The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - Restarting January 10th, 2023

[Johanna]

I'm currently reading about WW2 in school, and this book really helps with wrapping my head around it. I find it almost impossible to imagine how it must've felt to live during that horrible time. When you read about WW2 in a text book, all the events seem to be degraded into numbers. It seems so distant, so, so far away, when in reality, it hasn't even been eighty years. And it's still ever so present. When you look for it, you'll be able to see the war and the Holocaust everywhere, in everything.

6 million dead Jews. That's more than half of the people living in Sweden today. That's my home town x10. It's sick. It's disgusting. And Markus Zusak's depiction of it is raw. Nothing is made prettier than it actually was. The Book Thief feels like a master piece.

Not sure if anyone will be able to understand what I'm trying to say here. I'm way too tired to be on Goodreads right now. Good night.

[Corrine]

Johanna wrote: "I'm currently reading about WW2 in school, and this book really helps with wrapping my head around it. I find it almost impossible to imagine how it must've felt to live during that horrible time. ..."

I get what your trying to say, but in defence of the author, he is just recalling the events of one teenage girl's life as well as her family and friends. The way I look at it is that the book is that its not meant to be a history lesson.

[Susan]

I can't believe I haven't been able to read that much this past week. 2 of my son's had birthdays this week so I had everyone over twice...usually we do them together it was a fluke to have the parties separate. It's behind me now so I can now READ :)

Part 1 ( page 1-119)
So far I really like the book. I wasn't sure I was going to like that the narrator was going to be done by death but now that I am into I get it and it's pretty cool....So so sad about her brother and how she ended up with the Hubermann's. I am loving the sweet foster father and would love to beat the foster mom. (view spoiler)[ I love that she kept that book she found at the cemetery and how her foster dad read it to her every night. Oh and to back up, is he not the sweetest for going to her every night she had recurring nightmares! I love how he soothed her was to teach her how to read. Liesel was a badass for beating the crap out of that kid for teasing her....I am at the bonfire where she steals her next book...haven't gotten that far but she sees one in the rubble of the leftover debris and I can only assume she takes it. (hide spoiler)]

[Johanna]

@Amanda but that's what I love about it. It seems real, I find it to be a lovely depiction of WW2.

[Johanna]

Part six page 325 (view spoiler)[ "When a person's last response was Saumensch or Saukerl or Arschloch, you knew you had them beaten."
I found that hilarious lmao (hide spoiler)]

[Johanna]

Page 491 Chapter "One toolbox, one bleeder, one bear" (view spoiler)[ "Humans, if nothing else, have the good sense to die." Death's humor is so dark, but absolutely brilliant. (hide spoiler)]
It's taking me forever to finish this book because 1) I've watched the movie twice, and therefore nothing comes as a surprise. 2) I've had a crazy lot in school, so I haven't really had time for reading.

[Susan]

2nd review

I finally finished this book. My life got so crazy busy and I always read at night but I would pick up my book and fall sound asleep on it. This book is amazing and I hated being so tired I couldn't read :(

(view spoiler)[ So the bonfire ends and she finds her next book and it's still smoldering from the fire but it was saved and wasn't burnt. She sticks it inside her dress and on the way home she sees smoke coming from under her dress and her skin is burning from the book she shoved inside. She was determined to sneak it home but she could stand it no longer and she had to confess to papa. Liesel love of reading endeared her to me. I love to read and would most likely resort to stealing IF I couldn't find a way to have books...LOL...little did she know that someone was watching her when she stole the book and that someone we find out later was the Mayor's wife. She did not tell on her nor did she ever bring it up while she and her mama would go and collect the laundry from the mayor's house. One day her mom made her go alone and that is the day the mayor's wife confronted her and she showed Liesel that she had a huge library. They ended up being friends...it was a very strange quiet kind of friendship. One day the mayor told her and her mama that they would not be using their laundry service any longer and it made Liesel so mad she said many hurtful things to the mayor's wife. Liesel was sad for herself because she knew that was it for the books but she was upset for her mama too because that was the last person they had to do the laundry for and she knew how upset her mama would be. (hide spoiler)]

[Susan]

3rd review

I am done with this book but I had forgotten to do my reviews.

