A Holiday Book Review

We were in the library a couple of weeks ago (aka our natural habitat), and I was gazing at the display of Holiday-themed books. 

Mr. Ginley strolled over and picked one up. He read the flyleaf and handed it to me.

"Here, read this," he commanded.

The title was The Matzah Ball, the author Jean Meltzer. It's essentially a romance novel about Hannukah.

As avid readers of this blog will attest, I love me some Christmas books and Hallmark movies. I know they are formulaic and insipid, but they make me happy. And really, life is too short, and I really don't give a shit what anyone thinks.

Having said that, I admit I hadn't read any romance novels about Hannukah. I was intrigued.

I grew up in Parma, where ethnic diversity only went as far as certain Eastern European countries. Attending a Catholic grade school didn't do much to expand my experiences. It wasn't until I got into the working world that I worked with people who looked different and embraced different religions from my own.

And it wasn't until I started working at J.B. Robinson Jewelers that I had Jewish coworkers. Even at that point, I wasn't exposed to Jewish traditions much because there wasn't a lot of discussion at work about Hannukah. Given the nature of the business, Christmas was the big shiny holiday. People bought lots of gifts for Christmas. They got engaged at Christmas. No one really talked about spinning a dreidel or lighting the menorah. 

Years later, Harry Shapiro came into my life. As it turned out, he would be my boss for 20+ years. From him I learned a little something about how Jewish holy days and holidays are observed. Plus, I acquired a bunch of cool Yiddish words. Being a word nerd, I love Yiddish. It's such a kick. As an alter cocker, I have a real appreciation for Harry as a mensch who taught this goy a little something about Jewish culture.

Back to the book...

It turned out to be a terrific read. Some books you can zip through and others you savor. The Matzah Ball was one I took my time reading. It was thoughtful, witty and well-written. And I loved the characters. For anyone who shares my secret passion for holiday romance novels, I highly recommend it.

And Harry, I know this isn't your usual read, but if you do pick it up, I'd love to know what you (or Ilene?) think. 

As to the author, Jean Meltzer, her story is every bit as interesting as the fictional characters she created. She studied dramatic writing at NYU, has worked in television and even acquired a daytime Emmy. For five years she was in rabbinical school, but had to withdraw due to a chronic health condition. Fortunately, she didn't follow her father's advice – he told her to write a book but "not a Jewish one because no one reads those." She has a second book that just came out called Mr. Perfect on Paper. 

I have it on order from the library.

Mazel tov!