A Shabbat newbie's guide to observance. A Reform approach. Very easy to follow, transliterated Hebrew for easy pronunciation. I used this guide to plan my first Shabbat and I still use it to recite Kiddush.

A helpful commentary to read along with your copy of the Torah (see Etz Hayim below) or simply by itself. I actually read this book cover to cover before I even cracked the Torah itself.

This book is recommended as a study aid in "Essential Torah" by George Robinson. It's a hefty work of commentary soley concentrated on Genesis (which oddly enough, Amazon won't let me type the Hebrew name because it thinks the name contains a bad word!). The author has published a "Studies in..." commentary collection book for each of the 5 books in the Pentateuch.

A great summary of the Jewish Liberal (Reform) tradition. If you're converting Reform--as I'm doing--this is a must-read.

This is the book that I gave to my mother to help explain what Judaism is all about. Buy it for anyone who wants to understand what you're going through.

A great, easy to digest way to dive into the teachings of the Talmud.

Another Rabbi recommendation--he wanted me to read about the many diverse (and often conflicting) opinions regarding the Jewish understanding of God.

Good intro to learning Hebrew. It can be challenging to learn Hebrew as an adult, this is a great introduction.

My son (7 years old) listened with rapt attention to the stories. The art work feels a bit dated, but that's my only criticism. Many of the stories were new to me, as well, coming from a fairly non-religious background. All in all, it is a book that we enjoyed together; it also led to some broader discussions regarding the deeper themes of the Torah and Judaism.

Another kid's book to help understand High Holidays ritual, observance and tradition.

A guide to the Jewish dietary laws.