Heart of a Stranger by Angela Buchdahl

HEART OF A STRANGER by Angela Buchdahl is certainly in contention for my favorite book of the year. That is a surprise because this is the story of an Asian American female Rabbi. Other than female, I don’t check any of those boxes, but I truly loved her “Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging.” At the end of each section, she offers a mini-sermon of sorts, exploring a concept, like this: “Faith is a noun, something you can have or possess, as ‘I have faith in God.’ Trust, on the other hand, is a verb. It is something you do or act upon. It is a choice and a deliberate response as in ‘I trusted, so I followed.’” HEART OF A STRANGER received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The Washington Post review says, [our] “nation … has long rewarded those who chase opportunity and embrace pluralism. Today those ideals are more fragile than ever, and Buchdahl’s story now feels like an example of what once worked in America but may soon be lost.” This is an amazing, inspiring story for people of all faiths. Highly recommended.

The Second Chance Convenience Store - Ho-Yeon Kim

THE SECOND CHANCE CONVENIENCE STORE by Ho-Yeon Kim is set in present day Seoul, Korea. Perhaps because she is retired, a main character and store owner, Mrs. Yeom, made me think a bit of the feisty Chinese retailer Vera Wong but this Korean woman is not as pushy. The tone of the book is reminiscent of What you are Looking for is in the Library (although that novel is set in Japan); here, various characters appear in each (rather long) chapter and benefit in some way from attention form the convenience store employees. The pace is quite slow and there seems to be a very significant emphasis on drinking corn silk tea instead of alcohol. Ho-Yeon Kim has crafted a gentle book about being a person of principle, reaping what we sow, and caring for each other. Its universal lessons have produced an international best-seller. Although the story feels repetitive, readers may be drawn into the life of Mrs. Yeom and her band of loyal employees, including a formerly homeless man and a student, plus several customers and her wayward son. The audiobook is narrated by Jennifer Kim who uses different “voices” to portray the characters. I found her narration a bit grating initially, but later appreciated her attempts to differentiate between characters.