The Book Thief By Marcus Zusak

Are the more words of value to be added to the tale of Nazi atrocities? 

Yes. Oh, my. Yes.

But first a challenge:
What is a writer if they are not first a reader?


Consider if you will:
"One must be soaked in words, literally drenched in them to have the right ones form themselves into the proper pattern at the right moment." ~ Hart Crane.


Stephen King went so far as the say that a writer who has no time to read has no business writing.


I read. In the pauses of life, I read. And last year life paused about twenty times it would seem. Because that is how many books I read. I can inhale a book in less that two days. When I lay my hands on one  I have no problems devouring it. The problem for me is that reading has fallen in between the cracks of living. I pause. I read. I don't read again for quite sometime. This year, the Year of the Brand New Sky I want it to rain me some words. Soak me through. One of my goals this year is to read 50 books. Roughly 4 a month. I am reminding myself that I am first a reader, studying humbly at the foot of my craft.


Care to set your own reading goals and join me?


Now, back to the book:
Through the eyes of the narrator, Death, we me the Word Shaker and a Book Thief. Both are Liesel Memminger. Spinning around her are the many people who knew what was to plant the seed of one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity, other than salvation and grace; the gift of words.


Death is a character who notices the colour of skies as he goes about the business of collecting souls. "I like a choclate covered sky. Dark, dark Chocolate. People say it suits me. I do, however, try to enjoy every color I see- the whole spectrum. A billion or so flavours, none of them quite the same, and a sky to slowly suck on."

Drench me in these words: 
Death: "She was the book theif without the words. Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain." (The Book Thief pg.80)


Read this book if: You ask yourself what life amounts to and your answer is; "something more than what I have right now. Something bigger than who I am.


Death: "Here's a small fact. You are going to die... People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations, with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of a thousand different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spat blues....The question is, what colour will everything be at that moment when I come for you? What will the sky be saying?"


Wet with words and wonder. Pee your pants with excitement. Really, this book is that damn good:
If you can avoid the beauty of those words for just a moment and pause... I have to wonder... What will the sky be saying when my days are taken from me? What do I want the sky to say?


Rating: 9/10
9- because it was the first book I read this year. There might be a perfect ten out there. If not, I reserve the right to come back and giving this book a ten.


What about you? 
1 book down. 49 to go. Join me?