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Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. All by Ayn Rand.
Atlas Shrugged is by far the best novel I have ever read. And it gets better with each rereading.
I seem to have missed this thread. Dont know how.
Blinky Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!! (Thompson and Thompson were my favorite guys)
You’ve missed the essence of the twins names! One was Thompson with a letter P, but the other was Thomson without it, even though they were twins!
Every book they give different reasons for the letter P in the 1st twin’s name eg in one volume he says “I’m Thompson with a P as in pschchology!!”
a separate peace i just finished reading and it was amazing
to kill a mockigbird is another great read. i was surprised noone mentioned it. they are non-jewish but very clean. jodi picoult is an amzing writer. a really good book by her is my sister’s keeper.
very well written.
The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk. It’s a Jewish novel, written by a frum author and it’s part of the canon of great 20th century American literature.
The Youngest Bride ( jewish historical fiction)
Struggle to the Summit by Rivkah Zucker (true story)
Captive Soul by Shoshana Schwartz (fiction)
The Betrayal (jewish historical fiction-kuzar)
anything by Marcus Lehmann (jewish historical fiction)
Sun Inside Rain by M Bassra (fiction)
Shadows on the Moon by Brocha Goykadosh (fiction)
THe Scribe by Uri Raskin (fiction not high level,but very good)
The Yellow Notebook by Devorah Rosen (fiction)
Agains the Wall by Ruthie Pearlman (fiction)
Dual Discovery (jewish historical fiction-yetzias mitzrayim)
And Rachel was his Wife (jewish historical fiction-r’ Akiva’s wife)
The Gordian Knot by Yair Weinstock (fiction)
Race to the Top by Sarah Kisner (fiction)
A New Song by Barbara Bensousson (fiction)
Shortchanged (historical ficiton)
Barriers by Ruth Arielli (fiction)
Morning Star by Meir Uri Gottesman (fiction0
Deep Blue by Meir uri Gottesman (fiction)
Wings by Meir uri Gottesman (fiction0
The Harp by Meir Uri Gottesman (ficiton)
Pyramid Base by Eli Shekter (fiction)
The Accused I and II by Mayer Bendett (fiction)
Tomorrow May Be too LAte by Chaya Stavsky Rubin (historical fiction)
White Ice by Devora Weiner (fiction)
The Castle Builders
Double Check
Changing Tides
Musawi
The Stars will Guide You
Barriers
Shadows and Light
the Ruach Ami series-Avner Gold
Entangled by Yaakov Hirschson
Complex Mission by ” “
Lone Star by Devorah Rosen
Off Limits by “”
not saying i liked all of these, but it’s a list…:0)
as for nonjewish…
A Tale of Two Cities!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! luv that book!
My Sister’s Keeper (could have better language though)
The Importance of Being Earnest (really most things by Wilde)
:0)
The Jewish Kingdom of Kuzar :0)
Anything by Tom Wolfe is worth reading, as is anything by Kurt Vonnegut. Other great fiction writers of the 20th century are Norman Mailer, Saul Bellow, And Cynthia Ozick. For less highbrow, but quality reading, look at Scott Turow, Leon Uris, and James Michinner. Among non-American authors, I very much enjoyed reading Thomas Mann’s Joseph series and his Budenbrooks. Stefan Zweig’s anthology of historic short stories was great. A.J. Cronin’s The Citadel and A Pocketful of Rye were good reads. Leon Feuchtwanger’s biography of Benjamin Franklin (the title escapes me) was excellent. And of course, there is Erich Maria Remarque’s A Time to Love and a Time to Die (which is far better than his All Quiet on the Western Front) and Arc Du Triomphe. Another great book, is In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. It’s rather nice to remember the old days when I read fiction.
I used to be an avid reader. Lately I dont usually have time to read, but I picked up a novel that my wife was reading and could not put it down. It’s called The Double Life of Chani Greenberg by Menuchah Beckerman. Anyone read it? What did you think? An amazing storyline, a bit long winded in places but fascinating and completely gripping! I recommend it.
Bump
Has nobody read it? What did you think?
Thank you mods for re-opening this thread. Was it closed for discussing non Jewish books? I wouldnt have thought so as YWN are usually relaxed about stuff like that. Of course only appropriate books should be recommended.
I have finished with The Double Life of Chani Greenberg (thanx to you all for your feedback) and would like suggestions for another great preferably Jewish novel, to keep me away from clean but non jewish thrillers that I am hooked on such as my favorite author Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novels which are absolutely outstanding, and Nelson DeMille’s books etc
BTW I hope you tintin fans are excited on the new release!
Re: haifagirl’s suggestion: Although undeniably well-written, these books have objectionable hashkafic content. (I found this out too late.) Proceed with caution.
