Retro Challenge: The Book Thief

Oktoberfest Is A Sixteen-Day Festival Held Each Year In Munich, Germany During Late September (And Running To Early October). - Read A Book Written By A German Author, Set In Germany, Or A Non-Fictional Book About Germany. (*To Enhance Your Reading You May Choose To Eat Some German Food Or Drink A German Beer But It's Not Required).

Book Title/Author: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Publisher/Year Published: 2006 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Where I got it: My college library
Rating: 5/5 stars

Rarely do I give a book 5 stars. On my Goodreads shelf, I have a total of 5 out of 300 read books listed as 5 star reads. That's a whopping 1%. This book was one of those five.

I discovered The Book Thief when looking for books that fit this task. I found through various sources that it was set in WWII in Germany and follows around a little child. Nothing particularly interesting. I've read that story before, and most of them were done fairly well. What was going to set this book apart for me? What would make this just not another book about WWII?

Answer: The narrator: Death. This character grabbed me from the beginning. How often do you see Death personified? And in such a prominent role! He was entertaining, witty, well-written, and so many other adjectives that listing them all would be quite ridiculous. The point is the addition of Death as a character, the narrator, really gave this book a unique twist.

The Book Thief is a book that dragged me across the spectrum of emotion. I laughed out loud, I cried so hard I could barely see the pages. I couldn't put it down, I dare not pick it up (so I wouldn't lose the whole day reading). It was such a highly engaging book for me.

An interesting fact that you may or may not know is that it was marketed in Australia (where the author is from) as an adult book but in the US as a YA novel. It made me think of the blurred lines between YA and Adult literature. Who defines how it is marketed in which country? Does what a westerner read differ that greatly across the nations? An intriguing through for sure, but maybe for another post.

The Book Thief is an astounding read. It takes a time we know a lot about from school and various PBS specials and gives it a whole interesting twist.

Retro Challenge: The Blood of Flowers

So technically I read this book before I started doing reading challenges, but as I was looking through the Goodread's Giveaways today, I ran into a book that reminded me of how much I liked The Blood of Flowers. I thus thought, "I must review it"

Book Title/Author: The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani
Published: 2007 by Little, Brown and Company
Notes: I picked it up off the new books shelf at my local library because I liked the cover and the title drew me in.
Rating: I originally had it as 3/5 but the longevity of the feeling that has stayed with me made me bump it to a 4/5

In 17th-century Persia, a 14-year-old woman believes she will be married within the year. But when her beloved father dies, she and her mother find themselves alone and without a dowry. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to sell the brilliant turquoise rug the young woman has woven to pay for their journey to Isfahan, where they will work as servants for her uncle, a rich rug designer in the court of the legendary Shah Abbas the Great. Despite her lowly station, the young woman blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets, a rarity in a craft dominated by men. But while her talent flourishes, her prospects for a happy marriage grow dim. Forced into a secret marriage to a wealthy man, the young woman finds herself faced with a daunting decision: forsake her own dignity, or risk everything she has in an effort to create a new life.

These are some of the notes I jotted back in November 2007:

What I liked most about this book were the myth-like stories interwoven within the prose.

A well researched look into the live of a girl's journey to adulthood in the 17th century. I loved any scene when she was making a rug, her true passion which is withheld from her due to her gender.

Through many twists and turns this story kept me wanting to know more and more. A wonderful look at the evolution of this your girl to a woman.

It's funny. I reread this now and don't even remember the cute myths. What I do remember is the feeling that I got from this girls life. How I felt lucky to live in a time and place where I can make my own decisions about myself and my life.

I actually have no idea if this was well researched because I have not read much about ancient Persia, but I do know that this was an evocative tale that will stir the emotions of any woman. For better or for worse.

To tie this in to the "challenge" theme, this book takes place in ancient Iran so if you do the read around the world challenges, this is a good bet. Also Anita Amirrezvani is also Iranian.

Retro Challenge: The Mod Squad: Book A

Note: Retro challenge posts go back to a challenge completed in the past and share with you my review then with my thoughts today

In honor of our Mod Squad, read 2 books - one from Lori's (the TNBBC Mod's) shelf and one from Cynthia (the Seasonal Challenge Mod's) shelf - by an author you've never read before. The book can be on their TBR or Read shelves.

This is a two part challenge, so we will feature one of those today.

Book Title/Author:Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Publisher/Year Published: 1991 by Dell
Where I got it: The library because everyone and the mother's half-cousin's maiden aunt twice removed had read it and loved it
Rating: 2/5 stars

From June 2009:

You know I started off liking this book. I really did. Even at 200 pages in I was still enjoying it. But then something happened and it started to lose its "magic." It's been a while since I actually read it but I remember the feelings of "What?" and "I am pretty sure I could have conveyed the exact same feeling/thing in about 20 less pages" pretty well.

I think it started near the climax. It was done acceptably well. Now lets get to the wrapping up part. What there are still 200 pages? What the hell happens there?

One of the things I really hate when reading is a book that goes on and on after what is clearly the climax (my biggest problem with Kite Runner as well). I mean there were some interesting parts that happened after, but since this was already going to be a series, why not just move it over a book and end it with the reader feeling invigorated and not end already!

I feel like I am in the minority in the dislike. And going back to some notes I took while reading it, I was enjoying it. But I have this feeling that if I pick up the next books in the series, I will hate myself.

So in conclusion. It was OK. Just OK. Maybe a good. An OK and a half. Will I be picking up the next books in the series? Unlikely. I feel like there are better books in the world that I can spend my time reading.

Overall, I still feel the same way. I just don't get it. Well, I get it more than I get Twilight but that's a whole different can of worms. It has time travel, love, action, interesting characters (when they are not being ridiculous). It has a lot of things.

I realize I have a inherent vendetta against long books. If I feel it can be cut, I don't want it in there. I like plot driven by well rounded characters. At 800+ pages, this has fallen into my "too long!" box of no. I probably would have given the second a go if it wasn't for that pet peeve. I have liked long books before (eg The Brothers Karamazof, Gone With the Wind, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) but I think I judge them harsher.

How about you? What is your feeling on long books? Skip/Skim/Savor?