May Random Reads - The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

It's time for my May Random Read (a fun meme hosted by I'm Loving Books). The idea is to pick one random book from your Goodreads To-Read list (using Random.org) to read within the month.  

As I mention every month, I am in love with this meme!  This is such a great way to make sure that I actually read some of those books that have been in my TBR list for eons.

Last month, I only got to one of my two Random Reads choices, so this month I'm just choosing one more and using last month's as my second one.  Sometimes that's just the way it goes!  I limited my Random Read choices to books that I actually own since I have so many of them that I've been wanting to read.  (I did this by just creating a Random Reads shelf on Goodreads).  

My April Random Reads picks were Mystery Falls by Marilyn Phillips (which I enjoyed, but didn't love - check out my review here).  And Of Stardust by February Grace (which I didn't get to - I'll be reading that one this month).

So, here was Random.org's choice:

#10 - The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker  

Synopsis:

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master, the husband who commissioned her, dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York in 1899. 

Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free – an unbreakable band of iron binds him to the physical world. 

The Golem and the Jinni is their magical, unforgettable story; unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures – until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful threat will soon bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

I got this book several months back when Helene Wecker came to our local library and talked about the book and did a signing (she grew up in the town where my library is - one town over from me!).  I have heard absolutely amazing things about this book and I LOVED hearing Wecker talk about how she came up with this idea and the years it took her to research and write it.  I don't know why I haven't read it yet!!!  So, I'm very excited to have this come up as my Random Read this month!