i have always heard/read "Mrs. Dalloway" is a great place to start (or end? as it is always the one book referenced it seems) with Virginia Woolfe and this year i will do it if possible its a glaring void in my 6 decades of loving to read of that one addiction i don't regret thanks for reminder
2023 was my worst reading year in a long time, not for quality, but quantity. On the flip side, I probably *wrote* more this year than previous years, so my goal for 2024 is balance.
Outstanding reads during 2023 included Rabbi Meir Soloveichik's "Providence and Power: 10 Portraits in Jewsh Statesmanship," and the very newly released "The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World," by Saul Singer and Dan Senor, authors of "Start-Up Nation." I reviewed both in the Jewish Journal. In fiction, I loved "The Rose Code," by Kate Quinn, based on some of the real women who worked to break Nazi codes during WWII in Bletchley Park--it was riveting. At the other extreme, I could not stand "The Netanyahus," by Joshua Cohen. Suppoedly based on a true story involving Ben Zion Netanyahu (Bibi's father) and his desperate attempt to secure a teaching position at Corbin College, it was thin gruel out of which to write a quasi-novel, based on real people and the memories of one now deceased witness. Cohen can be very funny but because the point of a book is a mean-spirited attack on an entire family the humor begins to fail. In the author's note at the end Cohen attacks Bibi Netanyahu personally, accusing him as an accessory in the murder of Yitzhak Rabin. When an author writes with daggers drawn, you are not in for a good time.
ARTY! I love this. I’m so happy that this year brought you so many great books and that you shared them here with us. I can’t wait to see what 2024 holds for you ❤️❤️
My favorite read over 2023 is quite hard, being that there are so many good books that I read. In nonfiction, I really enjoyed Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography. It's not a book I thought I'd enjoy, but I ended up loving every minute of it. It's one of the better biographies I have read. My fiction choices include the surprising Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan (a fictional portrayal of a school shooter) which received no rewards but which captures the psychological intensity perfectly, and Gordon Kormans The Twinkie Squad, whcih balances Korman's on-target hunor with a serious plot of a kid struggling to fot in (i actually read this earlier as well, but its a perennial favorite reread.) In the Judaism catagory, Torah Goes Forth From Zion: Essays on the Thought of Rav Kook and Rav Shagar by Zachary Truboff was a pleasant surprise. And I read two graphic novels which surprised me and helped me understand for the first time the depth of the medium: Alan Moore's The Watchmen, which is considered a classic of literature, not just graphic novels, an assessment with which I wholeheartedly agree, and The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck by Don Rosa. My friend gifted me the deluxe edition, amd the plotting humor, and commentary for the geeks makes it my favorite read of 2023. (Get the deluxe edition- it's worth it).
As far as the most disappointing: In nonfiction, God's Monsters by Esther Hamori. It was supposed to be interesting, but it ends up being an angry atheistic emotional rant. Skip it. In fiction, Bill Wattersons' The Mysteries. It was supposed to be a triumphant return for the Calvin and Hobbes author, but it's just a disappointing cashgrab, something Watterson has shied away from for years. My most disappointing read of 2023 by far, as it was even a preorder thst I had really anticipated. I'd rather not say the Judaism one, as I feel it may be Lashon Hara.
Oh, there is one "Jewish" book I can say sucked without fear of Lashon Hara: The Life and Times of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum. The lack of knowledge of the Orthodox community grated on me. Also "spoiler alert" no rebbe will ever give permission for a Jewish bochur to date a nonjew due to Pikachu nefesh.
i have always heard/read "Mrs. Dalloway" is a great place to start (or end? as it is always the one book referenced it seems) with Virginia Woolfe and this year i will do it if possible its a glaring void in my 6 decades of loving to read of that one addiction i don't regret thanks for reminder
Yay! I hope you love it! A friend of mine read it on my recommendation and hated it though... so... I guess we’ll see which camp you end up in!
