The Book of Life

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    In these interviews from the show floor at Book Expo America 2009 , we ask publishers to tell us about their new Jewish interest books for adults. Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish: The Heeb Storytelling Collection by Shana Liebman from Grand Central Publishing Sipping from the Nile: My Exodus from Egypt by Jean Naggar from Stony Creek Press The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb from W.W. Norton All Other Nights: A Novel by Dara Horn from W.W. Norton The Jerusalem File by Joel Stone from Europa Editions One Step Ahead of Hitler: A Jewish Child's Journey Through France by Fred Gross from Mercer University Press Elie Wiesel: A Religious Biography by Frederick Downing from Mercer University Press Struggling with God: An Introduction to the Pentateuch (Mercer Student Guide) by Mark McEntire from Mercer University Press The Hebrew Tutor of Bel Air by Allan Appel from Coffee House Press German for Traveler...

During the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Chicago, IL, I had the chance to visit the Planet Esme Bookroom , otherwise known as "the Gingerbread Apartment" because of its whimsical architecture. The Bookroom is a real treat for kidlit fans, stuffed to the gills with books, toys, and reading-related decorations. Every detail has been lovingly thought out to make visitors smile, from the wolf and sheep puppets lying peacefully together atop the photocopier, to the cuckoo clock that sings out the time. The Bookroom is the brainchild of Esme Raji Codell , author of Sydney Taylor Honor Book Vive la Paris , AJL Notable Book Hanukkah Shmanukkah , and the inspiring book for teachers, Educating Esme , among many others. It functions as a private salon where she hosts events that celebrate literature, like the wonderful pizza party she threw for lovers of Judaica during the AJL Convention. To see an album of photos from the Planet Esme Pizza Party, visit The Book of...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    In this picture we see Mark Blevis & Andrea Ross, the husband-and-wife team behind the kidlit podcast Just One More Book . They're holding the Six String Nation guitar, and they're at the Podcasters Across Borders conference, of which Mark is one of the founders and organizers. Mark also co-hosts, with Bob Goyetche, an excellent show by and for podcasters called The Canadian Podcast Buffet . While I was at Podcasters Across Borders, I grabbed Mark for an interview about his upcoming gig at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention , which takes place in July in Chicago, IL. Mark's talk is entitled "How I Learned About Amazing Jewish Books Through Social Media." As we chatted, he posed a question for listeners: what are your concerns about the visibility of Jewish books, especially books for children? Please share your thoughts with Mark at markblevis@gmail.com or post a comment here at The Book of Life. CREDITS:...

Whew. I'm back from my first Podcasters Across Borders (aka PAB) conference in Kingston, Ontario, and I am just completely blown away. I'd been listening to podcasts of the conference sessions for the past several years on the Canadian Podcast Buffet , a show by and for podcasters, so I knew there would be high quality content. What I didn't expect was how moving the experience would be. The opening keynote was by Jowi Taylor, creator of the Six String Nation guitar . This guitar was constructed of 64 pieces (wood and other materials) representing all different regions and peoples of Canada. The idea is to bring Canadians together to bond with eachother and to contemplate Canadian identity. It's a beautiful piece of usable art, and it's a wonderful vehicle for sharing history and storytelling... as well as music! Jowi is a Peabody Award winning writer and broadcaster, and he really touched us when he shared stories of the guitar's source materials and th...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST      🕮    Interviews from the show floor at Book Expo America 2009 . In the spotlight: Jewish presses. Gefen Jewish Publication Society Kar-Ben Publishing Union for Reform Judaism CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook fan page: click here Twitter: @bookoflifepod Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com !

Author Pamela Ehrenberg is not afraid to tackle big topics. Her first book, Ethan, Suspended , explored issues of race relations (see our February 2008 podcast for a discussion of Ethan, Suspended ). Her new book, Tillmon County Fire , examines the many forms that prejudice can take, using the voices of teens who are gay, Jewish, adopted, autistic, abused, or marginalized in other ways. Amazingly, Pam's books are far from preachy. They are compellingly readable, and her characters are very real people. They are brave books, and I highly recommend that you read them. To learn more about Tillmon County Fire , check out the stops on Pam's Blog Tour at pamelaehrenberg.com !

