The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer - Cute premise, not my favorite of hers.
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans - loved, loved, loved this one. Everything everyone is saying about it is true - one of my favorites for the whole year.
Mothers and Other Fictional Characters: A Memoir in Essays by Nicole Graev Lipson - I don't usually read essays but I really enjoyed this memoir about real modern motherhood. I felt seen...
As a Jew by Sarah Hurwitz - a really great follow-up to her first book. Readable, important discussion about how antisemitism has shaped our Jewish lives, and how we can reclaim our Jewish joy.
If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia - sweet, predictable, lovable romance set in a small town that you'll want to live in.
Heart of a Stranger by Angela Buchdal - a really important and wonderful memoir with some wonderful divrei torah sprinkled in.
Ghosts of a Holy War by Yardena Schwartz - This book was so hard but also felt really important. Bookended by the 1929 massacre in Hebron and the October 7 massacre in the Gaza Envelope, I felt torn apart as I read the descriptions of these two historical events, and saw the direct ties between them.
For Such a Time as This by Elliot Cosgrove - What does it mean to be Jewish in a post-October 7 world? This book starts to help answer those questions.
The Witching Moon Manor by Stacy Sivinski - Just like in the first book, my favorite character is the house itself, which is, of course, magical. And second was the magical bookshop. I needed this palate cleanser after three non-fiction reads!
Hostage by Eli Sharabi - I wasn't going to read this but it came into the synagogue library and I felt like I had to read this wrenching first-hand account of Eli's horrific experiences as a hostage in Gaza. It is important and necessary.
The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso - "Speculative" fiction about a time-space library where all of our memories are stored, and also lost. It reminded me of the Midnight Library and it was pretty good, but not one of my favorites.
The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst - this is a companion, not a sequel, to the author's earlier book and once I realized that and settled in, I loved it. I like the world she's created and I loved the found family element of this one, especially since much of the found family were sentient plants.
Hazel Says No by Jessica Berger Gross - Hmm. I wanted to like this. Interesting premise. I am not totally sure I understood who this book was for or what the point was. And I didn't really like most of the characters. I kept waiting for something to happen...
Where I've Been....
October Books
September Books
August Books
July Books
June Books
May Books
April Books
March Books
February 2025 Books
January 2025 Books
