jewishfiction

The Prince Of West End Avenue | Alan Isler

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I'm a sucker for stories that delve into the internal politics of relatively insignificant groups (town councils, offices, or in this case, the residents of the Emma Lazarus retirement home and their upcoming production of Hamlet) and elevate them to epic proportions. A witty, comic novel that transforms into something heavier and darker by the end, a meditation on trauma and guilt that chimes beautifully with the play at the center of the story.

Suet624 Hi, fellow Vermonter. How are you doing? 3w

The_Penniless_Author @Suet624 That's a tough one. 😅 Good, at the moment, but with a cloud of disaster hovering ever-present on the periphery (like a lot of other feds, or just people in general, I suppose). How about you? 3w

Suet624 Oh shoot - I didn't realize your work situation. I'm so sorry. This current situation is such a disaster in so many areas it's hard to pick just one. I'm okay - just shoveling a lot. Told my kids if social security is taken away they'll have to take care of me. At least 2 of the kids seem amenable. :) But of course I worry about all the other things happening to friends and neighbors. It's hard knowing what we could have had. Best wishes to you. 3w

The_Penniless_Author @Suet624 It's true, everywhere you look it's impending disaster. I don't really know what to do at the moment but keep putting one foot in front of the other and taking it one day at a time (and find respite in cliches, apparently 😁). 3w

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LittlePixels

The romance reader | Pearl Abraham

I brought a bunch of books to our local used bookstore, clearing out some shelf space. So it was clear what I had to do next, right?? 🤣 I need some help, though, Littens. I‘m not a #romance reader, but I‘m trying to venture out of my comfort zone lately so I brought a few home with me. Which one should I start with? #shoplocal #bookhaul

ravenlee I haven‘t read Emily Henry, but I really like Ali Hazelwood. The Love Hypothesis was the first of hers I read, and it‘s been kind of a gateway drug. 7mo

LittlePixels @ravenlee Thanks. I finished my previous book today and started The Love Hypothesis. I‘m really enjoying it so far! 6mo

12 likes2 comments

Anna40

The Betrayers: A Novel | David Bezmozgis

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In this novel betrayal is the main source of conflict between the characters.Baruch Kotler,a married Israeli-Russian politician,opposes withdrawal of Israeli settlements from the West Bank&because he refuses to back down from this political stance photos of him&his young mistress Leora are leaked to the press.The novel starts with the couple‘s arrival in Yalta where they want to hide from the press.They happen to rent a room in a B&B👇

Anna40 Run by Tankilevich,the very man who years earlier betrayed Baruch back in Russia,&his wife.Because of him Baruch experienced the horrors of the Gulag.But nothing is as simple as it seems.There are reasons behind the betrayals.A clever,extremely well written story.Bezmozgis is an author I want to read more of. 10mo

Suet624 Great review. Stacked! 10mo

CatLass007 Sounds interesting. Thanks for your review! 10mo

Anna40 @Suet624 Hope you‘ll enjoy reading it! 10mo

Anna40 @CatLass007 😊 10mo

31 likes3 stack adds5 comments

rachelsbrittain

Wandering Stars | Sholem Aleichem

My audiobooks for the weekend #WeekendReads

Kristy_K This one looks interesting!

The Woman with No Name: A Novel

12mo

34 likes1 stack add1 comment

monalyisha

The Promise | Chaim Potok

@BarbaraJean I want to read The Promise from your list (and The Chosen, the book that precedes it)…but I‘m also hyper-conscious of the fact that I need to increase my awareness about our current political reality & the history that‘s gotten us here. It feels daunting…and it feels important.

A friend recommended some resources (which I‘ll link to in the comments). If anyone has additional (or contrary) suggestions or advice, please let me know.💞

monalyisha Overview: https://youtu.be/kI_spMxp6t8?si=eh_VjTndfIfxtwJ_ 1y

monalyisha Documentary: https://m.imdb.com/title/tt16378034/ 1y

monalyisha Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77920745-a-day-in-the-life-of-abed-salama 1y

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monalyisha Interview (with the author): https://open.spotify.com/episode/7fX4pPcSOHBG6eruqT0wJG?si=SP3a2cnlSiWQNsB8whLD-... 1y

monalyisha #AuldLangSpine 1y

Sapphire I love Chaim Potok. He is one of my all time favorite authors and I have read everything he wrote. He gives a portrayal of observant Judaism of his time (and issues of identity converging with modernity). I am not sure how much it is a history of the nation-state of Israel. 1y

monalyisha @Sapphire I don‘t know that I expect(ed) it to be. It just kind of feels wrong for me to pay attention to the fiction and not to the world, you know? I‘m probably overthinking it. I tend to do that. 😉 But whatever leads me into pursuing more knowledge and awareness can‘t be bad, right? Maybe I‘ll just make these twin commitments adjacent to one another but not consider them inextricably linked, or make one a prerequisite of the other. 1y

Sapphire @monalyisha I totally get that. Not unbiased, but check out Bill Maher on YouTube for his recent statement about the current war. While it‘s not about Israel per se, Mary Doris Russell‘s “Dreamers of the Day” is an amazing tale of how the modern Middle East was drawn by people who had little to no knowledge of the region and its people. The author was an anthropologist before becoming a writer and commits to research I highly recommend it. 1y

monalyisha The book sounds great! Adding it now. 💓 (Will look into the statement, too.) 1y

