The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman

To celebrate Hanukkah, my family lights the menorah for eight nights; my husband makes the most delicious latkes (potato pancakes), and I have always given our children books. When shopping for books by diverse authors this holiday season, remember to include Jewish writers. Their stories aren't just for Hanukkah. We can all learn so much about the world by reading about other cultures and key moments in history. 

One of my favorite Jewish writers is Alice Hoffman, the  author of more than thirty books, many of them national bestsellers. In her 2019 novel, The World That We Knew, a twelve-year-old girl flees Nazi Germany to France with the help of a golem, a magical creature whose existence is as much a blessing as a curse. Despite this touch of magical realism, the mostly realistic narrative doesn't stray far from the facts of history.

What I found most interesting was the exploration of mysticism and female agency within the Jewish faith. I loved how Hoffman adapted patriarchal practices to give her observant female characters more freedom and power. There are also strong male characters, both Catholic and Jewish, but women and girls drive the narrative. The female golem made me rethink what it means to be human and a mother. The magical elements enhanced the story without detracting from the heroism of the French Resistance nor the horrors of the Holocaust. The writing was sublime.

Although The World That We Knew was written for adults, most of the characters are teenagers and the narrative is fast-paced and hopeful so it would crossover well to younger readers. My one and only criticism is the title is way too vague. This unforgettable book deserved a title easier to remember so write it down now. Thanks, Cathy at Main Point Books, for the book recommendation! 

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@Barrie Summy

Springtime and Passover in NYC

Carl Schurz Park, Yorkville, New York City, tulips above and walkway below.

Every year we gather in New York City for Passover. My parents host our Seder, and we all take turns reading from a haggadah that has more English than Hebrew. Our mixed-faith family is also multinational: American, British, Japanese, Italian Canadian and Mexican American. Only a few of us went to Hebrew School, but we all mumble along with enthusiasm, especially in the Dayenu chorus. The week-long holiday celebrates the Jews' escape from slavery in Egypt. In remembrance, we eat matzah, unleavened bread (English spelling of Hebrew varies). On the run in the desert, there was no time for the dough to rise. All the food is symbolic.

Passover is always in springtime, but the timing shifts due to the Hebrew lunar calendar. In my neighborhood park, the cherry trees were in peak bloom. My husband and our kids had to return for school, but I stayed a couple extra days to catch up with friends and art.

There's a wonderful Munch exhibit at the Neue Gallery, including his pastel Scream. Afterwards my parents treated me to a Viennese lunch at Cafe Sabarsky (above). The museum and cafe are inside a gorgeous 5th Avenue mansion overlooking Central Park.

Meanwhile back in Maine, my husband texted me this photo of our backyard. My flight back home Tuesday was cancelled due to the snowstorm! This was unusual for late April, even in Maine.

Given an extra day, I enjoyed a leisurely walk in Central Park.

For gym class in high school, I used to jog around the reservoir with my friend Cathy, who now runs Main Point Books in Pennsylvania. Another friend of ours is a librarian at a Harlem high school. We love talking books, and they use my recommendations to restock their shelves. My librarian friend was especially grateful for my Gay YA Romances post, since those are the books that go missing. Her students love romances and dystopia so I promised to keep an eye out for diverse YA in those genres.

For my last lunch, I had matzah ball soup at The Mansion, our local diner which has been there longer than my parents can remember. On the windows were both Passover and Easter decorations. I felt right at home.

Now back in Maine, I found my forsythia blooming over melting snow. Locals call spring snow "poor man's fertilizer." This transplanted New Yorker is feeling inspired.

Back from England

Sorry if my absence worried you, but all is well. I was in England for the holidays with the British side of my family. Then I flew to San Francisco for one last mother-daughter vacation before she starts college in February. I'll leave California and my daughter's gap term for future blog posts.

Even without snow, Christmas is special in my husband's hometown. On Christmas Eve villagers light torches at The Catherine Wheel's firepit, many grabbing a pint of ale before or after.

The cousins were happy to be reunited for the occasion with real flaming torches.

A bagpipe player in a kilt leads the procession of hundreds through the ancient village. I apologize for my grainy iPhone photos, but even with a full moon, it was quite dark.

