Book Review: Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

Book: Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
Genre: YA Contemporary
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

It was a bit scary going into this book, after all the waiting and building up and fangirling all these years. And I must admit, it took me a few pages/chapters to get the hang of reading the MZ style again. But it really didn't take long and then I felt the same amazement that I always have. Like HOW DOES HE DO THIS?

So the story is about a family of five boys... the Dunbar boys. Clay is the 4th one down. It's about their mom and dad. It's about how they become a family, how they love, live.. and die. It's about their pets! It's about horse racing, and running and Greek mythology, and painting and sculpting, and even a little about bridge building.

The story jumps all over the place in time. We start with the Dunbar boys after the "bad stuff" happens and they are on their own, then it flashes back to first their mom and how she came to live in Australia, and then their dad and how he grew up and fell in love, but not with their mom at first. And then, we learn how they get together and start their family.

In between those flashbacks, we learn about how their dad, who has fled, comes back and asks the boys for help on a bridge... Clay is the only one who takes him up on it. So then we start the bridge building.

Then we begin flashing back to how Clay got to know Carey, the girl he loves, and all about her background.  And sometimes we learn the story once, and then flashback to the same story and learn it again in more detail.

I loved it. It can be a bit of a whiplashing way to tell a story, but I wasn't bothered. And it was awesome to see all the pieces and parts come together in the end.

AND DANG IT! Why does he have to write such gut wrenching tear jerking scenes? Yeah. It's in this one just like in The Book Thief. So be warned.

Also be warned, this is not a gentle read. These Dunbar boys are wild and reckless. They swear like crazy and beat each other up constantly. But the love is also overflowing and that's what this book is all about. How they come together in the face of the crap that life has given them and survive.

I fell like he writes nearly in verse, even though it's a narrative and not a verse book. The words and descriptions are so poetic it hurts sometimes. And the use of personification is as prevalent as ever. It makes scenes come alive like nothing I've ever read. I feel like this stuff just flows out of him, but I have sense learned that he truly agonizes over every word. Somehow that makes me appreciate it all the more.

It was worth the wait and a joy to read. And now... do we go to hoping for another book? Or savor this one for awhile? I say... savor!

Did you read it yet? What did you think?

Meeting Markus Zusak... AGAIN!

Back in 2011 I think it was, all my reader dreams came true when Markus Zusak came to our library and talked about The Book Thief. Previous to that I thought he'd never show up in my neighborhood. And then one day he did. I thought we were lucky then to have that happen. I never imagined it would happen AGAIN!

But it did! It's been THIRTEEN YEARS since The Book Thief came out and now he's making the rounds, like a real true and intense book tour, for Bridge of Clay. And Utah was on the list again.

So last Saturday afternoon, we traveled to the location (picking Jenny up from the airport on the way since she was coming back from vacation just in the NICK of time!). We arrived a good hour or more early which got us a nice leather bookmark, and prime spots in the auditorium for his presentation.

Then he walked in, about a half hour or so early, and sort of started mingling with the crowd. And then people started lining up to get their books signed. I was embarrassed at their audacity! Like, he was going to sign AFTERWARDS! Why bug him NOW? But then they announced that he had to make a flight and wouldn't have a whole lot time afterwards, so he wanted to sign some beforehand too. So of course, we jumped in line then and joined the crazy crowd.

(Actually it wasn't that crowded or crazy, yet, but that line grew and grew and grew.)

Suddenly I was nervous. And soon it was my turn. I wondered if he would remember me (having written me a couple of tweets and a postcard all those years ago and because of my unique-ish nickname) but he didn't. However, he loved my shirt. It said, I am haunted by humans! (I had debated wearing it thinking it was over the top too fangirly and a little cringy but....)

And then he asked could he take a picture of me? Guys. I'm so glad I didn't faint.  I said, sure, and so he did. And then this assistant dude took his phone and took a picture of both of us together with it.. and then with my phone. I was shaking so bad.. and do you think anything AT ALL intelligent came out my mouth. NOT ONE THING! I pretty much didn't say anything. My mind had totally shut off. OH MY GOSH!!

And then we waited until the rest of our group had their moment with him and then we all got to take a group shot. It was awesome.

When he did signings afterwards.. he was doing no posed picture taking... so we really lucked out being there for the pre signing moments and taking advantage of that situation!

Well.. and so we had seen that he was posting pictures of "reading faces" as he traveled around. And so the next question was, would I end up on his instagram? About an hour after we got home that evening, sure enough.... I made the cut! LOL! But he took several "reader faces" pictures so I was one among a bunch. Still. SO CRAZY!!!

