Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
Publication Date: 15 August 2006
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Pages: 521
Genre: Classical Fiction
Cover: Paperback
Price: $8.00 US / $8.99 Canada
Purchased from: www.bn.com
From the Back Flap: "Orphaned Jane Eyre grows up in the home of her heartles aunt, where she endures lonliness and cruelty, and at a charity school with a harsh regime. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which proves necessary when she takes a position as a governess at Thornfield Hall. But when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a choice. Should she stay with him and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving the man she loves? A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre (1847) dazzled and shocked readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom."
Title: The Genizah at the House of Shepher
Author: Tamar Yellin
Publication Date: 22 July 2008
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 343
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Cover: Paperback
Price: $13.95 US / $15.50 Canada
Purchased from: Alibris
From the back flap, "Shulamit Shepher pays one last visit to her grandparent's home in Jerusalem after a fateful discovery - a mysterious and valuable Torah manuscript that's been stashed away in the attic genizah, a depository for old or damaged sacred documents, has been uncovered. So begins a remarkable journey that spans four generations of the family Shepher, one that begs Shulamit to reconsider not only her ancestors' history and heritage, but also her own passions, faith, and choices for the future. Haunting and illuminating, The Genizah at the House of Shepher is a tale of love and loss, exile and belonging, tradition and myth that no reader will soon forget."
Title: The Wind of the Khazars
Author: Marek Halter
Publication Date: 1 January 2006
Publisher: Toby Press
Pages: 316
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Cover: Paperback
Price: $14.95 US / $19.95 Canada
Purchased from: Alibris
From the back flap, "The extraordinary and historically accurate account of how an entire warrior nation converted to Judaism under King Bulan has captivated the collective imagination. The story of the Khazars comes to vivid, unforgettable life in Marek Halter's rich tapestry, which begins when writer Marc Sofer is presented with an ancient Khazarian coin by a stranger, and then confronted by a beautiful, elusive woman, who challenges him to find a cause worth writing about. Intrigued, Sofer is drawn into investigating the enigma of the Khazars. Why did these Steppe warriors decide to become Jews? Why after centuries of power and prosperity, were they effaced from history? What is the connection between this ancient people and the terrorist group calling themselves the New Khazars And is the elusive beauty whom Sofer cannot forget connected to them? With a dual storyline alternating between between the tenth and twenty-first centuries, The Winds of the Khazars is a brilliant historical novel and thriller."
Title: Almonds and Raisins
Author: Maisie Mosco
Publication Date: January 1991
Publisher: Harpercollins
Pages: 463
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Cover: Paperback
Price: not in print
Purchased from: Alibris
From the back flap, "The families are as different as night and day. The outgoing Sandbergs are from Russia. The bookish Moritzes are from Austria. They meet in England before the First World War and form a strong, fiery friendship that would shape the destinies of three generations. From world war to depression, from sweatshops to mansions, through times of love, faith, and betrayal they pour their sweat, blood, and very lives into one golden dream: their beloved childfen, their everlasting future..."
Title: The Sign of Jonas
Author: Thomas Merton
Publication Date: 18 November 2002
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc.
Pages: 362
Genre: Autobiography/Religion
Cover: Paperback
Price: $20.43 Paperback / $10.99 Kindle Edition
Purchased from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers
From the back flap, "Chronicling six years of Thomas Merton's life in a Trappist Monastery, The Sign of Jonas takes the reader through his day-to-day experiences at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani where he lived in silence and prayer for much of his life. Concluding with an account of Merton's ordination as a priest, this diary documents Merton's growing acceptance of his vocation and the greater meaning he found within his private world of contemplation."
Title: Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton
Editor: Morgan C. Atkinson with Jonathan Montaldo
Publication Date: 15 October 2008
Publisher: Liturgical Press
Pages: 208
Genre: Biography/Religion
Cover: Paperback
Price: $19.95 US
Purchased from: Joseph-Beth Booksellers
From the front flap, "A companion to award-winning producer Morgan Atkinson's documentary of the same title, this work draws us into the geographical landscape of Thomas Merton's life in America, a landscape that was intrinsic to his spiritual journey. Containing a considerable amount of rich material unused in the documentary, Soul Searching is alive with the narrative of those who either knew Merton well or passionately care about his life and thought: Father Daniel Berigan, Rosemary Ruether, Martin Marty, Paul Elie, and many others. Their insights are linked to the places - from the Abbey of Gethsemani to the Redwoods Monastery in California, from New York City to Christ in the Desert Monastery in New Mexico - that both nurtured and shaped Merton. The picture that emerges, through both the narrative and vivid photography, is filled with provocative insights into the interior landscape of one of the spiritual giants of modern times."
