*~Can't Stop Reading~* discussion

Hi I have just finished this. Has anyone else got an opinion on this book or is it too soon?

I listened to it on audio a few months ago and was captivated. What a beautiful story of love and friendship and of such strength in a terrible time. I absolutely loved it.

Yes I quite enjoyed it too. Very well written and funny at times but also touching.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through, and I do not want it to end. Having a self-deprecating death narrate is simply brilliant. I am just so happy that Liesl has a family that loves her, and have mixed emotions about finding out what happens with Max and the family, and Rudy, who we already know is not long for this world. What an amazing choice for this month's read - thank you to whoever nominated it:)

This is a great pick for July. I'm flying through it and can't seem to pry it from my own hands.

I'm within the first hundred pages and I'm loving it so far.

"Loving it"... "Simply brilliant"... "great pick"...

Gee-whiz! I clearly picked the wrong book to start with. I'm still slogging through Catch 22! LOL!

This is one of my all time favorite books! I think I read it the first time cover to cover in a day. I am really glad everyone is enjoying it, and I always love a reason to read my favorite books again!

I'm trying (more like struggling) to get into Catch 22...maybe I'll switch over to this instead.

I have had this book since Christmas. I guess this would be a great reason to start reading it!

Maina wrote: "I'm trying (more like struggling) to get into Catch 22...maybe I'll switch over to this instead."

Yeah, me too. But, I'm just too close to the end to justify stopping... I've only got about 150 pages to go. It WILL happen...

Well, I'm finished, much to my chagrin. It was one of those books that I loved so much that I immediately wanted to pick it up and start at the beginning again. I loved each and every character we got to know. Can't wait for more people to get done so we can discuss more in depth.

I read this book earlier in the year and it was instantly a favorite that I would recommend to anyone. It's witty at time, and an absolute tear jerker at other times. Just fantastic.

This took me a bit longer to finish than I initially anticipated. I'll attribute this to the fact that I didn't want to finish. Zusak's style was so engaging and there were nights I stayed up way too late reading. While it was a sad story, it didn't bring me to tears. The only books that brought me close to crying were written by Khaled Hosseini. What a great selection.

I loved this book...I hope to do a book club reading with a group of students this fall at the HS where I teach.

Read this in December and still remember it as if I read it yesterday. Loved it!

I really loved this novel, especially the very unique POV! The only thing that I did not like were the frequent interruptions with the random lists. I felt like it messed up the flow of the story and were not necessary. Other than that, I thought that the story was fantastic!

I raced through this in a day - I just couldn't put it down - it definitley has the "wow factor" for me. I have to say that, as a fan of Terry Pratchett, I suppose I had expected Death to be more of a detached narrator, but loved this interpretation. I admit to crying at the end, and it is a VERY long time since a book managed to make me cry!

One question. Did anyone else assume that it was Max she married? By the way, this isn't just an "Oh, they SO should get together" daft romantic thing, I promise - I thought about this passage:

"In her final visions, she saw her three children, her grandchildren, her husband, and the long list of lives that merged with hers. Among them, lit like lanterns, were Hans and Rosa Hubermann, her brother, and the boy whose hair remained the colour of lemons forever."

I went back and double checked that after I finished the book and thought that surely Max was sufficiently important to her to also have been "lit like [a] lantern" and so he should have made the list. Since her husband has already been mentioned, I wondered if anyone else thought that that must indicate that Max was that husband?

I just joined the group mid through July and not sure if I should wait until August to start the next one or try to read the book.

@Carey - The next book in August is Uglies just so you know.

Carey wrote: "I just joined the group mid through July and not sure if I should wait until August to start the next one or try to read the book."

Carey give this one a go it is a superb book - shame to miss it.

Very good book. Took me a while to read it though. For some reason I didn't like the narrator (death) and I can't understand why a lot of people liked him (it?!). He creeped me out.

The major reason I liked the death narration is that it is such a unique idea; also, he? came across as very empathetic - almost regretful about the "job" that had to be done.

Elise wrote: "One question. Did anyone else assume that it was Max she married? By the way, this isn't just an "Oh, they SO should get together" daft romantic thing..."

I thought the idea of Liesel and Max married is quite cute, but when I read the book (which I btw love) I found their relationship more of a brother-sister thing. There is no "tension" that implies love on another level, there is more of a calm agreement of sympathy and understanding, and the importance of mutual trust.
And yet, didn't you get to know what happened to Max, indicating they never met againg? (Sorry if I'm wrong, it was a couple of months since I read it)

Also, I thought the death narrator was brilliant. Instead of "many people died", you were told that "the sky was red" and so on. And yes, death as empathetic! I really felt bad for "him", HAVING to do a job like that, completely alone, haha...

Another interesting this was when reading this at the same time as reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" - and surprisingly finding a whole bunch of similarities. Have anyone else thought about that?

Kurre wrote: "Elise wrote: "One question. Did anyone else assume that it was Max she married? By the way, this isn't just an "Oh, they SO should get together" daft romantic thing..."

I thought the idea of Liese..."

As far as what happened with Max and Liesel, it's hardly a pivotal point in the book, and I would have agreed that I saw it as far more of a brother-sister relationship too. However, no, there is nothing to say that they never see each other again - when he seeks her out at the end of the war, the last line of the part of the epilogue about Max is "They hugged and cried and fell to the floor" - no indication about what happened after. It was only that he was so important to her, like the closest of big brothers that made me question why he wasn't in the "roll call" of those who were "lit like lanterns" in her life - I was really struck that Max wasn't named, which set me wondering.

