Book Nook Cafe discussion

Thank you everyone for your kind words.

I was in Israel and Jordan for a several weeks, and read very few books. We were exhausted every night after tramping around for 6-8 hours up and down thousands of steps every day!! But it was a very memorable trip, for sure, beginning in Tel Aviv and ending in Petra.

I read Jerusalem, A Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore, a thorough history that made me heartsick. So much killing. 3.5 stars

Israel An Introduction by Barry Rubin- a very good book about Israel's history, people, economic systems, government, etc. Israel is a strange place that Americans might not feel quite comfortable with. One of our guides says you can't be 100% Jewish and 100% democratic. The intrusion of religion into all aspects of life is a little off-putting to me, and may be a little like Utah? 4 stars

Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd - a spy "thriller," though it wasn't very thrilling. An English actor goes to Vienna to get therapy for a sexual dysfunction from an famous analyst who subscribes to Freud's theories. In the doctor's waiting room, he meets two people who change his life. There is lots of sex, and some spying. 3 stars

A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers - this book was critically successful. It's an odd story about a salesman, down on his luck, who is hired to make a presentation of a holographic communication technique to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. While waiting for the King to appear at his unfinished King Abdullah Economic City, he meets some people and does some pretty odd things, sometimes getting in trouble. I would give it 3.5 stars

I think that's all I read this month, though I may have missed something in all the excitement. Thanks to all of you for sharing. I always find new books for myself in your posts.

Lesley wrote: "Thank you everyone for your kind words."

We were in Israel and Petra for close to three weeks. We missed Sandy here in the Northeast and the latets bombings in Israel. Despite our worries, we had a wonderful time. Petra was a real high point since while I have been to Israel several times, I have never been to Jordan. In anticipation of our trip I reread The Source by James Michener, Exodus by Leon Uris and Night by Elie Weisel.

"One of our guides says you can't be 100% Jewish and 100% democratic."

I don't get this. What was his point? Being Jewish is a religion and being a Democrat is a political party.

What I find remarkable is that often my students ask me what I am. When I say I am an American, they again say, "No what are you? as if being Jewish is what I am and not a religion.

"The intrusion of religion into all aspects of life is a little off-putting to me, and may be a little like Utah?"

In your opinion, does this hold true for Jews as well as Christians, and Muslims. We were surprised to learn that 60% of the visitors to Israel are Christians.

Michele wrote: "I was in Israel and Jordan for a several weeks, and read very few books. We were exhausted every night after tramping around for 6-8 hours up and down thousands of steps every day!! But it was a ve..."

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Sounds like a very exciting trip !

I haven't been to this group in awhile and miss the recommendations, so I started getting it in email in digest form.
What I read in February of 2013:

I gave it 3/5. Had potential but the ending was a disappointment for me.
2/5. Total beach read while I was in Punta Cana. Got it from booklending.com Glad I didn't pay for it.
Freebie from amazon. 3/5
Started and gave up after 60 pages. Too disturbing.

Nancy--I agree with you about Sharp Objects. I did finish the book, but I was disturbed and creeped out by it. Which was a shame, since I really enjoyed Gone Girl.

Nancy/nanckopf wrote: "I haven't been to this group in awhile and miss the recommendations, so I started getting it in email in digest form.
What I read in February of 2013: "
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Missed you, Nancy. I hope you can drop by and participate more often.

Thanks for sharing your Feb. reads with us. Sorry you did get a real winner. Here's hoping you find that 5/5 in March.

Nancy wrote: ""One of our guides says you can't be 100% Jewish and 100% democratic."

I don't get this. What was his point? Being Jewish is a religion and being a Democrat is a political party.

What I find re..."

Hi, Nancy. I think we had a communication breakdown there!!! Our guide wasn't referring to American political parties. He was saying that in Israel, you can't be 100% democratic with a small "d" if you are 100% Jewish. He meant that religious law overrides secular law. For example, there is no civil marriage in Israel. In most places, you can't keep your restaurant open on Shabbat. Restaurants are dairy or meat, not both. From Friday sundown to Sat. sundown, one elevator in every hotel is designated a Shabbat Elevator. It stops on every floor so that observant Jews don't have to push a button. Cities are designated Jewish or Arab colloquially, and there is almost no mixing, even within Israel. (For example, Jaffa and Tel Aviv are technically one city, but you'd never know it.) Arabs cannot serve in the military. So in small and large ways, Israelis are bound by laws and practices that many Americans find uncomfortable. And Israelis do not separate religion from nationality at all. It's very different, or seemed so to me.

Michele wrote: "Nancy wrote: ""One of our guides says you can't be 100% Jewish and 100% democratic."

I don't get this. What was his point? Being Jewish is a religion and being a Democrat is a political party.

..."

Michele wrote: "Nancy wrote: ""One of our guides says you can't be 100% Jewish"

I did know you were talking about Israel and not the US but still am not sure what your guide meant. Yes, there are religious laws and customs but there are many in Israel who are angered by the role of the very religious. I don't think I can intelligently discuss this without some more information so I will have to do some research and get back to you. I do think that what your guide said may have been his opinion too.