But to backtrack...his presentation/speech was awesome as expected. He talked about how important back stories are to make your characters real and for an author to know what's going to happen with the story. He talked about how tiny insignificant things that happen in your life can spark an idea and make it into a story. He talked only a little about his struggle over the past 13 years, mostly that he KNEW what this story needed to be and he just couldn't get to the right place. Until finally he did. I love know that the book we are reading now is exactly what he wanted... finally!

He's just so down to earth and real. And still my favorite author ever. I really hope that he's starting on something new and that it's not so long until we get more!

Here're the pictures:

In Which Markus Zusak Has a COMEBACK! :)

ONE WEEK!!!!!

Guys. I'm so freaking excited.

Thirty Days of Books: Favorite Author and Book

Well, with these two 30 Days of books prompts, Jenni has given me yet another opportunity to gush about my favorite author and his books. You can't be sick of it yet, can you? It has been awhile, right? A few months anyway...


The prompts:

Who's your favorite writer? 

and

What is your favorite book by your favorite writer?

I made this collage awhile back and so I'll share it again:

And that pretty much sums it up! Mr. Markus Zusak rules in the area of writing with a style that can not be matched. I love it so much and I'm feeling in so much withdrawal since it's now been so long since we've heard from him. I hope he's still alive! :)

As for a favorite book of his... I always say The Book Thief, though I truly love them all. The first three (top row above) are a series about Cameron Wolfe and his brother. You can tell when reading them they are his first books and have no where near the polish that The Book Thief or I Am the Messenger have, and yet... they are still so deep and strong and heartfelt, just as much or more so than the others. So... I love them all. They are all amazing and unique and powerful.

And I wish we could add to the list!

Who's your favorite author and book by that author? Join us over at Jenni's!

Armchair BEA 2015: Intro Questions and a Little Library Love

It's time for Armchair BEA again! I can't believe a whole year has flown by! Today it's Introduction Day. So I've picked five questions (oops maybe more) to answer. But, it's also Highlight Your Library Day. I did this awhile back, but I'll post a thought or two again. See below.

But first, here's a bit about me:

What is your theme song?

Right now? How about My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark by Fall Out Boy. I have no idea what this song actually has to do with me except that I love it and think it's one the best rock song, head banging things out there right now. Which just makes me happy.

What is one book everyone should read?

Guys!!! How many times do I have to say this!?? THE BOOK THIEF! 

Sorry. I got a little excited there. :)

Share your favorite blog post on your blog. (aka written by you!)

I've always been partial to that one time that I talked about going to author signings.

What book are you most looking forward to reading this summer?

There's a book I downloaded on my Kindle called The Bronze Horseman that I heard is quite the epic love story. I'm so much in the mood for this, so I hope to get to it sometime this summer and see if I agree.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what author would you want to bring with you? Why?

GUYS! Sigh. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. . .

And why? Because then I could have my own personal "how to be an amazing writer " lesson. And we could sit there on the beach and write and learn and write and learn. Doesn't that sound awesome? Oh, and also, this:

Take a picture of your bookshelf and share it with us! :) (#ABEAShelfie)

You do realize I have over twenty bookshelves in my house, right? Which one would you like? Well, here's the one by my bed with books that I hope to read soon.

Library Love!

As for my library, well, I don't even know where to start. I work there, you see, which I means I pretty much love it and think it's awesome and all the librarians are awesome and the whole collection is amazing and... yeah. It's a pretty cool library. I posted this video awhile back, but just in case you missed it, here it is again:

A to Z Blogging: ZUSAK!

I had plenty of Z ideas for the A to Z Challenge, but yeah, I'm still going with Zusak after all... Markus Zusak that is!

And how did I miss these videos that he did for Banned Book Week last year? I've not been as good a fangirl as I thought I was! So anyway, I'm sharing them now. Watch and swoon.

This first one is our favorite author telling us why he loves reading and why he feels it's important to have the freedom to read:



And in this one, he talks about his favorite book growing up, The Outsiders, and then he reads the first little bit.

 

 Yes agree MZ,  I bet S. E. Hinton would die if she heard that! In a good swoony, I've-gone-to-heaven sort of way! :)

Sigh.

We need another Zuask book.

Movie Review: The Book Thief

Movie: The Book Thief
Genre: Historical Fiction
Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Sophie Nelisse
Rating: PG 13
My Rating: Two thumbs up!

Even though I had every reason to believe they would do this movie right, I was still pretty nervous about seeing it. Finally seeing it! It didn't come to our area until about two weeks after it was officially released, which was a massive bummer, but when it did finally come, we (me and a handful of bookish friends and family) were there!

I'm just going to assume you all know the story. If you don't, please please please go read the book. Then let's talk! :)

The look and feel of this movie was spot on. Death did narrate, just like in the book, but not overly much. Just enough for you to know he was there and watching. The casting was perfect. Geoffrey Rush was just right for Hans. Sophie just right for Liesel. And Niko was just right for Rudy. Ah, man, what a cutie. Emily Watson, who played Rosa, was a little different than I pictured her, but she was awesome too. They toned down her character a bit, but that was okay. You got the feel for the roughness of Rosa.

And Max. I loved him. Perfect. Totally perfect. Sigh.

Everything went quite inline with the book. My only complaint is that they had to leave so much out! So so much! I guess that's how many book to movie things go, but since this one was so fresh in my mind, I really noticed it. It makes me wonder what goes into deciding what stays and what goes. There was a scene that I thought was so pivotal to the book, and it wasn't there! Why?

A few other things were changed. There was one thing toward the end that had us all going... wait, what? You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it....and I want to know what you think. It was a strange change, but I guess made things more intense...maybe.

And that's another thing, the emotional intensity was still much stronger in the book. Guys, basically, the movie was awesome and they did a great job... but the book is still so so so much better. The words, the powerful full-of-imagery words that make this book so amazing... it's missing in the movie. There's just no way to portray that. They tried a few times, and I was like.. YES! But it was just a smattering.

So, with all that, it may seem like I was disappointed. But no, I was not. They did an awesome job. It's a beautiful movie with a beautiful message. You should go see it!

But, read the book first!

Here's the trailer in case you missed it:

Markus Zusak Picks Five... Make That Six

The movie, The Book Thief, will be opening in theaters next week. Very excited! As part of that celebration, most beloved author Markus Zusak is doing much publicity and press. Last week he did a live Facebook chat, but of course, I forgot all about it, and completely missed it. But then, Tuesday he did a live video Q and A on Goodreads. And yay! I remembered!

It was fabulous. He answered all the normal questions he always gets asked.... did Max and Liesel get married (he'll leave that up to the reader, but not in his mind) and where did he get the idea for the book (stories his parents told about WWII) and how did Death become the narrator (he wasn't at first, but the book wasn't working and suddenly he thought what if Death narrated and then the whole book fell into place) and etc.

But there were loads of other questions I found really fun too. For instance, he mentioned a piece of music that always makes him think of The Book Thief, it's sort of the theme of the book, in his head anyway. It's from the soundtrack for Amelie, a movie I'm not at all familiar with, but here's the song, and it's very lovely:



And he was asked what his writing routine is like and he said, wherever, whenever. But he doesn't like to write outside, he's bothered by the glare and the wind. He especially likes to write in the kitchen and he doesn't mind a bit of kid chaos.

He also showed us his writing notebook, like a real live paper journal, where he writes dozens and dozens of chapter headings, which then becomes a sort of outline for the book. Currently he's working (still!) on Bridge of Clay, which he hopes it will be out some year. Sigh.

Someone asked what his favorite words are. Two of them I remember.... abominable and shenanigans. Ha!

And then, he was asked what five books he would want with him on the proverbial deserted island. I was listening at work and was called away RIGHT THEN! So I missed this bit! But I scrolled back and determined that this is what he listed as his five... and he added a sixth... favorite books, right at this very moment.

Hopefully I got those right! I'm so bummed that I missed what he actually said about them all!

Anyway, it was yet another awesome MZ moment and I loved hearing what he had to say. Did any of you catch the interview? I've tried to find it archived somewhere, but no luck yet.

In Which I Faint at the Mailbox

I've already shared these pictures with many of you. Yes, if you are on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, you've seen my mail already. However, if you are not, how could I neglect sharing here also? I must keep sharing 'till I've shared in every single place there is! (And after this post, I promise, I will shut up about it. I think.)

So I went to the mailbox the other day... the long and arduous trek down to the end of the driveway where usually I gather all the junk mail and throw it away in the can on the way back to the house, where I then stack the rest of it to be shredded at some later time. Getting the mail is usually so disappointing. However, sometimes there's a book in the mailbox, which is always exciting, but only rarely happens these days. Sometimes, during letter month or Christmastime there's a card or a note from a real life person, though this is far and few between too.

