> Can you show a source for that viewpoint?

Admittedly, no. But I will reiterate that I made neither a statement of fact, nor a categorical statement about the nature of Zionism or Zionists. It's just sort of a vibe I get, and I will freely admit that it is biased.

> I know that the early Zionists were secular, and probably no fans of religion, but there were no attempts to wipe out, relocate, or reject religious immigrants.

I am not suggesting such a thing. I have heard (I think the/a source is Perfidy, which I haven't read, and am not vouching for in any way) that they turned back ships of religious people and stuff like that.

The first Kibbutzim were founded by Communists in line with Communist ideals. When I was last in Israel, it was on a tour, and we visited a Kibbutz, where the guide, who had been a member since her idealistic youth five or six decades ago opened by noting the presence of (two) kippot in our little crowd, which she saw as an indication of the increasing tolerance of Israeli society. She said they wouldn't have been allowed on the premises a few decades ago. This is just one person's view, of course, but it adds up, and I don't think corroboration would be difficult to find.

Ben Gurion was famously disrespectful of religion in general. I'm actually not very familiar with the lives, or even names, of many of the early Zionists, but I am quite confident that many of their biographies will reveal less than generous feelings towards religion (remember, Herzl's cause was for Jews to be like any other (European) nation. Zionism began as Jewish Nationalism, and religion, at the time (I think even more than now), was seen as primitive and archaic, and totally at odds with being just like everyone else. I believe Herzl encouraged his own children to convert to Christianity.

> The First Aliyah was religious!

As I explained elsewhere in this thread, there is a very sharp line between Zionism (which began as a strictly secular concept) and the "Love of the Land" that has been espoused by religious (Orthodox?) Jews since the exile began two thousand years ago. Politics actually make no difference to that religious concern, and Jews have always yearned and attempted to visit or settle that region (regardless of who was in charge). Herzl, on the other hand, was willing (how seriously or temporarily I'm not sure) to consider starting the Zionist state in what is now Uganda. "Religious Zionism" began somewhat controversially as a synthesis of the Religious desire to settle "the land" and the political desire to tie Jewish identity to a national state.

To this day, there are Jews who oppose the State (and don't pay taxes, and claim not to draw on the State, or sometimes even recognise the State at all) while living in Israel and expressing a love for "The Land of Israel".

That latter sector opposes the state because it was founded for the wrong reasons, by the wrong people, and in contravention (they believe) of certain statements in the Talmud, and the whole nature of our "exile".

Sorry for that digression, but the point is, any aliyot of Religious people were unrelated or coincidentally related to the Zionist movement or political ideology (and yes, they got there first, and the ones recorded as the first were not really the first, because we'd been doing it for millenia, except that the political situation made it more tenable).

> The secular Jews protected the religious Jews' way of life,

I am not claiming (and have never claimed) that secular Jews protected religious Jews. One could argue that that is one of the miracles of the State of Israel! It is also easy to argue that it was purely a question of political expedience. It is also a simple question of conscience.

But no, I agree with you that the state has always pro-actively accommodated the religious, sometimes even to unreasonable extremes. It's a wonderful thing, and basic gratitude for that is (just) one of the reasons I think it's crazy to oppose the State, even if you oppose the ideology it is founded on.

> which is exactly why Israel currently has the issues it does with Yeshiva students receiving stipends while avoiding military service.

I think that is a bit of a leap. But ok. Anyway, I think the military service issue is more emotional than rational. My madrich on the same tour I mentioned above, who is both totally secular (and, I gather, leftish leaning) and very knowledgeable about the history and politics of Israel said that the army actually gets more people than it needs, which is why you can get a full-time job washing a runway or something.

> Would the secular Jews personally prefer that there were less "frummies" in Israel? Probably

That aforementioned madrich said that secular Israelis have become a lot more tolerant over the years. I don't think it's easy to thumbsuck a figure either way. Perhaps I'm being idealistic (in my hope that some secular Jews acknowledge and appreciate the tangible and committed link to our heritage that "frummies" -- even Chareidim -- represent). On that same tour, I also met a guy who (apparently assuming I was not frum) seemed to think that frumkeit is the root of all evil in Israel (actually no. He was pretty generally negative about it :) But he was not very loving of frum Jews).

