Forty Book Challenge: The Book Thief Edition

For the longest time, I refused to read The Book Thief.  I was supposed to read it this summer for my book club, but couldn't get a hold of it at the library, and wasn't quite sure if I wanted to purchase it at the time, so I decided to listen to it on CD.  Bad idea.  I wasn't in my car enough to stay with the story, and quite honestly, "Death" as the narrator really creeped me out.  So I stopped listening.  Then, my friends started reading it, and raving about it...and I still managed to refuse...for awhile.  At one point, I even purchased the novel, but was still daunted by it's length and narrator...so it remained on my shelf.  Once Wendy read it and started to question my aversion towards it, I had to cave in - there's really no argument when dealing with the Ninja.  I decided to at least put it off until Spring Break, so I would have enough time to really get into the story, instead of constantly putting it down and coming back to it.

I am happy to report that I completed my endeavor.  I enjoyed it way more than I thought I was going to.  I even liked "Death" as the narrator...he gave a very interesting perspective to the whole story.  I liked the "mini-stories" within the novel best and the ending least.  My favorite line in the whole story was the last line of HER story.  I would elaborate on this more, but don't want to be a spoiler for anyone who hasn't read it...

Then, as luck would have it, the movie came out on DVD this week as well, so since all my girls finished the novel, we decided it would be the perfect girls' afternoon.  The company was fantastic....and that's about the only nice thing I have to say....  If you HAVEN'T read the book, you might enjoy the movie...I don't think it was truly as bad as I thought it was...  If you HAVE read the book, be prepared for a "sweetened" plot and omission of some of the better details.  Oh, and an absolutely unnecessary and RIDICULOUS moment at the end.  Seriously, Hollywood?!?

So, as it always* does, the book far surpasses the movie.

*Ok, maybe not always...there are a few exceptions, like The Wizard of Oz...but pretty darn close!