Hey OOTOB,
Here’s a nice old-fashioned schmoozy post like we used to do. How have you all been? Me, good. Gonna fill you in on where I’ve been and what’s been happening. This is the behind-the-scenes me, not the professionally polished writer you’ve gotten accustomed to (cough, cough).
What I’ve been reading:
First, I’ve gotten into audio books. I listen to them mainly when I’m running which is like twice a week (humblebrag) and I don’t let myself listen outside of running time. My current book is Inheritance by Dani Shapiro – wow. Take a listen, or a read, especially if you’re Jewish, or into DNA stuff, or both.
I’m also re-reading an old favorite, Lieutenant Birnbaum, which is the memoir of a young Orthodox Jewish soldier during World War II. It’s just as good as I remembered it. And, in my spare time, reading a book on public speaking called Talk Like Ted. It’s good to have a mix for me – memoir, self-help – I like a variety, but I increasingly need to be reading stuff that is totally unrelated to my craft or immediately practical. I need escapist literature.
As far as writing, I am in contract with Lifecodex, a publishing company owned by Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin, Orthodox Jews who write and publish spiritual materials for a predominantly Christian readership. My second book is coming out soon, and by “soon” I have absolutely no idea what I mean, so I’ll keep you updated on that. Let’s just say it’s done but still needs the next round of revisions. Which might lead to more revision. You get the picture. The book took a year to write and another year to land a publisher, so at this point I’m not in any specific rush. In fact, it’s a little scary when that book finally gets published and everybody reads what you wrote.
I’ve been podcasting too, by recording and publishing my weekly Torah class, and although I rarely check my stats, I just hopped on my podcaster dashboard today and saw that I have over 8,600 downloads! I pleasantly surprise myself! (If you think that’s not impressive, I’d rather not know.) I’m on iTunes and Spotify and wherever you get podcasts.
What else is going on? Headed to Israel again this summer, for a Momentum trip (formerly JWRP), so that’s fun, and also headed to NJ for our annual visit with my parents and siblings. Glad summer seems to finally be making its appearance.
What have I been seeing? I’m in middle of a documentary with my daughter called Three Identical Strangers. It’s chilling, but I’m only halfway through, so no spoilers. She also made me watch a Harry and Meghan movie. Sorry for not addressing them respectfully but I would have to google their official titles. Let’s just say she is a little more obsessed than me.
That’s kind of the roundup. Would love to hear what y’all are reading, writing, or seeing.
xo
R
I’m the first to comment? Really?
I was surprised by the part when you say your publishing house publishes “spiritual materials for a predominantly Christian readership”. How did you come to choose this one in particular then? Do you want to reach out to this type of readers? I’ve always had the impression that Jews look very suspiciously at Christians who get too interested in the “jewish stuff”… Anyhow, just curious.
Having a toddler I don’t get to read as much as I’d like (or as I used to), but I’ve just powered through the Neapolitan Quartet by Elena Ferrante. I quite enjoyed it on the whole, but I’m a bit puzzled why it was touted out to be a work of genius.
In any case, I’ve enjoyed this update! shabbat shalom
Yup you鈥檙e the first 馃檪
Spiritual material for Jews has a relatively small market. So if you want Jews to read it you have to publish through the bigger market if you鈥檙e doing traditional publishing. If you鈥檙e doing hybrid publishing you have lots of options.
What genre is the book? Sounds impressive.
It鈥檚 actually a tetralogy – the story of a lifelong friendship between two women born in the late forties in Naples. It has been hugely discussed/applauded/read in Europe, partially because there aren鈥檛 many books written about such powerful female protagonists, and partially because the author published under a pseudonym and nobody knows who she is (supposedly). It鈥檚 a good read, and made me discover a whole world (southern Italy) I know nothing about.
Cool. Historical fiction?
Ha, I guess. Though these women are my mother’s age, give or take a few years, so it’s weird to think of it as “historical”…
Haha. Good point. But it is fiction.
I found the first of the Ferrante series worth reading, but the rest were tedious for me. “Three Identical Strangers” was really fascinating and sad.
I’ve been reading an old collection of short stories, mainly because I can’t stay awake at night reading for very long. I want to read “Educated” but haven’t gotten to it yet. Ruchi, you will be amused to know that I’ve been watching “Shtisel”. I haven’t decided if I like it yet. I don’t want it to be too sad or depressing, or I might have to stop.
Recently I discovered a whole new music taste: Bluegrass renditions of classic rock songs. Google “Iron Horse Rocketman” for an amazing performance. I’m weirdly obsessed with this genre these days.
Shtisel? Yay! I should have seen that coming actually. How far along are you? As far as music goes the sad truth is that when I finally have time to myself I鈥檇 rather have quiet than music. When my kids are around they鈥檙e always putting on their music which ranges from pop to Israeli pop to funk and grunge and shpongle. Quiet is a fine alternative.
Shpongle, will need to go read up on that. I like quiet too these days.