(view spoiler)[ She would still not kiss Rudy but as they got older she wanted him to make the move but neither of them did. They had a Jewish fighter stowed away in their basement because even though they Hail Hitler'd and put the flag in the window on appropriate days they did not believe in the same thing Nazi Germany did. They helped Max the Jewish son of a friend of Hans when he was in the first World War. They all grew to love Max but none more then Liesel. They had a special bond as the book progressed. Liesel and Rudy ended up stealing things like apples, potatoes, onions, and Liesels most favorite thing to steal was books from the Mayor's library. She had a feeling the window was kept open just for her...then one day a dictionary was propped up outside just for her and it had a note in it telling her that she knew she was stealing books but it would be nice if she would just knock on the door instead but Liesel never could. Strange but sweet relationship between Liesel and Ilsa Hermann. (hide spoiler)]

[Susan]

Last review

(view spoiler)[
I was so upset and actually had a lump in my throat through most of the last part of the book. Everyone but Liesel died on Himmel St. I was sad how she found Rudy and it broke my heart when she discovered her foster parents and her Papa most of all. I love who came and got her from the police station and how she and Max were reunited. I LOVED this whole book and thought it was done brilliantly. AMAZING book! (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date Changed. Restarting February 15th 2018. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
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[Leelynn]

I'm excited for this one :)

[Jennifer]

Checking in, Leelynn! I will start this one today. I thought I would go through about 75 pages (give/take) a day. I'm reading so many light books right now and this one is supposed to be a little heavier. Is that pace ok with you?

[Jennifer]

Book One - This is pretty interesting so far! (view spoiler)[ so the narrator is Death? That's pretty interesting. I like Liesel and I really like Rudy so far.

I am also laughing that we are treated to a guide to curse in German! (hide spoiler)]

[Jennifer]

I'm sorry!!! This one is going slower than I hoped. It is good.....but when forced to make a choice between the smut I've been reading with Alaina and this more serious book - I am sad to say the smut has been winning out. LOL!

Book Two: (view spoiler)[ I feel like this part has gone a bit slower. I understand the author is laying the groundwork and explaining why Liesel became the Book Thief in the first place, but I sincerely hope the pace picks up a bit.

I like Hans. He seems like a good dad. I hope he doesn't get killed in the war or sent off to a camp. (hide spoiler)]

[Jennifer]

book 3 - (view spoiler)[ I thought Liesel being able to read at the Mayor's house is an interesting twist. I'm also excited to hear more about Max's struggles and what Hans plans to do with him now that he has arrived. (hide spoiler)]

I SOOOO want to finish this one this month, but it is so hard! It was simply the wrong month for me to choose to read this one. It's too different from all the sappy romances I am reading in my other BR's. Honestly if it wasn't for our BR here, I probably would have DNF'd it by now.

[Jennifer]

up to Part 5 - (view spoiler)[ Oh man, I really like Max. The Standover Man was so sweet a gesture, and I love that it was on painted over Mein Kampf. (hide spoiler)]

up to Part 8 - (view spoiler)[ First of all, ever since Part 5, I've been worried every time I turn the page that Rudy is going to die again. I don't want to find out how that happens.

I'm also really sad that Max is gone, I hope he makes it to freedom. (hide spoiler)]

Finished - (view spoiler)[ I cried! and cried and cried. First when she finds Rudy's body and then later Hans's. That is a testament to good character development. I liked them both so much and I felt her connection to them. Oh, how I cried.! (hide spoiler)]

Wow, that was a good book. I can see, though, why so many people DNF it. It is long and does drag in places, and let's face it WWII isn't too cheery a time period. You really have to stick with it to be rewarded in the end.

[Abi]

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Reading from the 14th of March 2018

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[Alaina]

Prologue/Part 1: (view spoiler)[Wow that was intense and sad. I like how it's from Death and everything but really sad that Liesel had to bury her brother because he died on the train.. dang.. I'm shook and it's only the beginning. (hide spoiler)]
Part 3: (view spoiler)[OMG I would love that library! I so want one now! I feel so bad for her and Rudy though because they are starving out there. (hide spoiler)]
Part 6: (view spoiler)[Liesel was so sweet when Max was in the coma. Reading to him and bringing him gifts from the outside. Oh lord, this girl is sweet as pie! (hide spoiler)]
Part 9: (view spoiler)[I like the mayor's wife. She just leaves the window open for Liesel so she can climb in and take a book. I don't know why she can't use the door? I must've forgot but still it's sweet of her. Then the whole cookies was cute too. Then the bombing and death again! UGH, I want to rewatch the movie again too. (hide spoiler)]
Epilogue: (view spoiler)[OMG! THAT ENDING WAS SO GOOD! DEATH BEING HAUNTED BY HUMANS! DAMN! Also Liesel is still freaking sweet and I'm happy she got to live her life and greeted death like an old friend. She never forgot anyone she met or died by the bombings. God I love Liesel. (hide spoiler)]

