“She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.” – Louisa May Alcott

Books are some of my favorite things in the world. They fill me with a remarkable joy. In them I live different lives, explore different places, and learn new things about people and about myself. For me books are without a doubt one of the most joyous things available to the masses. This world will be dedicated to them and the various books I have in my own personal library.

The Book Thief

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Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Page Count: 584

This book is in my top 3 favorites of all time…so far, though it is incredibly likely to maintain it’s permanent spot on the list of favorites.

Revolving around World War II this book focuses on the life of a foster child named Liesel. It follows her and her family through the war on the German end. Most interestingly though this book as narrated and told by death. Zusak personifies death as if he were an apologetic being, collecting the souls of those lost in the war and following the lives of our characters.

For me this narration alone was a selling point. The idea of reading a story narrated by Death was just so damn cool. It’s what had initially drawn me. The book is also formatted in this cool way full of little notes, as if Death takes a tangent in his narration to make little sassy remarks, reminders, and to offer thoughtful ideas.

One of my favorite things about this book as I continued to read it though was the way it outlined and highlighted the power of words. The book examines how strong words are and the power they hold. Liesel comes to discover this as she steals books and learns their value in a country dominated at the time purely by the promising and charming words of a terrible leader.

“The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them, there wouldn't be any of this. Without words, the Führer was nothing.”

I would recommend this book for anyone who likes historical fiction, who likes World War II stories, and who like, overall, very touching books. This book hit so many emotions in me that it made it incredibly memorable. I laughed and cried and put it down for days and weeks before coming back to it. But I was incredibly glad I did so because it has taught me so much. However, if you are overly sensitive to reminders of the presence of death I’d warn that there are quite a few reminders in this book.

Bonus: There is a movie version of this book from 2013. However, because the book spanned a few years and had so much contextually, it didn’t all fit into a movie. So a lot was cut out. But if you read the book, the movie is fun to watch afterwards.

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