The Book Thief--General Thoughts/Without Spoilers

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

please post anything about the book without spoilers here :)

[Tami]

I would like to thank whoever nominated this book and all those that voted for it. I may not have read it if it weren't a group read. It is a wonderful book. I didn't know anything about it but the title before I started. The setting surprised me, but made sense once I got into the book. Great read guys!

[Jessica]

just starting this! can't wait.

[Kelsey]

It's one of my favorite books of all time, so I'm glad you're all enjoying it! =)

[Ashley]

I've already read the book and it is the best YA novel I've ever read.

[Tami]

I agree. It actually didn't seem to be a YA novel. More main stream or adult than most I have read.

[Kelsey]

Many customers come in looking for The Book Thief, but when they find out it's in the teen section, they get a little put off. So I have to convince people all the time that it's definitely great for an adult to read as well!

[Tami]

Can't you put it into the "Suggestions by the Staff" section. That way they won't know, until after they read it! :) Sneaky!

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

if i wouldn't have already known it was a YA book..i would have just thought it was just a mainstream adult book. it's soo good so far!

[Kelsey]

Haha yep. It's already one of my staff recommendations. The whole "staff recommendations" section is pretty much just a "Kelsey recommends", because the whole thing is full of my staff recs.

[Annette]

I am actually having a hard time getting into this book...did anyone else have a similar experience? I know I will love it eventually, but I am having trouble sticking with it.

[sara frances]

I agree, Christina. I am also finding it a bit slow right now. I think it is starting to pick up though, slowly but surely.

[sara frances]

Just as I thought, the book has officially sucked me in. It got me just a bit into Part Four.

[Annette]

Yay! That's good to hear, I will keep reading!

[Lauren]

I'm not too far into it yet. But so far it's just interesting to hear death talk.

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

for anyone who didn't get into it right away..PLEASE keep reading! i must admit..it took me like 50 pages to really start liking the book..but it was well worth it..

[Kelsey]

Yep, it starts off kind of slow, but it definitely picks up, so don't give up hope!

[Bree]

just starting this!

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

you will love it!!

[Janet]

Just starting it and I can't wait!!

[Lauren]

Can you guys hear that? I hear someone whispering... "this is one of the best books in the world!" Haha. Honestly. I've got like 1/4 of the book left and it is just wonderful. I am so interested anyways in anything that has to do with the Holocaust or Nazi Germany. I don't know why. I'm not fascinated or obsessed or anything. I think Night was the book that made me open my eyes to the real horrors of that time. I recommend The Book Theif to anyone who will listen!

[Kelsey]

I'm the same way Lauren. I've been fascinated with that whole time period since I was in middle school. I've read a TON of holocaust memoirs...

[Kelsey]

"Fascinated" might not be the right term, but I feel connected to that time period for some reason...

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

i'm the same way..i have always been so interested in this time period as well. I think that Liesel hit a big point..it was about the words...I am fascinated with how soo many people would listen to the words coming out of this man's mouth and how we think something like this is just RIDICULOUS to exterminate a people group like this..but these people hung on to every word he said. he was an incredible incredible public speakers..and a motivator. I'm just really fascinated (i'm with you kelsey..i feel like its the wrong word lol) with Hitler..i just cannot even comprehend how he pulled off something like that..and i really like hearing about it from different perspectives.

[Jen]

I'm currently reading The Book Thief (although I've been reading it for a month now...sadly school and the holidays left no time for reading). I'm really enjoying the story so far. I'm just starting Part Five.

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

Can't wait until you finish it! I'll be here to chat for sure! :)

[Amanda]

I absolutely loved this book! I stayed up until 3am to finish the book because I couldn't put it down. Plus, the book made me cry and there was no way I'm crying twice, so gotta get through it. I had work at 5am, and had very puffy red eyes, lol, but it was well worth it!!!!!

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner), The Founding Bookworm]

That is exactly what happened to me!! I stayed up until like 3 or 4 in the morning and just bawled my eyes out. I went through half a box of tissues!

[Andrew]

I may not have the tears to show for but I thought the book was outstanding as well. I especially liked that the author was creative in looking at the citizens of Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. How do you guys think this compares (if you can compare it all) to other Holocaust literature? I haven't read much, but I read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas shortly after The Book Thief. Both are directed towards young adults and I thought both were very vivid. I personally liked The Boy in the Striped Pajamas better. The story seemed more real, in my opinion, and I felt more emotion after reading it. Often times, stories seem to perfect (like some scenes in The Book Thief), and thus predictable. I understand that is a feature of a story, but sometimes it detracts from the story.

[Amanda]

I've only read a handful of Holocaust books and the author always was the survivor of terrible torture. It was a nice change to see the side of the Germans who were against it all. To see the struggle they had to deal with.

[Kelly]

This was a re-read for me. I'd forgotten a lot of things about it (I finished it the first time in December of 2008), but I loved it just as much as I remembered I did. They way Markus Zusak uses language is just so beautiful. I've recently read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and saw a lot of kinship between these two very different authors in the way they use language.