2014 Hub Reading Challenge discussion

Did you read it? Did you like it? (This post may spoil it a little if you haven't read it yet!) Personally, I was a big fan of Zusak's The Book Thief, so I decided to give this book a try. I was surprised at how incredibly different the two styles of writing, dialogue, characterization, plot, etc. were for both novels! What a talent! The opening scene of the bank robbery was too funny...and there was little to nothing funny in all 570+ pages of The Book Thief.

Overall, I liked the book and thought it was a fun read. It was a little sappy toward the end, and it had a bad case of the "Deus Ex Machina"! The clues were so cryptic, but Ed conveniently figured out what he was meant to do--and some of his tasks were way too simple. By the end, I thought "this is not even plausible at ALL!" But did I keep reading? Or course, I did. Markus Zusak had me in a trance. But, honestly, if there had been fewer (four? eight?) well-developed and focused missions that all tied together, I would have been happier. It seemed like Zusak was too committed to the playing card idea, even if he didn't have enough good content for all 12 (+1) missions.

I hope y'all loved the Doorman as much as I did! The way Ed projects a personality on him was actually adorable--I wish my dog drank coffee with me and lazily watched me solve odd missions that are meant to help me soul-search and find my meaning in life.

I was excited about this one, too, since I loved Book Thief so much, and I agree that this one is very, very different from Zusak's historical fiction.

To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about this book. It wasn't what I expected. But I'm not sure what I did expect. The story hooked me and held me. But I am not yet able to fully articulate my reaction. It's a positive reaction. I'm just not quite sure how to describe it. I am now wondering how/why I avoided Zusak for so long.

And yes, I loved the Doorman!

I reread this one for the challenge this year and enjoyed it even more than I did on the first read. It's one of those books that is very much influenced by the reader's personal experiences. I suppose every book is part of that conversation between author and reader, but some are more straightforward than others. I love the way these characters pulled me into their lives and got me thinking about my own.

Debbie wrote: "I reread this one for the challenge this year and enjoyed it even more than I did on the first read. It's one of those books that is very much influenced by the reader's personal experiences. I sup..." Debbie, I totally agree with you! I re-read this book and was still in love with Ed's story, the Doorman, Audrey---such a great character driven novel.

I did love it! I loved how the character became all I would have wanted him to become. I loved the mystery and the sappiness. Great book!

I just finished this yesterday. I thought it was absolutely fabulous. Zusak's words are like poetry. It was a very different type of story, but it worked perfectly. Message delivered.

I listened to this on audiobook a few years ago and absolutely loved it. The reader is so great. Ed and the Doorman are definitely memorable characters. I still think of the Doorman having his morning coffee. Having read The Book Thief as well, I appreciate the fact that Markus Zusak has a lot of range as a writer.

This was beautiful. He has such an ear for dialogue. A perfect balance of humor and sensitivity. I read the Book Thief twice, and felt the same way. This one had more swagger and the tone matches up with the Wolfe brothers series. However, I see a bit of Rudy from the Book Thief in Ed.

after reading the book thief and this book, I immediately got all the books by zusak in the library system