To all looking for a 1000+ page novel, War and Peace is by far the superior choice. Very clean, and absolutely genius.
I just finished reading Green Fences by Riva Pomeranz for the second time. Really good. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Why read novels, when you have the coffee room?
Best novels I have ever read (and I read a TON) are the following 3 historical novels:
1.) Pillars of the Earth Ken Follet
2.) World Without End by Ken Follet
3.) Fall Of Giants by Ken Follet
ooh i heard that one was good i wanna read it soon bH
dual discovery is soo good! it really helped me feel more sensitive during pesach time.
all for the boss!!!-i know its not a novel but its the best book ever and i love it
bruno and boots/macdonald hall.
come on, you know you love em.
Anything be Lee Child or Harlan Coben.Peace.
DEEP BLUE is a must! i just finished it and loved it! i don’t think i ever red a book that was so good!
as for non-Jewish: A Tale of Two Cities and The Time Machine. i had to read them in school but i really liked them.
GG-totally agree on tale of 2 cities. great classic
other books i liked that others mentioned- a separate peace, caine mutiny, phantom tollbooth, my sister’s keeper (i don’t recommend any of her other books-stay far away from some of them. not all of them are appropriate)
Anyone here into “A series of unfortunate events”? My little sister got me obsessed with them even though they are kind of kids books. Lemony Snicket is a literary genius. I esp love his dedications. (V’hameivin Yavin) I definitely recommend them.
Someone earlier mentioned Nachman Seltzer he has a new novel The Shadows
Footprints in the Sand-Bracha Goykadosh
Yesterday’s Child-last name is Benjamin, can’t remember the 1st name
Miracle Ride-“Tzipi Caton”
The Mission-cant remember who wrote it
The Envelope-cant remember who wrote it
The Persecution-David Eliad
The Spire by Richard North Patterson. that book was so good that i couldnt read anything else that day after finishing it.
According to Jewish values, I think you cant go wrong with any of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Mark Twain’s stories are good, too. Life on the Mississippi is good. Also, Booker T Washington, Up From Slavery was a remarkable, memorable, encouraging, and true story.
how about the chosen? did anyone ever read it? is it good?
Pleasee if anyone did read it let me know cuz i wanna make sure that its like ‘kosher’
Yesterday’s Child-last name is Benjamin
Ruth Benjamin?
I think she also wrote “On a Golden Chain”. (I remember it being a good book, but I read it a long time ago.
brotherofurs – i don’t know your background and who you are, but chaim potok’s books are generally assumed to be problematic – some better, some worse. sequel to the chosen is definitely not kosher. to answer your question better and more honestly, one would have to know who you are and where you’re coming from. if you’re truly sincere, best to not read it.
shticky – how much did you end up bribing the mods and which mod was most bribable?
Short, simple and absolutely brilliant, ” Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck
of mice and men has a curses on every page :'( i didnt finish it.
and binahyesaira-thank you soo much for your advice i read a diff book by him but it was.. well , Nottt for me. :'( thats why i wanted to make sure before i picked up this one. I dont think im gonna read it but i might have to for school. :(.. anyway thanks
ALL of John Steinbeck’s works are EXCELLENT. I particularly recommend East of Eden. It’s fascinating. I could see why Of Mice and Men (and perhaps a couple of his other short novels) might be objectionable (on basis of language).
Rachel Pomerants is Definitely one of my favorites. I just finished “Wildflower” – absolutely amazing. There’s so much you can learn from her books. I’ve read countless times “As Mountains Around Jerusalem” and “A Time To Rend, A Time To Sew”.
As for suspense novels (which I usually feel empty after reading, so I don’t do it often) Chaim Greenberg is certainly the best. His latest “Mexico Files” had me reading it almost in one shot. Both, his first book, “The Will” and this are well written and truly fascinating.
brotherofurs: the chosen is definitely the most innocent of all his books (that i’ve seen).
o ok thanks 🙂
I just bought 2 books yesterday. One is an old one, but really nice, called Autumn Rain by Rachel Schorr. The second is one that was recently serialized in Mishpacha by Riva Pomerantz, called Charades. I missed a lot of the chapters in the magazine so I was excited to see the book and read the whole thing.
The Third Twin by Ken Follet
Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Raquela by Ruth Gruber
I think that every one of Yair Weinstock’s novels are excellent…for biur chametz…
Escape from India by Avigail Myzlik
Escape from India is the amazing true story of Ronen D., an Israeli, who like many of his peers was drawn to the free and relaxed atmoshphere of India. Ronen becomes entangled in a world he wished he had never known. He is tempted to stray from the path of a newly observant Jew committing a crime to cover debts from his struggling business. The act he performs, “one last time”, lands him in prison in India.
