The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

“I’m always finding humans at their best and worst.  I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both.”  p. 491

The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
copyright: 2005
publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of  Random House
format: paperback
pages: 550
source: own

GoodReads Description: 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. . . .
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 discovers 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.

First Sentence:
First the colors.

My Thoughts:  Excellent! Excellent! ¹ Beyond Excellent! Just as the description states; “It’s just a small story really”  Yes, I agree.  A small story, really, but oh so much more than that.

It is not simply about WWII – there are so many layers; the emotions and thoughts provoked are still with me even several days from finishing the book.  While the story rolls along in a calm and subtle pace, I realized, there was nothing subtle about The Book Thief.  The layers extend into a depth which is found on each page throughout the story; abandonment, poverty, compassion, sacrifice, honor, determination, right/wrong, war, genocide, death, and power of words. Indeed, The Book Thief was deep reaching and soul penetrating.

This is story was uniquely narrated by Death;  he was able to approach this story with respect that it deserved. He gave meaning to the grim realities of those who lived during the era of Nazi Germany.  He used color to give description and connection to experiences² which helped to evoke emotions; impact was made.  He also showed readers perspective of the time through the life of Liesel and those who surrounded her. His draw to Liesel enabled me , the reader, to connect to this time-period in a way that I have not done before. The voice of Death was a unique approach; the mood, pace, and flow of the story was set, maintained and brilliantly done.  Death worked well for me.

Liesel’s story was intimately told as she and her family gave witness to the trials of the time; they did not fall in line with the propaganda. I was drawn to Liesel, and breathed her emotions.  She gave the story its character; grit, grim, struggle, determination, compassion, resilience.  She was the center and foundation for the rest of the story to be told; for others to be known. From her, we met the rest of the characters - Hans, Rosa, Rudy, Max, and the mayor’s wife along with several more.  Hans was my favorite with Rudy right behind him. I have a soft spot for Max, and grew to love Rosa while a feeling of pity was felt for the mayor’s wife which makes the ending all that more emotional.  Hans warmed my heart with his good nature, and ability to love and show compassion to others. An amazing man, he is.  Rudy is a best friend, through and through.  I was touched by all the lives within these pages. I felt tremendous emotion on various levels.

Like I have stated, The Book Thief is deeply layered with much to take away. For me, the power of words is deeply felt throughout the entire book. Words read.  Words spoken.  Words thought. Words are powerful.

Bottom Line: An excellent story this is. The writing is cleverly fantastic, and the storytelling is unique.  This is one of the best Nazi Germany era stories that I have read.  Frankly, this is one of the best stories that I have ever read....period.

The Cover:  Not so impressed, on first inspection. Upon completion of the story, the cover makes full sense, and I like it well.

The Title: I will admit, I did not give the title much thought, and felt it rather dull.  Upon completion of the story, I now find it to be very powerful.

I Read This Book Because:  Suey @ It’s All About Books, my blogging friend, raves about Markus Zusak. She has raved to me about The Book Thief.  She has wanted me to read this book for a long time now, and I promised her that I would read it. Now, I am wonder why it took me so long to get to it?  Goodness, I lost out for months.

I Admit:  I had no idea what this book was about. I thought it would be thriller/ mystery sort about an actual for profit book thief. For the life of me, I could not figure out how a story could be written around a book thief, and what type of books would this thief steal. How could this create a brilliant book to be raved about?  Ummm....yeah, I was way off base in my thinking. I was sooo not close. I laugh at myself.  This is what can happen since I do not read the book summaries. I choose books based on recommendations and blog posts, and once chosen, I very rarely read the book’s summary again - if I did at all.

Book Worthy Song: Major Minus by Coldplay. When I first heard this song, I thought, this song goes well with The Book Thief. Then, I read a bit about Major Minus and knew it fits well.

Note Worthy Quotes:

“He was a rich man who was tired of letting life pass him by - what he referred to as the shrugging of the shoulders to the problems and pleasures of a person’s time on earth.”

“I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.” 

“Usually we walk around constantly believing ourselves. "I'm okay" we say. "I'm alright". But sometimes the truth arrives on you and you can't get it off. That's when you realize that sometimes it isn't even an answer--it's a question. Even now, I wonder how much of my life is convinced.”

“A small fact:
You are going to die....does this worry you?”

“People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spot blues. Murky darkness. In my line of work, I make it a point to notice them.”