But one this particular day there I found a postcard that looked like this:

At first I thought it might be from Melissa of Avid Reader's Musings since she's been known to send me Book Thief related things. I was thinking... ah cool! Melissa you are the best!

Then I looked on the back and saw this note:

I couldn't understand it at first, but then I realized it says THESE not THERE... and "whole lot of these" was referring to the postcards themselves.... Book Thief movie promotional materials I'm thinking. Still, it's not quite clicking in what I have in my hands.

And then I saw this on the other half of the post card:

And that's when I freaked and gasped and very much out loud there at the mailbox said, "Are you kidding me?" I looked again. Out loud, I said to no one. "Seriously? Oh! My! Gosh! Really? He didn't! He did!! Wow, he really did!"

If the neighbors had been out, I wonder what they were thinking!

I may have turned about in a circle, I may have done a happy dance, I may have giggled a little. And then I took myself quickly back in the house were I looked again, and thought "I think this is for real. This is real, right?"

About that time I managed to calm down and think rationally that I really am no one special, that he probably sent a "whole lot of these" to EVERYONE he knew... or I should say, to everyone he had an address for. And I'm sure that stack was a very large one.

But how did he get my address, you may ask. Remember back nearly two years ago at the first Letter Month? And I was brave (or crazy) enough to decide to send him a fan letter? Even though I felt pretty darn silly doing it? Remember that?

Well, sometimes it pays to write a fan letter! Especially if it's to Markus Zusak because I think he says what he means and means what he says! Back at the time, this is what he tweeted me back:

@SueySays Suey - I got your letter! Thanks. I'll reply when I've done some decent work on the new book. It's killing me. THANKS AGAIN- mz
— Markus Zusak (@Markus_Zusak) March 7, 2012

And ever since then I've wondered if he really would, but figured he really wouldn't. I mean, seriously. He has better things to do.

And yet he has! In the form of a promotional movie postcard, and, you know what? I'll take it.

Book Thief Read Along Final Discussion: Parts 7 to the End, and a Giveaway!

And already (or should I say finally!) our Book Thief read along has come to an end! I hope all those who have participated have enjoyed the fun, both those reading for the first time and those re-reading. It's a great book, is it not?

Today, the discussion is being hosted by Kathy from Read This Instead. She has some great questions, and so here they are with my answers. Beware: some spoilers ahead!


1. How did you feel when Max had to leave the Hubermanns? What did you expect would happen to him?

That was crazy sad and and of course I thought it was over for him. I had no idea what he would figure out to do ore where he would. One thing is for sure, he's one strong dude.

2. Why do you think Liesel ran out to Max when they finally did cross paths, even after she had seen what happened to Hans earlier in the book?

Because the power of her love and concern for him totally outweighed the fear of what might happen. Though I do think that even if she wasn't scared for herself, she should have considered the consequences for him! But anyway, I think it was worth it for both of them that they got some contact. What a sad scene though. Ugh.

3. What did you think of Death spoiling the ending a couple chapters before it actually happened? Did the warning make it easier to handle?

Not really, no matter how much we knew what was going to happen, it was still hard. And always always always, I hope that it will end a different way. The first time I read it, I hoped that somehow, something would happen to make Death's predictions not be right.

4. Which death impacted you the most?

Rudy, always Rudy. The others are sad too, but it's always Rudy that sticks in my mind. However, this time I was especially moved by Rosa's probably because so many of you reading this for the first time hated her in the beginning and I knew you would come around and so I was paying more attention to the Rosa parts and her actions and so when it described her end, and Liesel saying goodbye, that's when the tears came for me.

But, speaking of Rudy, I thought I'd share a little clip here. Here is Markus Zusak reading a bit from his book, about Rudy. Let's just say, he had us all holding our breaths. (P.S. If you want more of his speech that day, let me know and I'll send you links. Some of it's on YouTube, but much of it is "unlisted" because they weren't happy with me putting the whole thing up!)

 5. How did your view of Ilsa Herman change over the course of the book? 

She was amazing really. She has a beautiful soul, she GOT Leisel, maybe better than any other person in the book. That fact made me so happy. And I totally forgotten that they take care of her in the end. Wow. She is a really amazing character too.

6. The power of words is such a big theme throughout the book. Which instances of powerful words stuck out to you? Or, which quotes from the book stuck out to you?

I tried to tweet some of the quotes that stuck out. I succeeded sometimes and failed other times, but just for fun, here are the some of the quotes that I ended up tweeting, just in case you missed them!