BarbaraJean I hear you on this. This topic is so charged and so complicated. I‘m going to check out the resources you posted—I haven‘t had the emotional bandwidth to engage with this more deeply, but I know I need to. Also, I echo @Sapphire re: Potok in general, and this book particularly—it examines Judaism much more closely, in a specific place and time (New York City post-WWII), rather than looking at broader historical context. But I very much ⤵️ (edited) 1y

BarbaraJean Cont‘d) …understand the desire to broaden the focus (and the tendency to overthink!). I‘m definitely interested in your adjacent project. For what it‘s worth, I read the tagged book YEARS ago, but it gave me a much more complex perspective on modern Palestine/Israel than I had previously considered. Other recs: I recently added Yehuda Amichai‘s poetry to my TBR, and would also recommend Naomi Shihab Nye, a contemporary Palestinian American poet.

I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity

monalyisha @BarbaraJean OoOo. I may consider the Naomi Shihab Nye an official #AuldLangSpine recommendation. I‘ve loved every poem of hers I‘ve ever stumbled across (especially Valentine for Ernest Mann). 🖤🤍 1y

monalyisha @BarbaraJean Also, should I read The Chosen first, do you think? Would my reading experience be enriched? Or should I just head right into The Promise? 1y

BarbaraJean Oh, definitely put Naomi Shihab Nye in the mix! I love her so much. My favorite is Red Suitcase (which has Valentine for Ernest Mann as well as another favorite, Shoulders). More recent/related to current events is the tagged, which I'd also highly recommend! With The Chosen/The Promise, they both work well as standalones. The Chosen gives you the main characters' growing-up years, but I don't think The Promise suffers without that context.

The Tiny Journalist: Poems

BarbaraJean My caveat is that it's been over 10 years since I read The Chosen, so my own memory of it is a bit... faded. The ideas in The Promise were SO fascinating, though, that I wanted to go back and re-read them both--so take that for what it's worth! 1y

47 likes15 comments

JacintaMCarter

Drummers of Jericho | Carolyn Meyer

pan

#2023Book69

20 likes

BarbaraJean

The Promise | Chaim Potok

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The Promise is a sequel to Potok‘s The Chosen, and it‘s just as thought-provoking & reflective. It follows Reuven Malter, a young Orthodox Jew in post-WWII NYC, during his time in seminary, as he struggles to define his faith in contrast to more conservative and more liberal sects within his community. I was fascinated by parallels to contemporary debates between fundamentalist/evangelical Christians & more progressive versions of Christianity.⤵️

BarbaraJean There‘s another thread to the plot that I was conflicted about—Reuven is caught up in helping a troubled boy, the son of a progressive Jewish scholar. The descriptions of and theory behind the treatment this boy receives feels very dated (granted, this was written in the 60s), and that whole thread felt a bit overwrought. But that aside, the ideas this explores are fascinating. I‘m wanting to go back and re-read The Chosen & then read this again! 2y

BarbaraJean #SeriesLove2023 prompted me to finally read this sequel, and I‘m using it for #1969 in the #192025 challenge. @TheSpineView @Andrew65 @Librarybelle (edited) 2y

MommyWantsToReadHerBook It makes me happy that my good friend is reading these books that I love so much and have read so many times! I always find the parallels with conservative Christians fascinating. 2y

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TheSpineView Great job!😊🌞📖 2y

TheLudicReader I remember reading The Chosen as a kid…and seeing the movie with Robby Benson, with whom I was madly in love for most of my teenage years. (edited) 2y

BarbaraJean @MommyWantsToReadHerBook 💜 💜 I think Art of Soul read The Chosen right after I left; I remember reading it on my own and wishing I could join you all to discuss it!! @TheLudicReader I didn't know there was a movie! I will have to track that down! 2y

44 likes6 comments

BarbaraJean

The Promise | Chaim Potok

“…often I would read as I walked—and one day I bumped heavily into a sycamore and bruised my knee. But the book I was reading remained undamaged and I walked more carefully from then on, but continued reading. I lived in a world two thousand years in the past, in a time when sages had been remarkably unafraid of new ideas…”

💜📚🌳

42 likes

BarbaraJean

The Promise | Chaim Potok

Well, my goal for #SeriesLove2023 was to finish at least one series book per month (not counting #LittleHouse). I‘ve done that, except I didn‘t mean to start 3 new series! 🤦🏻‍♀️

I caught up on Murderbot & read the new Wayward Children, read two sequels, & have one more sequel in progress (tagged). But I want to focus on in-progress series for the rest of the year: Chronicles of St. Mary‘s and the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries are top of the list.

Andrew65, TheSpineView

Andrew65 Brilliant 👏👏👏 That is what happens, we start other series! 2y

Karisimo I love Murderbot too! 2y

TheSpineView Fantastic! I always have multiple series going at once. 2y

BarbaraJean @Karisimo When I saw Murderbot on your Auld Lang Spine list, I knew it would be a good list! 😁 2y

33 likes4 comments

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