We crossed the Thames River and gathered round a huge bonfire to sing Christmas carols, accompanied by a live brass band. Later at night there's a midnight mass in the Norman church. My father-in-law and his mates ring the bells for services at two churches.

On Christmas morning we go to church. After listening to the Queen's speech on TV, we open presents and go for a country walk in the rain. We warm up with a hot cup of tea and Christmas cake (fruit cake with a marzipan frosting).

Christmas dinner is always roast turkey with chestnut stuffing and brussel sprouts. We pull Christmas crackers and don crowns whilst the Christmas pudding flames. You need to chew carefully to avoid biting into the lucky sixpence.

On Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) we drove to Oxford since the trains weren't running. Not much was open. England shuts down for most of the holidays. The busy university town was blissfully free of crowds. I'd spent a year there with my family researching my work in progress, a young adult novel about an American girl at a British boarding school.

The holiday lights in Oxford are marvelous. I love the expression on the woman to the right.

When the trains were back on track, we traveled an hour to London. My daughter wanted to shop on Regent (at left) and Oxford streets, and I needed to check out the holiday lights for a new scene in my novel. I'll have to draw on older memories of clubbing in London. I love my job!

That night we went to Tate Modern, a favorite museum. Then we headed next door for a delicious pub dinner of roast pheasant and a candlelit performance at the Globe's new covered theatre. Pericles is not Shakespeare's best play - it was written with a collaborator, quite possibly a young apprentice - but it was thrilling to see his work staged in the traditional manner with no electricity and ancient instruments.

We walked back over the Millennial Bridge in a drizzle, admiring the view over the Thames. Is it my imagination or is St. Paul's Cathedral not as brightly illuminated as it used to be? I like matching my reading to my travels and have been enjoying Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, a gift from my mother-in-law (thanks!) From this historical novel, I learned that architects volunteered to keep St. Paul's flame-free during the blitz. The narrative is a series of alternate histories based on the protagonist's choices, giving it an existential resonance. I often wonder what my life would have been like if my husband hadn't quit his banking job in London to pursue an academic career in the USA. Three quarters through this 600 page book, I'm loving Life After Life and would recommend it to anyone.

Henry and I toasted the new year with Brakspear Special back at the Catherine Wheel with a blazing fire in the hearth. A belated Happy New Year! I look forward to catching up with you and your blogs. Cheers!

Shalom

Life gets crazy busy during the holidays, halfway through Hanukkah with Christmas looming in an endless to do list. The newspaper reads like a dystopian YA novel. What can we do? Take a moment to enjoy life right now: walk by the sea before sunset, drink wine with a loved one or read a good book by the fire. Remember to breathe. Shalom means peace in Hebrew.

Happy Hanukkah! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm offline celebrating with my family. I'll be back online next week.

Corn stalks and haybarn at Rocky Ridge Orchard in Bowdoin, Maine.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay Harbor

Spring comes late to Maine, but it makes up for lost time with everything blooming all at once.

On Mother's Day, my daughter and I visited Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay.

It's one of my favorite places, and she wanted to scout it for her senior project.

She's creating a botanical guide to Maine plants with photos and drawings.

How did my little girl become a high school senior?

We still share a love of nature. Tulips!

Korean Azaleas!

Magnolias!

My favorite photo was one my daughter took with her DSLR of the rhododendrons. 

The Rhododendron Garden waterfall was the grand finale to a perfect day.

Link to my previous visit to Maine Botanical Gardens

A Winter Song

I hope you're enjoying the grand finale of 2014. It has been a year of strange weather: a cool summer, a summery October and a white Thanksgiving. I self-timed our family photo in our backyard after power returned to roast the turkey. Sadly the snow melted before Christmas, one of our warmest and wettest ever.

We had to drive a couple hours north to find snow at Sugarloaf Mountain. I teach the kids downhill and they coach me in cross-country skiing, our roles reversing. I learn so much from them. It was one degree Fahrenheit yesterday morning so we chose cross-country: treading uphill on skis is warmer than sitting on a chairlift!

