Book Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn't entirely sure if I was going to like this book. From the blurb I could tell that I had never read anything else like it. In fact, I doubt there is another book like it at all.
It's the story of Liesel, who is 'The Book Thief' from when she leaves her home and arrives with her foster parents Hans and Rosa, to living as a teenager through Nazi Germany and the Second World War. It sounds depressing, but despite it's sad moments, it really isn't. It's sweet and funny with a menagerie of interesting characters that she meets through this period of her life, my favourite probably being Rudy Steiner, her best friend and a Jesse Owens wannabe.
The fact that it's narrated by death also makes it interesting. He has a different take on the events in the story. It isn't related to religion in any way either which I think is better. Death isn't God, he's just the caretaker.
The Book Thief really is for book lovers, it takes you on a wondrous tale without really leaving Himmel Street.
This is a book that I will cherish for a long time and I look forward to reading it again and passing it onto others. It made me laugh and it made me cry and it's a book everybody should read.

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Book Review: How To Lose Friends And Alienate People by Toby Young

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book does not do Toby Young any favours. I'd seen the trailer of the film, but other than having a vague idea of what it was about I pretty much went in blind.
First of all, I don't think I am the target audience for this book. I'm that kind of person that Toby Young describes that is interested (not obsessed) with celebrity culture. The bits I found most interesting were the times he was trying to get into parties and the various encounters with celebrities or people of authority. The bits where he droned on about his school days and psychology were lost to me. My brain just seemed to glaze over.
Half of the time, Toby comes across as likeable, you could even sympathise with him, but for a lot of the time he does come across as a twat who gets himself in these ridiculous situations.
One part I did find interesting was the law suit with the famous couple. I would have liked to know more about that. I would have also liked to know what the people mentioned in the book think about what Toby has written.
Two stars for the silly, funny bits, but minus three for his idiocy.

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Book Review: Sky Burial by Xinran

Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story Of Tibet by Xinran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had a great deal of trouble finding an author beginning with the letter X and after reading some great reviews I settled on Sky Burial by Xinran. The story is about a Chinese woman who goes searching for her husband who joined the army and went to Tibet in the height of their conflicts. My knowledge of Chinese and Tibetan history is absolutely pants so I went into this book with no knowledge of any of it. In fact, it was the bit that I cared least about, but Shu Wen's story was magical, sad, interesting and suprising. Being introduced into this culture is fascinating and makes me want to visit Tibet and China. Wen's relationship with the Tibetan family she encounters is enlightening and is a true show of human compassion. But the most important thing in this story is Wen's relationship with her long lost husband Kejun. The lengths she goes to find him are indescribable, astonishing and are a mark of true love. The reason why I didn't give this five stars was because I struggled to understand all of the politics and the end I felt was a little disappointing and left some things open. I understand this is a true story and the author has tried to contact Shu Wen again, so maybe there will be more of her story in the future.

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Book Review: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Mum bought me this book when I was younger and probably too immature to read it, but I've finally got around to it and I wish I hadn't waited so long. Alice Walker was 'W' in my A-Z of authors which means I'm finally on the home stretch.
The Color Purple is a series of letters from Celie to God, or her sister Nettie and from Nettie to Celie as they grow up and live their lives. It's one of the most addictive books I've ever read, due to the style of the narrative each 'chapter' is a relatively short letter, and I would keep telling myself 'just one more'. Each writer has a distinctive style as well, making it easy to differentiate between Celie and her sister.
The wealth of characters Celie meets are interesting and individual. My favourite character is Sofia, Celie's step-daughter-in-law and Shug Avery, who everyone seems to be obsessed with and I understand why. All of the characters have their flaws as well as points that make them brilliant, and that's why this book works so well.
Overall, this is a fantastic, engrossing read. I only have two negative points. Celie is not as well educated as her sister, Nettie and therefore she frequently spells words as they sound which sometimes disrupts the flow of storytelling. Also, by the end of the story I was losing track of the children and who their parents were. Maybe I was just tired but I couldn't remember all of their names!

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Book review: River of Shadows by Valerio Varesi

River of Shadows by Valerio Varesi
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had great problems connecting with this book. It took me forever to read and normally I whip through murder mysteries with no problem but it wasn't the case for this one.
The pace was ridiculously slow, maybe it's the relaxed Italian culture, but it dragged along. The book couldn't hold my attention either, I would find my mind drifting off and thinking about other things only to find I hadn't taken in any of the story.
The main character, I think his name was Soneri, was generally likeable. He seemed like a nice man, although his relationship with his girlfriend got on my nerves. They seemed to spend most of their time together trying to find risqué places to sleep together, including someone's flat and the barge belonging to the missing Tonna. I know it's not real but it comes across as really unprofessional and I like my policemen to do things properly.
One thing that also got on my wick (sorry for ranting, I'm in one of those moods!) was how much they went on and on about food. I know Italians are passionate about what they eat but every time someone sat down at a dinner table I would get a detailed recipe.
Overall, this was a bit of a disappointment. At the end it was just a relief to finish and I'm not sure I completely understood who was the murderer or why. I think I'll stick to my Scandinavian reads. I always seem to enjoy them more.

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Book review: Fragile by Lisa Unger

Fragile by Lisa Unger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took me ages to find an author beginning with U for my A-Z of authors, but eventually I settled on Lisa Unger, the author of Fragile.
I have found similar themes and characters in a lot of American books, particularly those by Harlan Coben. The main characters are always childhood sweethearts and still know everyone they went to school with, which I find a bit unrealistic. I'm twenty and already I've lost contact with a lot of my school friends.
The story of the missing in both present day and in the past is interesting. As the reader I was never entirely sure what had happened, although I could guess who was involved. I found the case from the past much more interesting and didn't really care for Charlene, who seemed to be destined to find herself in that situation.
The characters we meet are interesting and flawed, which is a massive tick for Unger. They all have histories and insecurities, but it's hard to find a character that is happy with their life. Everybody seems to be depressed and wishing they were somewhere else, which makes me wonder why everyone comes back to The Hollows?
Overall, the mystery side kept me going, and the characters were interesting, but this was quite an unhappy book. There were also some characters that were a bit unnecessary, i.e. Charlie and Wanda.

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Book review: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my second attempt at reading The Hobbit and I must admit, I enjoyed it much more this time around. It is a lovely, charming story, I love the character of Bilbo and how different he is to your normal action/adventure hero. His narrative makes the story flow well. All the characters are brilliant. They are all unique and different and it's surprisingly easy to keep track of the various dwarves. I also love how Tolkien writes songs into the story, it's a nice edition and brings scenes to life. I'm sure Peter Jackson will use them to great effect in the new film.
My only criticism is that my mind wandered on occasion and I had to re-read passages. Maybe this is more of a reflection of my state of mind that the book, but I like a book to grip me from beginning to end.
Overall, a charming, classic story which I look forward to reading to my children one day.

Previous review:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

First of all, I'm going to apologise, because I know for a lot of people, The Hobbit is a beloved book. But there was something about it that I just couldn't connect to. To be honest I don't remember a lot of it, all I do remember is struggling, so I should give it another go before I review it for definate.

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