Shows
Nice Jewish BooksMidwives' Escape: a conversation with Maggie AntonIt’s Passover! Time to slurp the soup, crunch the matzah, and make jokes about Moses never stopping to ask directions in the desert. It’s also a great time to speak with Maggie Anton about her latest book, the Midwives’ Escape. Through the eyes of the Egyptian midwives, we see what life was like for the Israelites as they learned to transition from a people enslaved to a self-supporting community. Follow along with the transcript. Check out Maggie's website. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks...2025-04-1642 minNice Jewish BooksAJL Fiction Award WinnersEvery year, the Association of Jewish Libraries Fiction Award committee scours the book world for books with significant Jewish content. They look for extra-ordinary writing, accurate depictions of Jewish life in all its diversity, and contributions to the field of Jewish literature. This month I am excited to speak with Rena Citrin about the lastest winners of this award. See the 2025 press release. Winner: Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari (Random House, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC) Honor: The Hebrew Teacher by Maya Arad, translated by Jessica Cohen (New Vessel...2025-03-1938 minNice Jewish BooksThe Second Journey : an adventurous blend of Jewish & Chinese folklore and wisdom / a conversation with Joel BigmanWhen the Buddhist monk Xuanzang returned to China from India, bringing back precious Buddhist texts, he thought his traveling days were over. But then he finds an intriguing scrap with writing that he does not recognize. Finally connecting it with the Jewish community in Kaifeng he is implored by the community to go on another journey – this time even further west through Persia and Israel to find and bring back a teacher for the Kaifeng Jews. He is joined by his disciples, the magiFc Monkey and 8 rules Pigsy. Eventually a Jewish man known as Bear acts as a guide an...2025-01-1340 minNice Jewish BooksDangerous Golem? or Man of Her Dreams? A conversation about a Magical Meet Cute with Jean MeltzerAfter her town is carpeted with antisemitic leaflets, ceramic artist Faye finds refuge in her studio and before she knows it, her hands have created the figure of a man. She enscribes all her wishes into the clay and buries it under her rose bushes. The next day she runs into a handsome stranger, knocking him unconscious and giving him amnesia. As she gets to know him, he seems more and more like the man of her dreams. But is he just too good to be true? Or could he be a golem that she created and who just...2024-12-2039 minNice Jewish BooksWhen all else fails ... call the Magic Maker / a conversation with Mickey Dubrow For 100 years the Rosenfelds have been trapped in a time bubble in their tenement apartment on the lower East Side of New York. They can only catch glimpes of the outside world which has no idea that they are there. Until one day, Esther Luna, who works in the building which has now been turned into the Tenement Museum see a girl in the window who smiles and waves at her. After exploring every reasonable explanation, Esther turns to Rabbi Meyer Poppers, a Jewish magician. While he finds the source of the curse, figuring out how...2024-11-1335 minNice Jewish BooksWill living "With a Good Eye" bring Luna luck? a conversation with Gila GreenLuna Levi may have graduated high school, but she is far from any kind of path to success. She works part time at a motel in Ottowa to help support her family since neither parent seem capable of it. Luna's mother has dreams of being a theater star and takes off for weeks at a time to perform in regional productions and her father, suffering from PTSD after serving in the Israel army, lives on the streets. Luna watches her mother try one "get rich quick" scheme after another; each one bring the family further into debt. H...2024-10-1533 minNice Jewish BooksHow Many Secrets are Behind the Boy with the Star Tattoo / a conversation with Talia CarnerSharon is surrounded by secrets. It is 1968 and she has been recruited to clandestinely bring Israel sailors, soldiers, and engineers to the French port of Cherbourg. She needs to help support them until the last 5 ships which were promised to Israel were fully constructed. Since France has instituted an embargo against Israel, the men would have to smuggle to ships out for the Israeli Navy. On a smaller