“The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them, there wouldn’t be any of this. Without words, the Führer was nothing. There would be no limping prisoners, no need for consolation or wordly tricks to make us feel better. What good were the words?”

Footnotes:
1.  The problem with reading an excellent book is choosing the book to read next.  The chances of the next book falling far from good is very high. Seeing how The Book Thief is a YA book, I needed to be careful if choosing another YA book. I chose not to go with a YA book since they can be iffy in depth.  Another book set in WWII era?  Nope. That would be tough as well for not comparing.  I pondered which book should be read next for almost two days before I decided to go with an Urban Fantasy book that has been raved about.

2.  When Death first starting using color, I was reminded of a post by Carl @ Stainless Steel Droppings  -  Color Me Curious.   Many colors are admired, and appreciated not solely on the color itself, but due to its connection with a moment, an item, an activity.  Color is powerful.

Song of the Week: Major Minus and Princess of China

Oh yeah!  This week, Coldplay released their 5th album - Mylo Xyloto.  Psyched I was, and so very incredibly pleased to obtain the album.  I have been listening to it all week - about a dozen times already.  This album grew on me and grew on me quickly. For many of the songs, I can hear the influence of Viva la Vida but I can also hear old Coldplay - Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head, X&Y.  I really like this album well. I like it so much that I cannot tell you one song of dislike.  Yes, true, I am ranking the songs in preferred preference, but not one song do I think...”ugh, I don’t want to hear that one”. 

I am liking Mylo Xyloto so much that I am thinking it may rank as one my favorite Coldplay albums. Time will tell.

Choosing the song of the week was a bit difficult so I chose two.  For both of these songs, I pretty much already know the words.  That should indicate to you that I like them a whole lot.

Major Minus
This song fits great with several books that I have read. I get this one.  Then, I discovered through reading WikiColdplay, that the song was “inspired by New York graffiti and the White Rose Movement - a group of German children in World War II who printed anti-Nazi flyers - and he (Chris Martin)  admires people who speak out and express themselves in negative environments”

Princess of China featuring Rihanna.  
I really do love Rihanna’s voice but at first was a bit disappointed with how much she is featured in this song.  Then, I decided that I loved that aspect.  Still though, I think this song would work well on its own - without Rihanna. Coldplay disagrees, It was then dropped from the setlist because, according to the Oracle: "It simply didn't sound the same without Rihanna. It was written with her in mind." taken from Wikicoldplay  It is their song so who am I to tell them what to do?  I will enjoy it via my mp3 player.

Side Note:

~ ~  When I am reading books, I do not need to know how things fit. I figure, as the story goes along, the author will provide the information I need for understanding. Most times, that does happen.  With music, for whatever reason, when I like a song, I need to KNOW what the lyrics mean before I commit fully to the liking.  I mean, what happens if the lyrics have some raunchy meaning or some entirely different meaning than I thought.... gasp...AND I liked it??? Not good. So yep, I need to know lyric meanings - have an understanding.  For several songs in the Mylo Xyloto album, I was trying to figure out the lyrical meanings.  What do they mean by “hurts like heaven”?  Huh?  Heaven hurts?  I don’t get it...heaven does not hurt or least it does not from what I envision.   There are a few other examples. But guess what?  I decided... I don’t care if I do not completely understand what the songwriter was intending. I do not care. I like the music, I like the words, I like MY meaning so I am going with it.  Anyone else have this issue or am I alone on this one?

~~ While I am loving this album, I am not loving the title that much.  What is up with Mylo Xyloto?  Can you pronounce it? I am having a difficult time.  By the way, according to Coldplay’s website, the title is pronounced My-lo Zy-letoe

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

Rosemary and Rue
by Seanan McGuire
copyright: 2009
publisher: DAW Books
format: e-book
pages: 284
source: own

Goodreads Description: October "Toby" Daye, a changeling who is half human and half fae, has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the Faerie world, retreating to a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world has other ideas...
The murder of Countess Evening Winterrose pulls Toby back into the fae world. Unable to resist Evening's dying curse, which binds her to investigate, Toby must resume her former position as knight errant and renew old alliances. As she steps back into fae society, dealing with a cast of characters not entirely good or evil, she realizes that more than her own life will be forfeited if she cannot find Evening's killer.

First Sentence:
The phone was ringing.

