tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18070223632796383492024-03-04T22:47:10.955-06:00Ima on (and off) the Bima: Real-Life Jewish ParentingReal-Life Jewish parenting...from the laptop of a rabbi-mom of FOUR kids on the NorthShore of Chicago...join our journey!Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.comBlogger1321125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-38481382248686510562024-02-29T20:30:00.004-06:002024-02-29T20:30:27.963-06:00February 2024 Books #MyLifeInBooks<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBlXLzJmPb_hKwFhfJ2xAlZun3THqlDvFkOU1R148_8NnXADytjnBzCEm-iR5baUEEZf2NMyMroT68XnloPeg5gpTnA0c229QwrkFbYcO78t-k-qHeqwHcJuLatlZwXhDtARs6m2KphVcj41Urhy32J7LT_uF-99QuUe54M6onUiqIE_fQ7_hWDAGnz5M/s320/February%202024%20books.png" width="320" /></div><p></p><p><i>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....</i></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53138158-you-have-a-match">You Have a Match by Emma Lord</a> - a not-bad YA book about finding a "secret" sibling through a DNA testing service. Sweet and a little bit forgettable.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55196813-the-maid">The Maid by Nita Prose</a> - 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. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59314703-thank-you-for-listening">Thank you for Listening by Julia Whelan</a> - 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.)</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42632584-have-you-seen-luis-velez">Have you Seen Luis Velez? by Catherin Ryan Hyde</a> - 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. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200033957-drop-cover-and-hold-on">Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory</a> - 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?</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143372703-amazing-grace-adams">Amazing Grace Adams by Jean Littlewood</a> - 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. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127305853-the-women">The Women by Kristin Hannah</a> - 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. </p><p><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2024/01/january-2024-books-mylifeinbooks.html">January Books</a></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-36312355248097497122024-01-31T18:44:00.000-06:002024-01-31T18:44:01.128-06:00January 2024 Books #MyLifeInBooks<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYm7zi-ToAmX6Ir-A-j7Mu6d9ay7MOe6HoetT6rBcEX5q1VOCgioIoYQTMjBmvZxCim_97LSxy01ipJDkR30yGgV5ie2HyFDNX7O2WUa1gW0GaS1qc5RfrcHUqMIuGPKmNCGbH8G4-b4L-1QvlGJzjVk_oMu9QVJOfsuI9-Vp0XOYYt_xWr461VXNasjY/s1080/January%202024%20books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYm7zi-ToAmX6Ir-A-j7Mu6d9ay7MOe6HoetT6rBcEX5q1VOCgioIoYQTMjBmvZxCim_97LSxy01ipJDkR30yGgV5ie2HyFDNX7O2WUa1gW0GaS1qc5RfrcHUqMIuGPKmNCGbH8G4-b4L-1QvlGJzjVk_oMu9QVJOfsuI9-Vp0XOYYt_xWr461VXNasjY/w359-h359/January%202024%20books.png" width="359" /></a></div><p></p><p><i>New year, new books to read! </i></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56587382-the-island-of-missing-trees">The Island of the Missing Trees by Elif Shafak</a> - 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.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42519313-nothing-to-see-here">Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson</a> - 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.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75349380-don-t-forget-to-write">Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino</a> - 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. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919793-the-invisible-hour">The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman</a> - 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.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784564-k-nstlers-in-paradise">Kunstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Schine</a> - 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. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784564-k-nstlers-in-paradise">The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre</a> - 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. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61282523-the-society-of-shame">The Society of Shame by Jane Roper</a> - Really liked this look at how "15 minutes of infamy" and the speedy news cycle in our crazy world lead to some ridiculousness. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44453032-can-we-talk-about-israel">Can We Talk About Israel by Daniel Sokatch</a> - I'm leading a discussion about this one next month, and there's a lot to unpack here. Readable, good background material, interesting perspectives. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62047984-yellowface">Yellowface by R.F. Kuang</a> - 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.)</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59912428-mad-honey">Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan</a> - 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!)</p><p>Lots of good reading ahead in the rest of 2024, stick around! :-) </p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-31928597496247656422023-12-31T12:50:00.003-06:002023-12-31T12:50:30.147-06:002023 Books I Read #YearInBooks<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4153882-phyllis?ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=2023" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5ZY8ShxQ02J-QkaLZuXv_wRL9m6W0r5cVyuQZq5BZxbLSbbQUmlzL7SzI8iSkvxR28ct3j8iIndt7gBdomH9l7uCz3c5adt-rFR3bsbnYEl5CSEllLRXhyphenhyphen0-xSOMWVcdj7pTfOl4RhR7onWTQeSyJG3ebK-VrnXMEW5NqdxQ3iV_9Gp7FFCjUzEH5_8/s320/2023%20Books%20in%20Total%20(2).png" width="320" /></a></div>So many books! The reading world is a broad and beautiful place.<p></p><p>This year found me reading almost the entirety of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series (I started it in 2022), and I didn't get to tell you about it because I never did an end-of-2022 recap post! (We were travelling and by the time I came back, it felt very 2023.) I definitely would like to another one (waiting on book 10, Shannon Messenger!) but I was also glad to finish so I could move on with my life! I also read both Fourth Wing and its sequel this year and I liked them along with everyone else in the world, haha. </p><p>Of course, the usual suspects are here - my annual Daniel Silva, a lot of romance novels, heavy on the Jewish content, and a bit of variety. I didn't like some of the books that other people loved and vice versa.</p><p>The end of this year was tough in the real world, and after a short slowdown, I was able to find escape in fictional worlds, which I really needed.</p><p>So here's the list:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>An Affair of Spies by Ron Balson</li><li>The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama</li><li>Everblaze by Shannon Messenger (Keeper #3)</li><li>Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman</li><li>Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro</li><li>Neverseen by Shannon Messenger (Keeper #4)</li><li>The People we Keep by Allison Larkin</li><li>Lodestar by Shannon Messenger (Keeper #5)</li><li>Nightfall by Shannon Messenger (Keeper #6)</li><li>Flashback by Shannon Messenger (Keeper #7)</li><li>Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner</li><li>A Play for the End of the World by Jai Chakrabarti</li><li>Legacy by Shannon Messenger (Keeper #8)</li><li>Unlocked by Shannon Messenger (Keeper #8.5)</li><li>Stellarlune by Shannon Messenger (Keeper #9)</li><li>Summer of the Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds</li><li>Answers in the Pages by David Levithan</li><li>We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman</li><li>The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict</li><li>Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott</li><li>Shadows of Berlin by David R Gillham</li><li>Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert</li><li>The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges</li><li>The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear</li><li>Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr</li><li>Maame by Jessica George</li><li>Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher</li><li>Miracle Creek by Angie Kim</li><li>Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire</li><li>Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King</li><li>Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld</li><li>All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody</li><li>Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn</li><li>We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia</li><li>The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry</li><li>Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson</li><li>The Red Balcony by Jonathan Wilson</li><li>Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley</li><li>Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs</li><li>The Postcard by Anne Berest</li><li>The Change by Kirsten Miller</li><li>Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune</li><li>Candle, Feather, Wooden Spoon by Zoe Klein</li><li>Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano</li><li>Kantika by Elizabeth Graver</li><li>The Witch of Woodland by Laurel Snyder</li><li>Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb</li><li>The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton</li><li>Diary of a Lonely Girl by Miriam Karpilove</li><li>The Collector by Daniel Silva</li><li>The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende</li><li>Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal</li><li>Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim</li><li>Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon</li><li>Happy Place by Emily Henry</li><li>Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros</li><li>Hotel Cuba by Aaron Hamburger</li><li>The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton</li><li>Weyward by Emilia Hart</li><li>The Celebrants by Steven Rowley</li><li>The Doughnut Fix by Jessie Janowitz</li><li>The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter</li><li>Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer</li><li>Unorthodox Love by Heidi Shertok</li><li>Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood</li><li>Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross</li><li>Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Cordova</li><li>Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley</li><li>The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride</li><li>My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine</li><li>The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynne Barnes</li><li>B'nai Mitzvah Mistake by Stacey Agdern</li><li>The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom</li><li>All the Broken Places by John Boyne</li><li>Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan</li><li>The Enchanted Hacienda by JC Cervantes</li><li>The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach</li><li>The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair</li><li>Meet You in the Middle by Devon Daniels</li><li>Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith</li><li>The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman</li><li>The Lost Husband by Katherine Center</li><li>Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros</li><li>Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper</li><li>Cottage on Glass Lake by Amy Pine</li><li>Hawaii by James Michener</li><li>Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett</li><li>The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson</li><li>Tom Lake by Ann Patchett</li><li>Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson</li><li>What You Do To Me by Rochelle Weinstein</li></ol><div>Here are all the mini-reviews:</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/01/january-2023-books-i-read.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">January Books</a></div><div><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/02/february-2023-books-i-read.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">February Books</a></div><div><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/03/march-books-lifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">March Books</a></div><div><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/04/april-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">April Books</a></div><div><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">May Books</a></div><div><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">June Books</a></div><div><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/07/july-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">July Books</a></div><div><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/08/august-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">August Books</a></div><div><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/09/september-2023-books.