November 2024 Books #MyLifeInBooks

The Frindle Files by Andrew Clements - I *loved* this modern-day follow up to the 25-year-old Frindle. If you haven't read it, find a fifth grader and share it with them. And then read this one! Loved it. Great middle grade novel about the power of words and using them wisely.

The House of Eve by Sadaqa Johnson - Historical fiction about black women in the 1950s. It was an interesting look at a piece of history that I haven't read about before. The "twist" seemed fairly obvious to me, but otherwise it was a pretty good story.

Flunked by Jen Calonita - A fifth grader ran up to me at Hebrew School and said "Rabbi! Book recommendation!" so I immediately borrowed it from Libby and it was delightful. The first in a series called "Fairy Tale Reform School," and now I'm pretty sure you have an idea of what it's all about. 

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst - This checks all the boxes: found family, magical stuff, cozy fantasy. As long as I didn't think too hard about the world-building, it was great. 

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier - Historical fiction about the glassmakers of Murano, Italy. It follows a family through history but through an odd and completely mystifying time travel technique that totally threw me off. Much like the previous book, as long as I didn't think too hard about it, it was great. I wish it had been a more traditional family saga...without the weird time skips that didn't make sense.

Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe - Um...quirky? That's probably the word for this book. On the one hand, I liked the found family, struggle-to-find-your-narrative story. On the other hand, I was a little thrown by the um...use of the internet to earn a living. Enjoyable but a bit odd.

The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum - I liked Hoodie (short for Yehuda), an Orthodox teen who narrates the story. It's a fairly powerful story about Hoodie's intersection with the non-Jewish world around him, with the addition of some terrible antisemitism that rocks his community. 

October Books
September Books
August Books
July Books
June Books
May Books
April Books
March Books
February Books
January Books

October 2024 books #MyLifeInBooks

 

Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer - cute and timely, with a lot about antisemitism and living in a smaller town. I'm not sure how I felt about the whole "golem" idea but overall, I appreciated the love story in the end.

The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove by Karen Hawkins - I didn't know this was the third in a series when I picked it up. That said, I really liked this one. It reminded me of the Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (one of my favorites) and I do love a smidge of magical realism with my love stories. 

Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomons - A sequel to Today, Tonight, Tomorrow! Loved seeing what happened next for this pair of Jewish kids from Seattle. 

The Book of Silver Linings by Nan Fisher - There was definitely too much going on in this book, and I wasn't sure what the point of each part was and how it all tied together. That said, I didn't hate it, I just don't quite know why I liked it.

Sandwich by Catherine Newman - This book hit a lot of top lists for the year, and I suppose I can see why, although I found it a little too angsty for me. I do prefer slightly more plot-driven stories, so this one won't make MY top lists.

I'm about 65 books into the year. What MUST I read before 2024 ends?

September Books
August Books
July Books
June Books
May Books
April Books
March Books
February Books
January Books

September 2024 Books

Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center - Okay, I am so embarrassed to tell you that I read this book in 2009. And honestly? It was so forgettable that I read it again and never realized I'd read it before until I logged it in Goodreads. And I don't remember what I thought of it the first time, but this time I thought it was not my favorite of her books.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio - I'm pretty sure I didn't like this book. I couldn't quite understand the point of it. I liked the premise and it was interesting for the first 20-30 pages. But I couldn't see where it was going and I'm not sure that it even made any interesting points about marriage.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren - Fairly standard romance, some cute dialogue, enjoyed the love story. 

When The Angels Left the Old Country by Sasha Lamb - I enjoyed this somewhat fantastical story about an angel and a demon who come to America from their shtetl - an interesting telling of the Jewish immigration to America story. A little too long, but well-told.

Behind Every Good Man by Sara Goodman Confino - loved this 1960s story about a woman who takes a little bit of control of her own life and her own story. I loved the characters and how the era really impacted their choices and capacities. The mother-daughter story was strong, and I liked the callback to the author's earlier book too. 

August Books
July Books
June Books
May Books
April Books
March Books
February Books
January Books

August 2024 Books

Um...so this month I watched a lot of the Olympics. And a lot of the DNC. And apparently, I didn't read a lot! 

But all of these books were REALLY good so there's that!

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn - This was a great combo of two of my favorite kinds of books: about a "found family" and historical fiction. I really liked the look at McCarthy-era Washington, D.C. This book was a little long, but it was really wonderful and totally worth it!

