Without a Trace – Chapter 1

May 18, 2012

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 1 of a new online serial novel, Without a Trace, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every Thursday or Friday. 

Zevi flipped the pillow over to the other side, hoping that perhaps this simple act would achieve something, although he knew the chances were slim. One would think that this side of the pillow had something that would help him finally fall asleep. He was nearing despair. Was it possible to not fall asleep the whole night?

The silence that enveloped the room irritated him. His three roommates were the type who got into bed, said Krias Shema, turned over, and after a moment or two were sound asleep. He usually dropped off easily as well, but lately, he had been having trouble. Strange. He had long gotten over the adjustment of his new yeshivah.

Or perhaps not. He sat up with a sigh, and swung his legs over the side of the bed so his feet touched the floor. Yehuda Levy turned over in his bed on the other side of the room, while the seventeen-year-old youth quickly stuck his feet into the shoes waiting beside the bed and laced them quietly. Yehuda continued tossing and turning, and then suddenly he raised his head and queried, “Oww oh ah?”

Zevi raised a surprised pair of eyes. “Aah!” he cried. He had been sure, for some reason, that he was the only one in the room awake. Apparently there were others who sometimes had trouble falling asleep, too, but they did it in a quieter fashion than he did. “Ah uh huh!” he replied.

Regardless of whether he understood or not, Yehuda burst into typical “Yehuda” laughter. Zevi couldn’t help but join him. There was something contagious about Yehuda’s laughter, and there was undoubtedly something very humorous about this situation. Two yeshivah bachurim sitting on their beds at half past two or three in the morning, conversing in such an odd way—a stranger entering the room would no doubt be convinced that he had happened upon an institution for deaf-mutes. Of course, that would only be if he didn’t realize that both boys had already recited Hamapil.

Yehuda fell suddenly silent and pointed to the half-open door. “Mmmm?” he asked, and Zevi provided a nod in response, watching as Yehuda shoved his feet into his slippers. The two boys rose, stretched, and together made their way toward the door.

Keep Reading…


NEW SERIAL COMING THIS WEEK!

May 14, 2012

Without a Trace

Zevi Bloch is hiding something. Something that no one outside of his family may ever find out…

Unbeknownst to Zevi, he has a secret stalker, as well. Eliyahu Katz is determined to find out information about the seventeen-year-old yeshivah bachur, even if he must resort to pretty atypical means of doing so…

And then there’s Zevi’s aunt Chasida, his mother’s twin sister—still single after all these years, still working in her parents’ store, still attempting to quash her feelings of loneliness and pain…

From Haifa to Bnei Brak, from the yeshivah dormitory to a health food store to an alternative medicine practitioner’s office…Without a Trace will lead you into many different scenes and sites as it enthralls you with its spellbinding plot… Be swept up with the emotions of eerily realistic characters on a journey that will leave behind…not a trace…

Check back at the end of this week for Chapter 1 of this exciting new Israel Bookshop online serial.


Not My Kind? I Don’t Mind!-In Stores Now!!!

May 14, 2012

For all you discerning moms looking for something refreshing and new to add to your kids’ book collection, this is it! Look no further—we’ve got the newest, most adorable book out on the market!

Not my Kind? I Don’t Mind! is a children’s book about ahavas Yisrael. But lest you think that this is “just another one of those kids’ books,” let us assure you that this is as different and unique as it is, like we said before, absolutely adorable. It tells the story of the Fine twins, who have just moved and are looking for some new friends—but only friends who look and dress just like them. Then the twins find themselves needing some help, and the ones lending a hand are kids who are “not their kind”…

Instead of having regular illustrations, Not My Kind? I Don’t Mind! is illustrated with adorable clay figures. These cute little “mentchies” add so much to the story, taking the book to a whole new level. Your child will be captivated by the little figurines of Nesanel, Nechama, and all the other characters in the story.

For that matter, so will you be captivated by them! Go ahead—open a copy, flip through some pages…ahh, now do you see what we mean??

So buy your kids the book…and watch the smiles break out…

Click here to purchase online.


The first serialized story on our blog—It’s finally here!! Divided Attention

March 27, 2012

Suspenseful? Check.

Intriguing, not-your-run-of-the-mill kind of plot? Check.