> or, more specifically, wishing they didn't vote as a bloc to hold entire coalitions hostage

This is a very political, and probably quite unfair statement (insofar as bloc voting for shared interests is basically the definition of Democracy). But one I am neither interested in nor capable of addressing.

> But if you're basing these extreme claims of having religious people exterminated on Israel not being a paradise full of ecstatic Jews in an endless, loving dance of the hora, then I think your standards are unrealistic...

I believe I am innocent on all counts :) Don't conflate my granting the OP that Zionism was unfriendly to the religious with me agreeing with his conclusions! (and frankly, I was humouring him to see where this went). I did not make any claims of extermination or anything similar!

For the Ismaili side, I'd recommend Assassins Legends and The Eagle's Nest (pretty much anything by Farhad Daftary is a good read). For the non-Ismaili side, there's lots of stuff but I'd actually recommend Alamut. It's a novel, but Bartol spent a decade researching the subject and the result is a really compelling look into how this could happen.

In context, you have to remember that Ismailis were stuck between Seljuks and Crusaders (both of which hated them) and no longer had a serviceable army to protect. So these lone assassins probably sounded like a great idea, regardless of what the leaders said.

That's it for Assassin Stuff. The rest is on the blind faith question...

One of the things that drew me back to Ismailism is that Hazar Imam has always encouraged us to think critically, even about his faramin (it's like page 2 of Precious Gems). Rationality, critical thinking, and the application of a personal intellect are (and always have been) tenets of Ismailism: followers of Jafar alSadiq were known as the "People of the Truth"; Hassan Sabbah (founder of the Assassins) famously asserted that "nothing is true"; and for most (if not all) Ismaili philosophers, the the soul is the intellect. That's how I keep my faith: "I think therefore I am Ismaili", "seeking knowledge is an act of worship", etc.

However, there's this subset of Ismailis that take the Pir's (or worse, the Quran's) words at face value; there are still Ismailis that deify the Imam. Some of the stories in this sub criticise that belief-set, and rightfully so: it's stupid. But I ain't about that life, y'all ain't about that life, and (importantly) Hazar Imam ain't about that life, at least not on the surface. There is the argument that he's encouraging these beliefs by not countering-them outright (like he hasn't encouraged dasond, but he also hasn't stopped it, y'know). But when you're trying to keep the faith of 20 million people, certain secessions have to be made.

The question I'd really like an answer to is: out of everything that Hazar Imam is doing, how much is meant to carry on the Tariqa (knowledge leads to divinity, etc) and how much is just to appease his followers? Because he needs us as much as we need him.

I hope that answers your question. If not, I totally don't mind getting into specifics.

Well, not too Orthodox, but ones I have on my ereader which I liked...

• Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of Hasidic Masters by Elie Wiesel. It's a really easy and engaging read. It doesn't go deep enough to get dry; which is either good or bad depending on what you're after. I worked at an old, historic building in the middle of nowhere. This was a great book to wander through in the woods.
  
  
• Tales of the Hasidim by Martin Buber. Buber goes deeper than Wiesel. It can be a little terse. Most of the book contains Hasidic stories presented in a few paragraphs. Buber was, first and foremost, a philosopher and scholar. He loved Hasidism and Judaism, but his approach was not Orthodox.
  
  
• Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion by Rabbi Joshua Trachtenberg. So, I adored this book. It explores (primarily) Jewish folklore around 1000 CE among the Rhineland Jews (Hasidei Ashkenaz). This community put forth work of the so called "Practical Kabbalah". The book examines Medieval Jewish beliefs in demons, angels, invocation magic, ghosts, amulets, and more. What I found interesting was that the approach was always very Jewish. In otherwords, they did not believe there existed a duality between the Devil with demons and God with angels. God remained supreme and One over all else in their superstitions. This book also traces some Jewish practices to their superstitious origins and contains many fascinating stories. It can be dry though. It's also available (legally) for free online!
  
  
• EVERYTHING BY DANIEL C. MATT. He's at the forefront of academic study of Jewish mysticism. He also translates beautifully. He's currently (and likely until the end of time) creating a new English translation of the Zohar. He has numerous short books containing brief translations of mystical Jewish texts. The Essential Kabbalah was short, sweet, pretty, and fun.
  