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">September Books</a></div><div><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/10/october-2023-books.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">October Books</a></div><div><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/11/november-2023-books.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">November Books</a></div><div><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/12/december-2023-books.html">December Books</a></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>It's hard to choose favorites (often it's what I'm reading right now) but here is a good list of the ones I liked best:</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>Secret Book of Flora Lea</div><div>Hello Beautiful</div><div>Romantic Comedy</div><div>Tom Lake</div><div>The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone</div><div>Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting</div><div>Matchmaker's Gift</div><div>The People We Keep</div><div>Black Cake</div><div>Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>While I'm going to continue tracking on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4153882-phyllis">GoodReads</a>, I'm also going to set up a <a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/imabima">StoryGraph</a> account to track simulatneously. Lots of Goodreads drama, so I'll just dip my toe into something new. Plus I'll share monthly updates here and on the socials so stay tuned.</div><div><br /></div><div>What do you think I should read in 2024? What are you reading? What were your favorites of 2023?</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Previous years' book lists are here:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(I just didn't do it in 2022)</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2021/12/books-i-read-in-2021-myyearinbooks.html">Books Read in 2021</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2020/12/books-read-in-2020-myyearinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2020</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2019/12/books-read-in-2019-myyearinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2019</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2018/12/books-read-in-2018-myyearinbooks.html" style="color: #0023a4; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2018</a><br /><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2017/12/books-read-in-2017.html" style="color: #0023a4; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2017</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2016/12/books-read-in-2016.html" style="color: #0023a4; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2016</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2015/12/books-read-in-2015.html" style="color: #0023a4; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2015</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2014/12/books-read-in-2014.html" style="color: #0023a4; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2014</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2013/12/books-read-in-2013.html" style="color: #0023a4; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2013</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2012/12/books-i-read-in-2012.html" style="color: #0023a4; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2012</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-annual-book-post-2011-list.html" style="color: #0023a4; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2011</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2011/01/100-books-read-in-2010.html" style="color: #0023a4; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2010</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2010/01/93-in-2009-whats-on-your-bedside-table.html" style="color: #0023a4; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2009</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2009/01/81-in-2008-and-reading-plan-for-09.html" style="color: #0023a4; text-decoration-line: none;">Books Read in 2008</a></span></div></div><p></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-47152283407220839932023-12-31T12:36:00.003-06:002023-12-31T12:36:26.951-06:00December 2023 Books<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4153882-phyllis?ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=2023" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fT7-n7PaaqE8YMPLscpqQLWUEaOg9TZeqWX0dwoS_ClK-1784LELruBdXfK_NBDQbQ_97dn_rD0W8xYbuAVGqXez812mGZGRA4O_3OQl5mb47N-kPbhdltDhTi0pCnGPSU-jQtPgUrwBetvN1gJf0fJ0_BzelY5IIiFJbFg_XFq8PFbuaWVCLXqu9rg/w353-h353/December%202023%20books.png" width="353" /></a></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33877155-the-garden-of-small-beginnings">The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman</a> - Oh this was a sweet and somewhat predictable read. That did not stop me from enjoying it immensely.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15799352-the-lost-husband">The Lost Husband by Katherine Center </a>- I did not mean to read two books back-to-back that were about young widows. It felt a little odd. But anyway, this one was similarly sweet and predictable, and also quite enjoyable. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/90202302">Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros</a> - I wasn't going to read this. I was annoyed at the long-book-with-cliffhanger-ending of the first one, and I vowed not to read this one. But the hype got to me and I couldn't help it and oh my, did I enjoy it. It was a little too long but it mostly kept my attention and damn if I am not already planning to read whatever she throws at me next.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/128154834-witches-get-stuff-done">Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper</a> - a fun and silly paranormal romance set in the Midwest. A great quick read, especially after nearly 10 days on Iron Flame! Apparently a series, but I'm probably not reading more.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62874234-the-cottage-on-glass-lake">The Cottage on Glass Lake by Amy Pine</a> - Casual Jewish representation! Shabbat dinners! A Wisconsin lake house! Romance! Delightful!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12658.Hawaii">Hawaii by James Michener</a> - Technically, this is a re-read. I read this in high school, when I was going through a read-the-biggest-books-on-the-shelf phase. Michener's books definitely qualified. I thought I was very grown up. Anyway, I never fact-checked this book back then, but apparently it's quite accurate historically, and was an amazing re-read that I finished as we landed in Hawaii! </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60657589-emily-wilde-s-encyclopaedia-of-faeries">Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett</a> - a cozy fantasy that I didn't expect to enjoy but I definitely did!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/148516779-the-last-list-of-mabel-beaumont">The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson</a> - I am a fan of the older-woman-makes-chosen-family story. I can think of at least two or three others that fit into this category and I liked this one as much as the others (Iona Iverson, Lenni & Margot, Eleanor Oliphant...)</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63241104-tom-lake">Tom Lake by Ann Patchett </a>- Loved it! It felt so real to the pandemic experience of finding joy even when everything seems terrible, and connecting youthful love to married love...sigh. I didn't really want this book to end.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61246258-pineapple-street">Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson</a> - One reviewer pointed out that "nothing really happens" in this book, and I am usually a plot-driven kind of reader. And it's true, nothing really happens. But it's a really interesting look at how class and money have a real impact on our interactions and behavior.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63852945-what-you-do-to-me">What You Do To Me by Rochelle Weinstein</a> - This book is the imagined story of what might have inspired the song "Hey there Delilah" and I liked it. I was also glad for the Jewish represenation, although I think that Sara's parents come off as a little too harsh even though Sara clearly loves her Jewish life. </p><p><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/01/january-2023-books-i-read.html" style="color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">January Books</a><br style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/02/february-2023-books-i-read.html" style="color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">February Books</a><br style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/03/march-books-lifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">March Books</a><br style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/04/april-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">April Books</a><br style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">May Books</a><br style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">June Books</a><br style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/07/july-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">July Books</a><br style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/08/august-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">August Books</a><br style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/09/september-2023-books.html" style="color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">September Books</a><br style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/10/october-2023-books.html" style="color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">October Books</a><br /><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/11/november-2023-books.html">November Books</a></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-87979380972981335282023-11-30T19:49:00.003-06:002023-11-30T19:49:40.521-06:00November 2023 Books<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjMpAsb0-zL25z77OJJLVV27iq8nTfIhQUuAV58M_8q4MewYX-vVkCeHCpivGj_VSBnsvQdNhFdUdoDWmYEaKvXUkUBWSaQGNtcMqyoc1hw9TtgrpgDuauC5lTaze6P5uKKaaV-9_QmhM98bkhNk_ArHggf24fK4wbOL78EZ9ZSQ-dUv__bF2GKSRX7c/s1080/Books%20Ongoing%20books%20(4).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjMpAsb0-zL25z77OJJLVV27iq8nTfIhQUuAV58M_8q4MewYX-vVkCeHCpivGj_VSBnsvQdNhFdUdoDWmYEaKvXUkUBWSaQGNtcMqyoc1hw9TtgrpgDuauC5lTaze6P5uKKaaV-9_QmhM98bkhNk_ArHggf24fK4wbOL78EZ9ZSQ-dUv__bF2GKSRX7c/s320/Books%20Ongoing%20books%20(4).png" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61111301-all-the-broken-places">All the Broken Places by John Boyne</a> - I did not realize this was a "sequel" to the Boy in the Striped Pajamas and as I read it, I slowly realized it. And then I was annoyed. I did not like the main character and it all felt very contrived. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62562931-same-time-next-summer">Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan</a> - Summer nostalgia meets romance. It was sweet and fluffy and somewhat forgettable.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61987490-the-enchanted-hacienda">The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes</a> - this was like the grown up, romance version of Encanto. And therefore I liked it. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/124019742-the-golem-of-brooklyn">The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach</a> - okay, I'm still not sure what I think about this one. Have you read it? Can you please talk to me about it? It's a modern-day golem in modern-day America, and it can smell antisemitism...and wants to fight it. And there are so many questions here. Totally fascinating and strange. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41150342-the-right-sort-of-man">The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair</a> - a somewhat cozy mystery set in post-war England. A little like Maisie Dobbs but not quite as delicious. I didn't realize it was a whole series, and I liked it but I'm probably not going to read more of them unless one of you tells me that I must!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49349184-meet-you-in-the-middle">Meet You in the Middle by Devon Daniels</a> - classic enemies-to-lovers story based on two sides of the political spectrum. Nice and fluffy romance. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32048554-windfall">Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith</a> - what would you do if you won the lottery? And what if you felt that you were chronically unlucky? And how would you spend the money? And also, what are the expectations placed upon you by the rest of the world? All these questions...and some sweet answers too. I liked this YA novel and thought it was a really enjoyable read. </p><p></p><div class="post-footer" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #9d9d9d; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-8970540887934935379" itemprop="description articleBody" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.4; orphans: 2; position: relative; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 508px; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/01/january-2023-books-i-read.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration: none;">January Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/02/february-2023-books-i-read.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration: none;">February Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/03/march-books-lifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration: none;">March Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/04/april-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration: none;">April Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration: none;">May Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration: none;">June Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/07/july-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration: none;">July Books</a><br /><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/08/august-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html">August Books</a><br /><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/09/september-2023-books.html">September Books</a><br /><a href="https://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/10/october-2023-books.html">October Books</a><br /></p><div style="clear: both;"></div></div>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-8219833694699969422023-10-31T20:07:00.003-05:002023-10-31T20:07:23.704-05:00October 2023 Books<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnBzSsScFSm4VKbRijAtOf4x5-fBEId7YdERNJRDNxelf5oZQkREm4HWh-MpowL61Qm9I6Yh5a4mRl3JqfYiVwDsQtKHi_UuCQusgkHPahuorYg7pTtAkk-eeE9__7bOT6Ur62BWg5dcJsJkO2dAhCqdRdXUmjrXKeVH4thNGIjpVmYRBFw0otdvFkf_o" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnBzSsScFSm4VKbRijAtOf4x5-fBEId7YdERNJRDNxelf5oZQkREm4HWh-MpowL61Qm9I6Yh5a4mRl3JqfYiVwDsQtKHi_UuCQusgkHPahuorYg7pTtAkk-eeE9__7bOT6Ur62BWg5dcJsJkO2dAhCqdRdXUmjrXKeVH4thNGIjpVmYRBFw0otdvFkf_o=w360-h360" width="360" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65678550-the-heaven-earth-grocery-store">The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride </a>- Wow, what an incredible look at the way the Jewish and Black communities have been intertwined. The writing is wonderful and the characters are rich. My only real complaint is that nothing really happens in the story until it all suddenly gets wrapped up in the end. But it was an enjoyable read along the way!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60041932-my-roommate-is-a-vampire">My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine</a> - This was the perfect silly romance novel to get me through some of this terrible month. The title is the story, and, spoiler alert, they fall in love. Okay, now you've got the whole book. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62804258-the-brothers-hawthorne">The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes</a> - You've got to laugh that this is the fourth book in a trilogy. Seriously, though, I was happy to revisit the world of the Hawthorne brothers, I get a big kick out of them. It was also somewhat ridiculous but therefore enjoyable. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63049532-b-nai-mitzvah-mistake">B'nai Mitzvah Mistake by Stacey Agdern </a>- This was a fun Jew-y romance novel and it followed the romance novel formula perfectly. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56922594-the-stranger-in-the-lifeboat">The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom</a> - This book was an intriguing concept but I'm not sure if it worked for me as a book. I'm still thinking about it, though, so maybe that part was successful.</p><p>What are you reading? </p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-35094588954405726372023-09-30T20:38:00.005-05:002023-09-30T20:38:39.612-05:00September 2023 Books<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB0MfLAoVFmteo7G3ix1wixBObHmzBaQ4W9FQb-4WqZKUerMF32qs1d3WjGM-Gb9kUrnLTJ6_V0HwbdASJdRdJYC9BWVVmHqE30gQldu-eltayo561IzmZnj_6mbtN2Mx5TpWi4JKm4o7H6CucLP76lKx5SsKTu5M4wLEG6ZBFn6U6ITeaXUSR5ErbLpw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjB0MfLAoVFmteo7G3ix1wixBObHmzBaQ4W9FQb-4WqZKUerMF32qs1d3WjGM-Gb9kUrnLTJ6_V0HwbdASJdRdJYC9BWVVmHqE30gQldu-eltayo561IzmZnj_6mbtN2Mx5TpWi4JKm4o7H6CucLP76lKx5SsKTu5M4wLEG6ZBFn6U6ITeaXUSR5ErbLpw=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/67992408-unorthodox-love">Unorthodox Love by Heidi Shertok</a> - Not bad, but not my favorite Jewy romance novel. I wanted it to move faster! And I wanted to see how they'd "mix" their Jewishness. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61326735-love-theoretically">Love Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood</a> - Loved this science-themed romance! Especially since we're also watching the Big Bang Theory, so it dovetailed with some of that too. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784546-divine-rivals">Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross</a> - Honestly, did not love this one. It has been all over the bestseller lists so I was excited for this fantasy enemies-to-lovers book, but I found it fairly forgettable. As in, I almost can't remember finishing it!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62572881-kiss-the-girl">Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Cordova</a> - I adore this Disney-themed romance series. This one was Little Mermaid inspired, and I was not disappointed. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61675933-warrior-girl-unearthed">Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley</a> - Loved this author's first book, and I also really enjoyed this look into the Native community in Northern Michigan. I love the cultural and linguistic insights in the characters and the story of reclaiming stolen artifacts was intense and heartbreaking. </p><p>What are you reading?</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61675933-warrior-girl-unearthed"><br /></a> - </p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-89705408879349353792023-08-31T17:16:00.005-05:002023-08-31T17:16:49.571-05:00August 2023 books #MyLifeInBooks<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4153882?ref=nav_profile_l" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluSsnEfdAEa9LOt-tPaOVinjY3Cw_lq1x0T0VIBjhIPbhbiQAptCp4KJVcbV1TmM9M3nuLhJohtnCzuZEkkiNCFcFY3LGrJwyDLH8vZM9-UeZKPg_GrZKsOyC91n5C17AcpOknaGf6duo1hLdbe67xH-HF9LdI5kXCYLpabtBMF29uKy2glbwiXB2M-U/s320/Books%20Ongoing%20books.png" width="320" /></a></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61431922-fourth-wing">Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros</a> - This has been on the top of the best seller lists and I haven't read a lot of fantasty lately. This one was great - it reminded me of the Dragonriders of Pern books (loved those) with a nice dose of romance. The world-building was interesting but a little uneven (it bothered me that they used our swear words - I like when a fantasy book comes up with swear words that fit with the culture) but overall, I look forward to the sequel!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61896663-hotel-cuba">Hotel Cuba by Aaron Hamburger</a> - A good twist on the immigrant tale, featuring a pair of sisters who end up going to Cuba instead of the USA when leaving Russia. The way that Cuba imprints differently on them, and how the Jewish community in both Cuba and the US help them to land with their older sister - a well-told and interesting read. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55502861-the-wisteria-society-of-lady-scoundrels">Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton</a> - A ridiculous and fun fantasy-historical romance. If that sentence piques your interest, this book is for you. It was both silly and delightful. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60654349-weyward">Weyward by Emilia Hart </a>- Slightly magical tale of three generations of women and the way that they each survive abusive relationships. A powerful story, but it was a hard book to read because of the subject matter.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62049729-the-celebrants">The Celebrants by Steven Rowley</a> - I wanted to love this book but I just found it a little confusing and disjointed. I didn't quite get how all the pieces came together and ultimately, it didn't work for me. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33344054-the-doughnut-fix">The Donut Fix by Jesse Janowitz</a> - A sweet middle-grade story about a kid who moves from NYC to a small town and decides to start a donut business. Enjoyable, but could someone please explain to me why this was a PJ Our Way selection? I missed any Jewish content in this book.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63310912-the-blonde-identity">The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter</a> - This book didn't quite know what it wanted to be - it was a mashup of a spy novel with a romance novel, and I'm not sure that either story really held up. But I did keep reading and I didn't hate it. <br /></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62325757-kissing-kosher">Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer</a> - I loved this one. Such a fun read, the story of a kosher bakery and its cross-the-street rival; enemies-to-lovers with a few interesting twists relating to chronic illness. And the rabbi! Oy! I couldn't stop reading and I giggled with all the Jewish and baking puns. (We won't talk about the one glaring "full moon on Rosh Chodesh" gaffe though, right?)</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">What are you reading?</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/01/january-2023-books-i-read.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">January Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/02/february-2023-books-i-read.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">February Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/03/march-books-lifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">March Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/04/april-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">April Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">May Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">June Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/07/july-books-mylifeinbooks.html">July Books</a></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-61999114209583639642023-07-31T20:02:00.002-05:002023-07-31T20:02:29.786-05:00July Books #MyLifeInBooks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwD2MVYIu8RCY95SoNvj-yG42aqwDo-OvMfTpJaC6dVIxyabBQosZl4fhQJezuVAWcU_hjwNWXY2HzK5gv7kZYZ0Gjezn4laAQ_3G_6Cz8jpEMrT-SY9rhnGSXnGtx2m0yuvW_9aLonSxNqSMr9MHvAVptgsXDCh7VHfobWkOpaApREgC5NCSinqNzMDQ/s320/July%20books.png" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62047926-the-witch-of-woodland">The Witch of Woodland by Laurel Snyder</a> - I really wanted to love this, it's magic and a Bat Mitzvah put together into a book. I didn't feel like it quite hit the mark with me. I did appreciate that the rabbi wasn't terrible.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61111253-symphony-of-secrets">Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb</a> - really liked this author's first book and I really liked this one too! A musical mystery uncovering a secret about a (fictional) "great American composer." Even though the story is all fiction, it feels like it could have been totally true. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60468332-the-light-pirate">The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton</a> - I strongly disliked this book. Not because of the potential environmental nightmares it left me with, but because I just didn't understand the magical element and felt like it actually took away from the story. (I usually really like magical realism, I was just confused by this one.) Extra props for a character named Phyllis, though. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45359178-diary-of-a-lonely-girl-or-the-battle-against-free-love">Diary of a Lonely Girl, or the Battle Against Free Love by Miriam Karpilove (translated by Jessica Kirzane)</a> - The Yiddish version of Bridge Jones' Diary....published serially in 1916ish in Yiddish and brought together into a book. It wasn't a "fast" read and I think it was a little draggy because it was originally published serially. But I was fascinated by the idea of an "independent woman" in this particular era, and her arguments against "free love" were pretty compelling (it's really only beneficial to the men, she says). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63883284-the-collector">The Collector by Daniel Silva</a> - My yearly date with Gabriel Allon was perfect. It did not disappoint. It followed the usual formula and it's like slipping on a favorite sweater. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62583516-the-wind-knows-my-name">The Wind Knows My Name by Isabelle Allende</a> - I'm pretty sure this is the first book I've read by this author. It was very readable, but I was disappointed that it felt a little too preachy instead of story.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42051103-natalie-tan-s-book-of-luck-fortune">Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim</a> - A sweet book of magical realism. I commented that it felt like an early Sarah Addison Allen, but set it in the Chinese community of San Francisco. Plus it made me very hungry for Chinese food!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61653268-saturday-night-at-the-lakeside-supper-club">Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal</a> - I liked the Minnesota folksiness, but I didn't connect with all of the characters and found some of them mystifying. I liked the author's earlier book better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62710608-business-or-pleasure">Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon </a>- I mean, I didn't hate it. But it was just sorta meh. A sweet romance between two casual Jews. My favorite thing about her books is the casual Jewishness. It's just there, which I appreciate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61718053-happy-place">Happy Place by Emily Henry</a> - I think this is my favorite of her books so far. It's a romance, yes, but it's also a lovesong to friendship and I thought that part was especially lovely.</div><p style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">What are you reading?</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/01/january-2023-books-i-read.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">January Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/02/february-2023-books-i-read.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">February Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/03/march-books-lifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">March Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/04/april-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">April Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">May Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/06/june-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html">June Books</a></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-287048004673218612023-06-30T12:45:00.013-05:002023-06-30T13:06:56.448-05:00June 2023 Books #MyLifeInBooks<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8w1zi7A0Zv_27rTL-evbExBiKnx6ugJm6N5n5QjM12oXvaOxcI2t0SQFae1JyIXdm3qS34PYwhzXij89fKOnzYaL25sVwNdS2PkO7BGRPZzlhNspK5VlBTzaxiQgQsRJKnBfJasEXAsxXoLnj1bBIui6q_laHRgHIZ9CGXAlzWtmAlQN2NTfgcEfSe-I" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8w1zi7A0Zv_27rTL-evbExBiKnx6ugJm6N5n5QjM12oXvaOxcI2t0SQFae1JyIXdm3qS34PYwhzXij89fKOnzYaL25sVwNdS2PkO7BGRPZzlhNspK5VlBTzaxiQgQsRJKnBfJasEXAsxXoLnj1bBIui6q_laHRgHIZ9CGXAlzWtmAlQN2NTfgcEfSe-I=w295-h295" width="295" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59836844-iona-iverson-s-rules-for-commuting?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=0AQ0hRY5TA&rank=1">Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley</a> - This is in the "found family" genre of stories and I am all here for this. I love sweet, heartwarming books where people step out of their regular lives and create magical found family communities. (Other books in this genre include The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett, One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot...)</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62854842-ink-blood-sister-scribe">Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs</a> - A readable and engaging story about a particular kind of magic. A little slow in places, but I was compelled to read to the end.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63880836-the-postcard">The Postcard by Anne Berest </a>- A novel based on the author's family story. The various narrative styles were a little confusing to read (perhaps this was a function of reading on the kindle) and I felt that the "mystery" wasn't as compelling as the story itself. Overall, however, I think this was a good addition to the story of French Jews during the Holocaust, especially as it traced the modern survivors. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59030015-the-change">The Change by Kirsten Miller</a> - Oof, this was a powerful and gut-punching one. I love magical realism (if you don't, you may hate this one) and it packed a strong message about how the world views women of all ages. Many reviews said it was too long, but I didn't notice.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78299917-candle-feather-wooden-spoon">Candle, Feather, Wooden Spoon: New Jewish Stories by Rabbi Zoe Klein</a> - such a fun set of original Jewish stories. A few didn't quite work for me, but overall I really love the way they felt new and also ancient. (And I bookmarked a few to work out a telling...)</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61797464-meet-me-at-the-lake">Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune</a> - I liked her first book better, but this was a solid romance read that I enjoyed!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61771675-hello-beautiful">Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano</a> - Wow, this is definitely going to make it into the top 10 for the year. A gorgeous story with just the right mix of joy and sorrow. I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end, although I found the ending to be just right. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60741785-kantika?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=DR3JiPq1id&rank=1">Kantika by Elizabeth Graver</a> - I really appreciated this family saga of a Sephardic clan, and the paths they took throughout history. Based on the author's family, it had real family photos even though the story was fictionalized, which I appreciated.</p><p>What are you reading?</p><p><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/01/january-2023-books-i-read.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">January Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/02/february-2023-books-i-read.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">February Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/03/march-books-lifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">March Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/04/april-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">April Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/05/may-books-mylifeinbooks.html">May Books</a></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-51219118779436080512023-05-31T17:37:00.001-05:002023-05-31T17:37:07.628-05:00May Books #MyLifeInBooks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzViz3xDtWvV1ifEsXE4KVjAD1_-DM0J0blhT_9Ufy2j7oxLqDhqnacQmF7LdvcoQ96WdgxAjIWKEH_Lj6-aoAwzU4aaqKqX-vEIzinZpTahFDtHRqezTnvKsHFrN9gljqdCvnTvbTvG2Ycl3dCyB5Kl-qCKywxJgmkshS__Z4ibnCTL9bTlRdhjjv/s1080/May%20books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzViz3xDtWvV1ifEsXE4KVjAD1_-DM0J0blhT_9Ufy2j7oxLqDhqnacQmF7LdvcoQ96WdgxAjIWKEH_Lj6-aoAwzU4aaqKqX-vEIzinZpTahFDtHRqezTnvKsHFrN9gljqdCvnTvbTvG2Ycl3dCyB5Kl-qCKywxJgmkshS__Z4ibnCTL9bTlRdhjjv/w320-h320/May%20books.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62628727-romantic-comedy">Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld</a> - Loved this romcom that took off on the idea of the writers' room at SNL (well, a fictionalized SNL) and then moved over into those first scary days of covid isolation. Couldn't put it down!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56179338-all-of-us-villains">All of Us Villains by Foody and Herman</a> - a YA novel similar to Hunger Games, with a magical element. Did not love that it is a "duology" because I'm not sure that I need to read the next book! A little gory for me. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61423072-queen-charlotte">Queen Charlotte by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes</a> - If you watched the show, this is SO boring. If you haven't watched the show, skip the read and just watch! There was almost no new information gleaned here that wasn't in the show. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37868569-we-set-the-dark-on-fire">We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Mejia</a> - This was on my holds list forever! It's a dystopian-type novel about a Handmaid's Tale-like society with strict roles and rules. I wanted to love this but it was a little too...simplistic in some of its telling. (Also this is YA)</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57926137-black-cake">Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson</a> - One of the best books I've read all year. WOW. What an incredible back-and-forth telling of a family secret - I loved every minute of this book. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61964751-the-secret-book-of-flora-lea">The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Henry</a> - I really liked this story of two sisters evacuated from London during the Blitz, and the family mystery that it left behind. I liked the plot twist!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61192827-the-red-balcony">The Red Balcony by Jonathan Wilson</a> - 1933 Palestine doesn't have a lot of fiction written about it! The plot was a little tricky to follow but I loved the historical setting and the writing was compelling.</p><p><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/01/january-2023-books-i-read.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">January Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/02/february-2023-books-i-read.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">February Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/03/march-books-lifeinbooks.html">March Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/04/april-2023-books-mylifeinbooks.html">April Books</a></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-95864008496646432023-04-30T20:16:00.003-05:002023-04-30T20:16:22.455-05:00April 2023 Books #MyLifeInBooks<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8p_bwxaBN4S_vuUP_vkYlKpnEJ_7G5NQA6MNEr0CSkg-6YrjtpJmpQdrjj1_ZunOzhVJ8oO9JuhcABJ6IFFu8Q3xEYKJtkPaBmWqsTg2-3JZOrhWt_aNqW117VrOm7gZldGFvW9zRbrleoCnkphP_WTM4qReskCmV2XkG1GfVcwgst0muMEbNMI1/s1080/April%20books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8p_bwxaBN4S_vuUP_vkYlKpnEJ_7G5NQA6MNEr0CSkg-6YrjtpJmpQdrjj1_ZunOzhVJ8oO9JuhcABJ6IFFu8Q3xEYKJtkPaBmWqsTg2-3JZOrhWt_aNqW117VrOm7gZldGFvW9zRbrleoCnkphP_WTM4qReskCmV2XkG1GfVcwgst0muMEbNMI1/s320/April%20books.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58275730-woman-on-fire">Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr</a> - This author lives in my neighborhood so it's always fun to find the tiny local details in her story that spans generations and continents! Art scandal, romance, intrigue...it's all here.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784605-maame">Maame by Jessica George</a> - a story of a Ghanaian immigrant family in London, the main character is so lovable that this book was delightful! Her growth arc in the story is wonderful - what a special novel. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784455-nettle-bone">Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher</a> - A mashup of fairy tales but with a dark edge, and I loved this one. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40121959-miracle-creek">Miracle Creek by Angie Kim</a> - I am really not sure if I liked this book or not. It was well-written and interesting, even though it was heartbreakingly sad. A group of people are all joined together by their association to a terrible accident - and the big question is "what would you do to protect the people you love?" </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784912-lost-in-the-moment-and-found">Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire</a> - another installment in the Wayward Children series, I find these books to be so haunting and beautiful. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59806035-attack-of-the-black-rectangles">Attack of the Black Rectangles by A.S. King</a> - I liked this middle grade novel about censorship in a middle school. My 12-year-old listened to this as an audiobook, and then he also listened to The Devil's Arithmetic, which is the censored novel in the story. We both enjoyed this one a lot!</p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-58432406953875905332023-03-31T08:57:00.002-05:002023-03-31T08:57:20.477-05:00March Books #LifeInBooks<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsL6bZg5rzb99MJralw-p6-9bhx_UgrT21bXaXrr9dj_vzkRRtOEjDkUyVojbhcng2zvTubNAl4h16OM8rXaZFtwUDthun_n5g5kf9ml41waNT_R8vAHs_Gw-4ZIImXInbShtS5_55I6johF3k3nkODXO4YFEhvIAYGtpu2mar5ulyKJMtIXcT_KT/s1080/March%20books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsL6bZg5rzb99MJralw-p6-9bhx_UgrT21bXaXrr9dj_vzkRRtOEjDkUyVojbhcng2zvTubNAl4h16OM8rXaZFtwUDthun_n5g5kf9ml41waNT_R8vAHs_Gw-4ZIImXInbShtS5_55I6johF3k3nkODXO4YFEhvIAYGtpu2mar5ulyKJMtIXcT_KT/s320/March%20books.png" width="320" /></a></div><i><p><i>Here's what I read in March:</i></p></i><p></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59063246-shadows-of-berlin">Shadows of Berlin by David Gilham</a> - an interesting look at the life of Holocaust survivors in the immediate aftermath of the war. This wasn't my favorite read, but it made for an interesting discussion with our book group. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57370115-highly-suspicious-and-unfairly-cute">Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibert</a> - a cute little enemies-to-lovers romance, with a nice British twist. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60881142-the-minuscule-mansion-of-myra-malone">The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges</a> - I liked this one, a sweet story with a bit of magic. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61346151-the-white-lady">The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear</a> - From the author of the Maisie Dobbs books, which are my faves, I loved this one so much! I just love her writing and her storytelling. This one bounced between the two wars and the post-war period, and it was so good! Will there be more stories in this series? I would definitely not complain about that!!!</p><p><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/01/january-2023-books-i-read.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">January Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/02/february-2023-books-i-read.html">February Books</a></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-33537518844730478432023-03-22T11:20:00.003-05:002023-03-22T11:20:36.129-05:00#BlogExodus #ExodusGram 5783<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYCe3hAx4GPqIUApJ7hnOCxnS6KqzvaG8IYCEe0xfYFhWhpXya18uD2nORk4vXtXuXjRH4OUBFXNj8HTedw093w1ahDGOPJnXBNnml8pTluUEaU5hcjqPacrRCXxQp77_JHjzcG3orHbQW7SY4g8yPF066ZDJX3H7qiI70L-lpx7SNXJ5LQupPGmT/s1080/%23BlogExodus%205783.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYCe3hAx4GPqIUApJ7hnOCxnS6KqzvaG8IYCEe0xfYFhWhpXya18uD2nORk4vXtXuXjRH4OUBFXNj8HTedw093w1ahDGOPJnXBNnml8pTluUEaU5hcjqPacrRCXxQp77_JHjzcG3orHbQW7SY4g8yPF066ZDJX3H7qiI70L-lpx7SNXJ5LQupPGmT/s320/%23BlogExodus%205783.png" width="320" /></a></div><p> <b style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Rosh Chodesh Nisan is Thursday, March 23, 2023.</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;"></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">Passover beckons us. It calls....it reminds us....spring is coming. Renewal is coming. We are, all of us, a people with a future. The cycle continues. And, as always, Passover is here to offer a respite. I know that many people don't see Pesach in this way, as a resting moment, but I believe that it offers us just that - an opportunity to step back from the ordinary and to focus on something special, wonderful, and beautiful. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif">It's easy to get caught up in the Pesach prep and to feel a bit of drudgery, a taste of the hard work imposed upon the Israelites. But there is spiritual preparation too, and that, I believe, is where BlogExodus and Exodusgram come in. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">So what is this really about? #BlogExodus and #Exodusgram are really what you want to make of it. I've provided topics for the first 14 days of the month of Nisan. What you do with it is up to you -- write a blog post, tweet, Facebook, tumblr, or something that I haven't even thought of yet! Use the hashtag to share your post (I put it into the title of each post). It's a great way to kickstart a blog or rejuvenate your languishing blog or just get yourself ready for the holiday of Passover! Maybe this year, someone will get #BlogExodus trending on tiktok!</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">Maybe you don't have a blog? Maybe </span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">you could just post your thoughts, photos, comments, or haikus on your Facebook page. Maybe you're a yogi? What about a photo of a different yoga post each day related to the theme of the day? Creativity is endless.</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">There aren't any rules, so maybe you don't like the order of the topics? Maybe you want to write on only a few of them? It doesn't matter. It is what you make of it.</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">Whatever you do, don't forget to tag with #BlogExodus and/or #Exodusgram so we can all share.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: 14.85px;"><b>Grab and share my graphic and just jump right in!</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;"><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">The themes are really up for your own interpretation. I was thinking broadly and openly about what makes Passover special and interesting to me. I hope it will translate into creative and inspirational posts from all of us!</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">Are you going to join in? Leave me a comment here or send me a tweet or just...jump in!</span><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;"> If I miss your posts, let me know so I can go back and be inspired by what YOU have to say!</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">#BlogExodus #Exodusgram topics for 5783</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">1 Nisan - Launch</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">2 Nisan - Exalt</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">3 Nisan - Rise</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">4 Nisan - Cleanse</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">5 Nisan - Seek</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">6 Nisan - Retell</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">7 Nisan - Read</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">8 Nisan - Expand</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">9 Nisan - Perplex</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">10 Nisan - Join</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">11 Nisan - Celebrate</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">12 Nisan - Reveal</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">13 Nisan - Welcome</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.85px;">14 Nisan - Thank</span><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="font-size: 14.85px;" /><i style="font-size: 14.85px;"> *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!</i></p></div>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-25655521264841789432023-02-28T15:33:00.001-06:002023-02-28T15:33:04.542-06:00February 2023 - Books I Read<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqQ_4Z8wSg4PuKhiAex9gS5om9ov4OJyvNxxWQl-wz_IncZ_-r2QYdjzKdEJg5r-WIvdsgHrrATHKQ2bKIecTaaHrqeF1EByqYAib14O76d0RSCl4skRoCn3Rpv-1pKiy85bSdpNHvg4lAUzUgIIgDg3wdWW2XRVrDwSI2glsZuK_dm5hH5C-7LQy/s320/February%20Books%202023.png" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was a great month for books! What are you reading?</p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56293632-a-play-for-the-end-of-the-world">A Play for the End of the World by Jai Chakrabarti</a> - We discussed this one at our synagogue book group and all agreed that it was quite interesting. A play staged in the Warsaw Ghetto by orphaned children is now, many years later, being staged in India. In both cases, the play represents the tragic situation of the time, and I think it's a powerful commentary on the importance of art even when the world feels like it's crumbling.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/71516-keeper-of-the-lost-cities">Keeper of the Lost Cities 8, 8.5, and 9 by Shannon Messenger</a> - Okay, I thought I was headed into the END of the series but I didn't know there is a 10th book coming out sometime this year. I hope. Now I really want to just know what the ending is!!!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55655115-the-summer-of-lost-letters">The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds</a> - This was a little bit of a prequel to Eight Nights of Flirting (same universe). I liked it, the teen romance was a little messy (as teen romances often are) but the intertwining stories about the history of this Jewish family on Nantucket Island was interesting and a little bit unique. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59447530-answers-in-the-pages">Answers in the Pages by David Levithan </a>- I loved this middle grade novel about banning books and standing up for what you believe in. It had three intertwined stories, and I gasped when they all came together. A quick and sweet read.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60410002-we-all-want-impossible-things">We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman</a> - A story of two life-long friends as one of them is dying in hospice. It's beautifully written and heart-wrenching, but boy oh boy, I did not need this book. It was deeply, terribly, horribly sad. Even though I also laughed. I just wanted it to be over. Because it was so sad. And that's my review.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55333938-the-personal-librarian">The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray</a> - A really cool historical story about a young (secretly) Black woman who worked as JP Morgan's librarian for his own library. Interesting idea, r e a l l y s l o w moving, and also I was a bit irritated by the first-person narrative. It started out well, but I felt like the later chapters just weren't as interesting. I really wanted to love this since so many people have recommended it! After I finished it, I looked up her life and the book was quite true to it, which I do appreciate!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60018639-thistlefoot">Thistlefoot by GemmaRose Nethercott</a> - Let me start by saying this book isn't for everyone. It's a little dark and odd...and I kinda loved it. It is a revisiting of the Baba Yaga tales (Eastern European Jewish folklore) but with a modern twist, and my favorite parts were when the house itself (Baba Yaga had a house on chicken legs) told its story. The way this story demonstrated, through magical abilities, inherited trauma was intensely powerful and moving to me. I'm not sure who should read this one, but I liked it. </p><p><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2023/01/january-2023-books-i-read.html">January Books</a></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-80760699783382459922023-01-31T19:21:00.002-06:002023-01-31T19:21:20.688-06:00January 2023 - Books I Read<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqQ3CAgby7z8fjP8SLUXT6B8BxiR0EbIT46wEDpF5L485aKzPcUTtQz82sBnEC3ibbx6dySpsg1M9PoP0LHKU9Amt-2831IO0WUGUqgf3KpfV9RbpTkTpWkBtSSxdYlFZCigy4-ilM7z73I7ICW_W3oNgw3rHiGGJ87DQt4P3OC26K9w_cKcG5dt6/s1080/january%20books!%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqQ3CAgby7z8fjP8SLUXT6B8BxiR0EbIT46wEDpF5L485aKzPcUTtQz82sBnEC3ibbx6dySpsg1M9PoP0LHKU9Amt-2831IO0WUGUqgf3KpfV9RbpTkTpWkBtSSxdYlFZCigy4-ilM7z73I7ICW_W3oNgw3rHiGGJ87DQt4P3OC26K9w_cKcG5dt6/w347-h347/january%20books!%20(1).jpg" width="347" /></a></div><p></p><p>Welcome back to a new year and some great new reading!