Please excuse the language but, seriously, today was so freakin’ hot. I stayed inside all day in the comfort of good aircon. Probably the only good thing was that it was a good chance to get some reading done.
I’ve been reading “The Book Thief” (Markus Zusak) for a while, and I finally finished it today. I think that it’s taken a while mostly because I’ve been reading other books at the same time, but also because it’s the sort of book I wanted to read slowly and savour. It was one of those stories that I really wanted to find out the ending of, but also didn’t want to end.
Following from that, you can probably tell that I really enjoyed it. I really liked the writing style used. Yes, I like all sorts of writing styles but there was something about the way “The Book Thief” was written that just really drew me in. It’ll be interesting to see what the movie is like because the novel isn’t just a story that someone tells and that’s it. The way that it was narrated was what I found to be really captivating.
Despite my interest in modern history during high school, I don’t think I’ve read many novels about World War II. I’ll read practically any genre, but war stories aren’t really my thing. “The Book Thief”, however, isn’t really a war story, as such. Well, it’s focus is on the people left at home, not on the frontline. I suppose you could say it’s a novel about humans and the human experience, since it’s narrated by Death, who provides observations, commentary and insights.
It’s been a good year of reading for me, even though I haven’t really read that many books. “The Book Thief” is definitely one of my favourites from this year, alongside “Catch 22” (coincidentally another WWII novel) and “Life of Pi”. They’re the books I wish I could get everyone to read. “Life of Pi” was actually borrowed from a friend, and I did end up buying a copy of “Catch 22” and lending that to another friend, so at least I know I’m helping those two get circulated.
There’s a certain joy that can be derived from sharing good books with others, and I reckon that the discovery of this happiness probably qualifies as one of my highlights of 2013. (I’m still undecided about whether or not I can be bothered doing a 2013 recap/highlight post. We shall see…)
pistachio conspiracy #63 