I’m about 6 episodes into Shtisel. I think I saw you recommend it somewhere; I hadn’t heard of it. If it’s just going to be a lot of misery and regret, and it looks like it’s turning that way, I’ll probably stop watching. It’s good though. It’s paced differently than USA TV, a little more lingering, a little less flash. I like that. And it’s really fascinating to see that world. And Israel in general, from the point of view of a Chassidic family.
And I bought “Educated” today so maybe I will actually read it. If I don’t fall asleep first.
Lol! Keep me updated. I loved the slow pace of Shtisel.
I feel slightly guilty – I have never read Ferrante despite being Italian. I tend to avoid “trendy” books, which is not always a smart choice (I snobbed Harry Potter for years before giving it a try and discovering I love it).
I am reading a 23 installments book series about the history of Italy, starting from the fall of the Roman empire up to the early 2000. I am currently stalled on the volume dedicated to the XVIII century (few time to read, unfortunately), but I love it. There is something I find very powerful in reading the story of one’s country and seeing how it got to be what it is right now. Also, I like imagining what my (thousands of) ancestors were doing at the time. I find it both empowering and umbling. Empowering in the sense that it makes me feel connected to hundreds of generations, as if I were actually 2000 years old and wise, and umbling because I realized that I am just a tiny human being in a much bigger picture (no, I see no contradiction between the two statements, lol).
I have found Shtisel on YouTube and decided to give it a try. Unfortunately the subtitles are in Hebrew, a language I have studied but in which i am nowhere near proficient. I have found out that if I stop the video to read the subtitles, I can get maybe 40% of what goes on – especially simple interaction – which pleasantly surprised me. More complicated stuff is totally lost on me, unless I pick up the dictionary. Also, the dialogues are too fast for me to understand, even when they are saying things I know. 讬砖专讗诇 诪讚讘专 讻讻讛 诪讛讬专 砖讗谞讬 专讜爪讛 诇讘讻讜转!
So all in all it’s more a language exercise than a moment dedicated to entertainment, but I enjoyed the first episode.
I am looking forward to your book!
I also avoid trendy books and also avoided HP for years. When I finally read it I was like what鈥檚 the big deal? I read the first two then caught up on Wikipedia (I鈥檓 a nerd like that). My kids were horrified. Fast forward to spring break – I took two of my biggest Potterheads to Universal in Orlando. They loved it.
The 23-installment series sounds very impressive. I like my reading a little lighter than that but glad you鈥檙e enjoying! Lol. Same for Shtisel. If I had to work that hard I wouldn鈥檛 bother. But I have been thinking about how valuable film is for teaching a new language. I kind of feel like it could be the next big thing.
I feel like I don’t understand something about Harry Potter that made it hard for me to enjoy. On one hand he’s just an “ordinary” wizard, going through ordinary wizard-school stuff, and on the other hand he is utterly special and everyone knows it. These didn’t seem reconciled in the book and didn’t make sense to me. Why didn’t he tell Dumbledore some of the stuff going on? It felt like I was missing out on the reason for this basic dramatic tension through the whole thing. Then again, I read it to kid#2 in another language (to maintain exposure to that language that we both know), so maybe that’s a source of feeling like something was missing.
A 23-vol history of Italy? That’s amazing. Are you an Italian Jew (if I may ask)?
Hi SBW,
Re.: Harry Potter, I have never thought much about the point you’re raising (truth be told I was never a fan of the younger characters in the book). Anyway, my two cents are that we see the story – most of it – trough Harry’s POV and he does not consider himself “special”. Even after he discovers that he is a) a wizard, and b) a pretty famous one on top of that, he still can’t shed the image he has formed of himself in his first, traumatizing years living with his uncles, when he was neglected and never made to feel “special”. Also, his “chooseness” depends on a very traumatic event, the death of his parents and Voldemort’s attempt to kill him, so he dislikes that. He has to admit, especially after the content of the prophecy is revealed to him, that he has a special purpose, but he would gladly be dispensed with it (there is a point at the beginning of the sixth book where he wonders why Voldemort didn’t choose Neville). So through Harry’s eyes we get the impression (at least, I did) that he might be, indeed, special, but doesn’t want to be and doesn’t enjoy this fact.
As for the outside world, I think that once the other wizards get to know Harry, the see him as a person and not as a Magic VIP. He will always be “the boy who lived”, but he’s also a growing teenager, and that is what his classmates see (and hate or appreciate, depending on the classmate). I think all in all this makes sense. I bet people who went to school with William Windsor (for lack of a better comparison, lol) were surely aware of his status but finally saw him as “William”, not as “the guy who will one day be king of the UK”. But I never went to school with VIPs so my take could be entirely mistaken.
I do agree with you that some plot choices where not very consistent or logical. Dubledore’s behavior is one of them. The kids resolve to behave in highly dangerous ways is another one. They make the reading more interesting, at least at first, but I doubt that this is how the average person would behave in their place. But this is something I realize now that I approach books with a more detached eye. Back when I first read them, I didn’t notice.
Ok, since I have basically written a post about your first question I’ll be short and concise re. the second 馃榾 . No, I’m not Jewish.