My Thoughts:   Rosemary & Rue is a good story; entertaining, and unique.  But, it is not memorable. I was expecting far more than what this urban fantasy delivered. The reason for my expectations?  I have heard nothing but very great things about this story. I guess, I expected to be blown away, and blown away I was not.  Even so, it is a good urban fantasy story. I am glad that I read it as it fit into a good book reading slot - right after one of the best books read in 2011 and before a young adult book of great favor.  So, being that this book was the filler read in a sandwich -  it was most definitely a good story, indeed.

What I liked - a unique take on the urban fantasy flavor; faeries had an order, a society. I liked how the society was organized and ruled. That was done fabulously.  The characters of October, Tybalt, and Sebastian added great twists to the story. Of course, October is our protagonist and she was pretty interesting; half- human, half-faerie.  I liked her well enough - did not love her - but she was intriguing enough that I was certainly hooked in.  The tone of the story was another factor for why I devoured this book in a matter of two days.  The tone reminded me greatly of  Mackayla Lane from the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. I think it was October’s matter of fact determination to solve a mystery, and the gritty way it was delivered as to why the thoughts of MacKayla came to mind because the two protagonist are different as well as their storylines.   Beyond October’s tone, the pace of the story kept things moving, and I kept wondering who killed Evening. I would start to formulate an idea only to find myself wondering about another unique character of the faerie society.  Although, I must admit, towards the ending, I had a pretty good grasp on the culprit, but even so, the ending was quite good. This was a “hook you in and keep you” storyline that flowed well, made sense, and kept me curious.  I wanted to know the ending. 

What I did not like -  While I liked October’s tone, her narration did not give me any “character love”.  I felt fairly detached throughout the entire book.  I was not ever really worried about her. She had beyond amazing luck which helped save her from death a few times; a little too convenient for me. I did not fully feel her angst, worries, fears, love or joys.  I need to feel some sense of attachment to a character; feel  involved in their life, know them, understand. I am a character centric reader so this is important factor for me, and it did not fully happen with Rosemary and Rue.  I liked October well enough, but I did not have any “character love” for her, nor much connection with the secondary characters.  For this reason, the book fell slightly flat.  I say slightly because the story itself was intriguing enough to help make up some of this lack of full “character love”.  Besides, the characters were entertaining.

On the Fence I am. I am not certain if I will go forward with the other stories in the October Daye series.  While I was not blown away by this book, I did think it was good, and it was quick paced. I am wondering if the next books will lead to some character development that will allow me to not feel as if I am looking in on the story from above. I am wondering if the next books will allow me to have some “character love”.  On the other hand, the story was entertaining enough that I think I could certainly read more about October and her world as she finds herself sleuthing out another mystery. 

The Bottom Line:  Rosemary and Rue does not rock the world like Mackayla of the Fever series, BUT it is a  good story that fit the bill for a quick paced, entertaining, interesting, and unique urban fantasy.  Excellent as a filler book; between two books that take some reading commitment, and thought. 

Cool Aspect:  There is a Pronunciation Guide. I liked it, and referred to it a few times, but not while in the middle of reading.

The Prologue:  I was hooked in with the prologue.

The Cover: “meh”. It does not do too much for me. Actually, it sort of fades into the urban fantasy covers of the day - nothing special. 

The Title:  Usually, by end of the story, I get the title. I do not really get this title. Yes, it was mentioned briefly in the story so I have an idea. I just do not get how it really fits.

Sunday Post on Tuesday….Randomness

Autumn…I love the Autumn. The atmosphere is busting with change – colors, scent, and texture.  I love how the leaves change colors, and fall to the ground.  The animals are scurrying around to ready themselves for the frigid season to come.  I love to take walks in woods during the Autumn. The crunch of the leaves underfoot give ambience to the scent in the air that hangs with the crispness that the cool weather brings.  I love to visit the lake and watch the waves tumble into shore – a difference there too; forceful, crisp, chilly, beautiful. I love to take in the sights.

The sound of the leaves rustling in the air is different too, then coupled with the fact that the sky darkness earlier and earlier each night all gives way to the feeling of wanting to curl up to a book with a blanket snugged up tight.

Autumn is one of my favorite season, and leads up to my most favorite – Winter.