True Love Experimen tby Christina Lauren - I really enjoyed this one! I'm now on a hunt for the rest of Christina Lauren's books. A reality show, a smart and snarky author, a hot British guy...great romance novel!

Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray - I really loved this bio of Frances Perkins, FDR's Secretary of Labor who transformed our country by inventing Social Security (amongst many other accomplishments). She is my new favorite historical woman! Wow. Loved this insight into all of it...a period of history that I know a lot about but don't have a lot of details about what it was really like. Loved it!

July Books
June Books
May Books
April Books
March Books
February Books
January Books

#blogelul #elulgram 2024

Elul -- that wonderful and terrifying month that precedes the High Holy Days. A month of introspection and considering, a month of personal reflection and preparation.

#BlogElul is a project that I started in 2010, although it wasn't until 2012 that I created the list of topics. Since then, I haven't always completed the whole month of blogging, although I know that many of you have. I also know that the online world has changed so much since 2010, when blogging was one of the only ways to publish your online content easily.

Now we have Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, (some people are still on Formerly Twitter) and other platforms - even TikTok...so many ways in which to express ourselves and dive deeply into the themes of the High Holy Days. And so here we are….I've added #ElulGram (and perhaps #ElulTok?) to the #BlogElul family and the borders of this project are so wide that they reallly don't exist at all. This project is really whatever YOU want - however YOU want to spend your time preparing yourself for the holiest season in the Jewish calendar.

Who can participate? ANYONE. It's yours. I gift it to you. Elul is for anyone and everyone.

How could one do it? You don't have a blog… No worries. Be creative and find your own path! Maybe you don't want to do it daily. Maybe you just want to dip your toe into the experience, or just read (and share?) what others write. It's totally up to you. I always love to see the creative things that the #BlogElul community comes up with.

There are no rules. I provide the topics (see graphic) for each of the days of the month. Use the hashtag to share your post (I like to put it in my titles) and share other people's posts as well. This could be a way to revitalize your blog, kickstart a new project, or even just get yourself ready for the holidays! I know that lots of people use #BlogElul as a spiritual exercise each year, and I'm so proud to be a part of their yearly journey through Elul.

And what about #ElulGram? This one is even more interpretive. Photos, art, illustrations, quotes -- what kinds of images can you put together to explore and interpret these High Holy Day themes? You don't have to limit your picture-sharing to Instagram (even though I totally appropriated the name), you can use any image-sharing site you'd like, such as Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. Whatever you do, tag it with #ElulGram (or #ElulTok?) so we can call share and follow.

These themes and ideas are broad and open, and again -- remember, there are NO RULES except the ones you make for yourself!

And yes, I know that the dates include Shabbat. I personally don't blog/tweet/Facebook on Shabbat, but I will post before and after Shabbat. You can do whatever you like!

Rosh Chodesh Elul is in coming up fast! So here we go….

July 2024 Books

Let's giggle about the THREE books this month all with "summer" in the title, shall we? 

This Summer Will be Different by Carley Fortune - totally worked for me. Loved the Prince Edward Island/Anne of Green Gables references. A sweet romance, perfect for July.

Reign by Katharine McGee - I just really had to finish this series! A satisfying ending to wrap it all up.

The Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr - found family! a creative mystery! a quest to find oneself! I loved this one.

A Death in Cornwall by Daniel Silva - I mean, of course. Gabriel Allon is my favorite. That said, this one was not quite as thick as some of the others. The stakes felt lower, and the "team" wasn't there. But I won't complain.

The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear - A sweet and satisfying end to this long-running series. I loved how many old friends were brought back together, and Maisie was able to metaphorically ride off into the sunset of a happy ending. I will always want more Maisie Dobbs, but I also feel like this ending was perfect.

Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren - It's a family joke that I only finally saw the full movie of Tangled last year. I always ended up falling asleep or helping a kid, and I had never seen the whole thing. So that meant that I wasn't quite as well versed in the Disney film on which this book is based. Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's darker than some other romance novels - and Rapunzel is, actually, a pretty dark story. Such a creative retelling. I'm totally in love with these books as a concept!

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez - This was my first Abby Jimenez and it won't be my last. Loved this story and how it was told. I do appreciate the combination of a few serious ideas alongside the romance. I liked it so much that I dived right into...

