erika]

Tony wrote: "Decided to read MILESTONES by Sayyid Qtub. I spent some time in the ME and now teach ME studies at a Fl college. It seems all Jihadi read this book. Qtub is considered the Thomas Jefferson of rad..."

You piqued my curiosity, so I looked it up. I'm not sure I'd be able to read it. Sort of makes me think of how I've never actually read MEIN KAMPF. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...

[Erika]

Just finished reading Lettres de Buchenwald, by Léon Blum. Some thoughts on the book, and the documentary that inspired me to read it, over on my blog. http://www.erikadreifus.com/2013/01/f...

[Angela]

I am half way through "A Tale of Love and Darkness" by Amos Oz. I love the writing. I do not know where he is coming from because of a few articles I have read, but it may be all hearsay. I am taking in the book at facevalue and loving the texture, the flavor of every word. It is a slow read, like minutes ticking away, in this book I am enjoying (sometimes savoring)the minutes. Thanks for reading my comment.

[Anne]

I loved A Tale of Love and Darkness too. Read it twice. What do you mean you don't know where he's coming from? Do you mean politically?

[Angela]

No nothing about politics, it was more about what his publishers were wanting. I vaguely remember it because as I was reading the article, I was also dismissing it. I was/am reading the book at the same time as the article and I could care less what his publishers were wanting because regardless I see Mr. Oz wrote the book, and I was/am totally enjoying and feeling his life, in the way he wants to portray it. I am at the point in the book where he is talking about his Mom. Politics are not really my thing, I watch them from a distance, but I do watch.

[Kami]

Will be starting

[Erika]

A follow-up: My Q&A with Ann Kirschner re: this book is now live.

Erika wrote: "I was excited to find out that Ann Kirschner has a biography of Josephine Marcus Earp, Lady at the O.K. Corral: The True Story of Josephine Marcus Earp, coming in March, and even more excited to re..."

[Erika]

Welcome, Elyse!

Elyse wrote: "I just joined this group this morning---(On my way to the JCC for a fitness class) ---
but I'm looking at looks people have read in here:

"To the End of the Land" by David Grossman was 'amazing'! ..."

[Lorri]

I am currently reading Michelangelo in Ravensbruck: One Woman's War Against the Nazis, by Countess Karolina Lanckoronska. I am also reading And You Shall Tell Your Children, by Dr. Ida Akerman Tieder.

I finished reading In Case We're Separated, by Alice Mattison and also recently finished The Provider, by Evelyn Marshall.

[Erika]

Lorri wrote: "I am currently reading Michelangelo in Ravensbruck: One Woman's War Against the Nazis, by Countess Karolina Lanckoronska. I am also reading And You Shall Tell Your Children, by Dr. Ida Akerman Ti..."
What did you think of "In Case We're Separated," Lorri?

[Lorri]

I thought that most of the stories were well written, and I liked the fact that they were connected, as opposed to individual stories without a relationship to each other. That is one of the things that I liked about your book...the connections.

The familial relationships over decades were detailed. The sestina pattern of the stories was unique.

[Erika]

I agree--I liked the connections a lot, especially how they played out over the years/generations. If you'd asked me to draw a family tree, though, I would have panicked a bit. I had some difficulty keeping track of the different sisters/their children. (As a fiction writer, I can be quite fond of only children! ;-))

Lorri wrote: "I thought that most of the stories were well written, and I liked the fact that they were connected, as opposed to individual stories without a relationship to each other. That is one of the thing..."

[Lorri]

I agree with you regarding the family tree. It was a bit difficult keeping, at times. I found myself going back through the pages.

[David]

Erika wrote: "(As a fiction writer, I can be quite fond of only children! ;-))"

Same thing for me. :)

[Erika]

Two books I want to mention. Just finished reading Rebecca Kanner's The Sinners and the Sea: The Untold Story of Noah's Wife, which I'd recommend (I should add that I received a complimentary advance review copy of this one from the publisher). Also just began Ayelet Tsabari's The Best Place on Earth: Stories, which I suspect I'll be recommending as well.

[Susan]

I am reading The Lost Bride, took me too long to pick this one up, I have had it in my pile for a couple of years. I hate to read a book that I know I am going to love, and than it is over. So, I keep it on my bedside table for awhile.. Stupid, huh.

