Book Recommendations

I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction lately, and I really want to try some fiction for a bit. I love all kinds of fiction, but I’m really in the mood for some Jewitchy fiction. It’s hard to find because nothing is really labeled that way. So, I have compiled a list of ten books I recommend if you are looking for some Jewitchy fiction. I’ve read half of this list. The other half have either been recommended to me or I have stumbled across them in looking through Jewish fiction lists. If you’ve read any of these let me know what you think.

1. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant- This is the story of Dinah- a woman mentioned in passing as the daughter of Jacob. In the Bible she is a footnote in the story of her violent rape. Here we see her story, and that of her four mothers.
2. The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish– Historian Helen Watt and student Aaron Levy are on a quest to discover the identity of the mysterious “Aleph”- author of a cache of 17th century Jewish documents discovered in a London home.
3. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker– A golem. A jinni. Both loose in New York City. Need I say more?
4. The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman– Coralie Sardie is forced to perform in her father’s Coney Island freak show. She teams up with Jewish immigrant Eddie Cohen to investigate the disappearance of a young Jewish girl.
5. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman– Four women find refuge at Masada with other Jews fleeing Roman oppression. Ninety flee there. Two women and five children survive.
6. The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman– Rachel, a beautiful Jewish girl living in St. Thomas in the early 1800s, has always been a difficult girl. When her husband dies she seizes her own life, and her rebellion has reached new heights.
7. Henna House by Nomi Eve– Yemen, 1920. Adela is a young Jewish girl facing the prospects of marriage or being torn from her cultural identity. This is the story of a woman, her family, and the rituals that bind them.
8. Eternal Life by Dara Horn– Rachel made a bargain and 2,000 years later she’s still trying to free herself.
9. The Ghost of Hannah Mendes by Naomi Ragen– Catherine is desperately trying to encourage her three granddaughters to learn about their roots. Women seeking their ancestors? Pretty witchy.
10. The Devil in Jerusalem by Naomi Ragen– Detective Bina Tzedek investigates a horrific accident in Jerusalem and ends up caught up in kabbalah, ancient texts, and cult rituals.