Realistic characters? Check.

Fast-paced, entertaining reading? Check.

Satisfying ending? Check.

Yup, folks. Some books do have it all, and, as you can see for yourself, our newest novel, Divided Attention, certainly does. This is one book that we guarantee will appeal to any and all readers.

You’ll read the gripping story of a young boy’s struggle to carve for himself a new life, while being thwarted time and again by a past that refuses to leave him… Yes, you may need some tissues for this book—it is quite emotionally charged—but we know you will absolutely love the depth of the plot, as well as of each character in the book.

If you’re looking to treat yourself, or someone else deserving of a nice gift, this Pesach, then Divided Attention is the book you are looking for.

Click here to purchase online.


NEW! Mommy Tell Me More Vol. 1 & 2

March 26, 2012

If you’re a mommy, you know there’s nothing like it in the world—having your kids cuddle up with you while you look at and read books together. There’s something about the sweetness of the moment—especially if the children have just been bathed, pajama-ed, and with their hair combed—that makes you just want to freeze the scene in your memory forever…

Of course you need the right kind of books in order to make the most of this special mommy-and-me time. A book that’s too long and wordy, or one with ho-hum pictures, is just not going to cut it. Which is why Mommy, Tell Me More—books 1 and 2—have become such popular books among so many mommies and children.

Each book contains text especially geared to a specific age; Mommy, Tell Me More volume 1 is directed to really young children (ages 1-2), while Mommy, Tell Me More volume 2 is for “older” children (2 and up). Everything about the books is both mommy- and kid-friendly:  the educational text and stories, the enhanced language, the creative thinking the books engender, not to mention the stunning artwork by renowned illustrator Tirtza Peleg!

Enjoy these special moments with your children. They grow up so fast as it is! Buy yourself a copy of both Mommy, Tell Me Morebooks, and let the good times begin… 

Click here to purchase online.


Recent Release: Code for the Road

March 24, 2012

You’re stuck in traffic late on Friday afternoon. The minutes are ticking by, and the pressure is mounting within you… Help! What should you do?

You’ve been driving for hours down the 80, and you feel your eyelids start to droop. You need some heavy-duty caffeine, so you stop at a rest stop to buy some coffee…but there are no disposable cups there. Okaaaay, you tell yourself. Now what?

You’re driving merrily down the street, singing along to your favorite CD, when…you see them: those dreaded flashing lights in your rearview mirror. Uh-oh, you think. What did I do this time? And, even more important, what do I do now?

If you live in modern-day times and have a driver’s license, chances are that you are familiar with these types of “driving dilemmas.” And now, we are presenting you with a practical way to find solutions for all of these scenarios.

Code for the Road, by noted author Rabbi Avrohom Bookman, is a handy and helpful manual that will provide you with the knowledge and know-how of halachically correct driving practice. Small enough to fit in your glove compartment yet comprehensive enough to include a whole lot of practical information, Code for the Road is an indispensable guide when it comes to the Torah’s perspective on basic driving and parking rules, the halachosof yichud in a car, brachos, and tefillas haderech, solutions to many driving dilemmas, and much more.

So whether you’re en route on a quick drive to the grocery store, or a long road trip, be sure to pick up a copy of Code of the Road before starting out.

And have a safe trip, too! 

Click here to purchase online!


New Release! Doda Golda Comes for Pesach

March 22, 2012

She wants to help, she’s eager to please, she doesn’t mean to mess things up…she’s…Doda Golda!
Get ready for your kids to erupt into gales of giggles with our newest children’s book! Meet the one and only Doda Golda! She comes to help out with the Pesach preparations, but her literal sense of comprehension doesn’t exactly bring forth the intended results…
Whether it’s “turning over the kitchen” by flipping over each pot and pan, or “separating the eggs” by hiding them all in different places, Doda Golda sure knows how to spread laughter among her family…and among yours, as well!
This is one book sure to bring out the let’s-get-to-work-and-help-out attitude in your children! If you’re trying to come up with an idea for an afikoman present that may simultaneously provide you with more eager helpers (or at the very least, some much-needed stress relief and laughter)—Doda Golda Comes for Pesach is the book you’ll want to get for your kids this Pesach!

Click here to purchase online.