  
• The Jew in the Lotus by Rodger Kamenetz. In 1990 the first known meeting between a Jewish delegation and the Dalai Lama occurred. The delegation consisted of rabbis from different denominations with different views. They each present different aspects of Judaism. Kamenetz chronicles the historic event, but in a personal way. Through being a part of this endeavor, he learned about Buddhism and rekindled his connection to Judaism.
  
  
• The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel by Helene Wecker. BUY THIS BOOK. It's fiction (unlike the others). It's an immigrant story told using magical realism. A golem finds herself in the Jewish district of New York City in 1899. Meanwhile, a jinni is trapped in human form in the Syrian district. They are each new to the world in communities new to America. It's a beautiful book.

Well duh, otherwise you wouldn't be posting in this subreddit, but there's a lot of different types of fantasy/scifi. Do you tend to like adventure novels a la lord of the rings, 'farmboy becomes savior' novels like the wheel of time. Do you like suspense? Or do you typically enjoy more 'character driven' stories? Etc. Fantasy is really just a setting.

Imajica by Clive Barker is a mystery/horror novel that generally gets strong reviews and the audiobook is 37 hours long so you get a lot of bang for your buck.

The golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker is a character driven novel about a Golem and jinni who are both learning to live in a early 1900's new york city. It's also over 30 hours long.

Others mentioned ready player one and the martian. Ready player one is great. The primary criticism you'll see is that it's too 'fanservicy' to eighties/videogame themes. It's the 50 shades for video game nerds. The martian is also great, though chances are you saw the movie. It's a suspense novel about a man stuck on mars.

I'm glad you asked! I know you said you like American and more modern history but I'm going to suggest something from a little bit further back.

One of my personal favorites is "A Conspiracy of Paper" by David Liss. It's set in the 1700s in London so it's not too extreme of a culture shift and it's an action/mystery novel that I couldn't put down. It's also really well researched and has a lot of history about one of the earliest stock markets in the world.

http://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Paper-Ballantine-Readers-Circle/dp/0804119120/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

If you're feeling a little more bold, check out Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. It's set in the 12th century and it traces the growth of a town into a city over about 100 years. If you like fantasy as a genre, this might be more your thing and it is also has a lot of history about what life was like during the Middle Ages and its a cool mystery/drama to boot.

http://www.amazon.com/Pillars-Earth-Ken-Follett/dp/045123281X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331181793&sr=1-1

Lastly, this is less historical and more of a just a really good read but check out The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. It's a collection of war stories from Vietnam and really gets you into the mindset of what it was like to fight over there and then come home. I read it years ago and loved it.

http://www.amazon.com/Things-They-Carried-Tim-OBrien/dp/0618706410/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331181955&sr=1-1

Let me know if you end up liking any of these! Everyone has different tastes so you may find something else you like better but these are the first three that popped into my head.

Wow your taste is all over the place and we like the same types so if its ok, im going to link a few different ones. I picked ones not Already on your list.

• Im a WWII buff and have a ton on my list. Because you have some WWII/holocaust books, I suggest Sarah's Key. Its not a memoir but it is emotional and a perspective from the french side of the war.
  
  
• because you have The Art of Racing in the Rain on your list ( AWESOME book by the way), I suggest A Dog's Purpose. Its written a lot like The Art of Racing in the Rain. The author was beyond imaginative to portray the world through the eyes of a dog. I would laugh one minute and cry the next. Its also so relatable.
  
  
• finally, because you have Sookie on your list, I suggest Kitty and the Midnight Hour. Its not vampires, but werewolves. Its hands down one of my favorite series. She's a radio DJ and a werewolf in secret. She's clumsy, badass, and a loudmouth. Its pretty fantastic!
  
  I hope some of these help a little!

I love books I love books I love books.

My all time favorite book is The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. I first read it in high school for my AP Lit class and I've probably read it a dozen more times since then. My copy is worn and dog eared and full of little notes in the margins and underlined phrases. It's gorgeous writing and the protagonist makes my chest ache and the story-telling is magical. It is the best book I've ever read and the best book I will ever read.

Another one of Barbara Kingsolver's books is also my favorite. It's her first one--called The Bean Trees.

A recent author I've found that I'm completely infatuated with is Alice Hoffman. My favorites of hers are The Museum of Extraordinary Things, Faithful, The Marriage of Opposites, and The Story Sisters. Her story telling is luminous, exquisite. She has a profound grasp on both understanding words and understanding people, and the two gifts together make magic.

