The Book Thief Review + Thoughts on the book to movie adaptation

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Paperback, 552 pages
Read: Mar. 3 - Mar. 7
Review: 5/5
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Summery: It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she 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.

Review: The story starts in the prologue with introductions from Death, it then moves to Liesel, her birth mother and brother(Werner) traveling to Molching, her mother can no longer keep her children and is going to Molching to give them up for adoption. The train ride is when Death first sees/meets Liesel. From the first page I got pulled into the story. The story was very well paced, as well as very well constructed, I also loved the fact that Death was the narrator of the story. I really liked the personality of Death. I liked so many of the characters in this book, I also loved the relationships between Liesel, her mama(Rosa), her papa(Hans), Rudy, Max, and Ilsa. The characters, as well as the relationships were very well crafted. I loved this book, it defiantly had some sad moments where I had watery eyes, and shuttering breath. This is a book I would love to read again.

now onto my thoughts about the movie.
Book to Movie Rating: 3/5
Thoughts on the Book to Movie: the biggest thing I wish was different about the movie was that it was either longer, it's around 130 min., or that it was cut into two movies. There were not enough scenes even though it was around an hour and ten minutes, either that or the pacing felt a little too fast for me to really connect with, and like the characters as much as I did with the book. There are quite a few changes as well, a few I liked, but most of the changes I didn't really like. I really wish certain scenes were done like the book, the book burning scene, the marching scene with Hans, and Ilsa Hermann and her husband, just to name a few. I did enjoy the chemistry between the actors who portrayed Liesel and Hans, as well as the chemistry between Liesel and Max, otherwise the chemistry between the rest of the cast seem a little non existent, which I think had more to do with the very small amount of scenes they had together, rather then the cast themselves. If I had never read the book and had just seen the movie I might like it a little better, my mom has not read the book and watched the movie and really enjoyed it. It was an good movie on it's own, and It was and okay adaptation of the book.


I also went to see Captain America 2: The Winter Solider, It was defiantly my favorite movie of Phase 2 (Iron Man and Captain America: The First Avenger are my favorite movies of Phase 1). It got me excited for not only The Avengers 2, but it as got me excited for Guardians of the Galaxy, which looks really fun.

Anyway, I hope everybody had/has a great day : )

April T.B.R. List

Here is my April reading list

#1
Zombies Vs. Unicorns by Garth Nix, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Naomi Novik, Carrie Ryan, Margo Lanagan, Maureen Johnson, Diana Peterfreund, Scott Westerfeld, Meg Cabot, Cassandra Clare, Kathleen Duey, and Libba Bray, and Edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

I had seen this book reviewed on so many youtube channels, and I love the fantasy, and supernatural genres that I had to buy this book. Now finally after a year of having it I have time to read it. By the way, the illustrations on the cover are awesome.

#2
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I have had this book for two years, and my mom just bought the movie, I also have time to read most of my books now, so I decided to read the book, and then watch the movie, then review the book and the book to movie adaptation.

#3
Praying For Mercy (Mercy Thompson Book #1-3 of 9) by Patricia Briggs

I got this book in February (I have a book haul with it in), Like I said I love the supernatural genre, and some of the reviews I've read say that the first book is more world and plot building than romance, which tends to be right up my ally, I'm probably going to read the first book only this month, I'm not sure, we'll see.

#4
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

#5
Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Tom Hamilton, with an Introduction by Ray Bradbury

I read Fahrenheit 451 about 2 years back and really enjoyed it, so when I seen The Authorized Adaptation I had to buy it. So I've decided to re-read the Fahrenheit 451 book then read The Authorized Adaptation and review both.

#6
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

I heard about this book from Meg & Dia's (I love this band) myspace blog quite a few years ago, and read the summery, then put it on my To Buy List and happened upon it at goodwill about 4 years ago.

#7
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter book #2 of 7) by J.K. Rowling

I, of course, had to continue reading the series, I really loved the first book.

#8
Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas: The Film, the Art, the Vision by Frank Thompson with a Forward by Tim Burton

I loved the movie, so when I seen this book at a Goodwill I had to buy it. I'm a little sad that it doesn't have a dust cover, but otherwise I'm really excited to read it.

So that's all the books I have on my reading list this month, depending on if I read just the first book in the Mercy Thompson combined book or all three, it would be 8 books if I just read the first, or it would be 10 books if I read a three.

I have about 130 to 140 books that are on my book shelves that I have yet to read. I have not had time until this year to begin to make a dent in my whole T.B.R. list, It's probably going to get bigger because I have quite a few books on my To Buy List.

Happy April Fools' Day, I hope everybody had a great, and safe April Fools' Day : )