Incarcerated in a Bombay jail built for 800, Ronen is crammed in with 3500 prisoners, many waiting years just to stand trial, without knowing when their ordeal will end. The terrible overcrowding, the constant hunger, and the presence of thousands of hardened criminals, in a prison lacking the most basic hygienic standards and where filth and disease are rampant, caused most prisoners to lose their human dignity.
While in this living hell, Ronen is further tortured by loneliness and longing for his wife, daughters, and loving family. But Ronen’s imprisonment serves as the impetus to rise above the prison walls and finally escape from his own evil inclination. With his powerful wellspring of faith, Ronen dedicates every waking hour to learning Torah and immersing himself in prayer; he repents from the depths of his heart, and attains freedom, even behind bars. Trusting only in God to help him, Ronen miraculously succeeds in escaping, seemingly accompanied by angels, all the way back to Tel Aviv.
The book is translated from the original Hebrew, in Ronen’s own straightforward touching style. You will journey through Ronen’s fascinating and unique inner struggle. It is a journey that will take you from despair to hope; from a broken heart and body, to a spiritual and physical triumph. It is a journey that will never leave you!
Two old, long, but SUPER excellent novels…
SHOGUN by James Clavel – after the first 100 pages or so, you’ll feel like your living in the story and even though it’s long, you will NOT want it to end.
THE SOURCE by James Michener – an amazing historical novel about Eretz Yisrael that will take you from ancient times up to the present.
brotherofurs: The chosen is a very well written book, but, it’s haskafa is at best misrepesentative of judaisum, and it’s possibly apekorsis.
Mirror Image
@StamYeshivaGy I totally get that Potok’s books may not be appreciated/appropriate for a lot of readers here…and I agree it was misrepresentative of Judaism…but possibly apekorsus? It’s simply not. It’s far to easy to throw around that term when dealing with something you disagree with, lay off the koolaid. By the by, Potok lived as an observant (albeit modern) Jew.
@cynic613 I agree with StamYeshivaGy that The Chosen smacks of apikorsus. What does koolaid have to do with it?
Does your name suggest that you’re cynical about the 613 mitzvos? Just wondering….
@moi aussi, you and StamYeshivaGy are more than welcome to share what exactly about the book is apekorsus. It may not be glatt kosher (and for that reason I personally would not recommend the book to people here), but it’s not apekorsus. Drinking the koolaid means “to accept an argument or philosophy wholeheartedly or blindly without critical examination (thank you wikipedia for the well worded explanation). It’s so easily convenient for you to say that it “smacks of apikorsus.” I can give the benefit of the doubt that the two of you don’t fully realize what apikorsus actually means and that perhaps the term has entered the yeshiva vernacular to mean something that your rebbe doesn’t approve of. It’s not apikorsus. And my name btw, which in hindsight is confusing, isn’t supposed to mean I’m cynical of the 613. I meant to represent that I follow the 613 and I am a cynical person. 🙂
Potok was reared in an orthodox household and was an ordained rabbi, from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
cynic613, I left Yeshiva/Seminary a long time ago, so I might not know the exact definition of apikorsus (should I check on Wikipedia?) but I know that the main character of The Chosen goes searching for truth in the secular world. He wants to be a psychologist and Freud (an apikores) becomes his Moreh Derech. His message is that the Torah doesn’t have all the answers, and there is truth elsewhere too. You call it “not glatt kosher”, to me it smacks of apikorsus.
About your name, why do you represent yourself as an observant Jew with a negative character trait? It’s an oxymoron…
This will be my last post. There is what to respond, but I’m going to draw the line for any sort of conversation or even debate when people resort to personal attacks, no matter how trivial. In light of your comment, it comes as no surprise that you focus on the main character as the chassidishe guy who goes off to college and NOT the modern orthodox guy who enters yeshiva to pursue semicha. To anyone who’s been reading this thread, I hope that you will not blindly accept that things are “apikorsus” or whatever, just because some anonymous moniker online ignorantly told you so. Gut voch to all.
To anyone who’s been reading this thread, I hope that you will not blindly accept that things are “apikorsus” or whatever
cynic: I’m one of the “anyone who’s been reading this thread”. In all honesty, I’ve never read (or had an interest in reading) this book. But I’d like to know, what WOULD happen if I accept that a particular book “smacks off apikorsus” when someone warns me that it does?
@cynic613 I fail to see where I personally attacked you. We’re discussing a book, aren’t we?
I looked up the word moniker, I thought it had to do with my religious views (monk) but it seems that I’m in good company, we are all anonymous monikers in the coffee room!
A Gitte Voch!
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