Holland | Holland

Aug.21.2012 Mediæval Church In Holland Becomes A Book Store I would think that a disused church turning into a bookstore would please God. God Likes words. In the beginning was the word. The Bible is full of words. The Ten Commandments are made of words (179 to be exact - yes, I looked it up). So I think this is a grand idea. A temple of the Lord becomes a...	Mar.04.2012 Are You a Descendant of Secret Genealogy? Many of the early colonists (who were converts to the Dutch Reformed Church, “Calvinists” and whose parents or grandparents had been Jews from the Inquisition) continued to conceal their Jewish origins. Since the New York area was such a birthplace for America, if the colonists who came from...
Feb.27.2012 My Ancestors? Dutch Crypto-Jews? Yes, millions of people have European ancestors that were Jewish and hid the fact. After Spain and Portugal's Inquisitions, and France, Italy, Germany, Russia and Poland's persecutions, European Jews wanted to own land and be free of special taxes and fees imposed upon them. Why don't you know?...	Mar.02.2010 Ring my bell This weekend’s live-recorded call in the Dialogue2010 series left me reeling. Ten women scattered in Turkey, the Czech Republic, Italy and four U.S. states came together to discuss mapping the hybrid life, moderated by Rose Deniz. The hour was early for those of us in Europe and Asia so we could...
Jun.26.2009 Is the heat getting to me? I'm taking a break of a couple of weeks between drafts of my latest novel. To clear my head and to allow my body to accustom itself to a step up in desert heat here in Jerusalem (it's hard to concentrate the first day the temperature hits 35 degrees, particularly when you write standing up as I do...	Jun.24.2009 My 5 favorite novels My second Palestinian crime novel A Grave in Gaza (UK title: The Saladin Murders) is just now published in Holland. The Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant asked me to contribute a list of my five favorite books, or at least those which've had the biggest impact on me as a writer. Here's what I wrote:...
Sep.09.2008 Grand Rapids: Taking the LEED in eco-friendly attractions Before George Heartwell’s 2004 election as mayor of Grand Rapids, Mich., he was a preacher for the United Church of Christ. Evangelizing continues, but the focus has shifted. The mayor is out to paint his city of 200,000 green, as in eco-friendly. That’s a fashionable color and crowded bandwagon...	Mar.02.2008 The WAKE book tour (now with a dreamy raffle prize!) For each bookstore signing I do in March, there will be a special gift bag raffle, courtesy of my publisher, Simon Pulse. These gift bags contain a dream journal, a Dunkin Donuts gift card, a sleep mask and a mug with the WAKE logo on it! How cool is that? So come out to the signings! You have to...