 

Books…. I have not read many books this year. I counted – 38 only.  This month, I have read five books this month, AND two of them will most very likely wind up on my Top Ten Favorite Read books for 2011.  A pretty good October reading month. One of my personal book reading goals was to read the Lord of the Ring trilogy, AND I am very excited to say that I will accomplish that this year. I am participating in a group read which has been helpful – very motivating for me, AND may be the only group read that I complete rather successfully.   Return of the King reading schedule is here thanks to Geeky Daddy.

Along the line of reading books, I am reading book blogs…blogs in general…more this month too, and have been thrown in a comment here and there.

 

Kitchen… I have made a few good meals, lately. 

Black-Eyed Peas with Spinach and Herbs was absolutely delicious!!! I will be doubling this recipe next time.  We had this over rice. So very yummy!

Crock Pot Vegetarian Split Pea Soup is yummy!! However, it does take longer than 4 hours to cook.

Slow Cooked Pumpkin Chili looks very good. I will be making this one on Friday with a few variations; vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, Smart Ground instead of ground beef. Looking forward to this one.

 

Kids…. IJ will participate in his last soccer session for the season this coming Saturday.  The V.I.P. Program of the AYSO has been excellent and such a wonderful experience for IJ.  His buddy, a wonderful young girl – maybe about 14 years old – did such a fabulous job with him…constant reinforcement and encouragement. I hope she will volunteer for the Spring session and that she will be IJ’s buddy again.   The involvement in the soccer program is directly due to IJ’s social worker. She greatly encouraged us to give this a go. Frankly, she is the best social worker that we have come across; kind, caring, understanding, but more importantly…she really wants the most for her children…thinking and coming up with ways to help them…to help IJ.

Links….
The League of Extraordinary Writers posted about Classic Teen Reads for the YA Sci-Fi Reader

Passages to the Past is giving away The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer  It looks very interesting.

The Perpetual Page-turner posted Look, I’m Just Not That Into You Anymore.  She asks if you have ever re-read a book to only discover that you do not love it anymore?

Robin McKinley post the announcement that you don’t want to hear and she was right…I did not want to hear it. BUT, I am glad that there is good news within that post.

The New York Times article The Fierce Imagination of Haruki Murakami.  While I have not read all his works, Murakami is one of my favorite authors. I really love the way he writes.  This was an interesting article and I enjoyed reading it.  Thanks to L at omphaloskepsis for putting this article on my radar.

Finally….. I have new phrase that I have been pondering. I think it speaks volumes, and the posts that I have been reading in regards to the phrase have been thought provoking…to me.

The Grass is always Greener where you Water it

Fire by Kristin Cashore

“Are you determined to leave me in this world to live without my heart?”

Fire
by Kristin Cashore
copyright: 2009
publisher: Dial Books
format: hardcover
pages: 461
source: own

Goodreads Description: Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans.
Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story.

 

Dear Jody,¹

This past June, I read a fantastic book, and I must share it with you. I read Fire by Kristin Cashore, the companion story to Graceling. Remember reading Graceling? I do, and I loved that book. It was one of my favorite books read in 2009, and I do believe that you loved it too. When Fire was released later that same year, I could not wait to read it. Seriously, I could not. I bought the book straight away; Evie read the book, but for me, it sat on our shelves just staring at me. Actually, it was daring me to read it. Daring? Yes, Jody, it was daring me because I froze up. Surely, a book as fabulous as Graceling could not be followed up with another fabulous book in the form of Fire! I know, I heard nothing but good things about Fire which I think actually even made my frozen state worse. What if I did not like it? What if it bored? I did not want to be disappointed; I had high expectations. I am writing to tell you Jody,  Cashore did indeed come up with yet another fabulously amazing story.  Oh my gosh, it lived up to all the rave reviews and then some. 
YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK.

The writing is fantastic!  The storyline rocks. The characters are compelling.  There was not one slow or dull moment.  This book is right at the top of my list for favorite reads of this year, so far.  It is seriously that good!  I kid you not.  Have I lead you astray before?²

Fire is full of pure awesomeness.  The awesomeness is in the form of the amazing talent possessed by Kristin Cashore; her writing immersed me into the story. She has a gift for writing fantastically compelling characters that are full of layers. Her characters do not lead lives that tidy up well. They make tough choices. They make good choices. They make choices that are bad. Truly, Fire exudes what Cashore does best; complex relationships not only between people but also with oneself.  She brings you into the world of Fire, and as you journey down Fire’s path, you will be witness to her tenacity as she grows into comfort with herself, and purpose. I must admit, it took just a bit of time to take to Fire, but really, that was just the shakes of beginning a relationship with a character. Once I hit my stride with the world of Fire - - I also hit my stride with the character herself.  She really is amazing character and one that I fully liked.