</p><p>Here are all the books I read in January, 2023</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/71516-keeper-of-the-lost-cities">Keeper of the Lost Cities - Books 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7</a> - They're delightful - a rich and beautiful world of magic and intrigue between a team of teens, their grownup allies, and their dark and shadowy enemies. Annoying, each book ends wtih a total cliffhanger, which means I just want to keep going! (I will say that the cliffhanger for book 7 was slightly less compelling to me, so I read the first chapter of book 8 and now I'm taking a short break!) Each one is over 600 pages, so I've read a LOT of pages this month!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808336-an-affair-of-spies">An Affair of Spies by Ron Balson</a> - this was not my favorite of his books. Perhaps the dialogue felt a little too modern? Or the whole thing felt a smidge too simplistic? Obviously, a book about spies in Nazi Germany shouldn't be simplistic, but it just didn't work for me. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61355265-the-light-we-carry">The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama</a> - I really enjoyed hearing her voice come through again, and I didn't listen to an audiobook! But I could almost hear Michelle speaking the words. A lovely and heartfelt memoir.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59807961-the-matchmaker-s-gift">The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman</a> - I don't know how I never got to this one in 2022, but I loved it. This is my favorite kind of story - one that spans a lifetime and has just a tiny hint of magical realism. I didn't want this book to end. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59573299-signal-fires">Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro</a> - I'm often spoiled in January, as I read everyone else's "best of" books from the year before. This one did not disappoint me - the interlinked story of children, parents, and spouses - really an excellent and engrossing read. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55711726-the-people-we-keep">The People We Keep by Allison Larkin</a> - I loved the characters and the journey they took together. It reminded me a little of that Natalie Portman movie - "Where the Heart Is" and I saw April as that young Natalie Portman character who finds her way to a chosen family. Definitely enjoyed this one!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58428207-bloomsbury-girls">Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner </a>- I loved this sweet book about a London bookstore post-war, and the women who work there. The characters interact with all sorts of real-life famous people, and it was cozy and lovely. </p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-24120993993975456272022-11-29T21:53:00.000-06:002022-11-29T21:53:40.913-06:00November Books I Read #MyLifeInBooks<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQ9PmJVHc2V5TI5sa4lN77INVDIdfb2x2GC2DwMiyk6pQhKgy6Jp5Hvg0HjuRYTbTnEQn6gIOFRzuG2OsUVehT0abENTnXgFAUjRYC-Zj-8gYFxm0tFyLVtfQgutVnLMBXgtO953hBhZU_5gg38wFfFjYcifgz0iAJTo20fswCnOcg3cW21OAAyTA/s1080/November%20books.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQ9PmJVHc2V5TI5sa4lN77INVDIdfb2x2GC2DwMiyk6pQhKgy6Jp5Hvg0HjuRYTbTnEQn6gIOFRzuG2OsUVehT0abENTnXgFAUjRYC-Zj-8gYFxm0tFyLVtfQgutVnLMBXgtO953hBhZU_5gg38wFfFjYcifgz0iAJTo20fswCnOcg3cW21OAAyTA/s320/November%20books.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59348307-the-many-daughters-of-afong-moy">The Many Daughters of Afong Moy</a> by Jamie Ford - one of my favorite reads of the year, I loved this back-and-forth-through-history look at the way generational trauma can carry through our history. I have been recommending this one all over town!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60149573-our-missing-hearts?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Qxq4swJmlQ&rank=1">Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng</a> - I really wanted to love this book but it didn't all work for me. I do like the whole librarians-as-heroes plotline! It was not my favorite of her books.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54798488-the-one-hundred-years-of-lenni-and-margot">One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin</a> - I wish I knew how I got to this book. I almost quit right away when I realized that Lenni was a teenager with a terminal illness, but I was totally hooked by the storytelling style and I ended up loving this sad and sweet book. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31450908-down-among-the-sticks-and-bones">Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan MacGuire</a> - This was the second in the Wayward Children books, and I didn't plan to read it until someone mentioned that they'd read the whole series in one sitting and I felt like I needed to revisit. This was the backstory of one of the side characters in the first book, and now I'm hoping that the rest of the books all track through other characters as well. Just a good twisty fantasy story. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56896075-the-midnight-children">Midnight Children by Dan Gemeinhart</a> - A wonderful middle-grade novel about friendship and family, about finding your passion and finding your people. Just a hint of magic, and it was wonderful. I definitely want to read all of his books now!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55894188-more-than-i-love-my-life">More Than I Love My Life by David Grossmann</a> - Catching up for next month's book discussion. This was NOT an easy read - another story of generational trauma as it plays out in Israeli society. Come to the December book discussion to talk about it!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58884736-the-measure">The Measure by Nikki Erlick</a> - Hmm. I liked the premise of this book and I really liked how the various storylines ended up interwoven. It was a bit too simplistic and predictable, but the ending was mostly satisfying. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59230201-eight-nights-of-flirting">Eight Nights of Flirting by Hannah Reynolds</a> - A CHANUKAH ROMANCE NOVEL! Okay, it's for teens. But I loved it. It was adorable and sweet, and of course, Jewish! I had a few issues (as one does) but overall, it made me very happy. </p><p><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/10/october-books-booksiread-mylifeinbooks.html">October books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/09/september-books-i-read-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">September Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/08/august-books-i-read-lifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">August Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/07/july-books-i-read-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">July Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/06/books-i-read-in-june-2022-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">June Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/05/may-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">May Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/04/april-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">April Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/03/march-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">March Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/02/february-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">February Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/01/january-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">January Books</a></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-91856055681172991172022-10-31T16:21:00.005-05:002022-10-31T16:21:55.639-05:00October Books #booksIRead #MyLifeInBooks<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9n3m1NMsB4YuQcNC9qSzHpMyJ5jKoHyAsGYU6cLj8D2-bfBV0DWfp7BtG0vsxDQS6i4YHNw2g1p35Oo6_kUW2SkgaYKfzuQae6aI7n0MmXS-aySt684WGZbWbwLfxDONM33NhqNbsFU6Rv_4UnWkV9107uRqSphHaoNCAmMBg0nVbjJoZkXOPgpkc" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="994" data-original-width="994" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9n3m1NMsB4YuQcNC9qSzHpMyJ5jKoHyAsGYU6cLj8D2-bfBV0DWfp7BtG0vsxDQS6i4YHNw2g1p35Oo6_kUW2SkgaYKfzuQae6aI7n0MmXS-aySt684WGZbWbwLfxDONM33NhqNbsFU6Rv_4UnWkV9107uRqSphHaoNCAmMBg0nVbjJoZkXOPgpkc=w320-h320" width="320" /></a></div><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693566-the-latecomer">The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz</a> - One of my favorite books of the year, I could not put it down. The style was so unique, the story was great, the characters were incredibly layered, and I loved so many of the big questions that it raised. </p><p>On<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42346406-one-two-three">e, Two, Three by Laurie Frankel </a>- okay, this was ALSO one of my favorite books of the year. Each character's voice was so clear and distinct, the story was both heartwarming and heartwrenching, and I just couldn't put it down. (It was a good couple of weeks of reading)</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54189398-the-spanish-love-deception">The Spanish Love Deception</a> - It was fine. A typical romance novel, and I found myself a little annoyed by the characters. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62326628-june-reimagined">June, Reimagined</a> - another romance novel, this one with a little twist of a character who wants to reinvent herself and her life, along with figuring out how to handle a big family secret. Not bad.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42837514-gender-queer">Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe</a> - This is an autobiographical graphic memoir, and wow. It's a clear and interesting look at what it means to wrestle with and try to explain different gender and sexual identities, while one is also figuring them out for oneself! My sixth grader brought this book home, it was passed on from a friend. While I know he was proud to be reading a book that is "the most banned, Mom," I was also aware of the opportunity to have some big conversations after we both read it. I'm not sure I'd really recommend it for sixth graders, but I was glad that he felt he could share it with me. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58783802-when-women-were-dragons">When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill</a> - I loved this alternate-history story of a 1955 "mass dragoning," when thousands of women spontaneously turned into dragons. It was a really interesting look at how women's roles and power have changed over time, and how rage can be an important driving force for change. I did think that it was a little long - meaning, I got the "big idea" pretty quickly and the story could have been pared down a bit. But I did like this one a lot!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57933316-the-roughest-draft">The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberly</a> - Back to romance novels, this one a book about two authors who work together on a hit book and then stop working together. Will they find a way to work together again? Will they fall in love? If you've ever read a romance novel, I think you can answer these questions for yourself :-) This wasn't bad, but it wasn't my favorite.</p><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/09/september-books-i-read-mylifeinbooks.html">September Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/08/august-books-i-read-lifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">August Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/07/july-books-i-read-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">July Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/06/books-i-read-in-june-2022-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">June Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/05/may-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">May Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/04/april-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">April Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/03/march-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">March Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/02/february-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">February Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/01/january-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">January Books</a>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-59239181518376754562022-09-30T09:48:00.005-05:002022-09-30T09:48:21.785-05:00September Books I Read #MyLifeInBooks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbPxWmAxlPVPKZxZmJUpVnRhkePfO-94vyFZHl361ZWHK9bydwQ3AvtD8oaruLDNi12Y0uAEIp5K3E8XadWP30lRz3-lprA9QQFHlxO0AUmSe1fNmH6ZxaDe-knW8BEDrmJ6VrYQpkbx-POYoi-lZFyS_Hjr-4SXOY-l21NfgD1w9-lBDtq-tmejxt" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbPxWmAxlPVPKZxZmJUpVnRhkePfO-94vyFZHl361ZWHK9bydwQ3AvtD8oaruLDNi12Y0uAEIp5K3E8XadWP30lRz3-lprA9QQFHlxO0AUmSe1fNmH6ZxaDe-knW8BEDrmJ6VrYQpkbx-POYoi-lZFyS_Hjr-4SXOY-l21NfgD1w9-lBDtq-tmejxt" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow">Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin</a> - I loved this book - the characters, the storyline, the nuance...it was really a wonderful combination. There was a smidge of Jewish-element in this story (Sadie meets Sam because of her Bat Mitzvah!) but it wasn't interesting or deep enough. Other people have said this was the best book of the year, and while I really loved it, I did think it was a bit too long and so therefore it's good but not my favorite!