On the drive home, we listened to a mix-CD of snow music that my daughter made for me. My favorite song was "Winter Song" by The Head and the Heart. In December we were lucky to see this fabulous indie folk band live in Portland, Maine. I love how my kids introduce me to new music. This one is gorgeous:




Book Watch: My Best Books of 2014 List

What I'm reading now: The Remedy for Love by Bill Roorbach
A Christmas present from my husband. Sixty pages in, I'm enjoying this 2014 novel by a Maine author. Roorbach captures small town Maine in winter with all its beauty and hints of menace.

Goodreads: They're calling it the "Storm of the Century," so Eric stops at the market for provisions on his way home from work. But when the unkempt and seemingly unstable young woman in front of him in line comes up short on cash, a kind of old-school charity takes hold of his heart-twenty bucks and a ride home is the least he can do, right? Trouble is, Danielle doesn't really have a home. She's squatting in a cabin deep in the woods, no electricity, no heat, nothing but the nearby river to sustain her. She'll need food, water, firewood, and that's just to get her through the storm: there's a whole Maine winter ahead. 

So he gets her set up, departs with relief, climbs to the road, but his car has been towed with his phone inside, and the snow is coming down with historic speed and violence. There's no choice but to return to the cabin. Danielle is terrified, then merely hostile-who is this guy with his big idea that it's she who needs rescuing? As the snow keeps mounting, they're forced to ride out the storm together. For better and for worse. 

Happy New Year!

Happy holidays!

Wishing for more snow...

My True Love Gave to Me: 12 YA holiday stories

Browsing at Sherman's Books in Portland, I picked up a book that I hadn't planned to read. I'm not usually a fan of holiday stories, but I can't resist Rainbow Rowell, whose New Year's Eve story opens this all star young adult anthology. After Rowell, came more favorite YA authors: Stephanie Perkins, Holly Black, Gayle Forman and David Levithan. The others were ones I'd wanted to sample. My True Love Gave to Me would make a good Christmas gift for your teenaged daughter/niece/granddaughter as long as you are comfortable with the mature content. The gorgeous cover showcases the diverse characters.

In any compilation there will be gems and stones, but My True Love Gave to Me sparkled. My blended family celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah so I was pleased to find both holidays represented, although most had a Christmas theme. The stories were more festive than religious in tone, and all were united under the theme of holiday romance. Some were realistic fiction and others were surreal fantasies. I was thrilled to find a diverse set of characters who defied stereotypes.

"Midnight" by Rainbow Rowell follows two teens over four New Year's Eves. I loved how it captured that uncomfortable transition from high school to college and the challenge of reconnecting with old friends. It was funny, sweet and romantic, reminding me of When Harry Met Sally.

"The Lady and the Fox" by Kelly Link was a Christmas ghost story set in England. The writing was lovely, but the story didn't make sense to me. There were too many unanswered questions.

At first I was put off by the swearing in "Angels in the Snow" by Matt de la Peña, but it ended up being my favorite story in the collection. An Hispanic freshman at NYU takes a cat sitting job because he can't afford the plane ticket home to California for Christmas. Upstairs is a wealthy Columbia freshman who waited too late to buy a ticket home. Outside snow falls.

"Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me" by Jenny Han features a Korean teenager who was adopted by Santa. The girl has a crush on one of Santa's elves. It was the most innocent story in the collection, which leaned toward edgy upper YA. This tale would be best for tweens.

Stephanie Perkins edited the collection and her story "It's A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown" was one of my favorites, despite the cheesy title. A Chinese-American film animator falls for the deep voice of the farm boy selling Christmas trees. Both have graduated from high school but are working instead of attending college. I wish this story were the first chapter in a novel: hint, hint!

David Levithan captures the absurdity of the holidays in "Your Temporary Santa." A Jewish boy dresses up as Santa as a favor for his boyfriend. If you love David Sedaris as much as I do, you will enjoy David Levithan's writing too. It's funny and irreverent, but it has heart.

In "Krampuslauf" by Holly Black a low-income girl throws a New Year's Eve party in her grandmother's trailer. She invites the private school boy who is cheating on her best friend. Mythical guests and drunken debauchery make for a lively party.

"What the Hell have You Done, Sophie Roth" by Gayle Forman is a Hanukkah story which reverses stereotypes: the Jewish girl is on scholarship and the African American boy is wealthy. It's a good story for Jews who feel left out at Christmas or anyone struggling to fit in at college.

"Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus" by Myra McEntire was the only story I quit reading after a few pages. You might guess why from the title. I cannot judge what I haven't finished so I will leave it at that.

"Welcome to Christmas, CA" by Kiersten White was a sweet love story between a low income Mexican American girl and a short order chef with a tough history. This one captured the generous, loving spirit of Christmas best of all. I loved how food worked on the emotions.

"Star of Bethlehem" by Ally Carter read like a page out of People Magazine. The larger than life romance would appeal to teens but felt more unrealistic than the fantasies in the collection. Still, it was fun.

"The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer" is a gorgeous, lyrical fairy tale. I loved the original voice, the lush imagery and the feminist message. Now I understand why everyone is talking about Laini Taylor. I don't usually read fantasy, but I might make an exception for her.

My True Love Gave to Me would make a fun Christmas gift for fans of young adult fiction. The book reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Love Actually. Some stories were innocent enough for younger teens and tweens, but others contained teen drinking, swearing and mild sexual innuendos. Several stories felt more new adult than young adult and would cross over well to an adult audience. My 17-year-old daughter will be reading this collection over vacation, while we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas.

If you're looking for more gift suggestion, my best books of 2014 will be posted later this week. I hope. I'm still reading...

Landline & Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, a double review

Wagon wheels at Rocky Ridge Orchard in Bowdoin, Maine

Rainbow Rowell captures the cool geek voice of my generation. She uses just the right amount of pop cultural references to place a book in its decade without making the story feel too dated. Her quirky characters are smart and well-meaning but lack judgment. We love them because we can relate to their mistakes. Rowell is best known for her bestseller young adult novels, Eleanor & Park and Fangirl, but she also wrote two novels for adults.

Attachments (2011) was Rowell's impressive debut. Twenty-something Lincoln is still living with his mom at the end of the millennium. His job at the local newspaper is to prevent a Y2K crash and to monitor employee use of email. Beth, a music and film reviewer, and Jennifer, a copy editor, raise flags for using work email for personal chit chat, but instead of issuing a warning, Lincoln reads their exchanges and falls in love with Beth before first sight. Lincoln knows snooping is wrong, but he can't stop anymore than we can stop reading this bittersweet romance.

Although I found the premise creepy, Lincoln was a sympathetic character and the cyber security issues still felt relevant today. It was nice to see a close friendship between two women portrayed realistically through the ups and downs of life. Sometimes, however, this realism became too mundane, which is the downside of using email to tell a story. This narrative device was especially irritating in my audio book since every email exchange was tagged with the sender's and recipient's full names. The listening experience improved when the characters interacted in real time. I often stayed in the garage to finish a chapter. Attachments would translate well to the screen, as it reminded me of You've Got Mail. If you loved that movie, read this book.

Landline (July, 2014), Rowell's latest, is a contemporary realistic novel with a touch of magic. Georgie McCool's marriage is crumbling. She's so wrapped up in pitching a new TV series that she doesn't notice that her husband, who is home raising their kids, has left her until a day after her family is gone. Georgie returns to her childhood home and discovers that her old landline phone allows her to speak to her husband in the past.

Given the opportunity to do-over, what would Georgie change? This compelling question was well explored in the narrative, however, the magic phone was never explained. It thus felt like a plot gimmick and didn't integrate well with this otherwise realistic story. Still, I enjoyed the book for the well-developed characters and their witty banter. I often had to put the book down to laugh.

Georgie's dog-breeder mom:

"Kids are perceptive, Georgie. They're like dogs" - she offered a meatball from her own fork to the pug in her lap - "they know when their people are unhappy."

"I think you may just have reverse-anthropomorphized your own grandchildren."

Set over Christmas, Landline reads like a modern retelling of It's a Wonderful Life with a feminist twist. If you know someone who lives for holiday specials, Landline would make a wonderful Christmas present. Attachments in paperback (not audiobook) would make a good gift too. Rowell's YA books would be a better match for the teenagers and maybe some adults on your list.

Although I prefer Rowell's young adult fiction over her novels for adults, it's nice to see an author who can cross back in forth between marketing categories. Her YA books have more gritty realism and are less sentimental so I hope she writes more. I'd read any book written by Rainbow Rowell; she's one of my favorite authors. Her writing inspires my writing too.