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Clara's War
8.0
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On 21 July 1942 the Nazis took control of the small Polish town of Zolkiew, life for Jewish...
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Stolen Twins in Books
Feb 5, 2023
Oh my word ... what a story!! I don't think there are any superlatives that captures adequately how I felt about this book and how good it was ... I was breathless and on pins from the very first to the very last word.
The story is told from the viewpoints of Jewish twins Arina and Nora and from multi timelines from their life with their parents in Hungary, through the horrors of being twins at the hands of the monster that was Mengele in Auschwitz and their road to rebuilding their lives in France and the USA.
It is a powerful story of survival, loss, resilience, hope and the power of love; I was absolutely rivetted and devoured it in quick time and have no problem recommending this to those of you who love getting totally immersed in a wonderful book that will have your emotions in tatters and my thanks must go to Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Stolen Twins.
The story is told from the viewpoints of Jewish twins Arina and Nora and from multi timelines from their life with their parents in Hungary, through the horrors of being twins at the hands of the monster that was Mengele in Auschwitz and their road to rebuilding their lives in France and the USA.
It is a powerful story of survival, loss, resilience, hope and the power of love; I was absolutely rivetted and devoured it in quick time and have no problem recommending this to those of you who love getting totally immersed in a wonderful book that will have your emotions in tatters and my thanks must go to Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Stolen Twins.
Ashes
8.0
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A deeply touching novel about two young women whose differences, which once united them, will tear...
Historical fiction World War 2 Holocaust
ClareR (5955 KP) rated Ritual of Fire in Books
Sep 24, 2024
I didn’t want to get involved with another series, I’d sworn off them. But here we are, Ritual of Fire is excellent, and I need to hurry up and read book 4 (A Divine Fury) before I read book 5!
I’m addicted to the world of Cesare Aldo and 16th Century Florence with all of its richly described sights, sounds and smells. I love the characters, their relationships (Aldo, Saul the Jewish Doctor, Strocchi and the obnoxious Bindi) - just the whole package!
From the title you can guess that there’s going to be some unpleasant murders this time, and the first death is set up in the same way as that of a renegade monk, Savanola, 40 years previously. Burning.
Aldo had been banished in the last book, but he manages to become embroiled in the mystery (thank goodness!), and Strocchi has to work with him (after a word or two from his wife!).
This series is well worth becoming deeply involved with (ahem…me!). Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
I’m addicted to the world of Cesare Aldo and 16th Century Florence with all of its richly described sights, sounds and smells. I love the characters, their relationships (Aldo, Saul the Jewish Doctor, Strocchi and the obnoxious Bindi) - just the whole package!
From the title you can guess that there’s going to be some unpleasant murders this time, and the first death is set up in the same way as that of a renegade monk, Savanola, 40 years previously. Burning.
Aldo had been banished in the last book, but he manages to become embroiled in the mystery (thank goodness!), and Strocchi has to work with him (after a word or two from his wife!).
This series is well worth becoming deeply involved with (ahem…me!). Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
ClareR (5955 KP) rated A Divine Fury in Books
Jul 15, 2025
Ok, so I’m notorious for saying (to myself mostly) that I don’t want to get involved with series of books, and then I “meet” Cesare Aldo and I’m four books in, anxiously waiting for book five* - because of the end of book four!!
Typical.
I quite happy with my Aldo-Addiction, and I honestly think that more people should join me.
I love the historical detail, and how the Catholic Church have a stranglehold on every aspect of life in Florence (well, everywhere Catholic, really). Aldo is just a thoroughly lovely character, as is Officer Strocchi, his wife and Saul (a Jewish doctor).
It’s a fine line these officers have to walk when they find a murdered man, set up in a clearly religious tableau. And the murderer doesn’t just stop at one victim.
There are other issues for Aldo and Strocchi to deal with, but the story never seems over-stuffed with information.
I absolutely love these stories, and I’m REALLY looking forward to getting stuck in to the next one!
Typical.
I quite happy with my Aldo-Addiction, and I honestly think that more people should join me.
