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Friday November 2, 2007

Author! Author!

Trio of festivals marks Jewish Book Fair

As a rule, Bay Area Jews are not always on the same page, but soon they'll come awfully close. Just in time for Jewish Book Month, three popular regional Jewish book festivals return, giving bibliophiles ample opportunity to hang with their favorite writers.

Most of the authors coming to town have new books out, and will be speaking to, meeting and greeting fans.

The big three are: the 19th annual Contra Costa Jewish Book & Arts Festival, which runs from Tuesday, Oct. 30 to Nov. 15 (www.ccjcc.org), BookFest at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco on Nov. 4 (www.jccsf.org), and the 4th annual Celebration of Jewish Authors at the Peninsula JCC on Nov. 11 (www.pjcc.org).

Between them, the book festivals will bring in some big names, among them novelists Michael Chabon, Joshua Braff and Israel's Meir Shalev. Also scheduled, political and academic figures like historian Deborah Lipstadt and Ambassador Dennis Ross.

Considering the Jewish people's ages-long love of reading and learning, festivals like these make sense. The following is a taste of the kind of fascinating authors appearing locally in the weeks ahead.

Israeli writer inspired by house remodel for latest book

'Small Beginnings' a big debut for first-time novelist

Professor embraces 'diasporism,' diversity

Peninsula schedule

Intermarriage?

No problem with this rabbi

Sex, drugs and Talmud

The spy whonoodged me

Lights! Camera! Brisket!

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