Yes, Fire is the central character, but know this, the other characters were compelling too.  I liked Archer and Brigin greatly. They both command your attention; a presence is felt when they come on the scene.  I liked one better than the other. I felt sad for the other.  The one that I liked; multi-dimensional he is. He suits Fire perfectly. 

Don’t let all this character talk fool you into thinking that the story is about a love triangle because it does not play off that way. Yes, a triangle is there, but truly, this story is about Fire herself, and turmoil of her world. 

This leads to another gift of writing that Cashore possess; she does not package her writing up into a pretty box.  Her story is full of life, and as in life, we do not always know the paths one takes nor will we always know the ending that will be given.  Cashore does not tidy up her characters lives nor does she deliver an ending that gives you the answers desired.  No Jody, there is not a cliffhanger, but there is also not a full resolution; things are hinted but not concretely. I am very okay with the ending because there is hope within the world, and the characters. What you should concentrate on is the fact that I was able to breathe a sigh of deep satisfaction.

Jody, the bottom line is; Be ready to read this book constantly until you are done, because you will not be able to put it down!  There is adventure, action, self-awareness and understanding. Truly, this book is full of awesomeness.

I cannot wait until you read this one;  love to hear  your thoughts on this book.

Love ya, friend.
-Deanna-

P.S. What do you think of the cover?  I love it. It serves the story well.

P.P.S.  Remember, I own this book. When you are ready to read it, let me know, and you can most certainly borrow our copy.

 

Footnotes:

1. This is my second letter format review. My first was The Soldier’s Wife.  Thanks to Caspette at The Narrative Causality for this idea.

2. I think the only book that I have strongly recommended to Jody that she did not like so well was Outlander. Although, I am  not counting that one as leading her astray because I blame that one on the reader...you, Jody... and NOT on the story. ha

~~ Jody is my closest friend. She and I talk lots about books. Although, she is more a children literature reader than I am.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

“Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?”

Anna and the French Kiss                                         
by Stephanie Perkins
copyright:  2010
publisher: Duton Books
format: hardcover
pages: 372
source: own

Goodreads description: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

First Sentence:
Here is everything I know about France:  Madeline and Amelie and Moulin Rouge.

My Thoughts: I read this book in one day! Yes folks, one day.  It is a very easy read to fall into and loose yourself while reading about teenage love angst.  I found myself rather interested in Anna’s story of moving to France to attend boarding school, and meeting the guy of her dreams with all the in between stuff of friends, and trying to figure out relationships.  It is not exactly your typical girl meets boy and falls in love story as it really speaks more to the value of communication, connection and friendship versus the “I am so in lust with you” factor.

Anna’s narration was full of wit - fun it was and endearing she is.  Her new friends added flavor to Anna’s world - fun secondary characters.  Etienne, well, his relationship with Anna was fabulous. I really liked how their friendship grew and was not all smooth sailing - they had issues, and learned to deal with them. Anna and Etienne felt real.

Yep, there is enough depth to this story that I thoroughly enjoyed Anna and her friends, especially Etienne. The ending was pretty darn good, and I most definitely closed the book feeling very satisfied with Anna and the French Kiss.

Bottom Line:  This was a fun, entertaining  and quick read.  While this is certainly a girl meets boy story, there is more to it than just falling in love.  Enough depth was contained within the pages to give Anna and the French Kiss substance beyond the feeling of love. 

What I loved Best:  The love story took its time. There was no rushing in to fulfill the lust. There was a building of friendship.  There was communication. There were flaws with both the characters of Anna and Etienne. 

What Was Not In This Book’s Corner:  I read it right after reading one of the most excellent books I have read this year, Among Others.  That is a tough spot to put another book.  Fortunately, Anna and the French Kiss read well, and kept me entertained. It was a good story which is proven by the fact that I liked it even though it was hard to not compare it to Among Others.  Anna has some wonderful qualities as I just described above.  Whew!