I love the historical detail, and how the Catholic Church have a stranglehold on every aspect of life in Florence (well, everywhere Catholic, really). Aldo is just a thoroughly lovely character, as is Officer Strocchi, his wife and Saul (a Jewish doctor).
It’s a fine line these officers have to walk when they find a murdered man, set up in a clearly religious tableau. And the murderer doesn’t just stop at one victim.
There are other issues for Aldo and Strocchi to deal with, but the story never seems over-stuffed with information.
I absolutely love these stories, and I’m REALLY looking forward to getting stuck in to the next one!
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated I Kissed a Girl in Books
Aug 12, 2021
A fun movie set romance
Noa Birnbaum's dream is to work in the movies: in horror special effects and makeup. She finally gets a chance to work on a real movie (one step closer to joining the union), but it means dropping out of school, where she's earning her theater degree. Her parents won't be pleased. On the set, she's face to face with actress Lilah Silver, whom Noa has had a crush on for ages. Lilah has her own dreams, to move beyond B-list horror films and into true stardom. This starring role as the "final girl" could be her opportunity. When she meets openly out Noa, Lilah may finally have a chance to admit to her own bisexuality. But a relationship could have its own problems for both Lilah and Noa.
"Noa'd thrown away everything else in her life for this job. And now she was seriously considering throwing the job away for a chance at a girl? Stupid beyond words."
This is a cute story whose strength comes across in its representation--queer characters covering bi, trans, lesbian and more. There's also some excellent Jewish representation, as both Noa and Lilah bond over their religious beliefs. As a member of the LGBTQIA community, I love seeing stories that reflect myself and my friends. Watching Lilah grapple with her bisexuality and coming out and seeing Noa hang out with her friends, being openly out and accepted. These are still stories and characters we do not get to see and read about regularly. Even better, it seems like I read a lot of queer YA books, not a lot where the characters are adults (although they might not always act like it in this story, ha). It was fun and refreshing.
"Special effects artist had never been on the list of things Good Jewish Girls Did."
For me, this book was a little long. It could have been a bit shorter and would have felt more snappy. A lot of the focus in this story is on miscommunication, which is a pet peeve of mine. I just can't handle when so much of the plot could be avoided if the characters just spoke openly to one another. It's also not entirely clear why Noa crushes so much on Lilah, to the point that it seems that she can't rationalize clearly. A lot of this inability to communicate or think clearly leads to some back and forth storylines, so it seems like as if the plot zigs and zags. Up and down. Will Noa go for a relationship with Lilah or keep her job? Is Lilah willing to risk her career for her sexuality? Again, if things had been just a bit shorter, we probably could have skipped a bit of this.
Still, this is a fun story. While Lilah and Noa can be frustrating sometimes, they are engaging characters. The horror film set adds an interesting level to the book (there's another plot line involving Lilah and threats to her safety). It's a little long, but I appreciated all the queer and Jewish rep. 3+ stars.
I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. It releases 8/3/2021.
"Noa'd thrown away everything else in her life for this job. And now she was seriously considering throwing the job away for a chance at a girl? Stupid beyond words."
This is a cute story whose strength comes across in its representation--queer characters covering bi, trans, lesbian and more. There's also some excellent Jewish representation, as both Noa and Lilah bond over their religious beliefs. As a member of the LGBTQIA community, I love seeing stories that reflect myself and my friends. Watching Lilah grapple with her bisexuality and coming out and seeing Noa hang out with her friends, being openly out and accepted. These are still stories and characters we do not get to see and read about regularly. Even better, it seems like I read a lot of queer YA books, not a lot where the characters are adults (although they might not always act like it in this story, ha). It was fun and refreshing.
"Special effects artist had never been on the list of things Good Jewish Girls Did."
For me, this book was a little long. It could have been a bit shorter and would have felt more snappy. A lot of the focus in this story is on miscommunication, which is a pet peeve of mine. I just can't handle when so much of the plot could be avoided if the characters just spoke openly to one another. It's also not entirely clear why Noa crushes so much on Lilah, to the point that it seems that she can't rationalize clearly. A lot of this inability to communicate or think clearly leads to some back and forth storylines, so it seems like as if the plot zigs and zags. Up and down. Will Noa go for a relationship with Lilah or keep her job? Is Lilah willing to risk her career for her sexuality? Again, if things had been just a bit shorter, we probably could have skipped a bit of this.