[Angela]

Susan that is how I felt about the Amos Oz book I just finished I read it ever so slowly because I was in a kind of oneness with his words. If the book ended I felt I would have to end. One day I was walking along the beach and I heard this song by Matisyahu called "King Without a Crown" I have never heard of Matisyahu before and I all heard was less than a minute of the song and I knew. I bought tickets for my entire family after that but not for myself because the song was so powerful for me I could not go. Stupid, no, it is the opposite, to know is not stupidity.

[Erika]

I've just finished an advance review copy of Merrill Joan Gerber's new novel, The Hysterectomy Waltz. I hope to have more to say about it soon.

Meantime, I'm wondering if anyone else is familiar with Gerber's work. She's a past Ribalow prize winner and her publisher has also made her earlier titles available in digital versions (see http://www.dzancbooks.org/merrill-joa.... If you've read those earlier books, which do you recommend in particular?

[Erika]

Reading Tova Reich's One Hundred Philistine Foreskins: A Novel. Anyone else reading it now?

[Claude J.]

I am actually reading in the original French version the autobiography "Le lièvre de Patagonie" by Claude Lanzmann who did the incredible documentary "Shoah" a few years ago. His book is very interesting and is worth reading.

[Angela]

"The Keeper of Secrets" by Julie Thomas
Spanning 70 years journey of rare violin.

[Erika]

Yes, I read some great reviews of that one.

Claude J. wrote: "I am actually reading in the original French version the autobiography "Le lièvre de Patagonie" by Claude Lanzmann who did the incredible documentary "Shoah" a few years ago. His book is very inter..."

[Helen]

I'm going through a Philip K. Dick phase. Last week, I read The Man in the High Castle, which is alternative-history science fiction. In it, Germany and Japan won World War II and divided America up between them. I'm not ordinarily a science fiction reader, but this book was incredibly astute and humane and well-thought-out and well-informed, with a Jewish character hiding out under an assumed name. (For anyone who's interested, this is the link to my Goodreads review-- http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...)

[Erika]

I'm not usually a sci-fi reader either, but I think I may try this one. Thanks, Helen.
Helen wrote: "I'm going through a Philip K. Dick phase. Last week, I read The Man in the High Castle, which is alternative-history science fiction. In it, Germany and Japan won World War II and divided America u..."

[Erika]

I'm reading (for a phenomenal non-credit class that I'm taking) A Safe Haven: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel. Fascinating. Also, here's a piece in Jewish Ideas Daily inspired by my recent reading of Eliot's "Daniel Deronda" (an effort that was also inspired by the class): http://www.jewishideasdaily.com/6357/...

[Helen]

Erika wrote: "I'm not usually a sic-fi reader either, but I think I may try this one. Thanks, Helen.
Helen wrote: "I'm going through a Philip K. Dick phase. Last week, I read The Man in the High Castle, which is..."

Oh, good, I hope you like it. I've liked movies based on his books; "Blade Runner" and "Minority Report" are the best of them--so I tried his short stories and was hooked.

[Helen]

Erika wrote: "Also, here's a piece in Jewish Ideas Daily inspired by my rece..."

Just liked it on Facebook. Interesting story!

[David]

Erika wrote: "Also, here's a piece in Jewish Ideas Daily inspired by my rece..."

Fascinating story, Erika.

[Erika]

Thanks, Helen & David!

[David]

Downloaded, and now reading, Quiet Americans. Really enjoyed the first story, "For Services Rendered."

[Erika]

David wrote: "Downloaded, and now reading, Quiet Americans. Really enjoyed the first story, "For Services Rendered.""

Thank you again, David!

[Angela]

Saw Amos Oz this past Monday night at UCSD. It was inspiring. Living history.

[Tzipora]

I'm a newbie to the group and just read most of this very long discussion, adding books to my to-read lust if they weren't already there.

I have a knack for picking out books that end up having at the very least a Jewish character or subplot and of course I flock to pretty much anything that has a clearly Jewish or Israeli theme or title. Had a Lubavitcher rabbi in my home once who looked over my bookshelves and was impressed. Haha.

Anyway, I'm currently reading The Frozen Rabbi by Steve Stern. I know there's a lot of two or three star reviews but I'm loving it! Love the humor and satire and pseudo-historical Jewish story. I'm fond of Jewish mysticism and Jewish folklore (and half this book, though fiction, reads like traditional Jewish folklore in many ways) and its sense with Yiddish phrases and some wordy interesting English vocabulary choices. Its not often I pull out a dictionary when I read but I'm having fun both looking up Yiddish I don't know and learning a smattering of new English words even. I feel like this book was written for me! It just appeals to me and delights me on many levels. Very enjoyable read to me though it doesn't seem to be for everyone. Its kind of two stories in one- the tale of a tzaddik who became frozen in ice and several generations from Lodz to New York to Memphis who took care of the frozen rabbi and also half coming of age story of a very assimilated teenage boy who discovers Judaism and Jewish mysticism after the rabbi "unfreezes". I can kind of relate to the teenage boy in a lot of ways because it was my own teens that I became deeply involved and interested in Judaism beyond the once a year Yom Kippur shul going or being the kid who didn't celebrate Christmas. So it works for me. And its just plain a fun read.

