It's the first night of Hanukkah! What better way to celebrate than a book for every night of the 8-day Festival of Lights? Each of these books are by Jewish authors and feature Jewish main characters.
Eternal Life, by Dara Horn
Rachel has an unusual problem: she can't die. Her recent troubles--widowhood, a failing business, an unemployed middle-aged son--are only the latest. She's already put up with scores of marriages and hundreds of children, over 2,000 years--ever since she made a spiritual bargain to save the life of her first son back in Roman-occupied Jerusalem. There's only one other person in the world who understands: a man she once loved passionately, who has been stalking her through the centuries, convinced they belong together forever.
In 2018, as her children and grandchildren develop new technologies for immortality, Rachel knows she must enable her beloved offspring to live fully--without her, but with meaning--by finding a way for herself to die.
Available in print only--reserve for pickup here!
The Family Table, by the Smollett family
Before actors and Food Network stars Jazz, Jake, Jurnee, and Jussie Smollett conquered Hollywood, they spent their childhood crisscrossing the United States. But no matter where they lived, two things remained constant: their incredible family feasts and the long, wooden kitchen table where they shared food and lived their lives. With a mother from New Orleans and a Jewish father from New York who met and married in California, the Smollett kids were exposed to diverse culinary heritages and grew up open to all the deliciousness the world had to offer. In this book, they share memories and recipes from their childhoods.
Available as an e-book on the Sora app or SoraApp.com.
Hanukkah Lights: Stories of the Season, from NPR
A gathering of short stories about the holiday. A lonely man finds love over the phone when trying to amend a Hanukkah internet shopping disaster. Faced with discrimination on stage at a holiday pageant, a young girl rebels against the ignorance of her teachers and hopes for a new attitude in the coming decades. And a retirement community discovers one evening that Hanukkah is not just about tradition, but is also about embracing future generations and ways of celebrating.
Great for a quick read! Available in print only--reserve for pickup here.
How to Spell Chanukah...and Other Holiday Dilemmas, edited by Emily Franklin
18 writers celebrate Hanukkah with short stories that are sometimes funny, sometimes heartwarming, and sometimes snarky. Pieces by Jonathan Tropper, Jennifer Gilmore, Steve Almond, Joanna Smith Rakoff, Adam Langer, and others address pressing issues: What is the weight gain associated with eating 432 latkes in eight nights? Offer joyous gratitude: “What a holiday! No pestilence, no slavery, no locusts, no cattle disease, or atonement. Thank God.” And afford tender truths: “You are reminded of your real gifts: a family you get to come home to.”
Great for a quick read! Available as an e-book on the Sora app or SoraApp.com.
It's a Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes, and Other Jewish Stories, edited by Katherine Locke and Laura Silverman
A Jewish boy falls in love with a fellow counselor at summer camp. A group of Jewish friends take the trip of a lifetime. A girl meets her new boyfriend's family over Shabbat dinner. Two best friends put their friendship to the test over the course of a Friday night. A Jewish girl feels pressure to date the only Jewish boy in her grade. Hilarious pranks and disaster ensue at a crush's Hanukkah party.
From stories of confronting their relationships with Judaism to rom-coms with a side of bagels and lox, It's a Whole Spiel features sometimes insightful, sometimes funny, and sometimes romantic stories from a collection of diverse Jewish authors.
Great for a quick read! Available in print--reserve for pickup--and as an e-book on the Sora app or SoraApp.com.
Not Your All-American Girl, by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Lauren and her best friend, Tara, have always done absolutely everything together. So when they don't have any classes together in sixth grade, it's disastrous. The solution? Trying out for the school play. Lauren, who loves to sing, wonders if maybe, just maybe, she will be the star instead of Tara this time.
But when the show is cast, Lauren lands in the ensemble, while Tara scores the lead role. Their teacher explains: Lauren just doesn't look the part of the all-American girl. What audience would believe that she, half-Jewish, half-Chinese Lauren, was the everygirl star from Pleasant Valley, USA?
Available as an e-book on the Sora app or SoraApp.com.
Recommended for You, by Laura Silverman
Shoshanna Greenberg loves working at Once Upon, her favorite local bookstore. And with her moms fighting at home and her beloved car teetering on the brink of death, the store has become a welcome escape.
When her boss announces a holiday bonus to the person who sells the most books, Shoshanna sees an opportunity to at least fix her car, if none of her other problems. The only person standing in her way? New hire Jake Kaplan.
Jake is an affront to everything Shoshanna stands for. He doesn’t even read! But somehow his sales start to rival hers. Jake may be cute (really cute), and he may be an eligible Jewish single (hard to find south of Atlanta), but he’s also the enemy, and Shoshanna is ready to take him down.
Available as an e-book on the Sora app or SoraApp.com.
Your Voice is All I Hear, by Leah Scheier
April won't let Jonah go without a fight. He's her boyfriend--her best friend. She'll do anything to keep him safe. But as Jonah slips into a dark depression, trying to escape the traumatic past that haunts him, April is torn. To protect Jonah, she risks losing everything: family, friends, an opportunity to attend a prestigious music school. How much must she sacrifice? And will her voice be loud enough to drown out the dissenters-and the ones in his head?
Available in print--reserve for pickup--as an e-book on the Sora app or SoraApp.com.
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