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58658940-the-final-gambit">The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynne Barnes</a> I'm not always a completionist, but I really wanted to see how this trilogy ended. I thought this one was better than the second, and I liked how it all wrapped up. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59807954-other-birds">Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen</a> She is one of my favorite authors, and it's been quite a while since she's written a new book! This one did not disappoint - I love the blend of magical realism and real life in this story about love and grief and chosen family. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59219971-the-thread-collectors">Thread Collectors by Shauna Edwards and Alyson Richman</a> - what a unique story of the Civil War from two perspectives - Jewish and Black. I really appreciated these stories and how they wove together. There's some interesting stuff here about these two authors, too, as they both drew on their own family stories to collaborate on this book. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57789639-my-fine-fellow">My Fine Fellow by Jennieke Cohen</a> - Such a fun gender-swapped My Fair Lady story, with a twist that Elijah Little (ya know, Eliza Dolittle) is Jewish to boot. It's also an alternate timeline history, which is a little steampunk and a lot of fun. Maybe a smidge too long, but I liked it overall. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59366220-shmutz">Shmutz by Felicia Berliner</a> - Super provocative cover but the story itself was sad and dark, without a lot of redemption. I definitely didn't understand the goal of this book and the ending confused me a little bit. I don't really recommend this one. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58284121-love-saffron">Love and Saffron by Kim Fay</a> Quick read, a sweet epistolary novel set in the 1960s, focused on food and friendship. I really enjoyed this one, it reminded me of 84 Charing Cross Road. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59559145-spells-for-forgetting">Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young</a> Ooh, so good. It felt a little like a magical version of Veronica Mars! Mystery, secrets, magic...all in this one. </p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/08/august-books-i-read-lifeinbooks.html">August Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/07/july-books-i-read-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">July Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/06/books-i-read-in-june-2022-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">June Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/05/may-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">May Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/04/april-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">April Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/03/march-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">March Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/02/february-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">February Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/01/january-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">January Books</a></span></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-31908937359250923332022-08-31T14:28:00.003-05:002022-08-31T14:28:24.645-05:00August Books I Read #LifeInBooks<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh37-cGoVlkYo3Qu9HbbEZeDBYuapGvrdUckdvvn4iMSvdS6wyUJqj_URXEDnlYKCWY1n0F0efy80tAxB60c9X0NvUKfHaYQBXJPCVMZwXhJVPAy5YO7sKpnpA8vhoSxvMJ3okd2Qv1kKgJkbvq_xoY-g-Ze_W1cqb95TAiv8MJPY0P8o8yO0vDT7Ti" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="392" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh37-cGoVlkYo3Qu9HbbEZeDBYuapGvrdUckdvvn4iMSvdS6wyUJqj_URXEDnlYKCWY1n0F0efy80tAxB60c9X0NvUKfHaYQBXJPCVMZwXhJVPAy5YO7sKpnpA8vhoSxvMJ3okd2Qv1kKgJkbvq_xoY-g-Ze_W1cqb95TAiv8MJPY0P8o8yO0vDT7Ti" width="195" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59089704-this-time-tomorrow">This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub</a> - I need to say "wow" on this one. It started out pretty innocently, and then it turned into a time travel novel, and THEN it turned into a novel about grief and what it would take to spend just one more day with someone you love and I'm going to say "wow."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17167084-how-the-light-gets-in">How The Light Gets In by Louise Penny</a> - She's always on the list of "if you like Daniel Silva" and I asked a friend who is a fan to suggest a good starting point for an Inspector Gamache novel. After I got past some of the French, I found it very enjoyable and could definitely see myself reading all of these someday. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58386733-the-violin-conspiracy">The Violin Conspiracy</a> by Brendan Slocumb - Ooh, this one was good. A mystery about a black classical violinist with a super-special violin. So many layers and I really liked this one a lot. </span></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58532140-cyclorama">Cyclorama by Adam Langer</a> - Let me start by saying the first half of the book was SO cringey with the teacher's behavior that I almost quit it - but a friend's review kept me going and I thought it was really great. A Chicago high school puts on a production of The Diary of Anne Frank in the first half of the book, and the second half follows each of the actors AND keeps the Anne Frank connection going - it was really unique and powerful.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57850265-how-high-we-go-in-the-dark">How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu</a> - This book was breathtaking. It starts out innocently enough with a discovery in the Arctic, and spans decades of heartwrenching, interlinked stories that speak to who we are as humans, and what we are willing to endure and what will we become...heavy and a little bleak, but wow.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59411914-mr-perfect-on-paper">Mr Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer</a> - let's just say I needed a little fluff after the previous book, and this was great. A little heavy-handed on the "Jewish marriage" thing but overall a fun read. (Also, big fan of the Jewish romance genre!)<br /></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58014893-every-summer-after">Every Summer After by Carley Fortune</a> - Delightful small-town Canada romance story. Girl-next-door meets summer-boy-next-door. </p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/07/july-books-i-read-mylifeinbooks.html">July Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/06/books-i-read-in-june-2022-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">June Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/05/may-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">May Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/04/april-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">April Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/03/march-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">March Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/02/february-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">February Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/01/january-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">January Books</a></span></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-45149798381814239762022-08-15T21:21:00.001-05:002022-08-15T21:21:05.763-05:00#blogElul #elulgram 2022<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://instagram.com/imabima" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGzFxJ2khl--5Gr1gjofAv13_eBLZeSe4Lb0lECQAlTA5IJHH_V9AjnWyoc_j6-U3O1kZ4n_ea-sz7bkm-j68qS7GEqaWw6z03Jgqr4KwjIEXX2HN4lmsOBQ6MJo5qNNtqm4SQCtAkaGZ1dy-UGePYPbwSDdz9vKyoiPoZyzWcAULBIHCfceGezMu/s320/blogelul%202022.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><i>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.</i></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">#BlogElul is a project that I started in </span><a href="http://rabbiphyllis.blogspot.com/2010/08/return-for-elul.html" style="color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;">2010</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">, although it wasn't until </span><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2012/08/blogelul-and-elulgram-2012.html" style="color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;">2012</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"> 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.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Now we have <a href="http://facebook.com/imabima" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/imabima" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://instagram.com/imabima" style="color: #1338b1; text-decoration-line: none;">Instagram</a>, SnapChat, and other platforms...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 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.<br /><br />Who can participate? <b><span style="font-size: medium;">ANYONE. It's yours. I gift it to you. Elul is for anyone and everyone.</span></b><br /><br />How could one do it? You don't have a blog… No worries. Maybe you have Facebook or Twitter? Maybe you're a big fan of Instagram? 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.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>There are no rules.</b> </span>I provide the topics (see graphic or below for text) 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.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;">And what about #ElulGram?</span></b> 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, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. Whatever you do, tag it with #ElulGram so we can call share and follow.<br /><br />These themes and ideas are broad and open, and again -- <b>remember, there are NO RULES except the ones you make for yourself!</b><br /><br />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!<br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Are you going to play along? Let me know!</span> Leave me a comment here, send me a tweet, or send up a signal fire.... Feel free to grab my pretty badge to announce to the whole world that you're Blogging Elul. If you let me know that you're doing it, we can cross-post, or guest-post, or even just do some virtual hand-holding as the days grow closer to Tishrei. <br /><br />I'm looking forward to sharing this journey with you. Elul begins on August 28th (it's always on time), so I wanted to give you a head start if you're going to pre-write some of your posts. </p><div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">I hope that our shared preparation for 5783 brings meaning and hope, inspiration and enlightenment for all of us.<br /><br />The list:<br />Elul 1: Decide<br />Elul 2: Seek<br />Elul 3: Prepare<br />Elul 4: Choose<br />Elul 5: Commit<br />Elul 6: Want</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">Elul 7: Understand<br />Elul 8: Hear<br />Elul 9: See<br />Elul 10: Forgive<br />Elul 11: Trust<br />Elul 12: Count<br />Elul 13: Remember<br />Elul 14: Learn<br />Elul 15: Plan<br />Elul 16: Pray<br />Elul 17: Awaken<br />Elul 18: Ask<br />Elul 19: Speak<br />Elul 20: Fill<br />Elul 21: Love<br />Elul 22: End<br />Elul 23: Begin<br />Elul 24: Hope<br />Elul 25: Change<br />Elul 26: Create<br />Elul 27: Bless<br />Elul 28: Give<br />Elul 29: Return</div>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-45359997960059076212022-07-31T20:40:00.007-05:002022-07-31T20:40:33.129-05:00July Books I Read #MyLifeInBooks<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvM5CLlWgtBumMbbHCltUrBjEwo0lrkQRrLncyXzvw8L1dC69zQdBfouC3HuuUZ6-7hbzoS4PopbZvNJTg0jKzi_CByhP3uoYUJC9Llq9lkX63qtKI0wSjcmWrLXh8RB8yyuBLBBjwFW8gdkNvvEgDTEn4aUuVgzb65yr4zATXCUIA-3u9Kq7U2ih/s500/Untitled%20design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvM5CLlWgtBumMbbHCltUrBjEwo0lrkQRrLncyXzvw8L1dC69zQdBfouC3HuuUZ6-7hbzoS4PopbZvNJTg0jKzi_CByhP3uoYUJC9Llq9lkX63qtKI0wSjcmWrLXh8RB8yyuBLBBjwFW8gdkNvvEgDTEn4aUuVgzb65yr4zATXCUIA-3u9Kq7U2ih/s320/Untitled%20design.