"It kills me sometimes, how people die." "They were going to Dachau, to concentrate." "One was a book thief, the other stole the sky.""There were stars," he said. "They burned my eyes.""They were not sent there for a shower." "Better that we leave the paint behind," Hans told her, "than ever forget the music."”So many humans. So many colors.”"Like red rain clouds on the white-sky canvas at their feet." "Trust me, though, the words were on their way...""Liesel, upon seeing those eyes, understood that Hans Hubermann was worth a lot.""That's the sort of thing I'll never know or comprehend--what humans are capable of.""If you feel like it, come with me. I will tell you a story.""I walked in, loosened his soul, and carried it gently away.""Here is a small fact. You are going to die."

7. In this post Markus Zusak says:

In many ways I felt that the book is about Liesel’s different kind of loves - for Hans, for Rosa, for Rudy and Max, and for books and living in general.

Which of those loves resonated with you most?

Interesting quote, because I always think that the power of words is what this book is so much about. But no, it really is about love, isn't it. I really don't know how to answer this question because each of those relationships are so powerful. I love them all!

8. Thoughts on Liesel and Death finally meeting? 

That is quite the hold your breath moment, isn't it? It's fun to have the scene played over again, after he (Death) mentions it in the beginning, because wow, it means so much more after you've learned who everyone is. And it's powerful that Liesel can recognize Death so well, and how he is stopped in his tracks because of it.

9. If this was your first time reading The Book Thief, is it what you expected? If it was a reread, what did you notice this time around?

I'm amazed at all the stuff I forget during each reading and how when I read it again, I'm like, oh YEAH! This time around I paid attention to the images that were painted, I slowed down and really pictured them in my mind. Amazing. Truly amazing.

10. Will you see the movie?

Of course! But after just finishing this book last night and how sad those scenes are, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to actually WATCH them. I'm going to need lots of Kleenex that's for sure.

Be sure to link up your answers over at Kathy's anytime this week!

Update: Another link to Markus Zusak answering the questions about why so much foreshadowing, and do Liesel and Max get married. It's worth a click over to listen!

A Book Thief Giveaway!

It's been an awesome fun read along! Thanks everyone for participating! To say thank you, we have a fun giveaway! The three of us have made "I am Haunted by humans" t-shirts for you... three different kinds and sizes, for three different winners!

To enter to win, fill out his form letting us know your thoughts about the book, and we'll pick three random winners. Good luck! And we'll see you at the next read along!

The Book Thief Read Along Discussion Two: Parts 4-6

Yesterday Kami posted these questions for discussion on parts 4 through 6 of our Book Thief Read Along. Here are my answers!

1. What emotions have you felt while reading? Are they strong emotions?

worry, frustration, sadness, beauty, love, anger, dread, fear, determination, etc. All strong, yes. Very strong.

2. Several characters mention similarities between Max and Liesel. What similarities have you noticed, and why do you think the author made these characters relate to each other?

They are both refugees, having to leave their homes and families and trust in other people. They are both lonely and sad and smart and scared and hopeful.

3. What do you think of The Standover Man aka the book Max wrote for Liesel.

Ah, sad and awesome and powerful! It really makes you feel what Max must be feeling.... and such a simple way. That's what I love about this book, powerful things said simply.

4. How do you feel about knowing who is going to die in the end and what are some of your predictions?

Well, it causes a major sense of dread. And hope, that maybe Death is wrong somehow and something else will REALLY happen, not the thing predicted.

5. What do you think of Rudy's rebellious attitude? 

He is a crazy boy and desperate to have some control over anything in his life.

6. Is Rosa growing on you?

Yes, of course! She not as bad as she seems. Deep inside, she is as loving as Hans I think.

7. What do you think of the relationship between Max and Liesel?

Like brother and sister. Whoever thought they should get together is crazy I think.

8. Why do you think Liesel is so determined to steal from the Mayor's library?

It gives her a little bit of control over her life too. And revenge against the wife who somehow makes Liesel mad in her submitting to the horrors of life and giving up on her fighting spirit.

9. What really stands out to you in the story and why?

They thing that always stands out to me is the powerful word manipulation that makes the images we are reading about so very strong in our minds. The writing is amazing and because of the deep subject matter, the two together make this the brilliant book that it is.

10. If you were in Hans' position, would you have helped/hid Max?

I hope to think so. I don't know, it's hard to know what you would do, especially if you have your own family to project. But yes, I really would hope so.


I've fallen a little behind in my reading and need to catch up before it's too late! Loving the re-read though!

