Wednesday, August 26, 2009

In My Hot Little Hands


I wanted to tell all my Jewish readers about a new book, that was just delivered by my mailman. Just delivered in my hot little hands. It is Day after Night by Anita Diamant published by Simon and Schuster.

Anita Diamant is the author of The Red Tent and a few other Jewish parenting books.

From the book jacket flap:

Based on the extrodinary true story of the October 1945 rescue of more than two hundred prosoners from the atlit internment camps, a proson for ilegal immigrants run by the British military mear the Mediterranean coast north of Haifa. The story is told through the eyes of four young women at the camp with profundly different stories. All of them survived the Holocaust: Shayndel, a Polish Zionist; Leonite a Parisian beauty; Tedi a hidden Dutch Jew; and Zorah, a concentration camp survivor. Haunted by unspeakable memories and losses, afraid to begin to hope, Shayndel, Leonie, Tedi, and Zorah find salvation in the bonds of friendship and shared experience even as they confront the challenge of re-creating themselves in a strange new country.

This is a unforgettable story of tragedy and redemption, a novel that reimagines a moment in history with such stunning elogquence that we are haunted amd moved by every devastating detail.








I can't wait to read this one. A good boook it sounds like right in time for the Jewish high holidays. It will be released on September8,2009. Thank you Anita for the copy to read and review on my Jewish blog.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Jewish Mail Box Monday



I have been surfing the web for a Jewish mailbox that would be fun to post. I could not find anything. Unfortunately, this is the only thing I came up with. The mailbox is from Israel. Bare with me until I find something else.

The box is boring, but the books are not. I am estatic, that I recieved this many Jewish books. This has not happend to me since I started my blog. I usually get more secualar books rather than Jewish.

Here is what came into my Jewish Mailbox this past week. Thank you for hosting this Marcia, from The Printed Page.

Rashi's Daughter, Book 3 By Maggie Anton
Thank you Maggie

I have been looking forward to this one for awhile. This is Maggie's third book about one of Rashi's daughters. Each book is written based on one of he's daugters, Rashi is a famous Jewish scholar in Medival France.

Bending Toward The Sun by Leslie Gilbert_Lurie
Thank you FSB Associates for the copy. This one is a memoir about a mother and daughter and the experiences of the holocaust.

The Puzzle Queen by Betsy Carter courtesy by the author, thank you.
Other bloggers have written about the cover of the book. I have to agree as well. Digitally the eyes look very intense but when you see if in your own hands it is not as intense. But still, I like the cover. The book is a historical fiction, based on the holocaust.

You or Someone Like You by Chandler Burr
I am looking forward to reading this one as soon as possible. There is some contraversy surrounding the book. I can't wait to read this one. I have heard some tongues wagging because of this one.


This is the first time More Jewish books came into my mailbox rather than secualar. I just wish my people would visit my blog as I have not been paying alot of attention to it. Once I start getting mor visitor I think I will start to give it more loving care!!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Blogging Help

I have been attempting to re-design my blog with blogger. I want to make a navigational bar. This way I can have my two blogs connected. I want to be able to use my own color background, and to make my blog header with a graphic design for my own choosing.
Some of you bloggers did this yourself. I was wondering if anyone would like to do this is their spare time,and is handy with the technical side of the blog. I am not and I would pay you for your trouble. I have tried to follow directions on the blogger tutorial and it just doesn't do it for me. I am desperate!!. All of you that personal sent me emails to try to explain it to me have been great. But I just don't get it.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

This Is Where I Leave You


This Is Where I Leave You
By Jonathan Tropper

This is Where I Leave You, the story of Judd Foxman. He's father, Mort has just passed away. Judd and Jen, his wife are having marital problems. She is having a affair with Wade, his boss, the radio jock. Judd finds out she is pregnant. On the same day he's father dies.

He's family is Jewish. He's mother tells the family by the request of their father to sit Shiva(seven days of mourning). Their father is not religious or traditional at all. There are Jewish rituals that are followed, covering mirrors, sitting on stools, no bathing,no fun at all. There are family, friends aquaintances, that visit during the seven days. The shiva is sat by mother, wife, brother, sister, and children. If you are interested visit here.

The family is dysfunctional. This where the fun begins. The family must sit together for seven days on stools. Many visitors come a calling. You can hear the criticism, and whispers by the family members. They have not sat and come together for many years. There is family can't sit together for two minutes without bickering. Sparks start flying.

Judd is the narrator, you hear him through out the book. Phillip, is the younger brother, that messed up his life. Paul is the older brother, Judd lost his virginity to Phillip's wife many years ago. Wendy is the sister, that still has a crush on the boy next door. She hit him over the head many years ago. He has memory loss to this day.

Their mother, Linda holds a PHd, a psychologist, we find out later in the book who the family suspects as her lover. The mother loves to use shocking words to get attention of the family.

If during the shiva that it falls on Friday night through Saturday night. The members go to services. shiva week. During services there is some mad cap comedy that reminds me of one of Sandler's movies.

As the cantor drones on, I stick my hand into the pocket of Dad's suit and discover what feels like a old, twisted, tissue but turns out, upon further inspection, to be a fat, bone fide, home rolled joint.


He then goes down to the bathroom. Now read on...
It was in Dad;s suit. Dad was a stoner? Phillip says, so much of life makes sense.

Then ..Then a few minutes later, we're sprawled at our timey attached desks, while the three dimensional letters of the hebrew aleph-bet taped above the blackboard float over us in the smokey haze.
Then it goes on during the shiva week, sex, drugs,sex, every kind of raunchy act you can think of.

I liked the way the book was set up for each day of the seven. Each section of the book was for the day of the week of the Shiva. You could not wait to find out what happened the following day. Finally there was no family issues settled. But alot of hugs and kisses and understandings.

The story is rauchy, "R" rated,full of sex, funny, hilarious. You start cracking up right from the first sentence. Best of all entertaining. I started reading this book at the Dr.'s office.

I had to have a three hour glucose tolerance test the day I started the book. The patients and the staff thought I must have been nuts. Because I had a smirk on my face, and laughing out loud, and calling out oh my g-d without realizing I was speaking out loud. I am sure they were ready to send me away in a straight jacket any moment. I did not realize I was cracking up and smirking the whole time I was there.

Some parts of the book sounded like my family. I don't think my mother would go to all those lengths to have the family sit together. Sitting throught Shiva would be the biggest punishment for her. She is a cultural Jew.

If you can get over the raunchy and sex parts, Which I did. After awhile it just grows on you and you forget that, and just keep on laughing.

This book was just bought up to movie rights. I don't know if I would see it. As I don't like these kind of movies. But I definately loved this book. It was so hilarious. Go check it out at a Bookstore near you!!
You can read a review by my blogging friend Marie, The Boston Bibliophile here.
 
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