The Book Thief - December 2018

[Persephone6]

We are starting a buddy read on the 13th. Everyone is welcome to join and discuss the book!



Please mark your posts with where you are at in the book and use spoiler tags as needed

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

By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.

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

[Persephone6]

So excited! How many pages do you want to set for a day then?

[Kirsten]

Hope you guys love this!

[Persephone6]

Kirsten wrote: "Hope you guys love this!"

Hi Kristen, want to join the read? :) Brit and I are still working out the details.

[Britt]

I'm currently up to page 63. The page looks good as :)

[Britt]

so we can discuss the pages from up to page 70 or under from the book thief.

[Persephone6]

I've been reading it so I caught up to on page seventy this morning :) How about fifty pages a day then?

[Thereadingbell]

can I join you on the buddy read? I picked up the book today from the library.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Hi all! Please use spoiler tags when discussing in case someone wants to join the discussion later. Just state where you are in the book so that others know when it is safe to click on the spoiler.

[Persephone6]

Susanne V Bell wrote: "can I join you on the buddy read? I picked up the book today from the library."

Sure, welcome Susanne!

[Persephone6]

Kristie wrote: "Hi all! Please use spoiler tags when discussing in case someone wants to join the discussion later. Just state where you are in the book so that others know when it is safe to click on the spoiler."

Will do! I just posted a "use spoilers tags as needed" at the top of the page.

[Kirsten]

Persephone6 wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Hope you guys love this!"

Hi Kristen, want to join the read? :) Brit and I are still working out the details."

I read this several years back. Way before the film and before my dad's death in 2013. It may have been when it was released as I recall it being in hardcover. It made me bawl!

[Persephone6]

Kirsten wrote: "Persephone6 wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Hope you guys love this!"

Hi Kristen, want to join the read? :) Brit and I are still working out the details."

I read this several years back. Way before the f..."

Yes, I'm actually reading this for the second time myself. It was so sad but also beautiful so I'm reading again :) I've never seen the movie myself but I usually like the book better.

[Britt]

Hey guys so I have been reading up to page 92 last night ( when my attention span let me read into the night) and do so far I'm loving the book it was a surprise for me because I usually go for historical fiction ( even though the book I've read was the boy in the stripped pajamas) My friend was interested in joining the group but she has trouble finding it.

[Persephone6]

Hi everyone, so I was thinking maybe we could set an amount of pages to read a day. Maybe thirty? Let me know what you think!

[Thereadingbell]

That is doable for me.

[deleted_user]

I'm reading this book right now and so far so good : D

[Persephone6]

Catreads wrote: "I'm reading this book right now and so far so good : D"

Hi Catreads; welcome! :) What page are you at?

[Britt]

currently at 109

[deleted_user]

Persephone6 wrote: "Catreads wrote: "I'm reading this book right now and so far so good : D"

Hi Catreads; welcome! :) What page are you at?"

Hii! I'm at 72.

[Thereadingbell]

I am enjoying the book as well.

[Persephone6]

Susanne V Bell wrote: "That is doable for me."

Yes! I'm going to do this myself because then I'll finish it this month :)

[Persephone6]

I'm at page 130 right now; it's very good. (view spoiler)[It definitely tells an intriguing story both that of Liesel but, also, we get to see a glimpse of Death who is a surprisingly sympathetic and human character which I liked. It's really an unusual interpretation but a very good personification of Death. (hide spoiler)] What is everyone's favorite thing/part of the book so far?

[Britt]

so I'm currently at page 134 in the book and so far Liesel is a brave and also enthusiastic about wanting to learn how to read and write. My favorite part was when she beat the boys up in school omg that's funny.

[Persephone6]

Britt wrote: "so I'm currently at page 134 in the book and so far Liesel is a brave and also enthusiastic about wanting to learn how to read and write. My favorite part was when she beat the boys up in school om..."

Yes! She is a brave and determined little girl :)

[Britt]

Rosa and Hans are completely different people. Rosa is harsh whereas Hans is patient and gently but he did slap Liesel in the face

[Persephone6]

I really liked Rudy and Liesel's friendship; there's a lot of sweet moments with them!

[Persephone6]

Britt wrote: "Rosa and Hans are completely different people. Rosa is harsh whereas Hans is patient and gently but he did slap Liesel in the face"

Yes...(view spoiler)[But it was a dangerous time under the Nazi regime, and Liesel had spoke in public against Hitler. You were either for Hitler or you were against him. If someone else had overheard her, who knows what punishment Liesel might have or how the party would have retaliated against the whole house. The country was at war - even against it's own people. I actually think it killed Hans to do that; he clenched his eyes shut and hesitated as if steeling himself to it. I think that was only time Hans ever raised a hand against her. (hide spoiler)]

[Britt]

especially in the film Rudy is a sweet friend towards Liesel. He is motivated and moral around Liesel

[Thereadingbell]

My favorite part of the story is Liesel's determination to learn and the depth of her story that is being told. I like how she shows up the boys.

[Persephone6]

Susanne V Bell wrote: "My favorite part of the story is Liesel's determination to learn and the depth of her story that is being told. I like how she shows up the boys."

Yes, I agree; Liesel knows how to persevere against all sorts of odds and loss.

[Britt]

so I'm currently on page 164 and I've read where Liesel read the Mayor's wife's library full of books.

