Picked up for one of my secret santa partners.

thanks so much, mistlerose - i've been wanting to read "the book thief" for ages, but have never got around to it. looking forward to finding out what all the fuss is about! merry christmas!

absolutely spectacular! to begin with, i thought the rhythm of the narrative was quite strange, but then i figured that if death's the one telling the story, his/its point of view wouldn't be the same as a human being's, so i let it go. i also had immediate problems with rosa hubermann's verbal abuse of liesel, but since she's that way with everyone, at least she's consistent (i wondered sometimes if her shouting was so loud and so abrasive because the character knew that otherwise she'd be completely overshadowed by hans, with his accordian and kindness!) while the backdrop of nazi germany is rarely comfortable, markus zusak tells the story with an admirable lightness of touch and obvious affection for his characters. it's quite sad at times; at others, full of joy and love, but mostly i think it's unforgettable. thanks again mistlerose, for making sure i finally got around to reading "the book thief"!

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

mom took a huge pile of books to top up billy baxter's bookcase this afternoon - this was one of them. hope the next reader enjoys it (and hopefully journals it, too!)