Recs

1) On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao by Rabbi Deborah R. Prinz
Chocolate is everywhere.  This non-fiction piece is about the history of chocolate and Judaism, worldwide.  You can't go wrong!  I also like her recipes.  Perfect for an adult education class one day.


2) The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Hidden Inheritance by Edmund de Waal
de Waal showcases his family history through tracing the family's art pieces through the centuries.  His family, the Ephrussis, were like mega-rich, on par with the Rothschilds of the day, and lost it all to the Nazis in WWII.  It was an intriguing read, but as I'm not as learned in art history as I'd like to be, some of it felt like name-dropping and lent itself to skimming.  I liked the personal stories, however, when he focused more on the people, not on the art.


3) I Heart My Little A-Holes by Karen Alpert
This is one of the many mommy blogger books on the NY Times bestseller list, so Jonathan got it for me as a gift, since I've liked others of its ilk.  Honestly, only read it if you get it used or through the library.  I thought I would like it more.  It's funny, and very real, but also a little meaner than I'm comfortable with.  And I think I also just don't share her style of parenting, so some of it seemed strange to me (e.g. making fun of the doctor who uses the anatomically correct words to her children, who are befuddled because the author only uses slang for those body parts; I'm with the doctor, so didn't see why that was amusing).  It wasn't a bad book... but she cusses a lot, some of it seems crass, and overall, let's just there are better alternates out there that deal with parenting, in my humble opinion.


4) Making Prayer Real: Leading Jewish Spiritual Voices on Why Prayer Is Difficult and What to Do About It by Rabbi Mike Comins
I haven't even finished this one yet, but I'm halfway through and want to share my newfound love.  Yes, to many of us prayer and services can be boring - but whose fault is that?  Service leaders obviously make a huge difference, but we also need to take responsibility for our own prayer experience.  How do delve deeply?  What does it mean to pray?  How do we find our "prayer voice," and is it different from our other internal voices?  What do we gain by praying?  I feel like an infomercial... all these and more answered by Rabbi Comins!  His commentary is amazing, he interviews over 50 rabbis, cantors, and prayer leaders, and he has a "how to" section in the back with practical tips.  I wish I would have read this book years ago; it's helped me as both a spiritual person myself, and also as clergy person helping to facilitate others' prayer.