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped In An Ikea Wardrobe is probably the smartest, funniest, charming, insightful, and heartwarming/terribly saddening novel I've ever, ever read. It's spectacular.

I'm also a huge fan of Liane Moriarty's work. Her books are so real and they're so funny, so beautiful, so good.

Also the Harry Potter series. At the beginning of the summer, right after I graduated college, I seriously sat down and reread all seven books in a week. It was great. I did nothing but read all day for seven days and it was perfect.

edit: forgot Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel! This book combines my favorite literary genre, magical realism, with apocalyptic fiction and OH MY GOD it's fantastic.

Trinity by Leon Uris is pretty great, especially if you're a fan of Irish history.

I also enjoyed Falls the Shadow by Sharon Penman, (about as good a name for a writer as I've ever come across.) It swirls around the signing of the Magna Carta.

If you don't mind a bit of extremely well-written non-fiction, might I suggest Robert K. Massie's Nicholas and Alexandra, about the last Russian Tsar and his family. Massie has also written about Catherine the Great and Peter the Great, (for which he won a Pulitzer,) buy I think the Nicholas book is easier to get into and less intimidating. It's a fascinating story.

The Tracy Crosswhite series is great. #1 is amazing, #2 is good, #3 is great. All 3 should be on there

Here's the first one

https://smile.amazon.com/My-Sisters-Grave-Tracy-Crosswhite/dp/1477825576/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468195805&sr=8-1&keywords=my+sisters+grave


If you like historical fiction:

The Bloodletter's Daughter - https://smile.amazon.com/Bloodletters-Daughter-Novel-Old-Bohemia/dp/1612184650/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468195859&sr=8-1&keywords=the+bloodletters+daughter

Finding Rebecca - https://smile.amazon.com/Finding-Rebecca-Eoin-Dempsey/dp/1477826106/ref=pd_sim_14_14?ie=UTF8&dpID=51kT87odLLL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=2MXBCM8PT2WQ9832G1EK

What She Left Behind (this is half HF half modern day, the HF part is really good) - https://smile.amazon.com/What-Behind-Ellen-Marie-Wiseman/dp/0758278454/ref=pd_sim_14_21?ie=UTF8&dpID=61bLHO4EiEL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR109%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=2MXBCM8PT2WQ9832G1EK

Also this one's creepy:
Follow You Home - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SLWQGUM/ref=s9_hps_bw_g351_i8?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-2&pf_rd_r=N3FAE2BPBRHHX56Y8Y5X&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2247349782&pf_rd_i=9069934011

Hangman's Daughter - https://smile.amazon.com/Hangmans-Daughter-Tales/dp/054774501X/ref=pd_sim_14_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=41PTaeYQpZL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR214%2C320_&psc=1&refRID=2MXBCM8PT2WQ9832G1EK

This one's good:

The One That Got Away - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007GFGTAW/ref=s9_al_bw_g351_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_r=N3FAE2BPBRHHX56Y8Y5X&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2074617362&pf_rd_i=9069934011


Sorry this is one giant mess of a comment. Hopefully at least one of these sounds good for you

I can see you've gotten help already, but if it's of any interest there's a great anthology of Yiddish folktales by Beatrice Weinreich which I love!

I'll attach an Amazon link if you want to look into it: https://www.amazon.com/Yiddish-Folktales-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0805210903

I know I must be missing some, but these are all that I can think of at the moment.

Fiction:

Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges

The Stranger by Albert Camus

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

White Noise by Don Delilo

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot

Everything that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by DFW

Infinite Jest by DFW

Of these, you can't go wrong with Infinite Jest and the Collected Fictions of Borges. His Dark Materials is an easy and classic read, probably the lightest fare on this list.

Non-Fiction:

The Music of the Primes by Marcus du Sautoy

Chaos by James Gleick

How to be Gay by David Halperin

Barrel Fever by David Sedaris

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

Secret Historian by Justin Spring

Of these, Secret Historian was definitely the most interesting, though How to be Gay was a good intro to queer theory.

You might enjoy The Golem and the Jinni...It's set in turn of the century New York, and has strong cultural and religious overtones. The magical aspects of it are quite secondary to everything else.

