by Elizabeth Applebaum

Gift Guide Editor

The Jewish News editorial staff
recommends a few good books.

No matter how much you love chocolates, consume an entire box and
that's it, you've had enough. Celebrity dish magazines are a necessity,
as well, but after a handful you've pretty much had it with Nick
Lackey's endless whining ("Jess! Please don't go!"). With books,
though, you can't have too much of a good thing. They're overflowing
on your shelves, stacked beside your bed, crammed into totes — and
still you need more. Books are the magic key to worlds unknown, to
magical places, to the unraveling of dreams and to the secrets behind
everything, ordinary and extraordinary. Unlike just about everything
else, a book is never, ever a bad gift. The question is, where to get
started? The Jewish News editorial staff suggests the following:

SY MAN ELLO,
editorial assistant

Holes by Louis Sachar.
"Though touted as a
book for adolescents, this
novel — a dark tale of
crime and punishment
— has its humorous
moments and a definite
appeal for adults."

Bet On These Books on page 32

Address Unknown by Katherine Taylor. "This very short but
powerful book is set in pre-Holocaust Germany. It does for
novels what Hitchcock does for movies."

The Mezuzah in the Madonna's Foot by Trudi Alexy. "This is
a chronicle of five centuries of Jewish life in Spain, with an
emphasis on the role history plays in the lives of today's
Spanish Jews."

HARRY KIRSBAUM,
staff writer and columnist

'Anything in Andrew Vachss' 'Burke'
series. Be sure to start with his first,
Flood, though."

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