The Book Thief

This past weekend I finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  It is one of the BEST books I've read in years.  It's set in Germany during World War II and follows a German girl (Liesel) whose foster family hides a Jewish man in their basement.  Liesel can barely read at all when she first joins the family, but her foster father teaches her and she comes to love it.  The Book Thief is written in ten sections around ten of the books that impact Liesel's story, and it is narrated by Death.  The characters in this book are endearing and complex, and Zusak's writing style is powerful and even humorous, despite the subject matter.  I would highly, highly recommend it if you haven't read it yet.  I haven't seen the movie, but I can't imagine that it could possibly do this book justice.

2016 Book Count: 5