A Winters Tale...the movie apparently sucked, but the book has stuck with me for quite some time. It's a lyrical piece of magic realism, much stronger on the realism. Another book on turn of the century New York.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell may be a bit more magic than you'd like, but it's astonishingly good. It's what Jane Austen would have produced if she'd decided to write a fantasy novel.

The Night Circus is good.

Well since no one else has taken you up on this...
I was not able to find much for .99 but here are three (all under 3.00), any of which I would very much enjoy if you feel so inclined and are willing to change your 99 cent policy haha!
The Golem and the Jinni,
Tolkien's Letters, and/or
The City Stained Red.
Thanks for your kind consideration!

ALL OF THEM.

I just like reading. Reading's my favorite.

And physical copies. Because dat book smell. So good.

I'm currently reading Helene Wecker's The Golem and the Jinni and it is super good.

Not all within the last five years but,

Await Your Reply. Best if you don't read anything about it before you start.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

A Suitable Boy

The Ghost Writer

Would this book be okay, used is A-OKAY! YAY BOOKS AND YAY YOU!


What kind of books do you like to curl up with?

The Catcher in the Rye is a pretty good gateway book for more literary fiction.

1984 and Animal Farm will probably appeal to your SF tendencies.

If you want something more contemporary, maybe try The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. It has to do with comic books...

Great photos of creepy Dogtown! I've hiked it a couple of times and find the contrast between the old time photos and today, show how quickly the forest has filled in. For those interested in more on Dogtown, I highly enjoyed this book, "The Last Days of Dogtown" by Anita Diamant (https://www.amazon.com/Last-Days-Dogtown-Novel/dp/0743225740)

That will require some research. I use a kindle paperwhite haha.

The internet tells me it's a mostly blue and red comic panel design
http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Adventures-Kavalier-bonus-content/dp/0812983580/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394548760&sr=8-1&keywords=the+amazing+adventures+of+kavalier+and+clay

Fantastic book, by the way. It can feel like it's dragging on at times, but an entirely rewarding experience.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon is a wonderful fictionalized version of Golden Age comics' Jewish roots.

Call It Sleep is historical fiction, but it gives a great portrait of what life was like for a child growing up in a poor, struggling, Jewish immigrant family in New York at the turn of the last century. It's a great read too.

[The Yiddish Policeman's Union] (https://www.amazon.com/Yiddish-Policemens-Union-Novel-P-S/dp/0007149832) is alternate history rather than sci-fi, but is interesting.

Altered Carbon is a popular noir styled sci-fi that you've probably already seen recommended, and has an in production Netflix adaptation.

If anyone is interested, Leon Uris' Mila 18 is a fantastic novel based specifically on the Jewish resistance in Warsaw.

Suite Française (Irène Némirovsky) is probably the most recent one I've read that is set in Paris. This is an incomplete book. What's neat about it is that it's literature, but in the style of a symphony. And you can totally see the Overture and a the first part of the Allegro movement.

I thought Newton's Cannon (Gregory Keyes) was interesting, although it was between Paris and Versailles.

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (Michael Scott) has portions in Paris.

There are also the usual lineup: Hunchback of Notre Dame, Les Miserables, Three Musketeers.

There already is book pretty much based on this. It's called 'Creation' by Gore Vidal! It's one of my favorite books. It's about a zoroastrian diplomate from the Persian Empire and his visits to China, India and, Greece!


Link to the book: https://www.amazon.com/Creation-Novel-Gore-Vidal/dp/0375727051

Perhaps you might enjoy this book.

I did, as did the Pulitzer Prize committee.

I hear my mom's book club did The Golem and the Jinni without anyone quitting. I'm reading it now and enjoying it. It's set in 1899 New York, so that might help hook the historical fiction crowd.

Almost done with Suite Fraçaise by Irène Némirovsky, which is one of the earliest novels written about WWII since it was being written as the war was happening (the author later died at Auschwitz).


Getting ready to start The Girls by Emma Cline for next month's EM Ladies book club event.

I just finished The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew. It was really good, but really sad. I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed reading The Help.

