Which book should I choose?

amother

Indigo

Thu, Dec 10 2015, 9:18 am

DH would like to get me a book for Chanukah. We get e-mails from all the major Jewish publishers. Here are three that look interesting (to my taste). I don't like horror stories, death or accidents, just light enjoyable reading.
Here goes:

Chapter Two by Azriela Jaffe, also is this a sequel to any of her other books?

Stand your Ground, by Shoshana Mael

Dreams Delayed, by Ariella Schiller

Thanks for your help!

PinkFridge

Thu, Dec 10 2015, 11:11 am

amother wrote:

I think you'd be best off with a story collection book, like
- CB Weinfeld's book, a collection of her Yated and Ami articles
- the new R' Pruzansky or R' Weiss or R' Seltzer (he also has Class Acts 2 out)
- Heavenprints - Sara Yoheved Rigler

About the books you suggested:
Azriela Jaffe wrote 2 other novels - one in the pocketbook Abrams series, which was pleasant and probably up your alley. Her last novel was adult - it dealt with second marriage and some dysfunction and I think this one is a lot of real life stuff too. Don't get me wrong, that second novel was readable and very real, but probably not light enough for you.
Though if you read her second book (Unexpected Gifts?) and liked it, go for this one.
Shoshana Mael - I'll go out on a limb and say her new book will be too dark for you too. Her previous book, Dancing in the Dark, was very dark, about a family dealing (or not) with serious dysfunction. I thought it was very gripping. For high school seniors and up because it was disturbing, but a kid who's going through something would feel very understood and validated, and friends of such a kid would probably get a lot of insight.
Dreams Delayed - have no idea about this book or any of her previous ones if any.

If you want a novel, I really can't help you. I don't buy novels too often, I like something rereadable and there aren't too many novels that fit the bill for me. (Though I would make an acception for EG's The Grey Coat when it comes out.) And I'm not so up on the new novels.

Have fun, and I hope I got the conversation going.

PinkFridge

Thu, Dec 31 2015, 10:27 am

I know, it's after Chanuka. What did you get in the end?
Just a word about the Shoshana Mael book: I started reading it and am saving it for Shabbos. Someone who read it told me that it's NOT as dark as the other. She said it has a satisfying ending but it's not "And then they all got married and had 10 kids and Moshiach came." (her words. Don't you love them?) IOW, "all the worlds' problems were solved, including some never mentioned in the book."