From the Bookshelf of Nothing But Reading Challenges

The Book Thief
by
Start date
December 1, 2010
Finish date
December 31, 2010
Why we're reading this
We voted and this one won the poll for the Historical fiction category.

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What Members Thought

Gaijinmama
May 04, 2010 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: fiction
You are going to die.
That's the first thing Marcus Zusak, with Death as his narrator, tells us in this beautiful, devastating story. Inevitably, any story of Nazi Germany is going to be dark. This story is no exception, but Zusak reminds us that there were also kids joking, swearing, and playing soccer; and good, average, everyday people who decided to do the right thing even as evil consumed their world.
I suppose what I liked best was the fact that ultimately, this is the story of a little girl
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Trisha
Jan 22, 2011 rated it liked it
I thought this was a good story, but it started very very slowly. And I thought Death's input a very tiring distraction. I felt like Death sighed with each comment he made and it kind of made me feel tired of the story, just like he was....

I almost stopped reading the book ~ the foreshadowing was ridiculous! It mentioned what was coming so many times, that by the time the event happened, I wanted to double check my book mark ~ was I rereading this part again? Oh, no, I've only heard about it 40
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Angela Cheney
Oct 15, 2009 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: ebook, nook
The Book Thief, a book deserving a 5 star rating, if ever there was one, is now my favorite book of 2010.

The book is narrated by Death, and although this sounds grim,"Death" transports the souls of the newly dead with a great deal of compassion and sensitivity, although it is unclear whether the dead are aware of this care.

"The Book Thief" is set in Nazi Germany, and is witness to the life of a girl who steals books. You'll fall in love with the characters, will feel joy in temporarily "knowing
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Rebekah
Library loan. Kindle lending - enabled, can request to borrow at http://www.booklending.com

This is a wonderful book. I'm not sure exactly what makes it a YA or children's novel instead of just great literature. The characterization is amazing, the story heartbreaking. This is a tearjerker. I must warn you, there are only one or two books in my life that have ever made me cry, and I was sobbing for several pages of this one.

The pacing of the story is good but detailed and the poetic prose slowed
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Kelly
Feb 07, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: library
This book had been on my to-read list for quite some time because I was intrigued by the title. I didn't know anything about it, I just liked the title.

I was intrigued by Death as narrator. It caused me to think about Death from a different perspective and I found some of the thoughts and ideas of Death very interesting and counter to popular lore.

While I did take some time to actually get into this book, I did find the characters fascinating and multi-faceted. Liesel is endearing and you want t
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Trish
Jan 04, 2012 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: audible, favorites
Listened to this one -- incredible reader!
Heather
Feb 21, 2010 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: fiction, young-adult
cindyoffermans
Dec 27, 2022 rated it really liked it
Shelves: wishlist
Shanda Morency
Sep 27, 2010 rated it really liked it
Jenn
Oct 19, 2010 marked it as to-read
Lauren
Apr 26, 2011 rated it it was amazing
Laura
Jul 22, 2011 marked it as to-read
Shelves: cbre
Jules
Feb 19, 2012 rated it really liked it
Kayla
Feb 19, 2012 rated it it was amazing
Shelves: box-8
Claire
Jun 28, 2012 marked it as to-read
Kim DeCina
Jan 31, 2013 marked it as to-read
Gina
Jun 16, 2013 marked it as to-read
Neila
Jul 24, 2013 marked it as to-read
Sarah
Sep 08, 2013 marked it as to-read
Shelley
Oct 24, 2013 rated it really liked it
Lisa Mena
Jan 03, 2014 marked it as to-read
K Crickmore
Aug 05, 2014 rated it it was amazing