Be sure to join us for a Book Thief chat tonight at 7 pm Mountain time! Hashtag #bookthief.

The Book Thief Read Along Discussion One: Parts 1-3

Hey everyone! How's the reading going for this most awesome book? I hope those reading for the first time are loving it and those re-reading it are loving it even more than the first time!

So.. welcome to the first discussion of our read along! To begin with, I thought I'd do a quick recap/summary of the first three parts that we were to read by today. I think I've done pretty well keeping it relatively spoiler free even!

Part One

• We are introduced to nearly all the main characters, including Death the narrator.
• We learn a little about Liesel's background.
• Liesel steals her first book.
• Death seems impressed by Liesel and we have yet to know why.
• Liesel can't read and starts learning how with Hans' help.
• Leisel learns about the Jesse Owens incident.
• Rudy asks for a kiss for the first time.
• Liesel beats up two boys at school and in turn gets two beatings from the teacher.
• The war starts.

Part Two

• Hitler's birthday celebration
• But first Liesel gets two books for Christmas.
• Then she writes letters to her mom, but it doesn't go well.
• Rosa gets mad, but says, "I'm sorry" (and not about getting mad.)
• Liesel begins walking the laundry delivery route alone.
• Liesel steals her second book from the birthday bonfire.
• She learns who "they" are, voices her opinion out loud and Hans freaks out.
• Someone watched her steal the second book.

Part Three

• We meet Max for the first time.
• We really meet the mayor's wife for the first, and her library too.
• Liesel continues to discover the power of words.
• Liesel and Rudy start a thievery career.
• Liesel's world is about to change... again!
• Rudy continues to ask for kisses, Liesel continues to deny him.

And with that, we are just getting started! Things are going to get crazy from here on out!

And now for some questions! Feel free to write a post of your own answering the questions (any or all of them!) and then come back here to link up so we can all easily see who is participating with a post.

However, if you don't feel like writing a post (or don't have a blog, or are participating unofficially!) then answer questions in comments... which I will now declare NOT spoiler free. Feel free to discuss anything without worrying about spoilers... for the first three parts of the book anyway. No spoilers for anything beyond that!

Also, don't forget to join us on Twitter TOMORROW (Wed) at noon (I changed the time to a little later, but I'll be on earlier just in case you come at the original time!) to chat there. Use the hashtag #bookthief and let's talk!



Okay, here are the questions, followed by my own answers and then the linky. Have fun!

Some questions:

1. What's your first impression of Death as a character/narrator?

2. What's your first impression of the unique writing style?

3. Which character stands out to you the most so far and why?

4. What do you think the author is trying to say about the power of words?

5. How do you feel about all the foreshadowing that's going on?

6. Also, how do you feel about all that German swearing?!? 

7. What do you think about the relationship between Hans and Rosa?
8. What do you think about the relationship between Rudy and Liesel?

9.  What are your feelings on the politics of the time that we've seen so far?
10. What images and/or symbols stand out for you in this story so far?

My thoughts and answers:

1. I love Death. He creeps me out a little, he's a little strange, but I find him to be quite emotional and sympathetic to us dying humans. I love how he is touched by certain humans, Liesel in particular, and he makes me anxious to know more. However, he does have a flair for the dramatic with all that crazy foreshadowing!!

2. When I read this the first time, it took me awhile to get used to this writing style. And I have no idea how to describe it.....very poetic, lots of imagery and personification, a little choppy in bits, much narrator interruption. simple short sentences, etc. It was strange. But in the meantime and having read Markus Zusak's books over and over and over again, I can now say without a doubt... I absolutely LOVE it. Love love love.

3. Hmmm... I think Hans stands out as a character who has the most patience in the world. I mean, to teach a kid to read in the middle of the night? And to deal with Rosa? Right? But right now, I'm especially curious about both Mr. Mayor's Wife and Max. I can't wait to see what's up with them. This time around, I'm going to picture Max much younger in my head. The first two times I read this I think I thought of him as too old.

4. I think he wants us to think of words as the very THING that moves worlds... and wars.... and life and people. Words are IT. Words truly are the power behind everything. It's mind blowing.

5. The foreshadowing makes me CRAZY!!! The first time through this book I was like GAH.... you are KILLING ME with this! Please make it stop! The second time through I was like... I KNOW I KNOW! Let's not go there!! And now, I'm really noticing how much there really is. Wow. It's insane.

6. And the German swearing makes me laugh. 'Course, I don't know German so it's quite tame in my head. I find it interesting that they actually use these words as terms of endearment. I wonder if that's how it is in real life over there?