NEW! The Addicted Soul

March 19, 2012

I know I quote many when I say that the world we are living in nowadays is not the same as it was years ago. Or, to put it simply, things aren’t how they used to be. How else can one describe the frightening trend of obsessions with various mediums, the substance abuse, the growing number of addicts within our own insular communities?
It was to fight this development that Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser, world-renowned rav, speaker, and author, wrote The Addicted Soul. This book focuses on the common addictions of drinking, gambling, drugs, internet use, texting, shopping, and eating. In his clear, thought-out way, Rabbi Goldwasser first shows the destruction and harm of each addiction, and then presents methods for obtaining help and releasing oneself from addiction’s tight grip.
This is a serious book as it is an important one. Addiction is not something to be taken lightly, as Rabbi Goldwasser explains in great depth. With The Addicted Soul, a person who finds himself hooked onto something in an unhealthy way has taken his first step to getting help…and gaining his freedom.

Click here to purchase online.


NEW NOVEL – This is America!

March 19, 2012

 

Growing up, life was about Chinese jump-rope, Bazooka gum…and When Zaidy was Young. As kids, we found nothing more captivating than listening to Heshy, Manny, Uncle Isadore, Mrs. Pitkin, and all the rest of Shmuel Kunda’s colorful cast of characters come to life on our family tape recorder (for the un-initiated, yes, we’re talking about the Pre-CD-Player Age). When I think about it now, though, I realize that as much as we loved the hilarity of those When Zaidy was Young tapes, a lot of their pull came from their endearing depictions of the Lower East Side of years ago. There was something so compelling, so…curious about the way life was back then, with haggling pushcart peddlers and crowded, dreary tenement buildings, in the city of New York that was so similar—yet so different—from what it is nowadays.
I felt the same pull when reading This is America. Set against the backdrop of the early nineteen hundreds, this magnificently written, well-researched historical novel literally makes you feel as if you were transported back to that time period, where you could peek into the lives of Tcharna Gordon and her family as they valiantly try to “make it” in the New World they’ve been thrust into. You can just picture the overwhelmingly noisy and busy streets of New York, over-run with carriages and even some automobiles…the overcrowded sweatshops where so many girl work, and where Papa is insisting that Tcharna find a job…the dizzying atmosphere in the Coney Island amusement park…
Of course life for the Gordons is not exactly one, big, nostalgic bed of roses—far from it. This is America pulses with the very real—and very painful—feelings of a family ripped apart by differences that run too deeply to be pushed under the rug. Reading the book, we become aware of our own array of emotions that rise to the fore as the plot twists and develops—empathy for Mamme’s hurt, frustration for Tcharna’s angst, amusement for Bina-Gittel’s antics…
This is America is not your typical book. It is a book that enlightens as it entertains; broadens your horizons as it provides enjoyment. Read it and see for yourself—you will not be disappointed!

Click here to purchase online.

 


Book Excerpt – Power Points

February 8, 2012

It’s Shabbos morning. You’ve just finished davening at shul and wishing “mazel tov” at three kiddushim, and it’s already late. Your family and guests are waiting for you. They’re ready to begin the Shabbos meal—but you are not! You’re busy racking your brain, mentally thumbing through different divrei Torah, trying to find something…something…something to say on the parshah—and quick!

Does this scenario sound familiar? In today’s fast-paced world, with everyone trying to juggle a million different things while running on the treadmill of everyday life, it’s very understandable to find yourself short on time just when you need to come up with an appropriate vort for your Shabbos table.

That’s why Power Points, in the few short months since it’s been released, has become such a wonderful asset to so many people. Finally, here is a sefer in which you can find a host of vertlach on each parshah and for each Yom Tov…within minutes! To the point and with a point, the short stories and insights in Power Points will most certainly enhance your Shabbos and Yom Tov table, with only minimal time and effort on your part. And to make it even more convenient for you, the vertlach are divided according to the three Shabbos meals, so no matter at which point of Shabbos you open the book, you are sure to find something that fits the bill for exactly what you need.

Why not see for yourself? You will be amazed at the beauty Power Points can lend to your Shabbos and Yom Tov table.

Click here to purchase online.

Enjoy these excerpts l’kavod Parshas Yisro:  Keep Reading…