Read a good book lately? Why not tell everyone else what it was and just how good (or bad) it was. I'm always looking for new books to read so I'll hope that I (and others) can use this thread to see what books are worth checking out and which aren't and maybe find some new hidden gems.
I'll begin with the book I finished reading today.
Recently I have only bought books from charity stores. They are cheaper and fund my "one book a week" habit. This book was nestled on a shelf and caught my attention. The cover gave off an "antique" feeling and the back was pretty vague. Buying it on a whim I took it to work and started reading. What followed was a compelling and emotionally-rich book.
The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel Meminger. A nine year old girl who ends up living with a foster family due to circumstances. Those circumstances just happen to be that it's 1939, she's German, and her parents are communists. What follows is her day to day life from 1939 -- 1944. The different angle is that it is told from Death's perspective. He is narrating the story to us and occasionally adds in his own views in a different font (in order to fully fill in the story). As the back of the book itself says:
Overall the book was amazing and, by the end of it, I had really grown to care about the various characters in the book. You'll even learn a little German throughout as Death leaves in German words and sentences but translates them for you in his notes. Another twist is that, as Death is our narrator, he does not care for suspense. At times he will tell you the ending before going back and explaining how it came to be. In his own words:
At nearly 600 pages you won't read this in a day, but I finished it in under a week and didn't get bored turning the pages. I really enjoyed this book and would advise anyone who enjoys an emotionally-rich story with great narration to check it out.
I'll begin with the book I finished reading today.
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
by Markus Zusak
Recently I have only bought books from charity stores. They are cheaper and fund my "one book a week" habit. This book was nestled on a shelf and caught my attention. The cover gave off an "antique" feeling and the back was pretty vague. Buying it on a whim I took it to work and started reading. What followed was a compelling and emotionally-rich book.
The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel Meminger. A nine year old girl who ends up living with a foster family due to circumstances. Those circumstances just happen to be that it's 1939, she's German, and her parents are communists. What follows is her day to day life from 1939 -- 1944. The different angle is that it is told from Death's perspective. He is narrating the story to us and occasionally adds in his own views in a different font (in order to fully fill in the story). As the back of the book itself says:
"It's a small story, about:
- A girl
- An accordionist
- Some fanatical Germans
- A Jewish fist-fighter
- And quite a lot of thievery."
- A girl
- An accordionist
- Some fanatical Germans
- A Jewish fist-fighter
- And quite a lot of thievery."
Overall the book was amazing and, by the end of it, I had really grown to care about the various characters in the book. You'll even learn a little German throughout as Death leaves in German words and sentences but translates them for you in his notes. Another twist is that, as Death is our narrator, he does not care for suspense. At times he will tell you the ending before going back and explaining how it came to be. In his own words:
"Again, I offer you a glimpse of the end. Perhaps it's to soften the blow for later, or to better prepare myself for the telling. Either way, I must inform you..."
At nearly 600 pages you won't read this in a day, but I finished it in under a week and didn't get bored turning the pages. I really enjoyed this book and would advise anyone who enjoys an emotionally-rich story with great narration to check it out.
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