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><i>(Sorry there are no links today, GoodReads was down!?)</i></p><p><b>Windy City Blues by Renee Rosen</b> - I loved this book because it was full of historical things I never knew about the music industry and Chicago...I kept looking things up to learn more about my city! I thought it was a good story. This one made the cut for my synagogue book club this year too!</p><p><b>The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd </b>- This was a really interesting story. I am a big fan of the "magical realism" - things seem perfectly normal and then there's just a dash of magic...I like books like that. This one was also a bit of a mystery, so it was compelling and I couldn't put it down!</p><p><b>Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover</b> - Okay, let's establish that I've read two other books by this author and I'm not the biggest fan. But at camp...some of the teenagers were trying to convince me that she's the Best. Author. Of. All and so I made them tell me their favorite (this one) and I read it while they were on a canoe trip. It wasn't terrible. It was a little bit sad and very predictable, and it filled a few nice hours of reading while I was waiting for....</p><p><b>Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva</b> - always one of my favorite days of the year when the new Daniel Silva comes out! Gabriel Allon is older now, and he's retired. But somehow he still got involved in solving a big mystery. And it was awesome. Like putting on your favorite sweater. I loved it! I was supposed to hear him speak last week but something came up and I had to miss it. Always a delight!</p><p><b>Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman</b> - I liked this sweet romance about a journalist who interviews her celebrity crush. It was romance-novel-predictable. I liked the casual Jewishness of the main character, mentioning Shabbat dinner in passing, for example. A quick and enjoyable read.</p><p><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/06/books-i-read-in-june-2022-mylifeinbooks.html">June Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/05/may-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">May Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/04/april-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">April Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/03/march-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">March Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/02/february-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">February Books</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/01/january-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html" style="background-color: white; color: #1338b1; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: none;">January Books</a></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-39504593056698218502022-06-30T21:24:00.000-05:002022-06-30T21:24:43.857-05:00Books I Read in June 2022 #MyLifeInBooks<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhx8oz3iqWa3InN2EbjjyR9l1BY7shrq506puIKUh0MEcrdNEqeXzLUfI5nstUlDV0j7GObPIBwpzQ6LDT3UymeP4Lz5FbKERkx9cRx4us2IMthjx2dTT9U1WZRZ6a_8BxZRa9c_qdQ5PgiKM9n0WopUu8h-Ta0cKCiTl9SNhe-lWvKZJ8D-P97VVgP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="984" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhx8oz3iqWa3InN2EbjjyR9l1BY7shrq506puIKUh0MEcrdNEqeXzLUfI5nstUlDV0j7GObPIBwpzQ6LDT3UymeP4Lz5FbKERkx9cRx4us2IMthjx2dTT9U1WZRZ6a_8BxZRa9c_qdQ5PgiKM9n0WopUu8h-Ta0cKCiTl9SNhe-lWvKZJ8D-P97VVgP=w399-h136" width="399" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50358079-the-brilliant-life-of-eudora-honeysett">The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons</a> - I really loved this really lovely and moving book about how we create family and what our lives mean. Perhaps a tiny bit heavy-handed, it was still delightful to read.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz">True Biz by Sara Novic</a> - I liked everything about this book except the way it ended - abruptly! But other than that it was a great story and really continues to have me thinking about how we communicate in the world, and what an incredible road the Deaf community has paved and continues to walk. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38609428-to-night-owl-from-dogfish">To Night Owl from Dogfish by by Holly Goldberg Sloan, Meg Wolitzer</a> - I liked this "parent trap" style story told in letters between two girls whose dads fall in love...it was suprisingly long for a middle-grade novel, but definitely enjoyed!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50208350-the-happy-ever-after-playlist">The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez</a> - Apparently this is a sequel! But I didn't know that until I was done, and it was fine without the first book. I liked it. I'm not sure the musical element "mattered" to the story but I liked it overall. </p><p><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/05/may-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html">May Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/04/april-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html">April Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/03/march-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html">March Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/02/february-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html">February Books</a><br /><a href="http://imabima.blogspot.com/2022/01/january-2022-books-mylifeinbooks.html">January Books</a></p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-61588736109773868302022-05-31T20:04:00.004-05:002022-05-31T20:04:29.994-05:00May 2022 Books #myLifeinBooks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyOPId9ufgqAqDc9cX_tpQ1hq8hRzn1V_yVtFiUH1x-oJO2cK0PI27XgB1QWcJPpoOISP2ZB692VADBI0YNZgKY9BhHWGxgi63UvxLSJyhgLqbvgwL2qIBj171E74eomJ1Wprw_QcjEc3W6gMn7iu2wE8QstWPn6OLABtjsl9sTVm_N9aEpxfht60D" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1648" data-original-width="1228" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyOPId9ufgqAqDc9cX_tpQ1hq8hRzn1V_yVtFiUH1x-oJO2cK0PI27XgB1QWcJPpoOISP2ZB692VADBI0YNZgKY9BhHWGxgi63UvxLSJyhgLqbvgwL2qIBj171E74eomJ1Wprw_QcjEc3W6gMn7iu2wE8QstWPn6OLABtjsl9sTVm_N9aEpxfht60D=w221-h296" width="221" /></a></div><p> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55505897-jerusalem-as-a-second-language">Jerusalem as a Second Language by Rochelle Distelheim</a> - A really wonderful book exploring what it means to find yourself in a new place. It's about a Russian family that makes aliyah. Each family member experiences the change differently. My book discussion group loved this one!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55660420-if-the-shoe-fits">If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy</a> - The first of a new series of Disney-movie-based romance novels (this one is Cinderella) and I found it so fun! A clever and delightful retelling of an incredibly familiar story.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58950845-by-the-book">By the Book by Jasmine Guillory</a> - The second of the Disney series, this one is Beauty and the Beast. Each one is written by a different author (she's one of my faves) and she did such a great job of working so many fun Disney details into the great retelling.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58065033-lessons-in-chemistry">Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus</a> - I think this is one of my favorites of the whole year, and we're only five months in! It was just....wonderful. Set in the 1960s, it features a woman-scientist-turned-cooking-show-host who bucks all the gender stereotypes handed to her. I couldn't put this down.</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/368916.84_Charing_Cross_Road">84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff</a> - Apparently, this is a classic AND a classic movie, and I loved it. It's a set of letters between the author and the whole staff of a bookshop in London. Delightful!</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58065401-french-braid">French Braid by Anne Tyler</a> - I really enjoyed this woven-together family tale from the 1950s to the COVID-era. Figuring out what makes each family member tick is really a gift of this book. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44019067-the-bromance-book-club">The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams</a> - the premise of this book made me giggle and it was well-executed. I think my only issue was that it felt like it was actually written to be a movie! </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33830437-far-from-the-tree">Far From the Tree by Robin Benway</a> - a little sad, a little sweet, and really a good story that I couldn't put down. Three siblings, all separately fostered or adopted, reunite and realize that family is both blood AND choice. (National Book Award winner)</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58690308-book-lovers">Book Lovers by Emiily Henry</a> - Yes, this was just as good as it should have been. It sorta made fun of its own genre a little but it totally worked! And there was a little fakeout at the end and I should have seen it coming but I was totally caught and therefore I loved the ending even more. </p><p>I'm feeling a little behind on my reading goals for the year, but this month had so many good reads, I think I feel like I'm back on a roll. I have a whole "to read" list but it never hurts to add more....what should I read next?</p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807022363279638349.post-50360936880050360942022-04-30T21:30:00.001-05:002022-05-01T10:01:45.806-05:00April 2022 Books #MyLifeInBooks<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrf92zxNNYB9zfyqBCiSrPaDvMo5ewfw8UdvNVJHGkAi1OBdC3d8-7B0nX4GzRMkYp08MAKoM6Rz1B6Ab-afNRbQoggw6grtFgyj7r_mv8yOea8nsjZX6SjO7F582YZ92uC0urqU78LHK9w3_JyKmCvBYPqazaXphFQSfGRT0Qm-sBxdKQaiv8u19/s1000/april%20books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1000" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrf92zxNNYB9zfyqBCiSrPaDvMo5ewfw8UdvNVJHGkAi1OBdC3d8-7B0nX4GzRMkYp08MAKoM6Rz1B6Ab-afNRbQoggw6grtFgyj7r_mv8yOea8nsjZX6SjO7F582YZ92uC0urqU78LHK9w3_JyKmCvBYPqazaXphFQSfGRT0Qm-sBxdKQaiv8u19/s320/april%20books.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43884209-get-a-life-chloe-brown">Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert</a> - a sweet and charming romance novel about a young woman with a chronic illness who is trying to explore the world, and along the way, falls in love! I really enjoyed this one. (A little on the spicy side, just FYI)<p></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56294820-oh-william">Oh, William! by Elizabeth Strout </a>- a beautifully written book - a character study much more than a plot-driven story. It wasn't my favorite book but I know it was a "good book."</p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33385229-they-both-die-at-the-end">They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera</a> - the premise of this YA novel is that Death-Cast can call you any night between 12-3am and let you know that you're going to die that day. Two unrelated characters get the call and their lives begin to intertwine. While the title is true and therefore you'd think it was going to be depressing, it's really uplifting and lovely. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35489159-lawn-boy">Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison</a> - You wouldn't think that a story about a landscaper who finds meaning and love in his life would be interesting and good, but it definitely was! A little sad, a little sweet, and felt full of truth. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493401-project-hail-mary">Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir </a>- my husband finished this book and insisted that I put down anything else and read this next. It was great! A little too many scientific details (I glossed over those) and I'm not sure I needed the potential alien-life-form-destroying-the-world worry, but a really compelling and engaging story about interstellar travel and friendship. </p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58490567-the-diamond-eye">The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn</a> - Great historical fiction about a Russian female sniper who befriends Eleanor Roosevelt! It is based on a true story - and it was a great read.</p>Phyllis Sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16654761832717723000noreply@blogger.com1