[Abi]

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Reading from the 5th of September 2018

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[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date changed. Restarting April 29th 2019. Happy Reading ☺

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[callie]

27% (view spoiler)[I really like the fact that Death is narrating it, I think that's really cool! I've seen the movie, so I kinda know the plot but it's been long enough that I dont remember everything. The characters seem very realistic and I am really enjoying it so far! (hide spoiler)]

[callie]

Finsihed (view spoiler)[So, I thought the pacing of this book was really slow. Not a whole lot of really engaging things happened frequently enough for it to be so long. I don't know if that made sense but in Queen of Air and Darkness (I'm picking this one because it's SO long) it is roughly 900 pages. Even though it was so long, I didn't feel bored with it because things kept happening, and there were plot twists, etc. With the Book Thief I felt bored quite frequently because I didn't seem like a lot was happening. Especially with the descriptions, there were so many and near the end it just got very boring, I just wanted it to be done. I did still enjoy the story and I am glad I read it, it was just a very slow story. Other than that, I really enjoyed the characters. some of them did seem kinda of one-dimensional at times, but then again it was told from Death perspective, and a lot of what Death learned was from Liesel. Like Hans/Papa, Liesel looked up to him and in a way "worshiped" him, so from Liesel's perspective, I wouldn't expect her to notice his flaws. So I have mixed feeling about some of the characters. I really hope that made sense. I didn't like that Death kept spoiling stuff, I felt like that was really pointless and made me less attached to the characters. If someone tells you that this person is gonna die at the end of the book, you're not going to get attached to them. I wish there was more Max, I honestly really like his character and friendship with Liesel. I kinda like the German words in there but I also found them kinda of annoying. I don't know, I have mixed feeling about this book. I might bring my rating down to a 3... I don't like being bored when I read my books, so that's really the main thing
I disliked about this book. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date changed. Restarting September 5th 2019. Happy Reading ☺

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[HeatherH]

I'm doing this one on audio and just finished my previous audiobook so depending on how the day goes, may start a tiny bit early this evening!

[Aaron]

I just got my copy of the book so planning to start it tomorrow.

[HeatherH]

Yay! Aaron, not that you have to keep pace with us but Abby and I are going to aim to do around 10-12 chapters a day on this one (there are 80 not including the prologue or epilogue so I'm personally not going to include those in my count).

Looking forward to chatting about the book with you both!

[Aaron]

Ok. Sounds good. I can probably keep up with 10 - 12 chapters. This should be fun.

[HeatherH]

Got through the opening parts and chapters 1-7 so far!

Narration: the audio version of this is great. The reader has a fantastic voice and the pacing of his reading is easy to keep up with and stay engaged with.

Story: this is definitely a slower story than the others I'm reading/recently read. I'm finding that I quite love novels based in the WWI and WWII time frames after years of resisting historical fiction of any sort.

[Aaron]

I have read the opening and part 1.

I like the facts and definitions scattered around. It makes the story easier to read and understand. When reading the book you don’t really notice that not much has really happened. I like the slower pace and the fact it is more character based than story driven so far.

I am enjoying this book, it would be helpful if I knew how to pronounce the German words though.

[HeatherH]

I made it through ch 12 this morning before bed.

One perk for me doing the audio is hearing the German words that I'd have no clue how to pronounce. I agree that the facts and definitions spread throughout are a great addition to the story.

I got the ebook version from the library and think I'm going to try to read while listening so I can see the names as they're read.

[Eli]

Hi :)

Made it to part two today. I’m already liking it a lot more than I expected. The writing is so well done and it’s keeping me intrigued. I also love the perspective. Super excited to continue reading!

[HeatherH]

ch 16

(view spoiler)[ the scene where Liesel says she hates Hitler and her papa tells her to never say it and then makes her practive saying Heil Hitler... chills. Nazi history never stops being brutal to listen to. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

Just finished part 3.
(view spoiler)[ The perspective is cool. It works really well now it is rotating between Max and Liesel. It is written really well. (hide spoiler)]

[Eli]

Read to part three. I’m really loving Liesels relationships and am still really excited to read more!

