B is for... The Book Thief and Before I Go

Wednesday 2 April 2014



  Rise and shine! Today’s post features two bewildering novels that I just couldn't put down the minute I began reading them: Before I Go, by Riley Weston, and The Book Thief (now on DVD) by Markus Zusak. Both of these books were unbelievably fascinating, but they both had total different concepts that the authors focused on.

Before I Go was a contemporary life-changing romance. I never expected it to be this good because really, what can you expect about a girl that skates? I really thought that the “tragic accident” that occurred was something totally different. 

So, here we have Madison Henry, who’s sixteen and has always dreamt of becoming an Olympic figure skater. She is coached by her mother, Annie, who is the most supportive and helping mother that I’ve ever read about in a book. A tragedy strikes surprisingly, and Madison realizes that she can’t skate anymore, and who knows for how long. 

This really was a story about the bond of a mother and daughter, romance, and hope. 

Please, please, please do not read this book without carrying a LARGE box of tissues with you. I cried so many times throughout reading this, and I finished it in one sitting. I remember some of my family members coming into my reading area, and I’d just push them away, wanting peace and quiet.

Madison was a courageous protagonist who had so much independence and confidence in her the whole time and I believed in her. Annie made me upset sometimes, but to me, it didn't really matter, as long as the main protagonist and of course, the love interest were amazing, was all that mattered. I’m not going to spoil anything about the love interest, Jack, but the truth is that he broke my heart, I loved him too much. This was one of my favourite novels of all time, and it will be for you too.






Next off, The Book Thief. I’m sure you’ve all heard of it. I never expected it to be that good and to focus on that kind of subject. World War II is a tough subject to write about, and every book that focuses on it just makes me cry in the end, and I was seriously bawling during the movie and book.

The details here are spectacular. Liesel, the cute main character, just made you feel like YOU were in this book and you were experiencing everything, even though that this was in Death’s point of view and hers as well.

You will grow to love every moment and word of this book. You will fall in love with all of the characters. It’s so sad to read this heartbreaking story with such strong characters that have to go through such horrible situations. 

I personally enjoyed both the book and the movie so much. They are so alike, and the film crew did a fantastic job making the job relate to the book so much. If you haven’t already, read this book because you won’t be left down.

I’ve read many books that begin with the letter B, but these two mean so much to me and aren’t that popular as the books of John Green and Suzanne Collins, for example. Not that they aren’t good books. ;)

24 comments :

  1. I've heard so many good things about the book thief!! Everyone loves it! It must be a really heartbreaking story! I'm just intimidated by the size of the book, but I really want to pick it up!

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    1. I felt the same way before picking it up as well. I saw it so many times but never picked it up until I received it 2 years ago for Christmas. After reading it, I was upset that I didn't pick it up sooner, ahah.

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  2. I have never heard of The Book Thief. I'm going to have to check it out. WWII is one of my favorite subjects.

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    1. Same here! Books that focus on that subject always touch my heart but this one really is something special. :)

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  3. I just finished reading The Book Thief a few days ago! I absolutely loved it, as hard as it was to read at points--so much suffering. :( But it was amazingly well-written and absolutely fascinating. WWII is my favorite period in history and I LOVE historical fiction taking place during that time!

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    1. Yay! It makes me so sad to read negative reviews about this book, even though the majority is all good things, I'm glad that another bookworm has enjoyed it as much as I did. :)

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  4. I remember seeing The Book Thief (the novel) in the bookstores when it first came out, and I just didn't have the heart to read it with the subject matter...maybe one day when I'm braver.

    Thanks for the visit to my blog. On to C tomorrow!

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    1. Yes, although I adore the subject, it's so difficult to have it trespass in your heart. I really think any lover of books will enjoy it. It's a little difficult to read because of the strong emotions and events, but anyone will enjoy it. :)

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  5. One day I will get to The Book Thief, everyone I know raves about it. I'm glad you liked the movie as well. I like to try and compare the book and movie when I can.

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    1. There's many situations where the book is obviously better than the movie, and I feel so special when I read the book before I even knew that a movie was coming out. When I read The Book Thief in October of 2013, I actually never knew that there was a movie coming out until my friend mentioned it. It was absolutely amazing! :)

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  6. I know I should read The Book Thief--I just feel like I need to be in the right mood for it, and so far I haven't been able to get there! Maybe someday . . .

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  7. It's rare to hear that a movie lives up to a beloved book. I haven't read either book, but I'll check them out. Thanks! :)

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    1. Thank you! ^.^ I've only found this movie and the movie of Ender's Game to really live up to the book. Others, not so much. I'm really excited to see Divergent in the theatres and see what the film crew did with it.

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  8. Can you believe I still haven't read the book thief? What is my problem? Great post!

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    1. Don't worry, I read it pretty late as well, most bookworms who read the mainstream books already read it by the time I picked this up! Thank you!

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  9. I tried to read The Book Thief, but couldn't get into it. I'd like to read Before I Go.

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    1. Ohh, yes, not all people will like any book right? I'm sure that you'll enjoy Before I Go as much as I did. :)

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  10. Interesting reads. I'd heard of the second book but not the first. Though I'm already reading a sad book that involves an accident (If I Stay) and I blame my sister for it. So, maybe I can add this book to my list and blame you when I read it and feel sad. ;-)

    A to Z commenter
    Reading at Dawn blog

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    1. OMG. If I Stay was absolutely incredible, I think I'll do my post on that for the letter "I." It's a tough book to read, but it's worth the time spending to read.

      Ahahahaha, blame me, but you will definitely adore it! xD

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  11. I loved The Book Thief, even though it's not the type of books I usually read.

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    1. That is so great to hear! I normally don't like the genre of historical fiction, although war stories are absolutely acceptable, but there are a few historical ones that I adored all of my heart. :)

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  12. Wow, I did not know The Book Thief was a book as well. I haven't yet seen the movie, and now I am torn as to whether I should read the book first or not!

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    1. Ahaha, I think that you should read the book first, because the movie will obviously spoil the whole book for you because the film crew did such an amazing job re-creating the book. There were a few missing parts in the movie that were in the book, but the movie was just 5/5 amazing. I'd read the book first, just for the not-knowing-what-would-happen tweak of it. :D

      Thanks for visiting!

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