Sue's Bookshelf

The Charlotte Jewish News, March 2023

By Sue Littauer

In anticipation of the amazing authors coming to Charlotte for Center for Jewish Education’s (CJE) Charlotte Book Festival, which takes place March 16th26, I chose books by three of the participating authors for our 2023 CJE Book Club.

In January, we discussed “An Affair of Spies” by Ron Balson, his eighth novel of historical fiction. In six of the eight books, Liam Taggart, a private investigator, and Catherine Lockhart, an attorney, figure prominently. To Ron Balson’s dedicated readers, they’ve become old friends. I had the pleasure of spending

time with the author during an earlier trip to Charlotte. I enjoyed listening to his stories about how difficult it was to get his first book, “Once We Were Brothers,” published and about the people he met during his travels, eventually writing their stories as action-packed tales of terrorism and love. If you haven’t read these books, you are in for a treat! Ron Balson will be the guest speaker for the Jewish Book Festival on Tuesday, March 21 at 7 p.m.

An author I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting is Lynda Cohen Loigman, whose books “The Two-Family House” and “The Wartime Sisters” are well-loved novels of historical fiction that recount conflicts among strong women. Her latest novel “The Matchmaker’s Gift” is definitely another gem!

Pamela Klinger-Horn, of Valley Bookseller, describes the novel by writing “A grandmother’ s library offers a young divorce attorney a surprising legacy in this superb new novel by Lynda Cohen Loigman. Filled with well-crafted characters, fascinating historical details, and a touch of magical realism, ‘The Matchmaker’s Gift’ is a perfect match for book clubs and avid readers. Isn’t love always a little bit magic?”

The CJE Book Club discussed “A Matchmaker’s Gift” on February 8 and we look forward to meeting the author of this insightful book on Thursday, March 23 at 7 p.m.

On Sunday, March 26, at 11 a.m., bestselling author Alyson Richman will return to Charlotte. Her first visit as guest author for The Jewish Federation’s Lion-Pom Book Club was a delightful event, where she discussed her novel “The Lost Wife.”

In March, she will be joined by Shaunna Edwards, co-author of “The Thread Collectors,” a novel of historical fiction. The novel is a collaboration by longtime friends Edwards and Richman which draws on the authors’ Black and Jewish family histories to build an expressly uplifting Civil War story.

An interesting review of “The Thread Collectors” was written by Lynda Cohen Loigman: “‘The Thread Collectors’ is a gift — not only for lovers of historical fiction, but for readers everywhere who search for hidden truths behind the facts we think we know. Like the fearless, sensitive, and resourceful women they write about, Edwards and Richman have stitched together a glorious tapestry of resilience, survival, friendship, and love. This is a Civil War story unlike any other — a story readers will treasure from the very first page.”

“The Thread Collectors” is our CJE Book Club selection for Wednesday, March 8. I hope you will consider joining us at 10:30 a.m. in Room A110 on Main Street at Shalom Park.

For more information about the Jewish Book Festival, please visit the Jewish Federation website at www.jewishcharlotte.org

To learn more about the CJE Book Club, please contact sueb. littauer@jewishcharlotte.org.