Books, Poetry & Short Stories

Kushner offers mixture of theology, practical advice

Nine Essential Things I’ve Learned About Life by Harold S. Kushner; Anchor Books (c) 2015; IBSN 9780804-173452; 171 pages, $15. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Rabbi Harold Kushner, famous since he wrote When Bad Things Happen to Good People, has a personal ritual which I found fascinating. “Before I sit down to write, […]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion

Some noteworthy SD Jewish Book Fair events

SAN DIEGO — Here are some of the events at the upcoming San Diego Jewish Book Fair that readers may wish to note.  All these events will be held at the Lawrence Family JCC, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. Tuesday, November 1 10:00am Yoga/Meditation with Rabbi Benjamin Shalva Spiritual Cross Training: Searching Through Silence, Stretch, and

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, San Diego Calendar

Jews well represented in volume on American trivia

American Trivia: What We All Should Know About U.S. History, Culture & Geography by Richard Lederer and Caroline McCullagh; Gibbs Smith Publisher; © 2012; ISBN 9781423-622772; 144 pages, including some silly riddles at the end; $9.99 By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Abe and Bea Goldberg attended an event at which co-author Richard Lederer

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

Novel tells of British expats in rural France

Chasing Dreams and Flies: A Tragicomedy of Life in France by Dorothea Shefer-Vanson; © 2016, books on Kindle; 253 pages. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Dorothea Shefer-Vanson is an author and writer whose freelance stories are regularly published by San Diego Jewish World, among other publications.  Normally she and her husband Yigal reside in

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson

Authors galore at SD Jewish Book Fair

LA JOLLA, California (Press Release) – San Diego’s internationally recognized San Diego Jewish Book Fair celebrates its 22nd year with an intriguing mix of more than 30 leading authors in their fields including: Jennifer Weiner, Rich Cohen, Shep Gordon, Samuel M. Katz, Todd Buchholz, Dov Waxman, Daniel Oppenheimer, Nina Tassler, Peter Himmelman and Fred Kaplan.

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, San Diego Calendar

Novel portrays loves of a family of three women

Cruel Beautiful World by Caroline Leavitt; Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill; © 2016; ISBN9781616-203634; 354 pages; $26.95 By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – This is a story of two sisters and their “aunt” who are thrown together after the parents of the two sisters are killed in a car crash.  When  the younger sister,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison

90-yr-old becomes internet celebrity for running 117-year-old bookstore

Jiang Chengbo looks at an ancient book in his bookstore(R). Two customers pick up books in Jiang’s bookstore (L). [Photo/Yangtze Evening News] A 90-year-old man who runs a 117-year-old antique bookstore inherited from his grandfather has become an internet celebrity, Yangtze Evening News reported. Jiang Chengbo, the owner and third generation successor of the bookstore,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International

Nehemiah, a builder with political savvy

Nehemiah: Statesman and Sage by Dov S. Zakheim, Maggid Books., New Milfored, CT, ©2016, ISBN 978-1-59264-369-1, p. 246, $27.95 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California –  In 586 BCE, Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, overlooking the city of Jerusalem, capital of the Judean monarchy, standing on Mt. Scopus, the present home of the Hebrew University, watched as his

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish History, Jewish Religion

A Jewish primer laced with spiritual encounters

The Wondering Jew: My Journey into Judaism by Ellen Brazer; TCJ Publishing; ISBN 9780693-739945; 188 pages including book club questions, $12.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Novelist Ellen Brazer (Clouds Across the Sun; So It Was Written; Hearts of Fire) has authored a primer on the Jewish religion, perhaps as much for her

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion

A Leonard Nimoy biography for kids

Fascinating: The Life of Leonard Nimoy by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Edel Rodriguez; Alfred E. Knopf publisher; ISBN 9781101-933329;  28 pages, including author’s note, $17.99. SAN DIEGO – With all the ongoing celebrations of Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, the youngsters in your life may be wondering what all the hoopla is about.  This short well-illustrated

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Author Jennifer Weiner to launch S.D. Jewish Book Fair

LA JOLLA, California (Press Release) – To launch San Diego’s 22nd Annual San Diego Jewish Book Fair, a preview event will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday, October 20 with #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner, author of soon-to-be-released, Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing.  The event will be held at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, San Diego Calendar

Ex-pope Benedict says he wasn’t much good at governing the Vatican

Rome (dpa) – Former Pope Benedict XVI says he struggled with “practical government” at the Vatican, according to advance extracts from a book due out on Friday which were published by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. “A weak point of mine is perhaps my lack of resolve in governing and taking decisions,” Benedict says in

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International

Raising thrifty and generous children

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Press Release)–From piggy banks to that first savings account, many children are taught the value of saving from an early age. But as they grow to adolescence, following parental advice sometimes gives way to peer or media influences, and those once-thrifty children are now teenagers in a consumer-driven world where spending, not saving,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, USA

Insight into some secrets of suburban life

Bertrand Court by Michelle Brafman, © 2016 Prospect Park Books;; ISBN 978193-8849800; 255 pages. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO –Bertrand Court might be found in any suburban city of the United States; its characters are as familiar as your next door neighbors.  Through Brafman’s fictional work, however, you may gain keener insight into your

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison