Teaser Tuesday: The Book of Jonah by Joshua Max Feldman

If he thought about it – and he rarely had – he would have allowed the possibility of something Almighty-ish: some sort of vague and unfathomable field of enormous but inscrutable power. He thus understood divinity the way most people understand Wi-Fi.

-- The Book of Jonah by Joshua Max Feldman. 

Young Manhattan attorneys aren't likely candidates for biblical visions, which is what makes Feldman's modern retake on the Jonah Bible story so fresh and wonderful.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 

Review: The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry

The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears in Paris

at the World's Most Famous Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn.  

An unexpected career crisis leads a former corporate exec to the legendary Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, while her perfect boyfriend puts his career on hold to hang out with her.  

If The Sharper Your Knife were a novel instead of a memoir, it would verge on too adorable to tolerate.  Not quite Eat, Pray, Love, but getting there.  Yes, Flinn has plenty of anxious moments in the classroom and out.  These range from the enviable (the crisis of having to buy a wedding dress off the rack in Paris) to the seriously sympathetic (her new husband suffers a life-threatening accident).  But mostly she shares the joy and excitement of veering off a chosen career track to live in a magical place, fulfilling a life dream.

The whole American in Paris/cooking school/Julia Child redux schtick works because it hits many notes on everyone's fantasy scale. Best to simply indulge.

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of this book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

The Sharper Your Knife counts as my first book for the 2014 Foodies Read challenge.  It is also going on my French Connections list.

WEEKEND COOKING

Hosted by Beth Fish Reads

Book Beginning: The Book of Jonah by Joshua Max Feldman

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

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YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



MY BOOK BEGINNING

Jonah knew the 59th Street subway station well enough that he did not have to look up from his iPhone as he made his way among its corridors and commuters to the track.

-- The Book of Jonah by Joshua Max Feldman.

Jonah is a promising young Manhattan attorney whose life is about to become unrecognizable to him. Feldman's debut novel is a contemporary re-imagining of the biblical book of Jonah.

Teaser Tuesday: The Gods of Second Chances by Dan Berne

I reach into my pants pocket and pull out the note from Sitka's mom. Jenny. My drugged out, ex-con, now-I'm-ready-to-come-home-and-be-forgiven-once-again daughter

-- The Gods of Second Chances by Dan Berne, the first novel published by Forest Avenue Press.

That sets up the story in a nutshell. 

The Gods of Second Chances is available now.  This is a book worth asking for from your local bookstore or library.

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Family means everything to Alaskan fisherman Ray Bancroft, raising his granddaughter while battling storms, invasive species, and lawsuit-happy tourists. To navigate, and to catch enough crab to feed her college fund, Ray seeks help from a multitude of gods and goddesses—not to mention ad-libbed rituals performed at sea by his half-Tlingit best friend.

But kitchen counter statues and otter bone ceremonies aren’t enough when his estranged daughter returns from prison, swearing she’s clean and sober. Her search for a safe harbor threatens everything Ray holds sacred. Set against a backdrop of ice and mud and loss, Dan Berne’s gripping debut novel explores the unpredictable fissures of memory, and how families can break apart even in the midst of healing.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 

Mailbox Monday: The Book of Jonah

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday!  MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event.  Mailbox Monday has now returned to its permanent home where you can link to your MM post.

I got one book last week that caught my eye because of its intriguing premise.



The Book of Jonah by Joshua Max Feldman.  This is a modern retelling of the Jonah bible story, with a Manhattan lawyer cast in the starring role.  The whole idea really grabs me.  I want to see how Feldman turns such a religious story into contemporary fiction.