Moment’s Winter Reading Guide 2026

Plums, paprika & ghosts

A.J. Sidransky

In September 2021, I took my 27-year-old son on journey to the lands and villages where my grandparents were born. Austria-Hungary. It was both life changing and life affirming. And most of all, it gave me the opportunity to know my son as an adult. Join us on a journey to a land that no longer exists, and to a better understanding of how that land still shapes us today. “This inspir­ing and enlight­en­ing expe­ri­ence is one that Sidran­sky pro­fi­cient­ly shares. It’s a his­to­ry famil­iar to so many Jew­ish fam­i­lies and will emo­tion­al­ly res­onate with them.”—Jewish Book Council
Available on Amazon

Unpacking My Father’s Bookstore

Laurence Roth

Unpacking My Father’s Bookstore brings to life the history of J. Roth / Bookseller of Fine & Scholarly Judaica, which was a microcosm of the Los Angeles Jewish community from 1966 to 1994 and one of the premier Jewish bookstores in the United States. A personal account of growing up in his father’s bookstore, Laurence Roth crafts a richly felt narrative about his family’s Jewish experience in America. Unpacking My Father’s Bookstore tells a unique and troubled story that rarely gets told, one that is both personal and analytical, theoretical but rooted in the everyday.
Available on Amazon and Bookshop.org

Isabela’s Way

Barbara Stark Nemon

Isabela’s Way, set in early 17th century Portugal tells the story of a 14-year-old obedient Catholic girl with a talent for needlework, who believes she has nothing to fear from the Inquisition. A mysterious woman arrives with a message from Isabela’s traveling father, and the girl must leave her home and embroider her way along a clandestine network of sanctuaries created to conduct secret Jews to safety. A host of supporters assist Isabela as she escapes. She learns of the danger and importance of her work with its coded symbols, and is shocked to discover her family’s true origins.
Available on Amazon and Bookshop.org

KVELL

Barbara Edelston Peterson

Most people have heard the Yiddish words kvetch, schlep, klutz, chutzpah, etc. Renowned author, elite sports psychologist and 10-time world champion triathlete Barbara Edelston Peterson asks why these negative words have become part of English vernacular, but not the positive kvell? Amid today’s epidemic of disconnection, Barbara makes the case that now is the time to shine a light on ‘kvell’!
Kvelling – openly expressing joy and admiration for others – is a universal positivity practice that meets humanity’s urgent need for connection and care. ‘KVELL’ is changing communities and lives, with discussion groups and “Kvell Circles” flourishing around the world.
Please reach out to Barbara at Barbara@kvellbook.com and buy/gift this gem of a book through Amazon and kvellbook.com