The Book Thief

From Goodreads:    It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery....

Narrated by Death, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young foster girl living outside of Munich in Nazi Germany. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist – books. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever they are to be found.

With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, Liesel learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids, as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

My Thoughts:

-    There are no words to describe the beauty of this book.  It is the most beautiful book I have ever read.  No matter how many times I read it, I cry, and I fall in love all over again.

-    I completely understand Liesel's love of books and words.  I also understand how she could hate them.

-    I didn't enjoy some of the language in the book.  There were a lot of names flying around that made me squirm a little.

-    I LOVE LOVE LOVE Max's gifts to Liesel.  I love that the illustrations are included in the book.  They were really well done, and I felt like they really were from Max.

-    Oh the characters and the love I feel for each one of them.  Hans Hubermman is one of my favorite characters in all of literature!  I can't even tell you how much I love this man.  Liesel steals my heart.  I just want to dive into the book and hold her and protect her.  Rudy...I can't even say.  Rudy was wonderful.  Max was inspirational, and my heart aches for him.  Ilsa Hermann was a bit of a silent heroine.  She was so kind and forgiving.  Rosa Hubermman was hilarious and awesome.  All the characters were wonderful, and I feel so emotionally attached to each one.  Every character is so real!

-    Even though I know what is going to happen at the end, I sob!  I cant help it.  I feel like a little piece of my heart is breaking.  

-    I love that the narrator of the story is Death!  It is so fitting, and it sets the perfect mood for the book.  It is one of the elements that make the story so beautiful.

-    This story is so emotional and brilliant!  It is expertly executed and beautifully written.  It is a unique piece of art that everyone should read!!  I think The Book Thief is timeless, and people will be falling in love with it for forever!

I'm Back and I'm Home!

I'm back friends, and I've moved home!  I'm so happy!

I missed a TON of blog posts, and I'll do my best to read/skim.  Comments are not promised.

Posting will resume shortly!

Happy Thanksgiving

This is one of my favorite holidays!  I love that we can celebrate being thankful, and I love stuffing myself with great food!!

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving day and a wonderful meal!

Here is a little list of some things I'm grateful for:

My Husband

My Little Gnome

Moving Home

Our Cute House

Good Books

Blogging Buddies

Public Libraries

Being LDS

Good Friends

My Husband's Job

A Warm Bed

Technology

Family

Music

My Ability to play the Clarinet

My Band

Yummy Food

Good Recipes

My Country

Clothing

Animals

Being Me!

What are you grateful for?

Hiatus

We are moving this weekend.

Renting didn't work out for us, so we're moving back home!

I'm so excited!!!!  I miss my house.

Anyway, I'll probably be without internet for a few days, and we'll be busy, so I'm going to be absent from the blog for a little bit!

I hope you all have a fun Thanksgiving and Black Friday!!

Death Note: Finis

Goodreads Bit:    The battle ends here!


















My Thoughts:

-    I'm a little disappointed.  The ending was kinda predictable.  

-    Whoa!  Light flips out!

-    SO MUCH TALKING!!  Most of the book is just reiterating crap!  blah blah blah blah blah!

-    Who is the lady at the end?  Is it Misa?  I would have loved to see Misa's reaction to the end.

-    OMG Matsuda finally grows a pair and come through in the end!!  That was pretty awesome!

-    I still miss L.  I think it would have been more epic if the original L had taken down Kira. 

-    Why is there a Volume 13?

-    Overall, this is an ok series.  It starts out really awesome, but it plummets!  


Series Info:

Finis is the 12th volume in the Death Note series.  Click on the covers to see my thoughts on the previous volumes.

  

  

  

 

Death Note: Kindred Spirit

Goodreads Synopsis:    Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

Kindred Spirit
Light's latest machinations are putting a strain on even his formidable intellect as Near flies to Japan to beard Kira in his den. Near is sure that Light is Kira, but his sense of honor as L's heir will allow no doubts. He doesn't want to just stop the Kira murders, he wants to expose Light as the Death Note killer. Light thinks he's up to the challenge, but will the pressures of his fiancée, his new flame, and his acolyte prove to be fatal distractions?