2023 was my worst reading year in a long time, not for quality, but quantity. On the flip side, I probably *wrote* more this year than previous years, so my goal for 2024 is balance.
Love that. Balance is best, always. 😇
Outstanding reads during 2023 included Rabbi Meir Soloveichik's "Providence and Power: 10 Portraits in Jewsh Statesmanship," and the very newly released "The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World," by Saul Singer and Dan Senor, authors of "Start-Up Nation." I reviewed both in the Jewish Journal. In fiction, I loved "The Rose Code," by Kate Quinn, based on some of the real women who worked to break Nazi codes during WWII in Bletchley Park--it was riveting. At the other extreme, I could not stand "The Netanyahus," by Joshua Cohen. Suppoedly based on a true story involving Ben Zion Netanyahu (Bibi's father) and his desperate attempt to secure a teaching position at Corbin College, it was thin gruel out of which to write a quasi-novel, based on real people and the memories of one now deceased witness. Cohen can be very funny but because the point of a book is a mean-spirited attack on an entire family the humor begins to fail. In the author's note at the end Cohen attacks Bibi Netanyahu personally, accusing him as an accessory in the murder of Yitzhak Rabin. When an author writes with daggers drawn, you are not in for a good time.
Wow, thank you so much for this great list! Great reviews 🙏🏻
-- Your clarity of thought and depth of understanding shine throughout this read. Happy New Year, Arty! Xo.
Thank you so much Thaissa! And belated happy new year to you! 😘😘
ARTY! I love this. I’m so happy that this year brought you so many great books and that you shared them here with us. I can’t wait to see what 2024 holds for you ❤️❤️
Thank you so much Caroline! Yes! 2024 is going to be the best one yet! 🎊🥳
Wow! Great post!
My favorite read over 2023 is quite hard, being that there are so many good books that I read. In nonfiction, I really enjoyed Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography. It's not a book I thought I'd enjoy, but I ended up loving every minute of it. It's one of the better biographies I have read. My fiction choices include the surprising Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan (a fictional portrayal of a school shooter) which received no rewards but which captures the psychological intensity perfectly, and Gordon Kormans The Twinkie Squad, whcih balances Korman's on-target hunor with a serious plot of a kid struggling to fot in (i actually read this earlier as well, but its a perennial favorite reread.) In the Judaism catagory, Torah Goes Forth From Zion: Essays on the Thought of Rav Kook and Rav Shagar by Zachary Truboff was a pleasant surprise. And I read two graphic novels which surprised me and helped me understand for the first time the depth of the medium: Alan Moore's The Watchmen, which is considered a classic of literature, not just graphic novels, an assessment with which I wholeheartedly agree, and The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck by Don Rosa. My friend gifted me the deluxe edition, amd the plotting humor, and commentary for the geeks makes it my favorite read of 2023. (Get the deluxe edition- it's worth it).
As far as the most disappointing: In nonfiction, God's Monsters by Esther Hamori. It was supposed to be interesting, but it ends up being an angry atheistic emotional rant. Skip it. In fiction, Bill Wattersons' The Mysteries. It was supposed to be a triumphant return for the Calvin and Hobbes author, but it's just a disappointing cashgrab, something Watterson has shied away from for years. My most disappointing read of 2023 by far, as it was even a preorder thst I had really anticipated. I'd rather not say the Judaism one, as I feel it may be Lashon Hara.
Wow, this is a great and diverse list! Love it! And yeah, it’s hard to criticize Jewish books because there is lashon hara involved.
Oh, there is one "Jewish" book I can say sucked without fear of Lashon Hara: The Life and Times of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum. The lack of knowledge of the Orthodox community grated on me. Also "spoiler alert" no rebbe will ever give permission for a Jewish bochur to date a nonjew due to Pikachu nefesh.
Thank you! 🙏🏻 also gotta love that autocorrect to Pikachu.