Patrice wrote: "But wait a minute! When I was growing up there were "blue laws". Stores were closed on Sundays. I think car dealers are still closed on Sunday. We were still a democratic country. Democracy me..."

In Israel, some of the laws are religious, not civil. Therefore, they are not subject to majority rule. They can't be changed like they can in the US, no matter how many Israelis wish to change them. And that's why the US is more democratic than Israel, and why our guide made that remark.

My book on Israeli society says the governing body of the Jews in Israel reached an accommodation with the rabbinical leadership even before official statehood giving the rabbis power over things like marriage, burial, and divorce. I don't think religious dietary or Shabbat laws are enforced, but I'm not sure. I know that kosher laws were observed at every restaurant and hotel we visited that was in a Jewish town. (Jews have their towns or sections of towns and Arabs have theirs. There are no Jews in Nazareth, for example.) On Shabbat, there was buffet only at our hotels, no hot food at all. Neighborhood cafes and shops were closed, though my book says that is changing slowly. As an American accustomed to the freedoms we have, I think I would be annoyed by the restrictions Israelis are perfectly willing to accept.

To Nancy: As you no doubt know. the ultra Orthodox don't work, don't pay taxes, and devote themselves to the study of the Torah and building settlements. They don't do military or any other service to the country, but are largely supported by the government. The regular Orthodox and secular citizens are tired of bearing the burden, so changes may come. But, all Israelis regardless of whether they are secular or observant, accept that they are subject to rabbinical law and Orthodox (not ultra Orthodox) practice in certain areas of life.

Amy wrote: "I'm curious that you didn't include "Still Alice" on your list of worthwhile reads. Did you not care for it? I was really moved by that book, perhaps because my grandmother suffered from Alzheimer'..."

I liked this book too.

Patrice - My friend, you are very sensitive to nuance regarding Israel. You are reading meanings in my words that I didn't intend. Let me try once more. Even before the state of Israel existed, there were negotiations, discussions and compromises and in the end, the secular and religious leaders of the Jewish state agreed that certain areas of life should come under the religious laws of Judaism and certain areas of life could best be handled by elected government. Things under control of the rabbinate cannot be altered by majority vote of the people. Things under the control of the state are dealt with democratically within a parliamentary system.

The ultra Orthodox have been at the forefront of settling in places that the government has repeatedly said will be returned to the Palestinians in a comprehensive peace agreement. It is not at all certain that the settlers will be able to stay if peace is ever achieved. Therefore, they are still referred to as settlements within Israel and everywhere else to denote the fact that they cannot be considered permanent as yet.

Many Israelis strongly object to the settlements, which are sometimes individual homes in Arab neighborhoods that then have to be surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by the IDF at great expense. We saw a few. The poor children are in virtual prison, their playgrounds on the roof surrounded by chicken wire so they won't fall off. They need the equivalent of Secret Service protection as soon as they step off their front porch.

The Haredim settle the land to fulfill religious prophecy, which is also why some Christian Evangelicals encourage them. Israelis and others on the left object to the settlements and wish to disengage from Palestine entirely. In fact, Israelis across the spectrum wish to disentangle themselves from the West Bank, and nobody ever wanted Gaza.

They have largely given up on the idea of exchanging land for peace, and pretty much on their previous position of demanding that the Palestinians acknowledge their right to exist before a peace treaty can be made. Now many Israelis feel they will prove their right to exist by existing, they will separate from the Arabs, and let the Palestinians find their own future. If the hills around Jerusalem become Israeli in the years between the building of the fence and the declaration of a Palestinian state, too bad. The Palestinians will have to deal with the facts on the ground when they come to their senses. I'm not completely out of sympathy with that, by the way.

Michele wrote: "Patrice wrote: "But wait a minute! When I was growing up there were "blue laws". Stores were closed on Sundays. I think car dealers are still closed on Sunday. We were still a democratic countr..."
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I think we have gotten a bit off topic. This thread is for people to post their February 2013 reads.

Thanks for your cooperation.

If you want, we have a Travel folder where you can discuss your trips. I know people love to read about others experiences. As for me, I'll probably never get to many of the places talked about, so I know I enjoy the discussion.

Alias Reader wrote: "I think we have gotten a bit off topic. This thread is for people to post their February 2013 reads. ..."

I have actually been following this discussion with interest. I find it intellectually stimulating to read people's differing thoughts and opinions on the topic, which I think was initially prompted by a book that somebody did read in February...?

I thought it was prompted my Michele's trip when she wrote,"Michele wrote: "I was in Israel and Jordan for a several weeks, and read very few books. " That is why I suggested the our Travel folder.

It makes finding such discussions easier in the future.

Of course, I will follow the GR rules, but in general, I think back and forth discussions should be encouraged whenever possible. It's much more fun that way.

I appreciate Alias keeping this thread on topic. It's for what people read in February, not a back and forth about religion and politics.