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez - and I loved this one too! The letter-writing! The understanding between them! The family drama! (I promise I'll be back for more Abby Jimenez!)

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan - Despite the fact that this was my fourth romance novel in a row (I start to feel much the same way as though I've only eaten candy for a few weeks, like I need something with a vegetable), I really loved this one too. Loved the redemption love story, and the way that the main character was able to reclaim her own power. Predictable? Yes, of course. But enjoyable nevertheless.

June Books
May Books
April Books
March Books
February Books
January Books

June 2024 Books

Okay, we're halfway through the year!

Rivals by Katharine McGee (#3) After the second of this series (American Royals), I thought I was done reading these, but somehow I got sucked into this one and I enjoyed it. I am actually curious to see how far they can take this one! And of course, it ended on a cliffhanger so I'm in for book #4.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto - As I've said before, I'm a big fan of the "found family" genre, usually surrouning an older, somewhat quirky, woman. In this case, they're solving a mystery together. I liked this one a lot and highly recommend! 

The Hebrew Teacher by Maya Arad - Loved this set of three novellas about Israeli women living in the Diaspora, trying to navigate their lives in all the strange ways that cultures and generations clash. The first novella was the best, in my opinion, but all are interesting, readable, and discussable!

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center - A love letter to romantic comedies and a quick, fun read. Reminded me of By The Book by Jasmine Guillory. Fairly predictable but readable. 

In the Shadow of the Greenbriar by Emily Matchar - I thought the intergenerational story was interesting, and I liked learning about how a family of Jews ended up in a small southern town, and how their lives were impacted by that experience. The Greenbrier is a real place, and it looks gorgeous...but I don't think that the "big secret" was such a big secret. 

Stockholm by Noa Yedlin - I'm leading a book discussion on this one and I really didn't like any of the characters, nor did I think it was as funny as all the reviews said it was. I tried to find the Israeli TV show that was based on this book and could only find a few clips. I'm not sure this one is a big hit, although you could pull some interesting conversations about how we start to look back over our lives as we age. 

Welcome Home, Caroline Kline by Courtney Preiss - I wanted to love this book but I didn't really get what it was trying to do. It's fiction about Jews, but I wouldn't call it Jewish fiction. It's about baseball, it's a little bit about casual alcoholism, which felt a bit off, and I'm not sure it was even a romance. It definitely is about learning to love yourself above all. I didn't hate it, but it was just okay.

Previous Months:

May Books
April Books
March Books
February Books
January Books

May 2024 Books

 

May was a weird month. I feel like I hardly read anything and there were a couple of books that I actually started and didn't finish. (And one of those I've returned to, so I might have something to report on in June). But I also think that Family Family is one of my top books of the year. So if for nothing else, May was great!

Family Family by Laurie Frankel - I loved this one so much, I didn't want it to end. I adored the way the story came together and the different ideas about how families are created. Breathtaking, emotional, beautiful. One of my top reads of the year, I'm sure.

Jews Don't Count by David Baddiel - lots of feelings here too, but different kinds of them. I think this is an important book to read in order to have a real perspective on what it means to be part of a "successful" minority. Probably read very differently when it was originally written than my reading of it now!

Once We Were Home by Jennifer Rosner - interwoven tales of children whose identities were hidden during World War II, and their lives converge in the early days of the State of Israel. Readable, interesting, and it ended without feeling like a real wrap-up, but perhaps that was intentional since their lives were so upended and so much closure was missing for the characters...

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams - After her first book, I really hoped to love this one, but I found some of the paranormal bits to just be too much. I think it was a little long too long, and I was pleased with the wrapup at the end, but I would have liked to have gotten there a little faster. 

Marry Me By Midnight by Felicia Grossman - This one checked a lot of boxes - romance, regency-era, Jewy, happily-ever-after. A fun read.

Previous Months...

April Books
March Books
February Books
January Books

April 2024 Books #MyLifeInBooks

 

Hmm, most of this month was a little bit meh for reading. I'll have to work on some better choices for May!

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I did like this one. Apparently, it's also a movie, which I should find and watch. A really lovely inspection of how we find love, how we grow through and with love, and how we change. 

Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall - I really like magic stories, but this one was just trying to be a few too many things for me. I wanted to love it, since it was advertised as "gilmore girls meets magic" but I wasn't quite there.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood - I usually like Ali Hazelwood's science-themed romances. This was a bit of a new path for her, and I'm not sure that I really loved it. As a fan of the Vampire Diaries, I thought I would care more but it just didn't work for me.

