Winter Reading: Ayelet Tsabari

We asked MFA alumni publishing books this season what they’re reading, and what they'd recommend. Here, Ayelet Tsabari shares what's on her bookshelf:

"I always have piles upon piles of books—in two languages!—on my bedside table. This winter I am one of the judges for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award along with Richard Van Camp and Heather O’Neill so I’m mostly reading short story collections these days, which I love! There were so many great collections last year.

I just finished reading Kaddish.com by Nathan Englander, which will be out in March, for an interview I’m doing with Englander. It’s a slim and comical novel, and I really enjoyed it. I also read Englander’s wonderfully named What We Talk About When We talk About Anne Frank, a collection of stories that came out in 2012 and won a bunch of awards. It’s smart and funny and moving and totally deserves the hype.

The two newest additions to the Hebrew pile by my bed, are What’s in an Apple? a book of conversations between famed Israeli author Amos Oz and his editor Shira Hadad, which I bought after Oz’s recent death. The book offers an interesting insight into Oz’s life and work. And a translation of Wislawa Szymbroska’s first book of poetry. The Polish poet who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1996 is hugely popular in Israel. It’s my first introduction to her and I’m loving her simplicity and wit."

Ayelet's second book, The Art of Leaving, a memoir, is published by Harpercollins Canada and Penguin Random House (US). The Toronto launch will be held at the Theatre Centre on February 19th, from 7–9pm, as part of TIFA's Toronto Lit Up series. You can get more info on additional upcoming events for the book on Ayelet's website, here.