The Books are Coming: Looking Ahead to Pesach '25

No, Pesach is not nearly here - there’s another month to go until our full season roundup hits your inbox. But after a long dry winter, the valve has been opened and the Purim/Pesach stream of releases is starting to make its way to you (especially from Israel Bookshop and Tfutza publishers). Enjoy this collection of early peeks at five fresh novels coming to a bookstore near you. Plus, an incomplete list of what to look forward to.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - short stories make the safest gifts. Two new collections are out from Israel Bookshop, both from Family First writers. Which to choose?

• House of Cards by Chani Spira (out this week) combines a novelette with 9 short stories. They’re stories about family and community, light and familiar as they hold up a mirror to our everyday and push us to look beyond the surface.
  My favorites: “Lily”, about a young girl and her autistic twin sister in the ‘60’s, and “Forgotten Facets”, about a young man stuck in the emotional desert of his childhood. Both feature the world of survivors, atmospheric stories about the memory and trauma of the past shaping the inner worlds of our grandparents and passing on for generations.

• On Paper by Rivka Streicher features sophisticated and imaginative stories about characters discovering themselves and finding the humanity within the people around them.
  My favorites: “Scion”, an intriguing story about a new father coming to terms with his hidden lineage • “On Paper”, an immersive story about a fake divorce and an off-the-grid reassessment • “Veiled Truth”, an atmospheric story about a dance that encapsulates a forgotten world and bridges generations. All feature unique settings that evoke thoughtful introspection and nuanced character growth that takes us on a journey through the soul.

Power Tools, Esty Heller - When a construction loan gets between sisters Riva and Lani, their once inseparable relationship unravels. A spreading bitterness soon infiltrates their marriages, work lives, and worst of all, their children. Fans of Esty Heller will recognize the familiar scenes and everyday banter; what’s new is the slower and more serious tone as Power Tools hones in on the barriers we erect between ourselves. From a rotten work culture to perplexing classroom bullying, the most familiar scenes hit us hardest - some of the passive-aggressive dialogue and thick tension will have you on the edge of your seat, willing it to stop. Fast-paced and suspenseful, Power Tools is a powerful portrayal of the complex relationships that enmesh themselves in the fabric of our lives.
[Read our 2023 conversation with Esty Heller here.]

Last One Standing, Menucha Ceitlin - An English-first Agent for Hire (Yonah Sapir) takeoff, with all of the high-speed action and behind-the-agent humanity that teen boys have come to love. The Golans are a family of warriors, complete with the trauma, absences, memories, and secrets that come with a life of service. When Lior’s former victim lures him into a web of danger and alliances to protect his family, his brothers step up. There are befuddling connections and suspicious cover-ups, but the answers lie within the family.

Breaking Open, Adina Edelman (out this week) - Plummeting from the height of excitement to the depths of despair, Zehava is left floundering after a broken engagement, with no idea of what comes next and what to do with the feelings roiling within her. What follows is a raw and immersive journey through healing and self-discovery. Strong emotion and subtle growth are masterfully balanced with humor and banter to form a slow-paced yet compelling read. As Zehava deepens her self-knowledge, grows her confidence, and takes inspiration from those around her, she comes to live with her grief and push beyond it. Breaking Open is a debut novel by the editor of some of your favorite titles from Israel Bookshop. True to her background, Breaking Open shines for its sentences, engaging pace, and ruthlessly honest exploration of the mess within us.
[Read our 2023 conversation with Adina Edelman here.]

Access Denied, A. Greenfield (out 12/24) - Your average thriller meets 2025 tech when the bad guys have a master hacker who can plant the evidence that will destroy Jake Birnbaum’s arms empire from anywhere. But behind the layers of lawyers and alliances stands Perl, a harried new mom desperate for a nap, who can out-wit them all. Modern and fast-paced with surprises along the way.

Pesach 2025: An incomplete list of what to look forward to

Kids: Dilemmas, Sara Weiderblank (a brand installment of The Baker’s Dozen) • 23 Under 1 Roof 13, R. Rappaport • Giving it a Chance, Ester Katz Silvers (a novel for middle grades girls) • Hold on Tight, Rochel Burstyn (serialized in The Circle) • The Klausenberger Rebbe, Nesanel Yosel Safran (biography) • Baylee’s Yellow Party, Faygie Holt (early readers, out now)

Teen: Mirror Effect, Rochel Braverman (serialized in The Circle, #3 in series) • Vanished, Rochel Gurkow (historical fiction) • Wavelengths, Adina Kagan

Fiction: Human Shield, Yonah Sapir (Part 1 out now, Part 2 coming soon) • Lethal Blow, Yisroel Feller • House of Hope, Menucha Chana Levin • The High Rhode, Bina Scharf (#4 in the Rhode series) • Ice Storms, Chaya Beer • Aleha Hashalom, Devora Rand • Sisters of the Snow, Ruti Tanenwald • Wind Chimes 1, Pnina Paksher (sequel to Silent Mobiles) • Hit and Run, Lea Smilanski • Death Trap, Chavi Bar • Struggle to Survive, P. Scharff

Non-Fiction: One for the Books, Yechiel Spero (short stories, out now) • Dew of Revival, Esther Farbstein (history: post-holocaust correspondence) • Frum Fitness, Mordechai Sopher • Miracles, Missles, and Mesiras Nefesh, Nachman Seltzer

Biography and Memoir: Hacham Baruch, Nachman Seltzer • Side by Side, M. Moscowicz and R. Rumpler (a dual perspective memoir of down-syndrome) • Tanzania, Timber, and Torah, Ayala Caspi • Everyone’s Menahel: The Legacy of Rav Moshe Chaim Klein, Akiva Fox