The Book Thief

Topic:

Tuesday, September 24: Review a book, place, or product.

I decided to review a book I recently finished reading:

Title: The Book Thief

Author: Mark Zusak

Paperback Edition: 554 pages

First Published: January 1st, 2005

GoodReads Average Rating: 4.36/5 stars

The Book Thief tells the story of a girl, Liesel, who lives near Munich in Germany during World War II in 1993. Liesel learns how to read and write with the help of her foster father, and soon becomes so attached to books that she steals them. She is friends with a boy named Rudy, and soon becomes friends with Max; and Max is a Jewish man who hides at their house in fear of being caught by the Nazis.  It also shows the indecency and brutality of war and of the Nazis, it reveals the torture Jewish people (and anyone who sympathizes with them) faced. Liesel loses so many people she loves during this war, and there are very hear-touching scenes; such as when her foster father gets whipped after throwing bread for the Jewish, or when she recovers the dead bodies of Rudy and her foster parents... Overall, the book is very emotional (I read too many emotional books!), and something I really liked about it was the fact that it was narrated by Death. (yes, Death.)

The book is very well written, the events are realistic, the characters are easy to get attached to.

Check my GoodReads review of The Book Thief here.

How to Get Inspired

Writer's block is one of the most annoying things. Ever. Especially when the desire to write is there, but the ideas aren't. How to get inspired?

Notice the little things:

This is probably the most important thing of all. Open you eyes to everything around you. It's amazing how many new stuff you'll discover and notice. Notice the ladybug on that plant you're passing by, the sound you make when breaking an egg, the way you move your toes when you're nervous. Just notice anything and everything. A simple thing can lead to an epic idea.

The colored buttons on a remote control, for example, might inspire you to write about a very emotional character that goes from angry to happy to sad in no time.

Read:

I guess reading just really stimulates the mind. And you don't really see the effect of reading on writing, until you start writing. That is when a simple word, incident, or sentence in a book begins to inspire you to create something of your own. Besides, it's so much fun!

Go on a walk:

Except if it's way too hot or way too cold. Best weather is a little breezy, maybe a little cloudy and a little sunny. Take a walk to just look around, breathe fresh air, and of course notice everything around you. The sky, the dried up river, the trees, the ugly cockroaches... 

Have ice-cream:

Give yourself a treat for working hard. Enjoy it. (Vegetables with Hummus is a healthier choice, but it's okay to have ice-cream every now and then!)

Laugh:

Learn to love life. A positive attitude not only makes you happier, but it also makes everything around you nicer.

Feel beautiful:

Mainly because writing is a beautiful thing to do (as everything done with passion), and because every single person is beautiful in his/her own way. And because when we see the beauty inside us, we start seeing it all around us. It's contagious, just like that. And it will transfer to your work.

Start writing:

Don't just sit and wait for the inspiration to hit out of nowhere (although sometimes it does and it's just the most beautiful feeling ever). Start writing. Just put your hands on your keyboard and type, or grab a pen and a notebook. Write whatever comes up to your mind, the editing comes later.

You don't have to be writing to do those. You could be working on a painting, a presentation, a design...