I also agree that this is not the thread where a topic like this should be discussed. I am sorry for my response to a statement which was made. I am sure there are other areas on the Internet where one can comfortably discuss this.

I've been too lazy to post until now. Here are my February books.

Books I read:
The Housekeeper and the Professor- 4 stars
A story about a housekeeper who is hired to take care of a man whose memory only lasts 80 (or was it 90?) minutes. I loved getting to know the housekeeper, her son and the man and seeing their interactions together and how they ending up bonding. It was very touching.
Hallucinations-a low 4 stars
My second Oliver Sacks book. I liked this one a little less that the first. It's about hallucinations and the things that cause them and describes alot of real people's cases. Some of the info was extrememly interesting but sometimes I felt like he was just listing people's hallucinations just to make the book longer.

Books I listened to:
2001: A Space Odyssey-5 stars
I thought the end was kind of goofy, but I love space.

I appreciate you posting your Feb. reads, Julie.

The Housekeeper and the Professor sounds sad but interesting.

It's not too late for others to post their February reads also. We would love to know what you read.

I am late to this party but wanted to share my titles. I'll return later to read the posts others shared. These are books we read while on our trip. Actually, most of them were read on the voyage across. Never too ill to read!

Midwives by Chris Bohjalian wasn't a favorite by him, however, DH, who read it after me, liked it. He asked whether i felt the teenage girl was well-written, since the author was a male. I thought he did a fair job of it, but DH felt he'd seen inside teen girls everywhere. LOL!

The Road to San Giovanni is really a sort of autobiography and series of essays by Italo Calvino. The 5 essays cover different parts of his life, from Italian childhood, his history with movies as a teenager, WWII memories (but really all memories), and on. He calls these "memory exercises", which allowed him to toy with the idea of memories themselves.

I finished Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and was rather disappointed. Fortunately some of the comments here, earlier in the year, prepared me for this. I also managed to see the recent film on our return flight home. While i became impatient with the story, after all, it wasn't that interesting to begin with, imo, i was intrigued by the way the director present the story--the sets and dancing.

The Shadow of the Wind is a sort of mystery about books, written by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Set in Barcelona, Spain, one of our cruise stops, DH loved the book much more than i did--not that i disliked it. He just intends to read the rest of the series, which i don't. Still, i like books about reading, books & authors.

The Spoils of Poynton one of the minor novels by Henry James. The mother of an eligible man takes a fancy to a woman who shares her opinions on home decor. The son has proposed to a another, so the mother removes the furnishings in their future home, stating she created the home, she should benefit. Interesting book & idea. While rather vague on what was verboten, the point was more about taste and kindred spirits.

I put Anna Karenina aside to read other stuff awhile ago. I plan on getting back to it someday. When I am in the mood.

Madrano wrote:Midwives by Chris Bohjalian wasn't a favorite by him, however, DH, who read it after me, liked it. He asked whether i felt the teenage girl was well-written, since the author was a male. I thought he did a fair job of it, but DH felt he'd seen inside teen girls everywhere. LOL!"
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I read this one when it was selected by Oprah back in Oct. 1998. I really don't recall too much about it at this late date. I think I liked it, not loved it. It predates my journal by a year, so I don't have a rating on it.

Patrice wrote: "I can't count how many times I've started Anna Karenina.
The last time after seeing part of the new movie and having a big fight with my husband that suddenly gave me tremendous insight and compassion for the slut. Once I calmed down, however, I put it aside AGAIN! ..."

LOL! My issue with the book & Anna came when she returned to her family after persuading Dolly to stay with her husband. She was disappointed in her son. Really? And then after leaving him, he's all she can think about? So, i lost any enchantment with her i might have had early on. Glad i finished it, though.

Alias, i know what you mean about Midwives. I took no notes from it, either, which is unusual for me. Had DH not discussed it with me, i wonder how much i would recall.

I've always liked the Levin story line more than the Anna story line in Anna Karenina. Although the Levin story is a little too focused on agricultural techniques (IMO), but it was more interesting to me. Anna is not a character to whom I'm drawn!

That said, I love the book and gave it 5/5. It's not a fast book, though, so it really takes patience to get through it.

Susan wrote: "I've always liked the Levin story line more than the Anna story line in Anna Karenina."

I agree. I love Levin & Kitty especially when they met ice skating and later when they play a word game on a card table where Levin, once again, proposes to Kitty and she accepts.

Susan wrote: "I've always liked the Levin story line more than the Anna story line in Anna Karenina.... it was more interesting to me. Anna is not a character to whom I'm drawn!..."

I have only read part of the book, but I totally agree with this from what I have read.

Susan wrote: "I've always liked the Levin story line more than the Anna story line in Anna Karenina...."

Agreed. What i liked about Levin was that he was still sorting out ideas, bewildered by what happened with Kitty & Vronsky. Now that i have had a month to consider the novel, i realize Tolstoy was informing us that Anna, too, was sorting out ideas. Hers were less interesting to me but that may be because i've read it in literature previously, whereas Levin's was new to me.