The Book Thief: A review

After reading The Book Thief I've noticed that I, too, am haunted by words. They follow me. I edit them at work, I read them at home and I write them in secret places. Haunted may not be the word as it connotes a negative influence so I like to think of being overwhelmed by words, in awe of them even. It's as if there are too many words for one human.

Some adults are childlike when reading; we get obsessed with the reality of it. I read the last half of The Book Thief in two evenings. It's a quick read due to the chapter progression and fast pace. I actually burst into tears at one point. Books that make me swell in my stomach or give me that overriding feeling of being completely emerged are the ones I want to read over and over. It doesn't happen often but when you get that sort of book, you'll know what I mean. That's what we're doing as adult readers; we're on the hunt for that feeling of 'yeah, this is epic' or 'yep, this is the one'. I could compare it to a split second of love. That's why we're all hooked.

I was expecting Liesel to turn into a influential speaker at the end: a powerful force in Nazi-Germany's history. Even if a book is fiction, I still like to believe that the characters are built on reality. A story has to be believable and to me, this one was. Liesel has to be a character who changed the world slightly, not entirely. I was half-expecting Liesel to fight off Hitler single handedly (like Max imagines down in the basement), but she didn't. She did more than that. She saved her life by writing. Words saved her life. They literally sheltered her from harm.

With Death being the narrator, it added an edge. It showed the true horror of war, the true pain of dying, but it also changed the image I have of death. I know Death as the hooded character from many Hallowe'en costumes, and he is the object of nightmares, but he's never had a personality. He's never had a voice. By giving Death life, Zusak has created hope to the suffering. Light souls being lifted by Death is what people are scared of. He's tried to take the shock out of life by giving us hope in Death. A very clever move, Mr. Zusak.

On a more personal level, by reading Leisel's journey, it's helped me to understand my own expectations. I've grown up thinking I'll save the world somehow. But I've never known how. Liesel has reminded me that it's the little things in life are what it's all about. It's about savouring acts of kindness. It's about appreciating the water and food we have so readily available. All my other worries then seem to be not so important anymore. I constantly think what I'm doing isn't enough, that I'm always striving for ways of being better. I've learnt there's no need to strive so hard and put all this pressure on myself. I'll get there in the end. Everyone saves the world, even if it's just a tiny bit at a time.

On a separate note, spring seems to be bringing a strange mood into the Preston household. I think it's the sign of old flowers dying and new buds opening. It is the time of change and growth. It feels strange but great; like a new world is opening.

ZP x

Unearthing passions in poetry: it's time...

I've just seen a blog post by Fiona Moore about The Rialto and how they edit and pick their poems. I'm still fiddling with my own poems (I've collected up all journals/notebooks I've written in the last few years and starting to refine the poems inside them) and I'm in a stage where they never feel finished. I must learn to leave them alone but I can't. Maybe I should pluck up the courage and send some in to some magazines next year: I think have just discovered my New Year's resolution.

Recently, I've been reading 'trashy' novels (mainly a rebellion against the strict set texts that I had at University) which I have been reveling in but I'm now tempted back into the books I truly love. I think my rebellious streak has ended - I can now settle into being me again. Old, dusty books will always be there but right now I am yearning for a new, crisp spine of a freshly published book. And right now I'm craving philosophy and poetry. The philosophy side to this comes from my boyfriend - he loves it - and has inspired me to read more, but also to think more. The poetry side is me going back to what I loved during my years at University. I loved it then, and still love it now, but life got in the way, or rather, I was living a life without my true passions.

I have had a few suggestions from my poetry tutor, Carrie Etter (see her blog here) and upon her posts online, ordered Rhian Gallagher's Shift (2012) and now deciding on a few more. Maybe a review or two will appear here soon. Mostly, I am looking forward to writing again but I don't feel in a rhythm just yet. I like to read a lot in order to inspire me to write. When I'm not reading, my writing is rubbish. I was told by another tutor of mine, Tim Liardet, that reading is more important than writing, and he was right. You don't know where you writing stands if you don't read. You don't know what people are writing, you don't know the trends or the things to step away from. By reading other writing, you get a sense of your own writing and how you want it to stand out amongst the rest of it all. Also, the type of books you are reading rubs off in your own writing so by reading a whole range of writing will expand your writing horizons. Well, that's my theory anyway!

I'm off to Pascale Petit's poetry reading at Magdalen College, Oxford, tomorrow evening. I saw her last time a few years ago in Bath where Carrie introduced me to her so I am looking forward to hearing her talk again.

All I want to do at the moment (especially with all this cold weather) is hibernate and read until the chill makes way for spring. So that's what I'm going to do. Oh, and maybe cook a few nice meals.

ZP x