Try something different, here are a few suggestions:

• Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith
  
• Redshirts by John Scalzi
  
• Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge
  
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
  
• Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk

Some historical fiction: [Saturday Night and Sunday Morning] (http://www.amazon.com/Saturday-Night-Sunday-Morning-Sillitoe/dp/0007205023)

[Armageddon] (http://www.amazon.com/Armageddon-Novel-Berlin-Leon-Uris/dp/1453258396)

[Mila 18] (http://www.amazon.com/Mila-18-Leon-Uris/dp/0553241605)

[Russian Hide and Seek] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0091420504/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=)

[The Man in the High Castle] (http://www.amazon.com/The-High-Castle-Philip-Dick/dp/0547572484) There's also a TV show based on this book. Haven't gotten around to watching it all, but watched the first episode and really enjoyed it.

[In the Garden of Beasts] (http://www.amazon.com/In-Garden-Beasts-American-Hitlers/dp/030740885X)


Other books: [Something Wicked This Way Comes] (http://www.amazon.com/Something-Wicked-This-Way-Comes/dp/0380729407)

[The Girl With All the Gifts] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Girl-With-All-Gifts/dp/0316278157)

[1Q84] (http://www.amazon.com/1Q84-Vintage-International-Haruki-Murakami/dp/0307476464)

Edit: I like to read!

Edit2: Added more books and included amazon links to all of them. Would add more, but don't want to overload you with recommendations :p

This one! https://www.amazon.com/Golem-Jinni-Novel-P-S/dp/0062110845

I read this one years ago and it was really good as well: https://www.amazon.com/Alif-Unseen-G-Willow-Wilson/dp/0802121225

Read The Golem and the Jinni - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008QXVDJ0 TWO immortal protagonists for the price of one. Plus it is a wonderful story.

Haxan by Kenneth Mark Hoover is a pretty good Weird Western that needs more love/reviews. Also give these a try:

The Goblin Emperor

The Library on Mount Char

Academic Exercises - ($2,99 right now!)

Uprooted

The Golem & The Jinni

The Incorruptibles

Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon. The world-building and character development here is really thorough and very engaging. Chabon is one of my favorite writers.

http://www.amazon.com/Yiddish-Policemens-Union-Novel-P-S/dp/0007149832/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289938003&sr=8-1

Link for Nook:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-golem-and-the-jinni-helene-wecker/1112581266?ean=9780062110855&itm=1&usri=the+golem+and+the+jinni

It is the same price on Kindle as well:
http://www.amazon.com/Golem-Djinni-Helene-Wecker-ebook/dp/B008QXVDJ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418748008&sr=8-1&keywords=the+golem+and+the+jinni

I picked this up, I've heard many good things!

The Yiddish Policemen's Union. I'm reading it right now, and I absolutely love it.

Top 5 off those shelves would be:
The Yiddish Policemen's Union - Alt History detective novel by a Pulitzer winner
http://www.amazon.com/Yiddish-Policemens-Union-Novel-P-S/dp/0007149832
The Atrocity Archives - Lovecraftian spy thriller and IT hell
http://www.amazon.com/Atrocity-Archives-Laundry-Files-Novel/dp/0441016685/
Books of Blood - A compilation of Clive Barker's nasty little 80s horror anthologies
http://www.amazon.com/Books-Blood-Vols-Clive-Barker/dp/0425165582/
Perdido Street Station - Steampunky fantasy with excellent worldbuilding that's apparently a good example of the New Weird, whatever that is and however it differes from the Old Weird
http://www.amazon.com/Perdido-Street-Station-China-Mieville/dp/0345459407
American Gods - Gaiman's mythology based urban fantasy; a modern classic
http://www.amazon.com/American-Gods-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0380789035

As for the Weird Tales collection, it's Weird Tales: 32 Unearthed Terrors. It sets out to present the best tale from each year of the magazine's original run. Published in 1988 and edited by Stefan R. Dziemianowicz (as if the eldritch gods didn't inject enough unpronounceable names into the mix) you've got everyone from Isaac Asimov to Seabury Quinn to good ol' HPL himself with "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"
http://www.amazon.com/Weird-Tales-32-Unearthed-Terrors/dp/0517661233
Not quite the $1 deal I got from the library sale, but not as outrageous as some of the out of print prices on Amazon.

The Golem and the Jinni was an excellent book!

Loved The Golem and the Jinni. Gave me my first book hangover in a really long time.

The Golem and the Jinni was just excellent. Fantasy set in 1920s New York.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0312370849
Sarah's Key. Also, there's a movie by the same name that was excellent.

How about The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker?

Someone else already mentioned Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell.

Also, try The Alchemist by Donna Boyd and the Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier. Both have a beautiful and evocative way with words.