Amen Effect by Sharon Brous - breathtaking and important. I'm sure you'll hear lots of rabbis giving sermons about this one. We need each other.

Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford - I read this because one of my kids did, and it was interesting and hard. I am still processing this one.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle - Good, yes, but not great. I knew there had to be a couple of twists, and they didn't disappoint. Get busy living or get busy dying - ultimately a sweet and good message.

Previous Months...

March Books
February Books
January Books

#BlogExodus #ExodusGram 5784

 

Rosh Chodesh Nisan is Tuesday, April 9th.

This year is so different. Since October 7th, nothing has felt quite right.

And of all the holidays we've observed since Simchat Torah, Pesach is the one that feels...off. I was able to celebrate Chanukah and Purim, but Pesach...how? 

And yet - we will. We must.

We are told, each year, that we should see ourselves as though we came out of Egypt. That ability to imagine freedom kept our ancestors going through so many hardships of our history. That ability to hold a vision of a better future...and we will get through this dark time too.

We are a people with a future. Pesach reminds us of that. It reminds us that spring is coming, renewal is coming, and soon, we hope, peace is comign. 

I'll admit that I'm having a hard time picking out menus, feeling more desperate as the days pass and we await the return of the hostages and some kind of feeling that we're able to begin to heal. 

And yet...I'm also trying to find hope, to find normalcy in the cycle and rhythm of our year and our beloved holidays.

I spent a lot of time trying to decide if #BlogExodus and #Exodusgram should happen this year. And I decided yes, I would offer two different graphics and a list of prompts. As I say each year, the themes are open to your own interpretation, and they're words that can hold a lot of meaning in a lot of ways for different people. 

May this season of Nisan, of Pesach, bring us all hope and healing, and may we find blessing in each other along the way.

#BlogExodus #Exodusgram topics for 5784:
1 Nisan - Launch
2 Nisan - Exalt
3 Nisan - Rise
4 Nisan - Cleanse
5 Nisan - Seek
6 Nisan - Retell
7 Nisan - Read
8 Nisan - Expand
9 Nisan - Perplex
10 Nisan - Join
11 Nisan - Celebrate
12 Nisan - Reveal
13 Nisan - Welcome
14 Nisan - Thank

 *Yes, I know that I put the Shabbat dates there. I don't blog/tweet/Facebook on Shabbat but I will post on Fridays before Shabbat and on Saturdays after Shabbat is over. You can, of course, do it any way you like!

March 2024 Books #MyLifeInBooks

 

I've mostly moved on from the 2023 recommendations and now I'm into some new stuff. What is on your TBR list?

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict - I knew nothing about Hedy Lamarr's story and this told it well. My complaint about her books is that they read too much like a wikipedia entry - meaning, not enough imagined insight into the character. Mostly a somewhat dry retelling of the life. I feel like a biography might have done better! 

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer - A book about a "death doula" but really it's a book about found-family, and I usually like those kinds of stories where there's a mishmash cast of characters who all come together to make their own worlds just a little brighter and better. Heartwarming and sweet. 

Life Intended by Kristen Harmel - a little bit like Sliding Doors, a what-if kind of story, but somehow not quite? I'm not even sure how to explain this book and the story, and that's how I felt while reading it also. But I kept going mostly because I couldn't quite figure out what the point was. (But it inspired me to watch Sliding Doors with one of my kids and that was fun!)

Meant to be Mine by Hannah Orenstein - cute premise but just a little bit uninspiring. 

The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang - Oh! So good!! Really loved this historical fiction about the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Very compelling, couldn't put it down. I love Kate Quinn's novels and now I want to go check out Janie Chang's. Sometimes a team-written novel can feel uneven but this one felt seamless.

Wings of Fire by Tui T Sutherland - I picked this one up because a fourth grader was reading the 14th or 15th book in this series and when I asked her if I should read them, she did say "well, the first 10 books aren't good but they get good in the last five." I suggested that I might start with book #11, but she was appalled by this idea and insisted that I needed to start at the beginning. I can see why she likes these books so much, it was delightful. I probably won't read all 15 but I feel like I would enjoy them...and I can't wait to see her at Hebrew School to give her my review.