[HeatherH]

Finished part three on my drive to work tonight. This story is so well written, it just flows right along. I adore her relationship with Rudy and with Papa. I also really like the hint that (view spoiler)[ papa is helping the Jews (hide spoiler)] and hope it gets more page time as the story progresses.

[Aaron]

It seems like that hint will get a lot more page time. It could become a main part of the story as (view spoiler)[ max is now at their house (hide spoiler)]

[HeatherH]

I probably wont get much of this done today - one day off for the week so busy with family stuff. Happy reading guys! I'll catch up tomorrow :)

[Eli]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS! I don't know how to link the spoilers. :/


Read to part 5 today. I love that we're learning more about Hans' story and his background, and also how kind and giving of a person he is. Though, it shocked me when he slapped Liesel. I never saw him as that kind of guy. My favorite part so far is Max's book that he wrote. In the physical version of the book, you can see the words of the original book pages through the pages he painted over, and I thought that was a really cool detail. Overall, I'm really loving this story, especially the characters, so far.

[HeatherH]

Abby wrote: "POSSIBLE SPOILERS! I don't know how to link the spoilers. :/


Read to part 5 today. I love that we're learning more about Hans' story and his background, and also how kind and giving of a person h..."

I didn't read your spoilers, thanks for the heads up! I didn't know how to do them either until recently, if you click on the (some html is ok) at the top right of the comment box it shows you how! Happy reading!

[HeatherH]

Just finished part 4. I adored his gift to Liesel and I'm sad by listening to the audio I missed out on seeing the pages as they were in the print version. I also am really enjoying how well developed the characters are. Everyone has so many layers, its truly great writing. Max is my favorite right now.

[Aaron]

I’m half way through part 5. I love the relationship between Liesel and Max. I like the way Max is constantly developing as character. The writing is cool. (view spoiler)[ It makes the story more emotional to read because you know what’s coming. Especially when there is a chapter about Rudy and we know he doesn’t have long left. (hide spoiler)]

[HeatherH]

Finished parts 5 & 6 today. I definitely love this story more the further into it I get. I don't read a lot of historical fiction, generally a lot of fantasy and sci-fi so a lot more action and world building where this is more focused on the characters. I really adore Liesel and Max, along with her adoptive parents (listening makes it hard to know how to spell their names) and Rudy.

(view spoiler)[ I was really worried that Max wasn't going to make it when he fell ill. And again when the Nazi's showed up checking basements for use as shelters. I'm glad he hasn't been discovered and that he recovered from sickness. I think it would have destroyed liesel to lose him, especially after hearing it being blamed on the snow she herself brought in. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

I have just finished the book.
I love the ending (view spoiler)[ I’m glad Max survived. The death of everyone else was mentioned before it happened so it was pretty clear what was gonna happen. I did expect Liesel to die in the bombing or soon after though. It was a nice twist that she got a decent life after that. (hide spoiler)]

[Eli]

Wow...just realized I haven’t read a single page in 4 days...I’m going to try and pick it back up tonight.

[HeatherH]

Just finished part 7 and hoping to get through part 8 as well at work tonight. Goal is to have this finished tomorrow night at work!

[HeatherH]

Finished part 8! There's just over two hours left in the audio so won't take much to finish in the next day-ish.

[HeatherH]

Done!

(view spoiler)[ Liesel's reunion with Max made my heart happy! I was so glad Liesel survived the bombing but it truly was sad to follow her grief from losing so many she loved. (hide spoiler)]

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. The narration on the audio version was amazing as well. Now, to find the movie adaptation and see how it holds up!

[Krystal]

only 5% in and (view spoiler)[ the use of death/reaper as the narrator so far is haunting yet gets the job done in such a great way. (hide spoiler)]

[Krystal]

Aaron wrote: "I have read the opening and part 1.

I like the facts and definitions scattered around. It makes the story easier to read and understand. When reading the book you don’t really notice that not muc..."

I'm definitely the opposite. I'm pretty bored at this point because there is nothing happening.

[Krystal]

Up to 23% I think I'm the only person who doesn't care for this book. It's well written and all, but boring, for me. I don't usually read these types of books and this is why. It just doesn't have enough action/plot/adventure/goal, other than the books. It's an important book, I do agree, but it's not for me.