The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

As I mentioned before, I’ve added so many books to my list of books to someday read that I can’t remember where I heard about them or really even what I thought they might be about. It must have been the title of The Book Thief, though, because once my copy was available at the library, I disappointedly saw that it was something about Nazi Germany. Immediately I assumed it would be mainly about grownups either following Hitler or being subversive and it would be a lot of non-fiction learning tossed in with the story (which would also be boring).

Isn’t it nice to be wrong? Now I’m not sure why I ever assumed those things, or even figured a book about Nazi Germany could be uninteresting. The Book Thief is about a little girl named Liesel who is sent to live with foster parents when she’s nine. The story is narrated by Death.

I guess I usually stay away from darker subjects, or ones that I know will be somewhat depressing. But this book was amazing – despite the heartache involved, it was great to really get to know one family and what each of them went through and thought about living in a time and place where they were expected to follow the Nazi Party.

The writing is beautiful, although very different from anything I’ve read before. I had a nice long cry for the last few chapters, and when I had finished the book, I decided it will go on my list of favorites. Absolutely.

So I’m going to recommend it to anyone, everyone.

The Grand Tour

by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer

I once had a dream of co-authoring a book, taking turns moving the plot forward. It never really worked out, but Wrede and Stevermer actually managed to write two such books. They were clever about it: each author was a main character, and in the first book, they wrote letters to each other (therefore each character had a distinct voice); in this, each kept a journal of sorts. It’s been quite a while since I read Sorcery & Cecelia, but I remember it being enjoyable — one of many enjoyable books in a short time period — and I was excited to try The Grand Tour on for size.

The story really captured my attention. Unfortunately, the characters did not, and I think that ought to have been the book’s strong point. I will say, however, that I appreciate the authors’ avoidance of overly girly-girls. Both main characters are strong-willed, determined, and convincingly feminine enough to still be likable. There was just the one small problem in that I didn’t really care whether I liked them or not. They were kind of just there so I could hear the story.

If you read, and liked, Sorcery & Cecelia, do try The Grand Tour. Just remember that it is a sequel (of sorts), and may not meet the expectations you have of Wrede and Stevermer.