Today while reading the new The Writer Magazine, I noticed a short article on book trailers. This was serendipitous because yesterday was the first time I have ever seen a video trailer for a book, much less a children's book. Yesterday's blog post includes the book trailer for The Book Thief.
I guess it is the latest trend and marketing tool in the publishing world for promoting new books. Many of them can be found on YouTube, MySpace and publisher's websites. Now I will be spending more time reviewing books in this manner!
I thought I'd add another book trailer I found on YouTube - a book I have not seen yet, but the trailer has me intrigued. A book about adoption and the young girl looks to be Asian with a Caucasian mom. Sounds like my story! I'll need to find this book to see if it is a quality book to share with my kids.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Book Thief
Stayed up way too late last night to finish the last 80 or so pages of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Been reading this book for the last month or so and although it took a good amount of time to truly get into it, the last 300 or so pages were riveting for me.
Reading others' reviews of the book were affirming to me. One blogger wrote that she sobbed during the last 30 pages of the book. This comment could have been written by me! That is exactly what I did - I sobbed. I don't remember ever sobbing while reading a book - but this book had me with tears streaming down my cheeks like mad and strange sad sounds emanating from my throat. I was afraid I'd wake the sleeping children.
You'd think that sobbing would mean that overall a reader would not have liked the book as much as I did. I mean, who wants to sob and feel the extreme pain and anguish that I did as I read this book? However, it was an important book to read, one that moved me deeply. The characters are easy to become attached to - not perfect people, but real people with all their foibles and bad personality traits. Hard not to love a real person. They all had to endure so much during the war in Germany - even the Germans. I kept taking moments away from reading and looking around my room at all that I had, appreciating the roof over my head, the safety I feel daily in my life, having a family intact and close by.
I think I will always be able to visualize the small village in which Liesel, the main character lived. Her home, the basement in which her family hid a Jewish man, the Mayor's wife's library...
There were also some wonderfully written words that made me stop and reread and appreciate the language. I love books like this, especially books that are written for young people. They deserve good writing like this.
Here is a video that alludes to the book and its themes and events. I do think it would make a good movie.
Reading others' reviews of the book were affirming to me. One blogger wrote that she sobbed during the last 30 pages of the book. This comment could have been written by me! That is exactly what I did - I sobbed. I don't remember ever sobbing while reading a book - but this book had me with tears streaming down my cheeks like mad and strange sad sounds emanating from my throat. I was afraid I'd wake the sleeping children.
You'd think that sobbing would mean that overall a reader would not have liked the book as much as I did. I mean, who wants to sob and feel the extreme pain and anguish that I did as I read this book? However, it was an important book to read, one that moved me deeply. The characters are easy to become attached to - not perfect people, but real people with all their foibles and bad personality traits. Hard not to love a real person. They all had to endure so much during the war in Germany - even the Germans. I kept taking moments away from reading and looking around my room at all that I had, appreciating the roof over my head, the safety I feel daily in my life, having a family intact and close by.
I think I will always be able to visualize the small village in which Liesel, the main character lived. Her home, the basement in which her family hid a Jewish man, the Mayor's wife's library...
There were also some wonderfully written words that made me stop and reread and appreciate the language. I love books like this, especially books that are written for young people. They deserve good writing like this.
Here is a video that alludes to the book and its themes and events. I do think it would make a good movie.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