Although, I do highly recommend The Yiddish Policemen's Union.

There is a book about this, called Creation, by Gore Vidal. Also, you might be interesting in reading about the idea of Axial Age.

Creation by Gore Vidal. It is historical fiction set in the 5th century BC. A man travels the ancient world, seeking out knowledge and enlightenment from the Greece to India to China.

Wikipedia states, "As noted in Vidal's own introduction, it can be considered a "crash course" in comparative religion, as during the story, the hero sits down with each of the religious/philosophical figures (apart from Socrates) and discusses their views."

edit: while you are at the Amazon page, check out Vidal's other historical fiction, such as Julian, and Hollywood.

Here it is in novel form!

It's The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon, and we're discussing it on February 21st.

I really enjoyed the book and finished it earlier today. It's not something I would have chosen for myself but I couldn't put it down. Can't wait to discuss it!

For what it's worth, a few Jewish fantasy authors, off the top of my head:

• Avram Davidson
  
• Lev Grossman
  
• Michael Chabon
  
  I'm sure there are more but those are the ones I can think of just now.

I read a book that tells it like it actually happened: [The Yiddish Policemens Union] (http://www.amazon.com/Yiddish-Policemens-Union-Novel-P-S/dp/0007149832/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301463937&sr=8-1)

Michael Chabon?

*edit: link to Amazon. Buy this book, people.

I'd recommend The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. It's not a distant future sci-fi, it's more alternate history version of modern day, but enough of a difference that things feel unique.

Since you've indicated that you're interested in cultural aspects as well as hard-nosed history I'll recommend for you 'Suite Francaise', a collection of two novellas by Irene Nemirovsky.

She was a Jewish woman of Russian descent living in Paris during the war who wrote fictionalized accounts of the flight of upper-middle class Parisians from the occupation. She was captured and perished but her daughters salvaged the manuscripts and they were translated in to English a few years ago.

Although the specifics of these novels are fictional, the names of the individuals etc., they are heavily based in direct personal experience.


http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-04-09/entertainment/0604070404_1_suite-francaise-novels-nazi

http://www.amazon.com/Suite-Francaise-Irene-Nemirovsky/dp/1400096278

Amazon

Google

iBook

B&N

Kobo

http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Adventures-Kavalier-bonus-content/dp/0812983580/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346537058&sr=8-1&keywords=amazing+kavalier+clay

The second part reminds me of Michael Chabon's book, Yiddish Policeman's Union

Is it just called Alamut?: https://www.amazon.com/Alamut-Vladimir-Bartol/dp/1556436815

Sorta related? http://www.amazon.com/The-Yiddish-Policemens-Union-Novel/dp/0007149832

The ebook is also currently on sale.

http://www.amazon.com/Golem-Jinni-P-S-Helene-Wecker-ebook/dp/B008QXVDJ0/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-golem-and-the-jinni-helene-wecker/1112581266

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-golem-and-the-jinni

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, historical fiction and fantasy based in beginning of the 20th century New York - 500 pages, standalone.

The Yiddish Policeman's Union

The Yiddish Policemen's Union: http://www.amazon.com/The-Yiddish-Policemens-Union-Novel/dp/0007149832

The Golem and the Jinni (fantasy New York in 1899) comes immediately to mind.

Creation

I would say The Golem and the Jinni.https://www.amazon.com/Golem-Jinni-Novel-P-S/dp/0062110845/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469853610&sr=8-1&keywords=helen+wecker

Or The Magicians by Lev Grossman. https://www.amazon.com/Magicians-Novel-Trilogy/dp/0452296293/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1469853727&sr=8-2&keywords=the+magicians

The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

Watership Down

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

The Cider House Rules by John Irving

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

I think Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union fictionalizes this alternate history.

Suite Francaise, Irene Nemirovsky? Not quite kissing, but: http://www.amazon.com/Suite-Francaise-Irene-Nemirovsky/dp/1400096278

I can't recommend it enough.

Gentlemen of the Road

Yiddish Policemen's Union

The Book of Esther (Though this one got a little weird at the end)

The Golem and the Jinni

Winter's Tale

And as someone else mentioned The Shadow of the Wind and the follow-ups Angel's Game and The Prisoner of Heaven - they're basically Guillermo del Toro movies waiting to happen.