Nimavenl - Nicole's Random Ramblings

Foreskin's Lament by Shalom Auslander My rating: 5 of 5 stars I'd heard of this book and had one of those "I should read it... one day" feelings about it, but when it came across my desk at work, I decided that 'one day' had arrived. Reading the first few pages in my lunch break, I decided I was going to enjoy this book. Reading a bit more at home - I knew I was already loving it. And now, having finished it - I want to read MORE MORE MORE !!!!! View all my reviews

Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks My rating: 5 of 5 stars Interesting and haunting. Familiar in parts and yet also so alien. Amazing how young this girl was, which made the story even more scary and surreal. View all my reviews

As I'm writing this I'm 25 years old. I'm in New Zealand. It's Saturday evening. Normally, I'd be spending quality time with friends - it being the weekend and all! Today, and for the last few days, I've been sick. And so I've stayed home. I've spent a large part of the time I’ve been sick in front of my laptop. I checked out the trailer for Twilight : New Moon, and I have to say - I can't wait !!!!! Really should re-read the books though before the new movie comes out in November. I read them one after the other - before work, during my lunch breaks, after work, while having dinner - I loved the story and couldn't get enough of it. I’ve slept in. Watched dvds. Friends have come by. I’ve had dinner with my mother. I also received a letter in the mail from work. My last pay-slip and an official letter saying I'd worked there for the past 2,5 years. You see, last week was my last week there. I'm leaving the city I've lived in fo...

I've started and deleted lots of blogs. Have even had them for a few weeks or months sometimes. I've also always ended up deleting them. I always end up wondering if I'm putting too much personal information online. I want to write about stuff that matters to me, but how to do that without giving potential stalkers or whatevers too much information is something I haven't quite figured out. Do I mention what I do for a job? The country I live in? The city? My friends? My family? Where I'm from? What's going on in my life? How much information is too much? I want people who take the time to read this to enjoy reading what I write. I want to put enough of myself in my writing that I can give people an insight into my mind, into my life. I want to be able to share my thoughts and feelings, to be able to vent when I need to, to let off some steam so to speak.  I enjoy writing, enjoy sharing stories, enjoy giving my opinion - and yes, I'm an opinion...

Seven Blessings by Ruchama King Feuerman My rating: 4 of 5 stars Interesting read, and a respectful glimpse into a fascinating world. I enjoyed this book, found it easy to get through, enjoyed the variety of the stories, and feel that it will help me gain a better insight into the world of the Orthodox in Me'a Shearim. View all my reviews

People of the Book by Geraldine  Brooks My rating: 5 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this book, and loved learning about what goes into making and restoring books. The story definitely intrigued me, but I found it hard to 'get into' the book completely due to the chapters being as they were. Lovely book however, and great for reading a bit out of every day. View all my reviews

The Other Side of Israel: My Journey Across the Jewish/Arab Divide by Susan Nathan My rating: 5 of 5 stars I picked up this book as it looked like it would be very interesting to read. Insider-stories such as this one usually give an account of life-on-the-ground that is not always portrayed in the mainstream media, and I was interested in this new viewpoint. My fascination with the Middle-East has a lot to do with its religious history, and a lot to do with its people. This means *all* people, which is why this book appealed to me. The writer, Susan Nathan is a Jew and a former ardent Zionist who  moved to Israel in 1999. She writes (p.39), "The object of my desire was to make aliya, the Hebrew word for 'ascent', an idea that in returning to Israel a Jew is fulfilling a divinely ordained mission." She then realised that there was a large non-Jewish population living inside Israel - mostly Palestinian Arabs who had lost their homes and lands yet gained citizenship ...

How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household by Blu Greenberg My rating: 5 of 5 stars I continue to be very impressed with this book, and find myself coming back to it almost daily since buying it a month ago. It is a wonderful reference tool, and I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in how an Orthodox household is run. View all my reviews

Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression by Brooke Shields My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've never been a huge Brooke Shields fan, yet when I came across this book I was interested in having a look. I've never had children myself, and have thus never been through post-natal depression, which means I can't judge whether this book will be of help to sufferers. What I can say, and with complete certainty, is that reading this account of one person's suffering has made me more aware about post-natal depression, and has given me what I hope to be a better insight into it. View all my reviews