scale, she learned that her supervisor Daniel had been taken out of Israel as a young child as part of the youth aliyah program. Although Daniel only had thoughts of Israel's...2024-10-0649 minNice Jewish BooksThe Main Character: a conversation with Jaclyn Goldis about secrets, lies, and murder! Genevra Ex is a best-selling mystery author with a major quirk. Instead of inventing new characters, she hires a real-life person to be the main character of her book. The latest hire is a young woman named Rory. After an intensive three months of interviewing, Genevra gifts Rory with a ticket on the newly refurbish Orient Express. After boarding the train, Rory is shocked to find her brother Max, her best friend Caroline, and her ex-fiance Nate. She also finds a manuscript of Genevra's latest novel and a letter with secrets that rock Rory's life. although the trip takes...2024-09-1723 min
The Book of Life: Jewish Kidlit (Mostly)Our Jewish Emotional Support BooksSHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2024/09/our-jewish-emotional-support-books.html TRANSCRIPT: https://otter.ai/u/LVQ-f8Gwpfw2LLKvE4Y7TGOzHes?utm_source=copy_url At the Association of Jewish Libraries 2024 annual conference in San Diego, CA, I met up with Sheryl Stahl, host of our sister podcast, Nice Jewish Books. Inspired by the cartoon seen here, Sheryl and I interviewed our friends and colleagues about their Jewish "emotional support books" and the results turned into this podcast episode (cross-posted on Nice Jewish Books). We got a very wide variety responses, listed in the Show Notes...2024-09-0134 minNice Jewish BooksJewish Emotional Support Books: a conversation with Heidi Rabinowitz and AJL conference attendeesHeidi Rabinowitz and I both saw a cartoon from the New Yorker in which one spouse was trying to move a pile of tottering books off the other spouses night-stand. The other spouse yelled in alarm (something like) "don't move those - they are my emotional support books!" We were inspired to ask our fellow attendees at the 2024 Association of Jewish Libraries conference to speak about their emotional support books! Follow along with the transcript. Enter the drawing for your own personal emotional support book bag! Share a review on social media (such a...2024-08-3137 minNice Jewish BooksJackpot Summer! a conversation with Elyssa FriedlanderWhether you play the lottery or not, I think that all of us dream about what we would do if we won a major jackpot. This is what happened to three out of the four Jacobson siblings. Matthew, Laura, Sophie, and Noah were gathered to pack up the family summer house on Long Beach Island, when Noah announced he was going out and would be buying a lottery ticket. Laura and Sophie jumped to go in on the tickets, while Matthew flatly refused. They were all completely shocked to find that one of their tickets was a winner. The...2024-08-1335 minNice Jewish BooksWhat Will be Found in the Cave of Secrets: a Conversation with Lynne GolodnerEve is only looking for some shelter from the rain, but what she finds will change her work, her heart, and her life. In a small cave in the Scottish highlands, Eve finds a journal written in as a series of letters from a woman named Shira to her lover Benjamin. Eve realized that the letters contain secrets about the family of her new love Mac. What secrets are revealed and can Eve and Mac's love survive? Join me for a conversation with Lynne Golodner about her latest book, Cave of Secrets. Find the author at her w...2024-07-1028 minNice Jewish BooksThe Hebrew Teacher: three novellas by Mara AradOften we just want to connect with all the people around us and fix any problems we see. In the Hebrew Teacher, a collection of three novellas, people attempt to do this in very different situations. But sometimes, other people see the problem from a different perspective, or the problem is not what it seems. And to connect with someone else, they need to want to connect back with you. Join me for a conversation with Maya Arad about navigating life, jobs, and family. Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent b...2024-06-1730 minNice Jewish BooksTwo Girls: One Lives in Manhattan, the Other in a Parable. A discussion about To and Fro with Leah Hager Cohen. Annamae lives in New York with her brother and linguist mother. She yearns for connection and feels that someone will show up to take her away to where she is supposed to be. In the meantime, she pours her thoughts and dreams into her diary. Ani lives on a homestead which is a safe place for misfits and homeless. One day, the Captain, one of the long time residents, hears a call and just walks away to follow it. When Ani realizes that he forgot his treasured journal, she attempts to follow him to him to return it...2024-05-1334 minNice Jewish BooksRAS Award Winner: Early Jewish Cookbooks: Essays on Hungarian Jewish Gastronomical HistoryEvery year the Research, Archive, and Special libraries division of the Association of Jewish Libraries (otherwise known as RAS) gives awards for excellence in Reference and in Bibliography. Since these are obviously not fiction, they wouldn’t ordinarily be a candidate for this podcast. But I got an opportunity to share the interview with last year’s bibliography winner that I found too delicious to pass up. The bibliography award focuses on books written about other books. In the case, the winner Adras Koerner won for this work Early Jewish Cookbooks: Essay on Hungarian Jewish Gastronomical History. Join me at Ni...2024-04-1650 minNice Jewish BooksCould we adjust Once We Were Home? a conversation with Jennifer RosnerDuring the Holocaust, desperate Jewish parents placed their children with Christian families and in convents in the hope that the children would survive the war. After the war, Jewish organizations went to reclaim these children to be raised in the Jewish community. But how did the children deal with yet another displacement. Join me for a conversation with Jennifer Rosner. Follow along with the transcript. Find out more on the author's website Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The Association of Jew...2024-03-1434 minNice Jewish BooksDiscovering the mysteries in Our Little Histories : a conversation with Janice WeizmanWe start in a familiar place, in contemporary Chicago, where Jennifer, a museum curator, is asked to go to Belarus to create a living installation of Jewish life there before the Holocaust. She invites a distant cousin to participate, and she brings with her an old Yiddish literary magazine to use as a prop in the installment. In each chapter we move backward in time. As the settings become less familiar to us, we see the cousin relationships getting closer and see that there is a poem in the journal that is directed at three brothers in the family...2024-02-1943 minNice Jewish BooksCan a kid survive the turmoil of the 70s as well as his Bar Mitsvah? Adam Unrehearsed with Don FuttermanAdam is a twelve year old boy preparing for his bar mitzvah in Flushing New York in the early 1970. In many ways, he is a typical kid, trying to fit in at school, but also trying to find himself and find ways to stand out. But his year is off to a difficult start when his parents decide to move the family to a different neighborhood and at the same time his best friend decides to ghost him. Can Adam make new friends, find his people, and survive his bar mitzvah? Join me for a conversation with author Don F...2024-01-1849 minNice Jewish BooksNew Translations of Yiddish LiteratureWhile the body of Yiddish literature is vast, many people still think of Tevye the milkman, trudging along with his lame horse and arguing with God. But the many new translations of Yiddish fiction show the breadth and depth of the settings, characters, and topics covered as well as the many different voices of the authors. This past fall, Nice Jewish Books in conjunction with AJL presents, gathered three amazing scholars to speak about the past, present, and future of Yiddish literature and especially Yiddish literature in translation. Yermiyahu Ahron Taub, poet, writer, and translater; translator Mindy L...2023-12-121h 01Nice Jewish BooksThe Last Jewish Daughter of Kaifeng : a conversation with graphic novelist Fabrice Sapolsky Leah is not your typical Chinese-Jewish owner of a kosher Chinese restaurant. She is also a woman on the run from Yuk-Wong, a drug lord determined to marry her against her will. And if that wasn't enough drama in her life, she is also the host/recipient of the Spirit of Water with all the powers that entails. When Yuk-Wong's minions find her in New York, she decides to return to China and face her figurative and literal demons. Join me for a conversation with graphic artist Fabrice Sapolsky about this second story of the Intertwined universe, The Last...2023-11-0344 minNice Jewish BooksStraddling Black & White: the travails of the Ethiopian Jews with author Kim SalzmanWhen people think of Operation Moses, they usually think of a plane full of Ethiopian Jews, the Beta Israel, arriving in Israel. But their journey started long before the plane ride and continued for years after arriving. Kim Salzman follows a single family as they journey in three groups from Ethiopia to Sudan, to Israel, and into the Israeli absorption centers. They each endure a physically dangerous and emotional wrenching journey. Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The As...2023-10-0943 minNice Jewish BooksIrena Klepfisz discusses Her Birth and Later Years with guest host Yermiyahu Ahron TaubLesbian, poet, activist, and Yiddishist Irena Klepfisz speaks about her lastest book, Her Birth and Later Years : New and Collected Poems, 1971-2021 with Yermiyahu Ahron Taub. Yermiyahu is a poet and Yiddishist in his own right. He and Irena have been friends for years. They speak about her process of writing and her use of Yiddish in her work as well as the legacy of her parents and extended family. Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The Association...2023-09-131h 28Nice Jewish BooksWe are not Strangers: Friendship between the Jews & Japanese in WWII era Seattle, a conversation with Josh TuiningaDuring World War 11, Japanese citizens were rounded up and sent to internment camps. When they were finally released, the vast majority had lost their homes and businesses. In the upcoming episode of Nice Jewish Books, I speak with Josh Tuininga about one of the rare exceptions to this appalling situation. Josh focuses on the Sephardic Jewish community in Seattle, Washington where the friendship between Marco Calvo and members of the Japanese community rippled through the generations. Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. 2023-08-1327 minNice Jewish BooksOn the Run in a House with Chicken-feet: a discussion of Thistlefoot by GennaRose NethercottIf I told you that this episode was going to be about a house which ran around on chicken legs, you might assume that this should belong to an odd looking children’s book. But NO! This is a full-fledged intruiguing adult adventure. When the Yaga siblings inherit their grandmother’s house, they set off on a journey to hide from the mysterious man who is stalking the house, discover themselves, and oh yes, create puppet shows along the way. Listen in to Hannah Srour-Zackon’s interview of GennaRose Northcott about her AJL honor winning book, Thistlefoot. Follow...2023-07-1234 minNice Jewish BooksComing out in Florida ... Can love triumph? A discussion with Jacob Gelman about Butterflies in the EndzoneWhen Jamie's family moves from a liberal Jewish area of San Francisco to a conservative area of Florida, he decides to go back into the closet. But when he meets Alex, the football star, sparks fly between them which un-nerves both of the teens. Can they work out their feelings for each other while navigating homophobia? Join me for a conversation with Jacob Gelman. Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The Association of Jewish Libraries Heidi Rabinowitz, podcast m...2023-06-2119 minNice Jewish BooksWhat are the Shadows We Carry? A conversation with Meryl AinTwins JoJo and Bronka are coming of age in the United States in the 1960s. Daughters of Orthodox Jewish parents, they both have dreams and ambitions; JoJo of becoming an actress and Bronka of becoming an journalist. But shadows follow them: their parents' holocaust experience, US politics, neo-Nazis, sexism, and an unplanned pregnancy. Join me for a conversation with Meryl Ain, author of the Shadows We Carry. Follow along with the transcript. Connect with Meryl through her website https://merylain.com/ and Facebook page and enjoy her podcast. Support the author, AJL, and...2023-06-0832 minNice Jewish BooksCan this young Jewish Syrian woman find her way out of the Marriage Box? A conversation with Corie AdjmiCasey is a teenager living in New Orleans, when her parents decide that she is getting into too much trouble. They move the family back to Brooklyn to be closer to their Orthodox Jewish Syrian community. But will she end up trapped in the Marriage Box? Join me for a conversation with author Corie Adjmi. Follow along with the transcript. Connect with Corie at https://corieadjmi.com/ Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The Association of Jewish Libraries Heidi Rabinowitz, podcast...2023-05-1423 minNice Jewish BooksThe Joys of Jewish sleepaway camp! Eric Glickman regales us with adventures a Camp Pock-a-Wockne We may not be able to live in the past, but it is nice to visit it sometimes. Join me for a nostalgic journey back to Jewish sleep-away-camp with Eric Glickman as we talk about his graphic novel Camp Pock-a-wocknee : dynomite summer '77. Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The Association of Jewish Libraries Heidi Rabinowitz, podcast mentor Dee Yan Key for use of their Freylekh (downloaded from https://freemusicarchive.org/home) If you enjoyed this...2023-04-2534 minNice Jewish BooksOther Covenants, the ultimate "what ifs" of Jewish history and Jewish fan fictionWhat if David and Goliath were actually lovers and con artists? What if the Scotts turned about to be God's chosen people? What if Ilan Ramon had been on the Columbia ground crew instead of in the shuttle? Andrea Lobel and Mark Shainblum collect an intriguing collection of "what ifs" in Jewish history and modern midrash, or "Jewish fan fiction" of the Bible. I had a fascinating conversation with the editors and two of the collection's authors, Esther Alter and Eric Choi. Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores...2023-03-1249 minNice Jewish BooksSpeaking with AJL Fiction Award winner Omer Friedlander about the Man Who Sold Air in the Holy LandScheherazade telling stories to spellbound soldiers, Sephardic kids "borrow' and old confused man off the street to pose as their Holocaust surviving grandfather, and the son of a shoemaker who delights in climbing construction cranes ... these are just a few of the characters who appear in Omer Friedlander's Association of Jewish Libraries' award winning collection, The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land. Contact the author at https://www.omerfriedlander.com/ Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to...2023-02-1732 minNice Jewish BooksIt's Always a Party with a Sephardi! from the Book of LifeThis episode of The Book of Life features Sarah Aroeste,a singer/songwriter of Ladino music and an author of board books featuring Sephardic culture and Ladino vocabulary andBridget Hodder, a Sephardic author of middle grade and picture books. Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The Association of Jewish Libraries Heidi Rabinowitz, podcast mentor Dee Yan Key for use of their Freylekh (downloaded from https://freemusicarchive.org/home) If you enjoyed this podcast, you might also like t...2023-01-161h 05
Nice Jewish BooksA Deathbed Confession reveals My Mother's Secret. A conversation with Alina Adams After her beloved father's death, Lena is stunned to learn that he was not her biological father. She had never felt as close to Regina, her Russian-born mother. But as Regina's story unfolds from her early life in Moscow to her early adulthood in Birobidzhan, the Jewish Autonomous Region, their relationship begins to heal. Alina Adams gives us an engaging story of hardship, love, impossible decisions, and reconciliation. Contact the author through her website AlinaAdams.com Support UJA/Federation Ukraine Crisis Relief Follow along with the transcript, Support the author, AJL, a...2022-12-0746 minNice Jewish BooksThe Surprisingly Modern Voice of Yiddish Author Fradl Shtok : a conversation with translators Jordan Finkin and Allison Schachter In a Nice Jewish Books first – I won’t be speaking with the author of the book From the Jewish Provinces, Fradl Shtok, but rather her translators, Jordan Finkin and Allison Schachter. Fradl Shtok was born in the Austro-Hungarian empire and started her writing career there. She later moved to New York and continued her writing career. Although better known for her poetry, Shtok also wrote short stories. Jordan Finkin and Allison Schachter, both long-time Yiddishists, collaborated on translating her stories in this collection, From the Jewish Provinces. Follow along with the transcript. Supp...2022-11-1526 minNice Jewish BooksAlmost Parallel Lives: The Thread Collectors by Shaunna Edwards and Alyson GoldmanIn this historical novel based on both their families’ histories, I speak with author's Shaunna Edwards and Alyson Richman. In the novel, we follow two couples. Jacob and Lilly are a Jewish couple living in New York while Stella and William are both slaves in New Orleans. Both men are fighting for the Union and they bond over