this is the last of the "summer" reads. that is not to say that there won't be more book reviews up on the blog this fall. indeed, i am hoping to finish another whilst sitting huddled by the campfire this weekend. i am still quite bitten by the bookworm and am working this week to re-grow my stack of "to read" books. any suggestions?
and now, i have saved the best for last. "the book thief" is moving into my top ten list. it is a literary masterpiece and a story that will stay with me always. set during the holocaust, its premise is "death" writing a dissertation on humanity. death here is not the "angel of death" nor the "grim reaper." this death is more just your "average joe," but whose job is taking souls on from this life to whatever is next. he appears human, but isn't quite. his observations on humanity are piercing to say the least. a friend who'd read it recently told me the ending would make me cry. as i approached the end, i didn't really understand how it could as the author tells us the ending twice before we get there. that seemed a bit anticlimatic, but then i got to the last page and was hit with gut-wrenching sobs. i had to go outside, so my son wouldn't think something was tragically wrong. it is just that death has nailed us with pinpoint accuracy.
This one has been on my to-be-read pile for ages, I must make time to get around to it. Thanks for the Kleenex-needed warning about the end.
ReplyDeleteYES! This is one of my favourites too. It's one that stays with you long after you've put it down. The movie looks well done too and I look forward to seeing it. I think you might enjoy The Shadow of the Wind, but it is not a quick read. And I can highly recommend The Night Circus. It's a little bit dark but magical all the same.
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