[Angela]

Hi Tzipora I just finished "The Golem and the Jinni" you might like this one. It was a sweet and somewhat informative read, what would one put it under historical/mystical/fiction, I guess.

[Erika]

Tzipora wrote: "I'm a newbie to the group and just read most of this very long discussion, adding books to my to-read lust if they weren't already there.

I have a knack for picking out books that end up having a..."

Welcome, Tzipora.

[Tzipora]

Angela wrote: "Hi Tzipora I just finished "The Golem and the Jinni" you might like this one. It was a sweet and somewhat informative read, what would one put it under historical/mystical/fiction, I guess."

Sounds like an interesting read. I was just at a class recently where the rabbi was talking a lot about Golems. And thanks to both you and Erika for the welcome! :)

The Frozen Rabbi disappointed me so, so much in the ending. Beyond disappointment, really. Ruined a good book. It was that bad. Otherwise it was a good read. I've just never had a good book end so terribly!

I'm starting in on Giving Up America by Pearl Abraham right now. I'm really wanting to get my hands on The Romance Reader but I found this book at a book sale this past weekend. Don't even know much about it and haven't started it yet.

I also just read (reread, I think. Pretty sure I read it in my childhood at some point) Judy Blume's Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself. It was again a find at this book sale (sponsored by the local Jewish community so I scored tons of Judaica, both fiction and non) Interesting book. Takes place in 1947, so after the end of WWII. Sally is 10 and has a very active imagination. And pretty much everyone in her world is apparently Jewish. Because of her older's brother health issues, the family moves down to Florida so it's a new school and new friends. Sally's aunt and beautiful cousin who she aspires to be like were killed at Dachau and she copes with this in her own 10 year old sort of way and also becomes convinced Hitler is secretly hiding out in her town. It's kind of a slice of life novel, so the plot is kind of muddled and perhaps not even there. Not a bad read though, and an interesting perspective, especially for a children's book since there are scores of Holocaust themed children's books but this one isn't really, and is probably more relatable since it takes place in the US. While I'm almost positive I did read it probably in elementary school at some point, it's not a book that really stuck with me but worth picking up and a quick read.

[Erika]

I really need to reread Starring Sally J. Freedman myself. And I really appreciated this article about it from Tablet.

Tzipora wrote: "Angela wrote: "Hi Tzipora I just finished "The Golem and the Jinni" you might like this one. It was a sweet and somewhat informative read, what would one put it under historical/mystical/fiction, I..."

[Angela]

Your welcome Tzipora.
The book I had mentioned previously "The Keeper of Secrets" by Julie Thomas is about a violin that was torn from the hands of its owner in Berlin during the rise of Hitler. The story follows the violin and all that have had it in its possession. If you recall a movie "The Red Violin" a bit like that. Dachau is part of the story. My Father and I went to Dachau back in 99, they make it out to be a "good" camp, compared to what, the "bad" camps.
Erika the "Golem and the Jinni" is also written up at "Tablet."

[Erika]

Angela, it seems as though THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI is being written up *everywhere*!

Angela wrote: "Your welcome Tzipora.
The book I had mentioned previously "The Keeper of Secrets" by Julie Thomas is about a violin that was torn from the hands of its owner in Berlin during the rise of Hitler. T..."

[Angela]

Yes. I am finding it will be a good challenge to sell to both a Jewish and Arab audience. And to many others it will be an even harder challenge because most do not know what a Golem, or a Jinni is. Through these two creations the writer is showing a delicacy of relationship, instead of money and sex being the focus in a relationship.
There is a beautiful indigo blue surrounding the edge of the pages of this book, a nice touch.

[Lorri]

I have The Golem and the Jinni as one of my books to read, when I finish three others, first.

I am reading:
The Force of Things by Alexander Stille

Next in line are:
Second Person Singular, by Sayed Kashua
The Chaperone, by Laura Moriarty

Then, The Golem and the Jinni