bibliophile [the book thief]

What with my recovery and my holiday break, I managed to fit some good reading in. This one was worth it.

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

I'm sure you've all heard of this one- it made the NYT best seller list for quite a while, plus it's now a movie (which I'm looking forward to seeing). Here's your blurb:

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. 

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

So, yeah, Nazi Germany does not exactly make for a feel-good novel. Don't go reading this for a good time, but definitely for good prose. It's beautifully written and comes from the highly unique narrator of death. The characters are pitiful and lovable and you'll care about the story from the start. I haven't seen the movie, but I'm glad I read it first. Check this one out.