I don’t usually sympathize with thieves, but “The Book Thief” by Markus Zazuk definitely wins an exception. It’s also one of the stranger books that I’ve read in a long time.Still strange isn’t necessarily bad. Told from the point of view of “Death”, (that’s right, the Grim Reaper essentially narrates this tale) the novel is set in Nazi Germany. Liesel (no relation to the character in “The Sound of Music“) is an orphan adopted by a German family who takes to stealing books.

Liesel can’t read, but her adoptive father, Hans, teaches her.

The story takes awkwards twists and turns that somehow just work with the story. You grow to love Liesel even as you hate what is happening to her town and in her life. Her adoptive mother appears hateful and then somehow gains your affections.

There’s a lot to love about this book. It’s a sizable tome, so don’t pick it up if you’re scared of large books. It has occasional sidebars from Death that I grew to enjoy (but I can see how some people find them distracting). What it says about the human spirit is what matters.

Someone has compared this to “Life of Pi” and I disagree thoroughly. While “Pi” is interesting and off the wall, it’s not a concrete story to latch onto and love.

I highly recommend “The Book Thief“. It’s absolutely worth the time to sit down and explore Liesel’s world.