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A review by wishanem
The Book of the Unknown: Tales of the Thirty-Six by Jonathon Keats
4.0
Charming and folkloric in pacing and style, but full of modern themes and attitudes towards morality. It is very quickly clear that the exact settings aren't an important part of these stories. Their magic lies in the choices of the characters and the emotional impact of the stories. Some of the stories were very strange in a good way, and some in a not-good way. Overall, I enjoyed the book and it gave me a lot to think about.
Words I learned from this book:
Lamedh-Vov: the 36 saintly people who justify to God that humanity does not need to be destroyed.
quotidian: daily, ordinary
maggid: (from Hebrew for “narrator”) an itinerant Jewish preacher
dybbuk: a malevolent wandering spirit that enters and possesses the body of a living person until exorcized.
febrile: feverish
yahrzeit: (from Yiddish) the anniversary of someone's death, especially a parent's
beadle: a ceremonial officer of a church, college, or similar institution.
zaftig: (from Yiddish for “juicy”) having a full, rounded figure; plump.
carillon: (from French for “peal of four bells”) a set of bells in a tower.
connubial: related to marriage, conjugal
trousseaus: the clothes, household linen, and other belongings collected by a bride for her marriage.
Words I learned from this book:
Lamedh-Vov: the 36 saintly people who justify to God that humanity does not need to be destroyed.
quotidian: daily, ordinary
maggid: (from Hebrew for “narrator”) an itinerant Jewish preacher
dybbuk: a malevolent wandering spirit that enters and possesses the body of a living person until exorcized.
febrile: feverish
yahrzeit: (from Yiddish) the anniversary of someone's death, especially a parent's
beadle: a ceremonial officer of a church, college, or similar institution.
zaftig: (from Yiddish for “juicy”) having a full, rounded figure; plump.
carillon: (from French for “peal of four bells”) a set of bells in a tower.
connubial: related to marriage, conjugal
trousseaus: the clothes, household linen, and other belongings collected by a bride for her marriage.