Many of us find ourselves looking for books for the children to read during this time. The closing of our local libraries has limited us to what we have available at home; before long, most of our home supplies have been depleted. Facebook groups are enhancing the search, allowing many to trade, sell and give away books so children have more available to them.
What about the moms? Many of us are desperately trying to find books to enhance these long and recently rainy days. A request was made by The Jewish Link for suggestions of what people are reading and whether or not they would recommend these books. The comments below are directly quoted from the suggesters. Enjoy!
• “The Splendid and the Vile,” by Erik Larsen: about Churchill in the years 1940-41 (excellent)
• “The Paris Architect” and “The Lost Wife”
• “Olive Kitteridge”
• “American Dirt,” by Jeanine Cummins: Mother and son flee for their lives from Mexico after their entire family is killed by a drug cartel. “Riveting story about the trials and tribulations they have to go through to get to safety, many times being returned by the authorities. Food for thought for the immigration policies in place in the United States today.” Apparently there has been much controversy attached to this book and perhaps it would be a good idea to check it out.
• “Amazing Women,” by Fradl Adams: a collection of short inspirational stories about Jewish women.
• “Once We Were Brothers”
• “Maid”
• “Where the Crawdads Sing”
• “Just Mercy”: “It changed my perspective on capital punishment.”
• “The Sun Does Shine”
• “We Were the Lucky Ones”
• “The Choice”
• “The Gown”
• “The Tattoo Artist of Auschwitz”
• “Touching Spirit Bear”
• “Pachinko,” by Min Jin Lee: “It’s an epic about a Korean family in Japan during the 20th century. About family, fate and identity. Enjoyed because it allowed me to escape to another world and I learned a lot about Japan and Korea.”
• “Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society”—an easy, light read
• “The Rent Collector”
• “Dutch House”
• “We Were the Lucky Ones,” by Georgia Hunter: “Incredible true story of survival during the Holocaust.”
• “The Only Woman in the Room”
• “The Making of Us,” by Lisa Jewell
• “Big Lies in a Small Town,” by Diane Chamberlain
• “Secret Book of Kings,” by Yochi Brandes
• “Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II,” by Liza Mundy
• “The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell,” by Robert Dugoni (recommended by many)
• “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah: “Not a light read but a page-turner Holocaust story with a true tear-jerking ending.”
• “Lone Wolf,” by Jodi Picoult
• “Summer With My Sisters,” by Holly Chamberlin
• “My Sister’s Keeper,” by Jodi Picoult
• “The Night Circus”: “Beautiful imagery and totally transportive.”
• “Dear Edward,” by Ann Napolitano: “It is about a child who is the sole survivor of a plane crash. It is a page-turner that deals with love, loss and survival, themes that resonate with us every day during the COVID era.”
Hopefully this is helpful to those who are looking for a good book to read after curling up with The Jewish Link on Shabbat.
By Nina Glick