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare - I loved this fantasy-romance-magic book. Hints of Jewish elements made me smile. But about halfway through, I realized that there is going to be a sequel, there has to be, and then I checked. I think I have a new personal rule - no more unfinished series! I feel very grumpy to wait to find out what happens next. Couldn't put it down but I'll just have to wait for the next one!

February Books
January Books

February 2024 Books #MyLifeInBooks

I am steadily making my way through the lists of all the end-of-year recommendations from 2023...but it's hard when new books come out too! It's a neverending saga....

You Have a Match by Emma Lord - a not-bad YA book about finding a "secret" sibling through a DNA testing service. Sweet and a little bit forgettable.

The Maid by Nita Prose - I didn't know anything about this one going in, and I was glad for it. Loved the "found family" story and the mystery was good too. I think this is the start of a series, but I'm probably done for now. 

Thank you for Listening by Julia Whelan - Great story and characters, I really appreciated the insight into the audiobook world, and I was rooting for the love story! What more can you ask for? (P.S. I'm not really an audiobook listener, but apparently the author is a famous narrator.)

Have you Seen Luis Velez? by Catherin Ryan Hyde - I adored this book. The intergenerational friendship just brought me so much warm joy, and the story was just beautifully told. Don't skip this one. 

Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory - love me a good, simple, HEA (happy ever after) romance. I wasn't sure if this one "counted" since it was more of a novella, but other people put it on their lists so I decided, why not?

Amazing Grace Adams by Jean Littlewood - I wanted to love this and it started out strong, but I got a little bogged down in the middle somewhere and never quite found my way back to loving it. I had a hard time keeping track of everything and definitely didn't see the grief part of this story coming. Sigh. 

The Women by Kristin Hannah - It's hard to believe how little I actually know about Vietnam and how I don't think I've ever read a novel about it. This was raw and painful and entirely engrossing. Plus, it included Kristin Hannah's signature deep female friendships, which I appreciate. I'm still reeling from this one. 

January Books

January 2024 Books #MyLifeInBooks

 

New year, new books to read! 

The Island of the Missing Trees by Elif Shafak - Okay, I'll admit it, I get a little cranky about a book with a non-human narrator. This one was saved by that narrator only having periodic chapters. But this particular bias aside, this was a good book with an interesting story about Cyprus - I knew almost nothing about the history of this island! And the universal story about how we determine our identities and what is the meaning of home was really lovely.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson - This book was ...quirky.... The jist of the story is that there are these two kids who burst into flames. And a woman is hired to care for them, but becomes a loving parent to them. And...you'll have to read this one for yourself to see if you like it.

Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino - really loved this story about a young woman who gets caught kissing the rabbi's son (!) and it turns her whole life upside down...in what turns out to be a great way. It was sweet and light, but also heartwarming. 

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman - This was like two totally different books - the first part and the weird second part. I enjoyed the first part, and the powerful message that reading can help you to find personal freedom was appreciated. But the second part? So confused. And somewhat annoyed. I usually enjoy magical realism but this one threw me for a loop.

Kunstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Schine - Similar to Sara Confino's book above, a young person ends up in the home of an older one, only to learn deep secrets from the older person. (I'm sensing a trope here.) I look forward to discussing this one with our book group in February, if only to ask the question of whether we are ready for Covid19 Pandemic Novels. 

The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre - found family, casual magic, somewhat sweet romance...this was a little like eating a candy bar. Turns out it's part of a series, but I probably won't read the others. 

The Society of Shame by Jane Roper - Really liked this look at how "15 minutes of infamy" and the speedy news cycle in our crazy world lead to some ridiculousness. 

Can We Talk About Israel by Daniel Sokatch - I'm leading a discussion about this one next month, and there's a lot to unpack here. Readable, good background material, interesting perspectives. 

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang - Oh my. This book dealt with some major issues regarding race and appropriation - who gets to tell certain stories? whose stories get told? how do books get published and who decides what hits the zeitgeist and what doesn't? And truthiness certainly plays in. A powerful book, I couldn't put it down. (But it was a little like watching a slo-mo trainwreck. I knew it was going to crash...I just didn't quite know how.)

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan - This felt like a classic Picoult, with a family drama/murder mystery/courtroom story all tied up with Issue Of The Day. Still, it was a good read and I was guessing until the end. (Also, my guessing was wrong, which means I should stick to my day job!)

Lots of good reading ahead in the rest of 2024, stick around! :-)