I Read This Story Because: I have heard buzz about this book all over book blogging land. More importantly, my blogging friend - Suey - read this book and liked it well.  Her Review.  Not only did Suey like this book, Meg @ write meg! loved this book.  Her Review.  And then, to top that all off, Alita @ Alita.Reads loved it too. Her Review.  So, I figured,  Suey liked it then I will read it, and so it was icing on the cake when I came across Meg’s and Alita’s posts.

The Cover:  Not a big fan of the cover, but I LOVE the purple of the actual hardcover. The purple tone without the photo gives the book a special extra “class”.

Among Other by Jo Walton

“Doing is doing.  Does it mean that it doesn’t matter if it’s magic or not, anything you do has power and consequences and affects other people?”  p.198

Among Others
by Jo Walton
copyright:  2011
publisher: Tor Books
format: hardcover
pages: 302
source: own

Inside Flap: Startling, unusual, and yet irresistibly readable, Among Others is at once the compelling story of a young woman struggling to escape a troubled childhood, a brilliant diary of first encounters with the great novels of modern fantasy and SF, and a spellbinding tale of escape from ancient enchantment.
Raised by a half-mad mother who dabbled in magic, Morwenna Phelps found refuge in two worlds. As a child growing up in Wales, she played among the spirits who made their homes in industrial ruins. But her mind found freedom and promise in the science fiction novels that were her closest companions. Then her mother tried to bend the spirits to dark ends, and Mori was forced to confront her in a magical battle that left her crippled--and her twin sister dead.
Fleeing to her father whom she barely knew, Mori was sent to boarding school in England–a place all but devoid of true magic. There, outcast and alone, she tempted fate by doing magic herself, in an attempt to find a circle of like-minded friends. But her magic also drew the attention of her mother, bringing about a reckoning that could no longer be put off…

First Sentence:
The Phurnacite factory in Abercwmboi killed all the trees for two miles around.

My Thoughts:  Excellent!  Brilliant! “Unusual and irresistibly readable” it is!  One of the best coming-of-age books that I have read. The language and depth of growing, learning, understanding and trying to figure out one’s place in the world is all so simply wonderful.  Not wonderful in a fluffy way, but wonderful in a way that absolutely satisfied me to core of my reading self.   Definitely, Jo Walton spun an amazing story of a 15 year old girl who is faced with tragedy and must find a way to continue living life while feeling as if she is on the outside looking in. This story truly highlights issues that teens are faced with; isolation, questioning, peer pressure, sexual wonderment, friendships, budding love, abstract thinking, etc   AMONG OTHERS is truly is an incredible read that deals with real life issues that. This is what YA stories should be like; straight forth storytelling that delivers intelligent thoughts, dialogue and circumstances. The thought that keeps coming back to my mind – Intelligent writing gave a brilliant story.

Throughout these pages, nuggets of truthful expression were found and when found they hit me with moments of awe that left me pondering.  In those moments, I would immediately think how fantastic it is to have a story narrated by a 15 year old girl, Morwenna, who thinks and speaks with intelligence.  She is trying to figure where she fits in life but while doing so she enables herself by gaining knowledge through reading, learning, and not being afraid to be her own person even when she is confused and lonely.

What makes this story stand out among all the others is all the referencing to other books that helped to shape and form the ideas and life of Morwenna.  Not only were the book references fascinating, the elements of magic and fairies that skirted on the edges of Morwenna’s life added great intrigue. Yet, even amongst the magic within the character,  AMONG OTHERS has an incredible feeling of normal.

Truly, what helped give the feeling of normalcy was the brilliant flow of the narration; peacefully and smoothly, Morwenna’s voice captured my attention and kept it.  Her story was intelligently told with matter of fact detail that was drenched with sadness yet I did not feel the story was one of despair rather one of hope. I absolutely loved this diary style of storytelling; it drew me into her life of trying to figure out where she fits while dealing with her tragic loss, magic abilities, fantastical elements, and mother who troubles her.

There is mystery and intrigue woven throughout. 

Bottom Line:  This is a book that you must experience yourself.  Book lovers, fantasy sci-fi readers, coming-of-age themes will gain the attention of many. I think those who give this book a read will come away with a feeling of great satisfaction and feeling that you were enriched. AMONG OTHERS is truly  an excellent story.   Brill! as Morwenna would say.