My Thoughts:

-    The little Lego/other models of the characters that Near plays with crack me up!!  

-    Why does Near have to tell Light everything?  L did the same thing.  I don't understand the advantage of telling the enemy all your plans.

-    The Shinigami's have taken a back seat role in the last few volumes.  We don't get to see Ryuk as much.  He only makes little side comments.  I wish there was more of him.

-    I'm so excited to read the ending!!!  How is going to play out?

-    This series is ok.  It got kinda boring and dumb after L died, but it is ok.  

-    I don't like that the whole "Kira is evil and needs to be stopped" idea is the main focus, it is the pride of Light and Near.  Who is going to win?  This just became a giant competition to see who is more clever.  Have the good guys lost the real focus?

Series Info:

Kindred Spirit is Volume 11 of the Death Note series.

To see my thoughts on the previous 10 volumes, click on the cover.

  

  

  

Death Note: Deletion

From Goodreads:    Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

Deletion
With Near openly suspecting the new L of being Kira and sowing doubt in the hearts of the taskforce members, Light is once again forced to pass the Death Note on to another to take the heat off himself. But this time, Kira chooses a disciple from among his true believers. With no way to contact his successor directly, Light must rely on his faithful follower's adherence to Kira's goals. Will this newest move bring Light's ideal world closer to reality? Or will losing control of the Death Note spell Light's doom?

My Thoughts:

-    I like how Near plays with toys.  It cracks me up, especially the finger puppets.

-    Near seems like a reincarnated L.  They should have just kept L.

-    I think Light is getting in over his head.  He is such an arrogant maniac!  How is going to pull this off with everyone watching him?

-    FINALLY!!  It took the task force long enough to start putting 2 and 2 together!

-    Light has a new girl, and Misa is going to go nuts!

Series Info:

Deletion is Volume 10 in the Death Note series.  Click on the covers to see my thoughts on previous volumes. 

  

  

  

Death Note: Contact

From Goodreads:    Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

Contact
Light has always been confident in his ability to outthink everyone, but L's proteges are proving to be more of a challenge than he anticipated. The more Light mentally maneuvers, the tighter the net around him becomes. And now Near and Mello are working to break the taskforce apart and expose Kira from within! Light has always held up under pressure in the past, but will the stress of this new line of attack and the strain of maintaining three different personalities be the beginning of his end?

My Thoughts:

-    There are some tense moments in this one!

-    Light is heartless!!  He is also a good actor.  I would not be able to hold it together in some of these situations, especially with family.

-    It blew my mind for a minute that there were 3 Death Notes, but Rem had 2, so that makes sense. 

-    I still miss L.  It just isn't the same without him.

-    I think if Mello and Near worked together more, they could catch Kira in no time!

Series Info:

Contact is the 9th volume of the Death Note series.  Click on the covers of previous volumes for my thoughts on them.

  

  

 

Death Note: Target

Goodreads Bit:    Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects - and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

Target
Light - working as Kira, the newest member of the NPA intelligence bureau, and L - has nearly succeeded in creating his ideal world. But the years of uncontested victory have made him complacent, and he is unprepared for a new attack close to home. With his younger sister Sayu kidnapped and the NPA's Death Note demanded as ransom, Light must travel across the world and confront two new adversaries, each with a very different agenda. Will Light's quick wits be a match for this new challenge, or will he be forced to choose between Kira's ambitions and his own family's lives?

My Thoughts:

-    I miss L.  Things just aren't the same without him.

-    Mello looks like a girl!  I thought it was a girl for a while.  He is also pretty deranged and creepy.

-    Light is such an arrogant jerk!  Why is he using everyone like this?  Does he have no morals?

-    Misa is SO dumb!  Can't she see that Light is using her?

-    I'd like to get to know Near better.  He doesn't seem as good as L.  It is funny how is always playing with something.  

-    The series has gotten a little boring to me.

Series Info:

Target is Volume 8 in the Death Note series.  You can check out my thoughts on the previous volumes by clicking on the covers.