Congratulations to Book of Life Facebook fan Rick Sternberg of Pittsburgh, PA, who has won our book giveaway (held in celebration of reaching 150 Facebook fans). Rick works at the Community Day School in Pittsburgh and will be donating the book to the school library. We'll hold another drawing when we reach 200 Facebook fans, so if you haven't become a fan yet, do it now! Rick will be receiving a copy of The Disappearing Dowry: An Ezra Melamed Mystery by Libi Astaire (Zahav Press). I very much enjoyed this historical novel. When I first heard that it was written "in the style of Jane Austen" I admit I was worried: books written in a famous author's style have so much to live up to and can easily fall short. However, this book feels like a loving tribute to Austen rather than a cheap imitation, and avoids becoming an Austen remake by embracing the "cozy" mystery genre as well. What really sets the book apart is its portrayal of Jewish life in 19th ...

The Kidlitosphere (blogs and podcasts about Children's Literature and Literacy) is filled with interviews of children's literature creators and children's literacy promoters. You can find many of these interviews indexed at the Kidlit Interview Wiki , and this list now includes interviews from The Book of Life. The Kidlit Interview Wiki provides links to interviews with children's authors, illustrators, and literacy promoters. A separate but related wiki, Children's Book Reviews , provides links to blogs and podcasts that review literature for kids. For general information about the "kidlitosphere," visit the website Kidlitosphere Central , where you'll find a wealth of resources, including links to many blogs and podcasts.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    BUY THE BOOK       🕮    Lily Koppel's book The Red Leather Diary combines the writings of a Jewish teenager named Florence Wolfson with the memories of the same woman at the age of 90. In Part One of The Book of Life's Red Leather Diary series, we heard the Spring 2009 talk Lily gave at Aston Gardens Senior Living center in Parkland, Florida. Now, in Part Two, we speak directly with Lily about her book. Follow Lily on Twitter . CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook fan page: click here Twitter: @bookoflifepod Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com !

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    Lily Koppel's book The Red Leather Diary combines the writings of a Jewish teenager named Florence Wolfson with the memories of the same woman at the age of 90. Lily explains how she found, first the diary, and then Florence herself, in a Spring 2009 talk she gave at Aston Gardens Senior Living center in Parkland, Florida, sponsored by the Parkland Library and the Anne Slater Memorial Fund. This podcast is Part One and is a recording of Lily's presentation before a large audience. In Part Two you will hear a one-on-one interview with Lily Koppel. CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook fan page: click here Twitter: @bookoflifepod Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com !

I will be attending Book Expo America , May 29-31, 2009 New York, NY to record material for The Book of Life podcast and to promote the Sydney Taylor Book Award for Jewish children's & teen literature. If YOU will be at Book Expo too, drop me a line at bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com

The Book of Life Facebook fan page , in the few short weeks of its existence, has already picked up over 100 fans. I am getting a huge kick out of this, because for the first time I can see the faces of the show's listeners! It feels much more personal than receiving comments on the blog. When we hit #100 I was very excited, and I posted the question (on Facebook) of how we should celebrate. Several people commented, suggesting that we do a giveaway. You want it? You got it! When we reach the next milestone, 150 Facebook fans, we'll enter all 150 fans into a drawing for a book giveaway. Maybe we'll do this for every milestone of 50, having drawings at 200, 250, and so on. Let me know if you think this is a good idea by posting a comment. For the 150 drawing, our prize will be a brand new book that I haven't read yet but I predict will be fun: The Disappearing Dowry, an Ezra Melamed Mystery by Libi Astaire from Zahav Press. I've read the sample pages available...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    As you know, the usual focus of The Book of Life is Judaica. Today we focus not on Jewish content, but on a mitzvah, a good deed, in which The Book of Life is participating. It's the Bridget Zinn Auction . The Bridget Zinn Auction is a fundraiser for a fellow kidlit librarian/author who has cancer (learn more about her at bridgetzinn.com ). The Book of Life has donated an audio interview to the auction, a great publicity opportunity for authors, bloggers, and others with a project to share. Our usual restriction to Jewish content will be waived for this interview, so feel free to bid even if you are not involved in Judaica. Please bid on all items at bridgetzinnauction.wordpress.com by May 31, 2009. In today's podcast, we interview Jone MacCulloch, the organizer of the Bridget Zinn Auction. She was also the organizer of the 2008 Kidlit Bloggers Conference in Portland, OR. She blogs her poetry at deowriter.wordpress.co...

