The Pure Bliss of Ignorance

Read and loved, a closed book.

I have marched through my reading list this summer like a pro, knocking out the first three books in just three weeks.  However, I didn't have my 4th book ready when I finished the 3rd so I strayed from the list when I found The Book Thief by Markus Zusak on the shelf of my "summer home."  This book has waited patiently on my to-be-read list for so long I can't remember when I even learned about it.

It is one of those books that for some reason I knew about but didn't know about.  I knew I needed to read it but had no idea what it was about.  In a way, I like these surprise books.  The ones that you know nothing about and so you walk into their world with eyes wide open and you are caught up in the pure gratification of learning about the book.  With these books, ignorance is truly bliss.

I just finished The Book Thief.  I started it on a hot, sticky, perfectly miserable east coast day.  I read it on the subway with all the other hot, sticky, perfectly miserable east coast commuters.  I finished it on the couch, just now, where even the turning of pages was an invitation to start sweating all over again.  When I turned the last page, feet kicked up, hair trying to avoid sticking to my neck, I laid the book on my chest and let out a deep breath.  I didn't realize I had been holding it for so long.

For those of you who already know what The Book Thief is about, you won't be upset when I say I'm not even going to write about the content.  For those of you who have no idea and who want to read a book that is soul-shaking, I will simply tell you to read this.  In this review I have no intention of telling you the plot, the setting, or even about the characters because I want you to walk into the world of Liesel Meminger with your eyes, arms, and heart wide open.

This won't give anything away.  But I loved this so much I took a
picture while reading these words to remember forever.

I can tell you that while reading this book I was moved so much that I often had to close the book and just sit still.  While absorbing the story, I remembered all the things that make this world worth being in.  The story encouraged me to take risks I wasn't sure I was ready to take.  There is a quote on the front of the book from the New York Times which says, "It's the kind of book that can be LIFE CHANGING."  It is.  I am grateful for the power of words, the inspiration that comes from one person taking the chance to tell a story, and for this book.  Read it. You will love it.