7. Hans and Rosa area  funny couple. It appears that they are just tolerating each other, but I think deep down their love for each other is a real, tangible thing.

8. Rudy and Liesel seem to be playing at being a couple, but they are truly the most awesome of friends. I feel like Rudy is just teasing Liesel about the kissing thing. At first that is. Then.... things change. Ah, do they ever change.

9. This book made me think for the first time what it might have been like for Germans during this war. They weren't the bad guys. They were normal people who HATED what was happening and they had no way to stop it. They had to go along with it to save themselves and their families. I just can't even imagine how hard it would have been. And what makes a government so powerful as that? It's a crazy thing to see.

10. Liesel's mom carrying the memory of her dead son on her shoulder, Liesel stealing a burning book and hiding it in her coat even as the smoke is billowing out, Rudy running around the track covered in mud as an imaginary crowd cheers him on, two kids taking turns sucking on a piece of candy, the alphabet painted all over a basement wall....and.... I'll stop there for now!

Please link up with your answers on your posts!
Don't forget to come chat tomorrow at noon Mountain time!
Read parts 4-6 by Sept. 20!!

Review and Book Club Report: I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Book: I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Genre: YA (or more likely NA) Contemporary with a twist
Rating: ★★★★★
For: Book Club
From: my own precious signed copy that I don't remember where I bought

We decided last year to read this book for book club since many of our members where familiar with The Book Thief  but not this one. So, it was time they were all introduced to this one too! For me, it was the third time through it.

For those who haven't read it yet, this is the story of a young man living in Australia and his handful of friends. They don't do much of anything except play cards. One day, after foiling a bank robbery, Ed Kennedy starts getting cards with clues on them in the mail. The clues lead him to different people who seem to need his help in some way. So, he has to figure that out and then help them. He gets better and better at this and starts to thrive on the feeling it gives him to be part of something greater. As it goes on, the people that need helping get closer and closer to home. Suddenly, the "game" gets very very personal.

In my first time through (review found here) I was a bit shocked by the abundance of gritty language and all the sex thoughts (tame though they are) in our main character's head. I think many people who read this book  for the first time notice these things and are a bit surprised  Thus, the reason why I, and many others, find that it shouldn't be marketed as YA. The new New Adult category would fit it well though I think. Anyway, despite that, the first time through I was blown away by the message of the book itself.

The second time through (review found here) I remember falling in love with Ed Kennedy and realizing that he really is quite the good kid, and wow, the difference he makes in people's lives is so cool, but really the coolest thing is the difference he makes in his own life. The character development from beginning to end is powerful.

THIS time through the thing that stood out most to me was all the beautiful things... the stuff Ed notices. He really can see life in a whole different way that makes you, the reader, become aware of how awesome the people are around us. For instance.... eating ice cream, swinging legs when your feet don't quite touch the ground, walking hand in hand with a young child after playing on the swings, watching a girl running barefoot in a race, the sweet relationship between a husband and wife and their kids. Paying attention to these small beauties around us I think is another big lesson to be learned from this book.

Bottom line: Of course, I STILL love it! Beautiful writing, beautiful message.

What the book club thought:

• Everyone seemed to enjoy that the story was about REAL stuff. Real life, real situations, real people. And ordinary normal every day people.
• We had one guy in attendance and he said the sex thoughts were really quite tame considering what's going through a 19 year old boy's head at any given time!
• We loved The Doorman! Ed's sweet but stinky dog! We remembered that Markus Zusak told us when he came here two (wow!) years ago that this dog was in another story that he scrapped, but he had to save the dog and he ended up in this story.
• We loved how Ed was forced to get to know his friends better through the tasks he had to accomplish. We found it crazy that he could be spending so much time with them, but not really know them until this experience happened. Made us wonder about our own friends and how well do we know them, or not.
• Some people are bugged by the strange twist at the end, where the author breaks a pretty big writing rule! However, this book club crowd seemed to enjoy it! Some of them, after a bit, admitted that they didn't catch it! (I didn't catch it the first time through either!) And so we explained and then everyone was like... OH. MY. GOSH!!! So awesome.
• Everyone enjoyed the fact that Ed and his friends were forced to confront their problems and actually solve them instead of continuing to ignore and gloss over everything. 
• But mostly, we all love the message of this book... which is to serve other people  that everyone has a story, that we need to be involved in what's going on around us. Or, to quote from the book: "Everyone can live beyond what they're capable of."

Bottom line: I think it was a success at book club!

