Movie Review: The Book Thief

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book, book review, books, Germany, historical fiction, Marcus Zusak, movies, review, reviews, The Book Thief, war, WWII

The Book Thief

genre: historical fiction

The movie stays quite true to the book, which I really appreciated. The cast was not entirely comprised of super models, something I found quite refreshing. Max and Rudy’s father were exactly how I pictured them though Max should have been more scruffy. The reading wall and snowball fight was incredibly well done–two of my favorite moments in the book. It gave a much needed comic relief to an otherwise depressing tale.

There was only one scene where the movie deviated drastically from the book. Liesel keeps Max’s secret through the entire book, but Rudy figures it out in the movie. I had such faith and respect for Liesel in the book that turned to disappointment in the movie. The rest of the changes were subtle and added some tension, especially for any who haven’t read it yet.

Book Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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book, book review, books, Germany, historical fiction, Marcus Zusak, review, reviews, The Book Thief, war, WWII

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

genre: historical fiction

Summary from Goodreads

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.

By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery.

So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up, and closed down.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

__the night witches

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female pilots killing nazi's, forgotton history, media portrayal of war, Nachthexen, night witches, pockets of history, russian, russian lady bombers, ryabova popova pilot, warfare, world war 2, ww2, WWII

Want to hear a great piece of history?

I’m a fan of action and enjoy a good story with plenty of warfare. But I feel like I’ve been bombarded with too much ‘American soldier’ stories of WW2. I want new random perspectives of what happened during those terrible years. I don’t want to just hear about the allied side, the American side, the Jewish side, or even the German side. I want to learn about the perspectives that aren’t commonly shared in Western society. The stories that haven’t been turned into movies (although I wish they were!).

The ‘Night Witches’ (English translation of Nachthexen) are one of those fascinating pieces of history that…seemed to have been very silent. Most people aren’t aware of these amazing, strong, and skillful Russian women.

Book Review: Dime quién soy by Julia Navarro

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audiobook, books, dime quien soy, europe, history, julia navarro, reading, reviews, spain, WWII

Dime quién soy by Julia Navarro
9 out of 10

This is my first book review and I recently finished Dime quién soy by Julia Navarro. It is a Spanish book and I experienced the epic tail through a Spanish audiobook. It is a massive book approx. 1000 pages, just under 30 hours of audio. I loved every minute.

The book revolves around Guillermo piecing together the long, riveting and extraordinary life of his great, great grandmother: Amelia Garayoa. The story begins in Madrid, Spain but shifts to countries all over the world such as Argentina, Russia and Germany. Guillermo embarks on an interesting ride as he follows his ancestor’s footsteps to discover her life and the events that marked it; the Spanish Civil War, World War II, Post-War Germany and the Cold war.