Sue’s Bookshelf

The Charlotte Jewish News, January 2023

By Sue Littauer

January is the time when many of us resolve to make changes and/or improvements to our lifestyles in the coming year. The top resolutions usually include going to the gym, losing weight, being nicer to people, etc. How about resolving to read more, join a book club, or expand our knowledge of our Jewish culture?

Look no further than Center for Jewish Education (CJE) - a real gem among the many institutions and organizations in our Jewish community. For those of you who love to read, I hope that you are taking advantage of this resource that is available to you. Personally, I primarily read on the Kindle app on my iPad.

I reserve and check out books through the Libby App, and I am signed into both the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and the Center for Jewish Education sites. One advantage of getting your books from CJE over Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is that they can be checked out for three rather than two weeks.

Just glancing at the currently available eBooks on CJE’s site, I can recommend several books:

“Mr. Perfect on Paper” by Jean Meltzer

“The Gown” by Jennifer Robson

“Girls with Bright Futures” by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman

“The Matzah Ball” by Jean Meltzer

“Our Darkest Night” by Jennifer Robson

“The Yellow Bird Sings” by Jennifer Rosner

“The Grace Kelly Dress” by Brenda Janowitz

“Not Our Kind” by Kitty Zeldis

“The Takeaway Men” by Meryl Ain

“The Book of Separation” by Tova Mirvis

“Ahava” by Dr. Tarece Johnson

If you’re familiar with the Libby App, you know you can reserve books, too, by “placing a hold.” Bestsellers such as “Mad Honey” by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin, “The Latecomer” by Jean Hanff Korelitz, “The German Wife” by Kelly Rimmer, “Signal Fires” by Dani Shapiro, “The Matchmaker’s Gift” by Lynda Cohen Loigman, “The Most Likely Club” by Elyssa Friedland, and “People Love Dead Jews” by Dara Horn are among the 160 Ebooks which can be reserved.

So, if you’re making your 2023 Resolutions, why not add checking out the Center for Jewish Education and all it has to offer for community readers? You’ll be glad you did!

If you need technical assistance, please contact lisa.garfinkle@jewishcharlotte.org

For more information about the CJE Book Club, please contact sueb.littauer@jewishcharlotte.org.