I will be attending the Podcasters Across Borders conference for the first time this year, in June in Kingston, Ontario, and I am so excited! I've listened to recordings of past years' conferences and I've always wanted to go. This short audio clip is the "teaser" that I've created about The Book of Life, to give other conference attendees (who are podcasters too) an idea of what my show is like. It's an outtake from my December 2007 interview with author/illustrator Ann Koffsky . I hope it makes sense - please let me know if you think it works as a promo for The Book of Life. I get a big kick out of the bit at the end where we start playing "Jewish geography."

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    BUY THE ALBUM     🕮    The Book of Life's Canadian Correspondent, Anne Dublin , interviews Montreal musician Orit Shimoni , leader of the band Little Birdie . Orit gives us secular and Jewish-themed songs with a folky/country/rock/alternative flavor on her album Cinematic Way . CREDITS: Produced by: Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Supported in part by: Association of Jewish Libraries Theme music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Facebook fan page: click here Twitter: @bookoflifepod Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com !

As if podcasting weren't "Web 2.0" enough already, now I'm getting deeper into social media by offering a Book of Life Facebook fan page and Twitter feed! A shout-out and welcome to those of you who are receiving this post through Facebook right now. Thanks for "fanning" my page! For others who want to know what I'm talking about, click here to see The Book of Life's Facebook fan page, which allows you to receive podcast episodes and news right on your Facebook wall in your feed, and gives you an interactive space to post your comments, or even to post related links, pictures, or videos. You can view the page whether you are a Facebook user or not, but to become a fan and use all the page's features you'll need a Facebook account. I'll be posting Book of Life Twitter updates at twitter.com/bookoflifepod . If you use Twitter, please "Follow" me to stay up to date on Book of Life news. Also, I'm interested in using this T...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     🕮    The Passover spoof Moses Is Departing Egypt: A Facebook Haggadah swept the Internet this spring. In this episode of The Book of Life we interview its creator, Carl Elkin, about the Haggadah and about another Facebook project dear to his heart, Yes We Conserve. SPECIAL DEDICATION: I'd like to dedicate this episode to the memory of my father-in-law, Stanley Estrin (z"l). Today is his yahrzeit, plus I know he would have gotten a big kick out of Facebook. CREDITS: Our background music is provided by The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band. Books and CD's mentioned on the show may be borrowed from the Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel . Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com !

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    BUY THE BOOK       🕮    Judy Blundell has written over a hundred books under various pen names, but won the National Book Award in the Young People's Literature category with her first book in her own name. The book is called What I Saw and How I Lied and it's a noir-inspired mystery and coming of age story set in post WWII Palm Beach. Like real life, the story is complex, multi-layered, and not easy to sum up, but just to give you an idea, it's the story of Evie Spooner, whose stepfather Joe has returned from the war and whisked Evie and her mother off on a spur of the moment vacation to Florida. Their vacation is shadowed by a mysterious and handsome stranger who knew Joe in the army. Bit by bit, Evie starts to uncover the dark connections between the adults in her life. VIDEO: Enjoy Judy Blundell's National Book Award acceptance speech (with introduction by Lemony Snicket!), and h...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    BUY THE BOOK        🕮    Yankee at the Seder by Elka Weber , illustrated by Adam Gustavson , is a picture book about a Yankee Jewish soldier who spends Passover with a Confederate Jewish family. It is historian Elka Weber's first book for children, and it's based on a kernel of true Civil War history. NEWS: If you are on Facebook, you can now receive posts about new Book of Life episodes on your wall by becoming a "Follower" through Networked Blogs at www.networkedblogs.com/blog/the_book_of_life ! CREDITS: Our background music is provided by The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band. Books and CD's mentioned on the show may be borrowed from the Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel . Your feedback is appreciated! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com !

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Check out the Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band's album Ceilizemer: Shalom Ireland , which was the soundtrack to a documentary of the same name, all about Jewish Life in Ireland. The Freilachmakers provide the background music for each episode of The Book of Life!