[Persephone6]

I'm at page 237 right now(view spoiler)[ The Hubermanns are now hiding Max from the Nazis because he is Jewish. Just finished reading the story he gifted to Liesel, The Standover Man. Sweet, beautiful little story :) (hide spoiler)]

[Britt]

Oh that's good I haven't been reading much because of early mornings and I have been really tired

[Persephone6]

Britt wrote: "Oh that's good I haven't been reading much because of early mornings and I have been really tired"

Yes, I can understand that; stuff can get pretty busy!

[Britt]

yeah but I have watched the movie to the book thief so I know the story line, the characters etc

[Persephone6]

Yeah, sometimes when I watch the movie first, I find it hard to get into the book. Same with reading the book first. I used to read books multiple times a lot when I was younger because I loved the stories. But lately, I've been finding that harder to do because there are so many books out there I've never read and I want to read new ones :)

[Britt]

hahaha same here it's like an obsessive compulsive disorder where I see new books that I never heard of and I have the desire to read them but I have my books already on the shelves and I have to read those ones before I go and buy the new book. So far I'm liking the book thief and how Liesel and her friend Max

[Thereadingbell]

Britt wrote: "hahaha same here it's like an obsessive compulsive disorder where I see new books that I never heard of and I have the desire to read them but I have my books already on the shelves and I have to r..."

I stopped reading when I was in college other than college books for classes. I missed out on so many good books and being part of this club as well as reading this book has opened me back up to loving stories again. I am looking forward to reading the variety of books. To be honest I would probably never would have read this book if it was not part of the buddy read. I am glad I joined. This book has some personal meaning to me as well being German and my family.

[Thereadingbell]

Persephone6 wrote: "I'm at page 237 right now[spoilers removed]"

I am on 210 so close behind you.

[deleted_user]

Okay so we have Death as our narrator, but how are we supposed to know that??? It should be explained somewhere in the book well I kinda had the clue but I gotta say it was surprising to know who it is.

[deleted_user]

Part 1 and 2
I really like the narrative of the book, it's unique and interesting but sometimes it can be confusing.
(view spoiler)[I love Liesel's passion for books and her drive to learn.
She is so passionate! I love how her desire to do good is so strong that she does what is right even when it’s considered wrong/illegal at the time. (hide spoiler)]

[Persephone6]

Susanne V Bell wrote: "Britt wrote: "hahaha same here it's like an obsessive compulsive disorder where I see new books that I never heard of and I have the desire to read them but I have my books already on the shelves a..."

Yes, I have my slumps too but when I do I try to start reading again soon...The longer I wait, the harder it is to start again sometimes. I'm glad that you are reading again and go to read The Book Thief with us :)

[Britt]

So I'm currently on page 187, it talks about Max and Liesel and Rudy how they were stealing food from the farms and how the found money on the street and bought candy. And how Rudy played a trick on someone because he bought food for the Church and Rudy stole the basket with the food for the people he was stealing the food for.

[Persephone6]

Catreads wrote: "Okay so we have Death as our narrator, but how are we supposed to know that??? It should be explained somewhere in the book well I kinda had the clue but I gotta say it was surprising to know who i..."

Yes! The book never tells us in so many words that Death is the narrator but does this more in a series of clues... It's not completely clear immediately because he doesn't introduce himself as Death or anything... He really is a perfect narrator for the story though, being about loss and war. I've never read a book where Death was such a main character, though. Has anyone else read a story/book with Death having such a major part in it?

[Persephone6]

I'm at page 266 now (view spoiler)[ Liesel is now describing the sky for Max every day but her descriptions are full of the wonderment of childhood imagination when you see everything for how amazing it is. I loved it when she told Max that "the sky is blue today....and, there is a big long cloud, and it's stretched out, like a rope. At the end of it, the sun is like a yellow hole..." Max loves this and paints a picture of the two of them walking on a cloud tightrope toward "the dripping sun" looking like "you could dive right into it." I love the descriptive writing of the book; whether it is Death's narration, Max's stories, or the pictures Liesel paints... :) And, then there are the colors of the sky Death remembers for every soul. He seems to mourn their deaths a little too, if only for the people left behind, because he says he gets depressed sometimes. Who else was taken aback by this description? Maybe it's only me but I usually picture Death more like a grim reaper or dementor, but I do like the book's version. (hide spoiler)]

[Thereadingbell]

Catreads wrote: "Okay so we have Death as our narrator, but how are we supposed to know that??? It should be explained somewhere in the book well I kinda had the clue but I gotta say it was surprising to know who i..."

I did not figure out it was death as the narrator but now thinking about certain things it makes sense. The book of the gravedigger was the first clue.

[Britt]

And at the start of the book it talks about death and how he collects people and how he says that he sees people with him. Even in the movie it explains about death

[Thereadingbell]

Britt wrote: "And at the start of the book it talks about death and how he collects people and how he says that he sees people with him. Even in the movie it explains about death"

I never saw the movie. I was more fascinated by Liesel story. My mother is German she was a little girl during WWII she rode train.
The story goes that my grandmother on my mother side was German Jewish and my grandfather German anyways she died after my mothers birth. My grandfather had to find someone to take her and her brothers so he remarried and left for war. He never came back and this women raised my mom and her brothers. This story makes me feel connected to that time period the details of Hitlers birthday the book burning ect. through Liesel eyes and my aunt name is Liesel who I loved dearly before she passed a few years ago. This is not my family story but it easily could have been

[Britt]

currently on page 215 when Hans reflects on his life and how him and Max knew each other