Still, this is a fun story. While Lilah and Noa can be frustrating sometimes, they are engaging characters. The horror film set adds an interesting level to the book (there's another plot line involving Lilah and threats to her safety). It's a little long, but I appreciated all the queer and Jewish rep. 3+ stars.
I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. It releases 8/3/2021.
Giving Beyond the Gift: Apophasis and Overcoming Theomania
Book
This book explores the co-dependency of monotheism and idolatry by examining the thought of several...
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Heart's Melody (Black & White Edition) in Books
May 10, 2018
**I received this book free from Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review.**
Noa and Amar meet each other in, "Mutual Advice", a support group for those who have relationship issues. Amar and Noa end up doing sessions together and these sessions lead to a romantic relationship. An relationship that is forbidden from the start as Noa is Jewish and Amar is Muslim.
Chava Epstein writes a romantic story filled with passion. The reason why I didn't give this story more than two stars was because it just didn't make me feel the passion. I'm not sure if some of the story got lost in translation, or if the format I was reading it in, distracted from the deeper meaning, but it was a task for me to finish this book. Throughout telling the love story of Noa and Amar, there are also love letters and paintings and other stories that Noa is writing to tell about her love for Amar. All of these side stories made me lose interest in the rest of what was going on.
On the other hand, I LOVED the artwork that accompanied each chapter in the book.
Noa and Amar meet each other in, "Mutual Advice", a support group for those who have relationship issues. Amar and Noa end up doing sessions together and these sessions lead to a romantic relationship. An relationship that is forbidden from the start as Noa is Jewish and Amar is Muslim.
Chava Epstein writes a romantic story filled with passion. The reason why I didn't give this story more than two stars was because it just didn't make me feel the passion. I'm not sure if some of the story got lost in translation, or if the format I was reading it in, distracted from the deeper meaning, but it was a task for me to finish this book. Throughout telling the love story of Noa and Amar, there are also love letters and paintings and other stories that Noa is writing to tell about her love for Amar. All of these side stories made me lose interest in the rest of what was going on.
On the other hand, I LOVED the artwork that accompanied each chapter in the book.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Heart's Melody (Black & White Edition) in Books
Apr 3, 2019
I received this book from Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review.
Noa and Amar meet each other in, "Mutual Advice", a support group for those who have relationship issues. Amar and Noa end up doing sessions together and these sessions lead to a romantic relationship. An relationship that is forbidden from the start as Noa is Jewish and Amar is Muslim.
Chava Epstein writes a romantic story filled with passion. The reason why I didn't give this story more than two stars was because it just didn't make me feel the passion. I'm not sure if some of the story got lost in translation, or if the format I was reading it in, distracted from the deeper meaning, but it was a task for me to finish this book. Throughout telling the love story of Noa and Amar, there are also love letters and paintings and other stories that Noa is writing to tell about her love for Amar. All of these side stories made me lose interest in the rest of what was going on.
On the other hand, I LOVED the artwork that accompanied each chapter in the book.
Noa and Amar meet each other in, "Mutual Advice", a support group for those who have relationship issues. Amar and Noa end up doing sessions together and these sessions lead to a romantic relationship. An relationship that is forbidden from the start as Noa is Jewish and Amar is Muslim.
Chava Epstein writes a romantic story filled with passion. The reason why I didn't give this story more than two stars was because it just didn't make me feel the passion. I'm not sure if some of the story got lost in translation, or if the format I was reading it in, distracted from the deeper meaning, but it was a task for me to finish this book. Throughout telling the love story of Noa and Amar, there are also love letters and paintings and other stories that Noa is writing to tell about her love for Amar. All of these side stories made me lose interest in the rest of what was going on.
On the other hand, I LOVED the artwork that accompanied each chapter in the book.
The Unexpected Story of Nathaniel Rothschild
Book
The Unexpected Story of Nathaniel Rothschild is the only full length biography of Nathaniel, the...