I read this story because:  Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings read this story several months back, and when I read his review I knew that I would need to give this book a read at some point.  Several weeks back, when Borders was having their going-out-of-business sale (70% or so off), I could not pass  up the chance to own this book. I bought it for something like $5 and a great purchase it turned out to be.  Anyway, I read this book due to Carl’s influence.  Read his review for much more depth and detail as to why this book is an excellent read.

What Excites me:  All the books listed within this book is simply amazing! I have a huge list of books that I now want to read all because of this ONE book! Amazing and so very thrilling.  What is even better is all the nuggets that I found along the way, the passages that I wanted to ponder, and retain.  I wrote many quotes down, and I am betting that upon a re-read that I will find more passages and quotes that I will jot down for future reference.  Not only were the passages fantastic, these pages are rich in language; the words that I came across have only help to add to my vocabulary - that is if I can remember them.

Note Worthy Quotes:

“ It isn’t very challenging, and you know what your’re getting, but what you’re getting is a nice wholesome story...”  p.57

“Interlibrary loans are a wonder of the world and a glory of civilization.”  p. 59

“Libraries really are wonderful. They’re better than bookshops, even. I mean bookshops make a profit on selling you books, but libraries just sit there lending you books quietly out of the goodness of their hearts.”  p.59

“Living for someone else isn’t possible.” p.197

“They’d want to hear about Wim, and trying to talk about him in their terms would cheapen what I really feel about him.” p.293

Books I Listed:
(some were already on my list prior to this book)

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
The Spell Sword by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Triton by by Samuel R. Delany
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Sign of the Unicorn (I cannot find this one)

-There are more books that I could have listed, but did not.

Book Cover: I really like the book cover. I think it adds to the mystique of the story. My only issue would be that the girl on the cover does not seem the age of our character. Although, it does give the magic of the character that she obtained while as a young child. Overall though, my eyes do find pleasure in feasting upon this cover.

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

Ruby Red
by Kerstin Gier
copyright: 2011
U.S. publisher: Henry Holt and Company, LLC
first published: 2009 in Germany
translation copyright:
2011 by Anthea Bell
format: hardcover
pages: 322
source: own

GoodReads Description:  Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!
Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

First Sentence:
As she fell to her knees and burst into tears, he looked all around the park.

My Thoughts:  I have not been reading very much lately; difficult time completing books. I was in a great need for a book that would bring me into the story without much need for thought.  RUBY RED served my purpose perfectly; a quick, entertaining and intriguing time-travel story.  I found the time-travel aspect to be unique with its rules, and believable it was too.  Those two factors are of great importance to me.

I was easily absorbed into the story, and finished this book in a matter of 2 –3 days which is very quick for me these days.  Why was I so absorbed into the story?  Gwyneth.  She is a compelling 16 year old.  She is not all knowing, nor is she beyond her age. She felt like a real 16 year old trying to get by in her life; school and family. Her world is definitely unique and interesting. RUBY RED certainly focused on Gwyneth; the discovery of her time-traveling gifts, and the uniqueness and rules of time-travel.  However, a twist – Gideon - was added into Gwyneth’s life, and a fabulous twist he is. I think these two will play off of each other nicely as their time-travel adventures continue on in the next books of the RUBY RED trilogy.

The ending is not one that I would call a cliffhanger, per se, but it certainly does leave me wanting to know what will come next. For me, the ending is like that of a tv series – part one with part two to follow. It was a good ending – appropriate. 

While I really did enjoy my entire time reading – I did not have to think too terribly hard and it was all believable – I do have a few reservations about the book.  The storyline took a bit of time to develope; it slowly grew.  It did pick up steam towards the end, and that was sort of a let down because once it really got going it ended. My other issue was that I wanted more time spent during the actual time-travels aspect itself.  However, these are minor quibbles because frankly, RUBY RED, did a great job setting up the entire storyline, and I really cannot wait to read the next installment, SAPPHIRE BLUE.

Bottom Line:  A meaty read, it is not. A fun, quick, entertaining time-travel story, it certainly is.  The Ruby Red trilogy has great potential for a fabulously  fun and entertaining time-travel series.  I was absorbed into the pages of RUBY RED; it met my reading needs and did not fail to entertain.

You Should Know:  While there is a love interest, so-to-speak, it is not the focal point of this story. I find that to be very refreshing for a YA story.

The Cover: I love the cover. The color and intricate design greatly appeals to me. Not only that, the texture is fabulous and certainly added to my reading experience.  The photo adds to the intrigue of the story.