their love of music. Both women use their sewing skills to help the war effort. But while their lives should have run parallel to each other, they diverge in some shocking ways. Follow along with the transcript Che...2022-10-1839 minNice Jewish BooksJustice or Revenge? Can Shanna Tell Them Apart and Prevent Another Murder?Journo (journalist) Shanna Regan was researching historical plaques for the town news magazine when she encounters fake plaques. Instead of praising a former residents, the plaques told of a person's malicious actions and a statement this if they don't repent, that they will never rest in peace. With a stalker, a murky family history, and new plaques appearing, will Shanna be able to sort everything out before another person is murdered? Join me for a conversation with Victoria Goldman about justice, revenge, and murder. Follow along on the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent...2022-10-0724 minNice Jewish BooksAviva Rosner is singing the Human BluesAviva Rosner is a rock star, committed to speaking about truth of her life, even if, or especially if, it makes other people uncomfortable. She has a happy marriage, and loyal fans. What she doesn’t have is a baby. In Human Blues, by Elisa Albert, we follow her through 9 months of her cycles of hope, grief and frustration. Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The Association of Jewish Libraries Heidi Rabinowitz, podcast mentor Dee Yan Key for us...2022-09-1532 minNice Jewish BooksWhat can poison do in a Gallery of Beauties? a conversation with Nina Wachsman17th century Venice is fascinating time and place in history; especially for Jews. Join me for a conversation with Nina Wachsman about her latest book, A Gallery of Beauties. Her protagonist, Diana, daughter of the chief rabbi of Venice, must decide if she wants her life to remain centered in the Jewish Ghetto, or to become a protege of a famous Venician courtesan. Of course, above all else, she must avoid becoming the next victim of the local poisoner. Here's the link to her website to get the free 6 chapter download: https://venicebeauties.com/ Learn...2022-08-1544 minNice Jewish BooksFinding your soul-mate, The Matchmaker's gift with Lynda LoigmanSarah can't help being a match-maker; she sees a mystical light between people who are meant for each other. But can she stand up to the local male matchmakers who are angry at her for taking their business? And what is her granddaughter Abby to make of her journals? Join me for my talk with author Lynda Loigman about love, soul-mates, and pickles and herring! Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The Association of Jewish Libraries Heidi Rabinowitz...2022-07-1432 minNice Jewish BooksHow to Find Your Way in the Dark with Derek Miller Join me for a wider ranging talk with Derek Miller about the mystery of Sheldon's father's death, Jewish life in rural America, and Yankee ingenuity. How to find your way in the Dark is the winner of the 2022 Association of Jewish Libraries' Jewish Fiction Award. Follow along with the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The Association of Jewish Libraries Heidi Rabinowitz, podcast mentor Dee Yan Key for use of their Freylekh (downloaded from https://freemusicarchive.org/home) If y...2022-06-2454 minNice Jewish BooksA Play for the End of the World, by Jai Chakrabarti What connects a Warsaw Holocaust era orphanage and a 1970's West Bengal village? It is a play, the Post Office, written by Rabindranath Tagore, and performed in both places. Jai Chakrabarti skillfully weaves together 1940s Warsaw and 1970s New York and India and discusses the role of the arts in healing and inspiring people. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Read the transcript. Thanks to: The Association of Jewish Libraries Heidi Rabinowitz, podcast mentor Dee Yan Key for use of their Freylekh (downloaded from https://freemusicarchive.org...2022-06-1231 minNice Jewish BooksLove, Faith, and Talmud with Maggie AntonAfter reading Chaim Potok's early works, author Maggie Anton wondered, "where were the women?" In her latest novel, The Choice: Love, Faith, and Talmud, Maggie imagines what life might have been like for women living in Potok's world. To find out more about Maggie Anton and her work, check out her website. Read the transcript. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The Association of Jewish Libraries Heidi Rabinowitz, podcast mentor Dee Yan Key for use of their Freylekh (downloaded from https...2022-05-0943 minNice Jewish BooksPreventing the Chernobyl meltdow?n or saving her family? Atomic Anna with Rachel BarenbaumMathemetician/nuclear physicist Anna, is briefly launched into the future when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant melts down. She sees her estranged daughter, Molly dying from a violent injury. Now Anna has to figure out a way to travel to the past to reconnect with her daughter and hopefully save her life. Join me for a fascinating talk with Rachel Barenbaum about family, time travel, and who gets to decide who lives or dies. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Follow along with the transcription. Thanks...2022-04-2627 minNice Jewish BooksJust who is stalking whom in Bruce Berger's latest book?Kayla is a piano prodigy. From a very young age, she has struggled to balance her musical life with family tensions and mental illness. Not to mention the mysterious stalker. Join me for a wide-ranging talk with Bruce Berger about music, mental illness, and family dynamics. Read the transcript Support the Young Musicians Foundation Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The Association of Jewish Libraries Heidi Rabinowitz, podcast mentor Dee Yan Key for use of their Freylekh (downloaded from https://freemusicarchive...2022-03-1931 minNice Jewish BooksTalking about Peculiarities with David LissIt is the late1890's London and all is not well. A dense fog is creeping through the streets transforming people into other-worldly creatures and the "Elegents" walk the streets killing at will. Can a neer-do-well second son of a banker and a young Jewish woman solve these horrific mysteries and perhaps save the bank along the way? Join me for a conversation with multi-genre author David Liss. You can read the transcipt. Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. Thanks to: The Association of Jewish...2022-02-0935 min
Nice Jewish BooksNice Jewish Books Mirta Trupp writes "Jewish Historical Fiction : For those who like a little Yiddishkeit with their Period Drama." I had a great conversation about her latest book, Celestial Persuasion, a Jane Austen fan fiction as well as a great stand-alone work. Read the transcript Check out her site, https://mirtainestruppauthor.com/ Follow her on Goodreads and Instagram; buy her books Thanks to: The Association of Jewish Libraries Heidi Rabinowitz, podcast mentor Dee Yan Key for use of their Freylekh (downloaded from https://freemusicarchive.org/home) If you enjoyed...2021-12-2133 minNice Jewish BooksNice Jewish Books Can secrets bring a family together? or tear them apart? In Rachel Beanland's novel, Florence Adler Swims Forever, Florence's family must figure out how to grieve her untimely death, while keeping it a secret from her bed-bound pregnant sister. Based on a true incident from her family history, Rachel imagines what life would have been like for the Adler family in Atlantic City in 1935. Read the transcript of the conversation. Check out Rachel's website (https://rachelbeanland.com/) Support the author, AJL, and independent book stores by buying their book here. 2021-12-0731 min
Nice Jewish BooksNice Jewish BooksTalia Carner is a longtime global activist on women's economic and health issues, and also a longtime multi award winning writer. I learned so much after speaking with her about Sholem Aleichem, The Third Daughter, and sex trafficking. We also get a sneak peek at her upcoming novel. You can support Talia, independent book stores, and AJL by buying her books. Check out her website especially the translation of the "Man from Buenos Aires" by Sholem Aleichem, which was one of the inspirations for the Third Daughter. Talia also has resources to Take...2021-11-0447 min
Nice Jewish BooksNice Jewish BooksMary Marks created the spunky, middle-aged, plump and curvy, quilting protagonist Martha Rose. Martha and her circle of quilting friends seem to bump into dead bodies with alarming frequency. Luckily, they are able use their observational skills, intuition, and persistence to "help" the police catch the killers. Join me for a far-reaching conversation about Jewish practice, representation of female characters, quilting, and finding love in her 70's! Check out her website and buy her books. Follow her on Facebook to see her quilts. Thanks to: The Association of Jewish Libraries...2021-10-1330 min