Shomrei Book Club
Next Meeting: Monday, July 1, 7:30pm
Our next selection is “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean. It’s a non-fiction account of the huge fire that destroyed the main library in Los Angeles in 1986. Nearly 400,000 books were lost in the 7-hour blaze. How did it start? It’s a mystery.
Because we are “the People of the Book” Merrill thinks it will be an interesting change of pace for us. There are many copies available in the inter-library system. (more…)
Shomrei Book Club
We all agreed that our February choice, “Panther in the Basement” was a top notch book, rich in language and the history of pre-State Israel under the British Mandate.
Our next meeting will be on Monday, March 18 at 7:30 pm to discuss “The Immortalists ” by Chloe Benjamin. The story begins on the Lower East Side in 1969 when a mysterious woman promises she can predict the day of death for her clients. Four adolescents in the Gold family sneak away to have their futures predicted. The novel probes the link between reality and illusion, destiny and choice, this world and the next, according to the critics.This book was a best seller and Book of the Year on NPR.
Shomrei Book Club
We had a good discussion about “Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English” at our meeting Jan. 28. The group included two Floridians by phone: Deanna London and Jo Gorodetzer. We thought the book was much more than just a “sweet” story as there were some serious aspects to the story.
Our next selection is “The Panther in the Basement” by Amos Oz— the meeting is on Monday, Feb. 18 at the synagogue. It’s a slim volume that tells of the Israeli writer’s years as a young fellow in pre-state Israel under the British occupation.
I hope to see many of you at the meeting, or for out-of-towners, you can call into a conference call. Details will be sent out closer to the meeting date. (more…)
Shomrei Book Club
We had a lively discussion of the December selection: “The Lost Family” by Jenna Blum. Although some members thought the characters were not compelling, there were some very realistic themes about life in the decades covered in the novel. Some who read her previous best-seller “Those Who Saved Us” said that book was better.
In January, we will read “Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English” by Natasha Solomons. The author is the granddaughter of the principal characters, a Jewish family from Germany who fled to England in 1937. Jack (Jacob) and his wife Sadie try to fit into this new culture with some unexpected results. When Jack is denied a membership to a fancy golf club, he decides to move to Dorset to try to start his own club. There are many copies at reasonable prices on Amazon. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
I hope to see many of you there!
Contact Josie Zeman at for more information if you are interested.
The book is also available at the public library or from other booksellers.
“I went to the birthday party because I thought Shomrei should be represented,” said Beryl Hiller, who is a member of our Refugee Assistance Group.
The party on July 15 was for Ghiahi, the one- year- old son of a Syrian family in Elizabeth, one of five helped by our synagogue under the auspices of that group. (more…)