Other books mentioned , talked about and being read by our book members recently:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Furies of Calderan by John Butcher

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale

Some Day, Some Day Maybe by Lauren Graham

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

Gave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Jekyll Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey

Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Hunted

Casketball

World War Z by Max Brooks

Making Markus Zusak's Crescent Cookies

Last night was book club and as always I enjoy trying to find something fun and different to serve for food. Sometimes I try to be creative and make something that connects to the book. Sometimes I'm just lazy and make whatever is easiest.

This time, as I was planning for the evening, I remembered that years ago I ended up with a book called The Book Club Cook Book. (I was probably supposed to do a review of  it, so consider this post that review. It has TONS of awesome books, authors, recipes and ideas!) And then I remembered that it has a recipe submitted by none other than Mr. Markus Zusak himself! It's paired off with The Book Thief, of course, but since these cookies really are the author's specialty (and not something specific to The Book Thief) and since we were discussing his other well-known book, I Am the Messenger, I decided that they would work just fine for our evening too!

Anyway, it was quite the ambitious adventure and so I thought I'd share the experience.

First, these are called Vanilla Kipferls, or to English-ize them up a a bit... Crescent Cookies. Mr. Z's family makes them at Christmastime as they are a tradition passed down from his German and Austrian parents. The key ingredient is hazelnut meal.... something I don't see commonly on our grocery shelves!

So, the first thing I did was to track that down. When I googled it, I found that Bob's Red Mill brand makes it, and I'd remembered seeing some of those specialty flours on the shelf, so I went to that store and had a look. The flour section didn't have it, but YAY! The health food aisle did! And it was $15 dollars for less than one pound! Awesome!

Then I could see that I needed one or two whole vanilla beans. I had never bought one, or even seen one before! I googled, and they looked like long dried up tuberous things! I had no idea where to look. I looked in spices, in produce, in beans. Nothing. So I asked Twitter! And a IRL neighbor of mine happened to see it and told me she'd seen them in the grocery store right by my house.

So I went to look, and only found them after asking a cashier who then tracked down the guy who actually has that section of the store memorized. It was in the spice section by the way, and there were two beans in a little spice jar... for $12. Awesome!

Now, it was time to make them!  Here are the ingredients (because I know you are going to also want to try this at home!)

For the cookie bit:
1 3/4 cups flour (the normal all purpose kind!)
1 1/2 cups hazelnut meal (it only used about half of my little tiny package!)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Cut the butter into 1 inch cubes and add to all the dry ingredients, and then mix it... by hand WITH your hand! for 8 to 10 min. And believe me, this part took awhile. Those are some long 10 minutes! (Someone at book club suggested using a mixer would add air which would help it to meld together. Perhaps?)

Then you form them into the crescent shapes, which sounds easy enough, but it was hard since the dough was very dry and crumbly and felt like trying to mold very dry sand into a shape. Here's the instructions from the book: Pinch off small pieces of dough and mold gently between your palms to form 3 inch ropes. thicker in the i middle and tapered at the ends. Fashion each piece into a crescent shape and place onto prepared, greased cookie sheets, leaving a generous 1/3 inch in between, because they will spread a bit while cooking.

I loved the word fashion. That is where I got hung up in my experience. Oh boy. It took awhile and lots of patience! (I ended up just molding the shape right onto the cookie sheet and smooshing the heck out of it. My first ones are a little round and my last ones were a little flatter. And if you google images of this cookie, you can see what they are REALLY supposed to look like. I can see this is something that would take some practice! Hopefully it's not just me!)

So then you bake those for 15 to 20 min. in a 350 degree oven and take them out just as they are turning brown. I waited a bit too long for one of my batches I think!

While they are cooking you make the vanilla sugar that's to be sprinkled on them afterwards.

For the vanilla sugar bit:
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1 to 2 whole vanilla beans

Put the sugar in a food processing bowl, cut up the beans (crosswise) into 1 inch pieces, and add to the sugar. With a stainless steel blade, process until the beans are blended into the sugar, for about 15 seconds. Strain the residue of the beans out, then sift the sugar onto the still slightly warm cookies. Oh wow, it smells so good about now! (Note: I think I was unduly cautious about the sprinkling of the sugar... I think if I were to do it again, I would be much much MUCH more generous!)

And there you have it! Markus Zusak's Christmas Crescent Cookies!

They were really yummy by the way.

Besides that, it was a fun endeavor!

What fun things have you tried making for book club? Let me know if you decide to give these cookies a go!