I have some great books on my reading list this week.

The first is a new release coming out on September 30th – The Book of Jewish Knowledge by The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. This 400+ page volume is a collection of all aspects of Judaism including major life events, Jewish thought, and Kabbalah. The book includes charts, timelines, and maps and beautiful images to add to your learning.

My second book is a memoir by Lara Gelya. Her story begins in Ukraine and moves to the dessert of Kyzylkum before journeying across Europe and eventually to the United States.

The last two selections on my reading list this week are audiobooks: My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood and Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover. Both have been popular posts among the Bookstagram community and I’m looking forward to enjoying them.

Join the conversation! Tell me what’s on your reading list this week in the comments.

What is Judaism? What does it mean to be a Jew? What is Judaism’s message to the world? The Book of Jewish Knowledge offers 1200 answers in 1200 voices, presenting the story of Judaism via the variety of media that capture the Jewish experience: a Biblical account, a traditional Jewish practice, a painting by a Jewish artist, a Midrashic parable, a Talmudic discourse, a historical document, a poignant photograph, a gefilte fish recipe, a prayer from Psalms, a Scriptural aphorism, a Halachic (Jewish law) responsum, a Kabbalistic diagram, a philosophical essay, a 12th-century travelogue. Collectively, these present the reader with an encyclopedic overview of Jewish history, an in-depth examination of four millennia of Jewish wisdom, and an intimate tour of Jewish traditions and observances. This groundbreaking volume surveys the full scope of Jewish teaching and Jewish life, while also doing justice to the depth and beauty of Judaism. Whether this is your first book on Judaism, or if you are approaching it with a lifetime of learning and engagement, you are sure to gain a new appreciation of the range and grandeur of Jewish knowledge and experience.

Camel from Kyzylkum is a memoir about the physical, emotional, and spiritual journey of immigrating from the Soviet Union in the late twentieth century. It touches on the themes of hope, struggle, family, and loss, while highlighting the compelling desire for people to focus on freedom and self-determination. Readers will gain a better understanding of how much work and risk people will endure reaching for a better life.

Travel from Ukraine to the Kyzylkum Desert of Uzbekistan, from the Soviet Union to Austria, then Italy, and eventually America, all while following the author’s journey to find her truth and future.

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Life is hard enough for a teenage girl in 1950s suburbia without having a mother who may—or may not—be a witch. A single mother at that. Sure, she fits in with her starched dresses, string of pearls, and floral aprons. Then there are the hushed and mystical consultations with neighborhood women in distress. The unsavory, mysterious plants in the flower beds. The divined warning to steer clear of a boyfriend whose fate is certainly doomed. But as the daughter of this bewitching homemaker comes of age and her mother’s claims become more and more outlandish, she begins to question everything she once took for granted.

After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter. But the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut Kenna out, no matter how hard she works to prove herself.

The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna’s life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them.

The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.