However, I think the whole point of the ending is that you do get to decide what happened to Liesel, and how/why she ended up emigrating, who with, what she did with her life etc. Death doesn't enlighten us for a good reason.

What similarities did you see with To Kill a Mockingbird? It's a book I also love, but it's a very long time since I read it, so none immediately jump out at me, apart from the obvious anti-discrimination messages.

@Elise - Oh, my. Sorry, I evidently did not remember the ending as well as I thought...
When reading your first comment again, the quoted part about all the people in her life, I agree that surely Max would have to be there?! BUT, if he was the husband, why is he then mentioned last of the "adult family" persons and not with the "lanterns"?
If Markus Zusak meant to hint that Max is the husband, it is a very, very subtle hint... Oh, what a mystery!!


Elise wrote: "What similarities did you see with To Kill a Mockingbird? It's a book I also love, but it's a very long time since I read it, so none immediately jump out at me, apart from the obvious anti-discrimination messages."

For example:
Although The Book Thief and To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in different countries (Mockingbird: the southern US, Book Thief: Germany) they both are in small towns out in the country, and the time differs only ten years from each other, Mockingbird during the Great Depression in the early '30s and Book Thief during WW2 ten years later. Both books have the themes of growing up, life in a small town and discrimination of people in their society. In Mockingbird, the discriminated are the black people, still seen as filthy and less valued than the white people. In Book Thief, the victims are all of those disdained by the Nazis, in this case a Jew.

In both stories the main character is a young girl, who's best friend is a boy around her age (in Mockingbird this boy also happens to be the brother), and neither of them have that much money.

Another recurrent character is the calm, determined and sensible father, in both stories doing all he can to protect a victim in their society. In Mockingbird, the father Atticus tries to protect a black man accused of something he has not done and in Book Thief the (adoptive) father Hans tries to hide a young Jewish man named Max from the Nazis, while obliged to apply to the Nazi Party himself. Therefore, they both put themselves into a huge risk in order to help someone else.

As I was reading this, I thought that liesel reminded me a lot of scout from mockingbird (she was one of the boys, had an extremely close relationship to her father, saw everyone as equals despite the thoughts of the culture at that time).

I loved this book. I have never cried reading a book until now. The narrator reveals bits and pieces of the ending early on in the book, but once you read the end, it's like a complete surprise. I liked death as the narrator, he felt bad that he had to do this job, but he got to truly see people's souls.

This is going on my list as a favorite, right next to mockingbird.

Carey wrote: "I just joined the group mid through July and not sure if I should wait until August to start the next one or try to read the book."

Bev wrote: "Carey wrote: "I just joined the group mid through July and not sure if I should wait until August to start the next one or try to read the book."

Carey, it's a really good book, but it's super long.....but I say give it a shot! If it's your thing, maybe read July and August's books??

Carey give this one a go it is a superb book - sha..."

Hiya! Been MIA for a bit, but lurking and following via what contact I receive by email. Twins and kids keeping me busy! I saw this pop up on the reading list though, and since it's still on my shelf from when I borrowed it back in March (oops!) I figured I'd read it as I could.

I'm only still now just about halfway through. I find the book interesting, intriguing, but honestly it's not one of those "can't put it down" reads. I'm definitely interested and want to get back to the story and finish it, but it doesn't have that addictive pull for me.

Maybe, for me, it's the fact that it IS death narrating. While that's certainly a creative and unique tool by the author, I find it a little macabre for my taste. Not enough to thoroughly not enjoy the book, but enough to leave a foul aftertaste. I just feel like the whole thing is a bit "tainted" if you'll understand what I mean. I AM enjoying the story though!

I also am a little... underwhelmed I suppose is the word, at the literary approach. I just find it very immature to stop in the middle of a narration with a "headline" topic, pulling it out of the story itself. Feels like stand-up comedy to me. I would much rather go through the development of the plot points; it just helps me "feel" the characters, and really get more into the story. I guess that's the lack of "can't put it down" for me, right there. I have hard time relating to the story because I don't feel like the plot lines are completely hashed out.


I dunno, sorry to be the downer on this, but I'm just less impressed with this book than I expected to be. I was pleasantly surprised at the setting and singular plot line though; Nazi Germany isn't exactly something I'd have picked as an interest for a novel read, but I'm enjoying learning and hearing about little Liesl around and amongst all else going on and knowing how blissfully ignorant she seems to be about it all. What a time to live! And what a time to die....

One of my all time favourite books, a joy to revisit over and over again!

Dalynn, I did find the "headline" and listing style a little off putting at times, but once I got used to them and realized they actually contributed to the story I began to look forward to them. Please don't feel the need to apologize if you are not as taken with the book as some of us are - to each his own, yadda yadda yadda. Books are SO personal, and what strikes a chord with one person might not with others. That's why there are so many delicious choices (and way too little time!) :o)

I'm about to start this for a college assignment! I'm so excited to start a new journey!

I read this book about a year and a half ago. I loved it! Couldn't put it down. It is one I always recommend when people ask me about books. I just loaned my copy to my mom about a week ago! :) GREAT READ!!

I thought having Death as the narrator a wonderful idea. I liked the book, but not enough for me to recommend it to anyone in my usual lending circle.