​​A bingo card (created by myfreebingocards.com) with five rows and five columns. Top (first row), left to right: Holiday that Isn't Hanukkah/Mizrahi Experience/MG or YA/Disability Rep/Non-Holocaust Novel. Second row: LGBT Rep/Exile/Sephardic Experience/Play or Screenplay/Short-Story Collection. Third row: Social Justice-Tikkun Olam/Written by a Rabbi/FREE SPACE/Frum Rep/Weekly Torah Portion. Fourth row: Set Before 1900/Israeli History/Comics-Graphic Narrative/Translated Book/American Experience (Outside NYC) Fifth row: Picture-Book Biography (not Anne Frank or Ruth Bader Ginsburg)/Written by a Jew by Choice/Poetry/Written by a Jew of Color/Diaspora Experience (Outside the U.S.)

Here's one way to celebrate #JewishBookMonth: Take up the challenge I created for the occasion a couple of Novembers ago. (Original inspiration: @thez.bsky.social's #ReadsOfAwe challenge.)

In print I’m making my way through The Memoirs of Glückel of Hameln for #readsofawe, my book in translation. It’s been sitting on my shelves since college and I’m glad I hung onto it; I’m learning some really interesting things about Jewish life in the early 18th century!

Currently reading The Very Short History of the Israel - Palestine Conflictby Ilan Pappé, narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross for #readsofawe, a book outside my comfort zone. I can’t put a word to the emotions it’s bringing up beside “betrayed.” (By Israeli leadership, not the author.)

Zoe was also the host of #ReadsofAwe, a readathon for Jewish books. This year she read at least 18 books, surpassing her previous record.

Here is what I read for #ReadsOfAwe:

* The Book of Margins by Edmond Jabès (awesome)
* The Necessity of Exile by Shaul Magid (decent, thought-provoking)
* Faces and Facets by Aryeh Kaplan (surprisingly a mixed bag)
* The Master of Miracle by Sulamith Ish-Kishor (I really disliked this one)

The Color of Love: A Story of a Mixed-Race Jewish Girl by Marra B. Gad An unforgettable memoir about a mixed-race Jewish woman who, after fifteen years of estrangement ...

The Color of Love: A Story of a Mixed-Race Jewish Girl by Marra B. Gad is the memoir of a woman with an incredible sense of the need to do right even by those who have harmed her. I stand in awe of her compassion. Audio/print. ✡️📚 #readsofawe app.thestorygraph.com/books/d9e549...

Making a thread for my #readsofawe books! Finished this last night, 4⭐️

The Split series by @cindyrizzo.bsky.social is near-future dystopian fiction that is a bit too close to possible for comfort, and I love it. Interesting characters, great Jewish rep, queer romance that isn’t the main plot - highly recommend. Print with audio for book one. 🌈📚 ✡️📚 #readsofawe

And hey, if you pick it at one of your #ReadsofAwe reads, look how much of the bingo board you get, just from my story!

I still need to find a Jewish book with themes of renewal for #readsofawe! Any genre, though preferably not romance.

I’m tempted to add this to my #readsofawe simply because Sarah Pinsker is Jewish. Honestly I probably will. (I have the audio already and the print is waiting for me at my local independent.)

How do I participate?
🍎 Read Jewish books! You don't even have to tell anyone about it 🙂
📚 Follow the prompts on the bingo card, and post how many squares you fill
🍎 Share your TBR, reviews, and book photos on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, and/or Twitter with the hashtag #readsofawe

It's that time again! Announcing the #readsofawe Readathon 2024!

FAQ

When is it? Sunset 10/2 to sunset 10/12, from the beginning of Rosh HaShanah to the end of Yom Kippur, also called the Days of Awe (hence the name)