The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

I finally got around to reading this book! I know. I've fallen so far behind. It rose on my TBR list when I saw that they had cast Geoffrey Rush in the film but I thought I still had time. Then I saw that the film was due out in November and I figured I had better get my butt in gear.

As much as I love Geoffrey Rush, I'm not sure I want to see the movie. The book is fantastic and I just don't know how the movie can live up to it. Let me explain why I feel this way by describing the things I loved so much about the book. First of all, it's about a love of words and the power that words have. The story takes place in Nazi Germany during WWII and, as you would expect, there is much talk of the "Fuhrer", the dictator who gained power, not by weapons, but by talking his way there. He convinced the people of Germany that he could lead them to a better world and so they willingly followed him. This fact is not lost on the characters of the book.

The main character is a very poor little girl who loves books but has no money to buy them. Her foster father sells some of his cigarettes to buy her a couple books but, after that, she's reduced to stealing them. The first one she steals from a fire, one of the massive book burnings that took place at the time. After that she steals mostly from the personal library of the mayor's wife. Although, it turns out she's not much of a thief when it's revealed that the mayor's wife knows all about it and is happy to allow it to continue, even encourages it.

The other thing I loved about this book was the narrator. It took me until page eight to realize that the narrator was Death. I loved Zusak's take on Death almost as much as I loved the language he used. His vocabulary is excellent and the way he played with words amused me immensely.

Obviously, the writing style cannot be transmitted to the movie. Whether or not they can manage to convey the importance of words as a theme has yet to be determined, I suppose, but I have my doubts. Personally, I think a story about a book lover is best told in a book, but I might be biased in that regard.

P.S. Okay, I just saw the trailer and, yeah, it looks pretty awesome. You should all watch it and then check out this post because it's awesome! http://bookriot.com/2013/08/23/the-book-thief-trailer-rundown/

Beautiful Chaos

by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

I went for a little mini-vacation recently so I was wondering what I could read that would fulfill the vacation read requirements of a mindlessly entertaining quick read. From my experience with the first two books in this series, I knew this was just what I was looking for.

True to form, it kept me engaged and made me want to keep reading all the way up to the very end. Which proved to be a problem when my kindle died on me when I was 5% away from the end! So I've found another downside to ebooks. Don't get me wrong, I still love them (I wasted no time in ordering a replacement kindle) but I do recognize the pros and cons to my kindle as well as the pros and cons to physical books.

While I normally prefer to take time off between books in a series this one had a surprise ending that I want to see how they deal with. I may have snuck a peak at the beginning of the final book in the series when I was downloading it onto my new kindle. Fortunately, I was able to tear myself away after the first paragraph or two and resume the next book on my list. However, it may not be long before you see a review of that book pop up on this blog. Fair warning.

I got interested in this series when the movie came out (which was awesome, btw, and you should all get the DVD so that they'll make the rest of the series into movies) because I liked the idea of a family divided by good and evil. On your sixteenth birthday, you get chosen as Light or Dark. You have no say in the matter. Epic battle between Good and Evil ensues, complete with family drama.

Seems pretty cut and dried, right? I thought so, too. Until this book. This book reveals that, regardless of how a person is chosen, they can fight it. Whether or not they can have any success is another matter but the point is that no one is entirely Light or Dark, good or evil. Both Light and Dark exist in everyone, it is merely a matter of which side is more dominant. As with all good YA, this book wasn't afraid to tackle the big issues and, for that, they gained an extra measure of my respect.

Frozen Heat

by Richard Castle

It's that time of year again. There hasn't been a new "Castle" episode in what? 2 months? 3? I suddenly took a turn for the worse in my Castle withdrawal and I saw that they had already begun production on season 6 so it was time for another book by the bestselling author.

This book was every bit as exciting and engaging as the first three. My only problem is the number of near calls Heat has had. She appears to have at least one kidnapping, one attack in her home, and one deadly chase per book. Of course Castle Rook is always there afterwards, hugging her and telling her how glad he is that she's okay. I feel like there's only so many times a person can do that before you get desensitized. After awhile wouldn't it be more like, "Honey, you really have to stop doing this"? I suppose that's just a staple of the genre, though.

I am glad that the books have decided to make the murder of Heat's mother into something that's just a small part of a much bigger plan. Since getting to the bottom of the murder of Beckett's mother took several seasons, the same should be true of the books. I was also deeply pleased at who the actual murderer turned out to be. Not that I didn't feel sorry for Beckett, but it was just such a great twist!

All that being said, my favorite part of the book had to have been Detectives Malcolm and Reynolds ;)

Kushiel's Mercy

by Jacqueline Carey

I had been hankering to get back to Terre D'Ange for a few months before I finally broke down and got this book from the library. I'm so glad I did because it gave me absolutely everything I wanted. I got to see how Imriel and Sidonie make it as a couple and how they convince Ysandre and the rest of the country to let them be together and still let Sidonie keep the throne. It was another exciting adventure that took them to numerous countries and brought them into contact with a plethora of characters. Of course, character building is one of Carey's fortes so I was happy with each and every new character that was introduced to us, as well as being happy to see old friends.

I liked the fact that Imriel brings Sidonie to the night court for a demonstration so he could see what she was okay with and what would be over the line. That was an excellent way to go about it and I applaud his thoughtfulness in having that idea.

I had some reservations when Imriel was given Leander's memories and made to think he was Leander. I wasn't sure I wanted to switch narrators in the middle of a book but I actually enjoyed it, largely because Leander actually seemed very much like Imriel. I feel like Leander is the kind of person Imriel could have been if his childhood hadn't been so traumatizing.

I particularly appreciate the complexities of Imriel's relationship with his mother. I always love a good villain with some redeeming qualities and Melisande fits that bill perfectly. As much as I wanted her to get executed in the first book, I was glad when she escaped that fate in this book. It's clear that she truly loves her son and has learned to be content where she is, far away from Terre D'Ange and all those people she hurt. Besides, she's such a formidable opponent, it would almost be disappointing if they actually managed to execute her. She's reached a point, at least in my mind, where I don't believe they could do that unless they let her. On the other hand, I think she's grown as a character to the point where I believe she would do that.

Now the only question is whether or not I want to read the ensuing trilogy. I have a friend who gave them poor reviews, and having read the synopsis for the next book, I'm not sure it's something I care to read. Most of the reason I keep coming back to these books is for the characters, but if the next book doesn't have any of my favorite characters, why should I read it?

What do you think? Should I give it a chance?