Monthly Archives: August 2011

Running the BooksThe Adventures of An Accidental Prison Librarian

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Helen Hokanson

“Pimps make the best librarians. Psycho killers, the worst. Ditto con men…This is at least what I’m told. I wouldn’t know. I’m not a pimp. I’m in a different sort of racket. My name is Avi Steinberg, but in the … Continue reading →

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A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Posted on August 31, 2011 by degraffenrj

I began reading George R.R. Martin’s epic A Game of Thrones because of the magnificent HBO series of the same name.  Friends had warned me that it was a challenging read, and that the television show was essentially the best … Continue reading →

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Clara and Mr. Tiffany

Posted on August 30, 2011 by rockholdj

To this day “Tiffany” is synonymous with beautiful stained glass windows and lamps.  Although never receiving credit, it is generally agreed that women designed and made most of the early lamps and more intricate windows.  Their leader was Clara Drisscoll, … Continue reading →

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The Saturday Wife by Naomi Ragen

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Helen Hokanson

There’s nothing like a broken heart to inspire a lofty personal goal, and broken-hearted Delilah Levi aspires to becoming a rabbi’s wife. She achieves her goal only to discover that not all rebbitzins live in wealthy communities, yet all rebbitzins … Continue reading →

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DVD Good Hair

Posted on August 25, 2011 by carletonb

When Chris Rock’s little girl runs to him crying, “Daddy, why don’t I have good hair?” he tries to find out what’s wrong with this question.  He travels to India; witnessing people with straight hair shave it in a religious … Continue reading →

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The Inspector and Silence: an Inspector Van Veeteran Mystery by Hakan Nesser

Posted on August 23, 2011 by myersj

Chief Inspector Van Veeteren was feeling quite upset with his ex-wife, who had just tried to trap him into spending two weeks at some holiday cottage with their adult children and grandchildren.  Taking the coward’s way out, he announced that … Continue reading →

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The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean

Posted on August 22, 2011 by wikstenp

I decided to read The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean after reading and listening to the remarkable City of Thieves by David Benioff.  Ms. Dean provides an alternate, equally creative telling of the horrific Siege of Leningrad during World … Continue reading →

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Shut Your Eyes Tight by John Verdon

Posted on August 21, 2011 by myersj

*review is an edited version* A headless bride. A missing gardener. A retired detective. This shopping list for John Verdon’s “Shut Your Eyes Tight” proves a deadly combination if you’re looking for an intriguing plot spiked with a well-written domestic … Continue reading →

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Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

Posted on August 19, 2011 by grigsbyb

Ariana Franklin’s Mistress of the Art of Death is an historical mystery that involves the brutal deaths of four children in medieval Cambridge, and the town’s Jewish population is being accused of these atrocities. Adelia Aguilar, who would be known … Continue reading →

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Joheved by Maggie Anton

Posted on August 18, 2011 by hanerd

The first in the Rashis’s Daughters trilogy, Joheved is a perfect blend of inspiration, religion and historical fiction. Rashi was a real person who wrote some of the most well-known and studied Torah commentaries in existence. While the name Rashi … Continue reading →

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