Tuesday, July 31, 2012

july bookstand

Two from my bookshelf this month. Woot! The third was for my bookclub, so I had no choice but to read something else. It was a great month, too, in terms of the books.

My Year of Living Biblically, by A.J. Jacobs
Highly recommend. A nonfiction account by a secular man (he identifies himself as Jewish, but experienced very little religious tradition growing up) who decides to spend a year following the Bible as closely as possible. As part of his quest, he seeks out experiences in a wide variety of religious traditions, both Jewish and Christian. I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but it is one of the few that I am tempted to go back to the beginning and read it again, right away. His writing style, in particular, made it a very enjoyable yet thought-provoking book.


Tomorrow They Will Kiss, by Eduardo Santiago
Highly recommend. The story of three women from the same town in Cuba, after they emigrated to the United States in the 1960s and work together at a doll factory in Union City, NJ. The story is told through the points of view of all three women, and the author artfully blends and builds the story using their different perspectives.


The Tenth Song, by Naomi Ragen
Recommend. This was my book club selection. The story of a Jewish family torn apart by scandal, some of the plot lines were a bit too outrageous to swallow whole. However, I did enjoy the mystical parts of the book relating to the youngest daughter's journey to Israel. Unfortunately it paled beside the other two, but it is a fairly quick and enjoyable read.

No comments:

Post a Comment