The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak - Review

**A note on my notes: If you have not read the book, then you will be spoiled by reading this review. If you disagree with my opinion about the book, that's okay. We can all think differently.**

This book was absolutely beautiful; I don't think I have ever been so emotionally invested in a story before. The writing was beautiful. The character's were beautifully developed. The relationships were beautiful. Everything was beautiful. I loved it.

Now, I did go into the book having already seen the movie which I 100% enjoyed, so that could potentially have impacted my opinion: I didn't come into the book knowing nothing about the storyline and was already invested in the characters. Because of this, I didn't have any trouble getting into the story, but I can see how for someone who knows nothing about it could have trouble getting started. Big books are always daunting to pick up for the first time, and it does take a few pages to really understand what's going on and how it's relevant to the story. Nonetheless, I really loved this book.

If you haven't read it, the novel follows a young German girl called Liesel who is living during World War II. She was adopted into a new family and the plot basically follows her and the people she develops relationships with while they struggle to survive.

The novel was narrated by Death, which I thought was really interesting. I've never read a book that was narrated by a concept rather than a character (well, really, Death is a character, but you know what I mean) and I thought that it fit the tone of the novel perfectly. Being able to sympathise with Death just affirmed for me how talented Marcus Zusak is in his writing. Scattered throughout the novel were these sections that were kind of separate from the overall tale and were more of Death's thoughts and beliefs about certain things. I thought these were incorporated into the story really well and were extremely interesting to read as they were from a perspective I haven't really considered before.

The characters were really well developed and fleshed out. Liesel was an excellent protagonist and I really loved how her desire for reading and knowledge was an important part of her life. I think she was written beautifully and that her reactions to events such as Mama, Papa and Rudy's deaths was perfect. I think Rudy overall was a great best friend to Liesel and I thought their relationship was adorable! I found their interactions and the way they were somewhat mean to each other was very believable. Mama and Papa's relationship was also hilarious. Rosa's attitudes and personality really bought some humour to a world that was otherwise dark and dangerous, and it made her soft spots even more touching, especially when she told Liesel that Max had awoken and when she sat with her husbands accordion. I think the way the family bonded with Max was touching, but also believable - there was a certain fear shared between them that made the story much more realistic and really drew me into the story.

My heart shattered with the ending, even though I'd already seen the movie and the death's are mentioned several times throughout the book. I felt so so so sorry for Liesel; she had really lost everything then. Her old family, her new one, her best friend, her home, her books and even Max was gone.While I wish that things worked out differently for her, I think that having those characters die was important to capture the essence of World War II and the fact that nobody was safe, not even kind German families.

Overall, this book has really touched me and will stay with me for a really long time. I would recommended it to everyone. While it is touching, it is also sad and if you're an emotional person like I am, you will probably cry several times. Nevertheless, The Book Thief is an example of beautiful writing and storytelling and will be on my favourites shelf for a very long time.

I would also like to thank Little Book Owl for raving about this book so many times, for otherwise I would never have been interested in it! You can check her blog out here: http://www.littlebookowl.com/ and her YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/LittleBookOwl

Wonder by RJ Palacio - Review

**A note on my notes: If you haven't read the book, you will be spoiled. Go and read it, you won't regret it! Also, don't hate on my opinion; accept that perception is a real thing that exists.**

I only picked up this book because I saw someone who I usually have similar literary taste to post a review raving about how much they loved it. Then I saw the cover, which is absolutely gorgeous, and I knew I had to own it for my collection.

I started reading it, and I loved it right from the very beginning. The writing is so beautiful and I completely fell in love with Palacio's style, which I think perfectly captured the mindset of each character. The novel was extremely easy to read due to really short sections, so when I had a few spare moments I could smash out a few chapters, which is always a nice feeling!

If you're reading this post, then you should have already read the book, but it you haven't here's a basic plot summary. August Pullman is about to enter middle school for the first time after being home schooled for the entirety of his education. He's not just an ordinary boy and is classed as somewhat of a 'medical wonder', having needed numerous surgeries and facial reconstructions. The novel basically follows him and his close family and friends as he goes through one of the most difficult, yet rewarding years of his life.

The story is told in parts, each narrated by a different character. I'm not usually a huge fan of multiple points of view because it's difficult for an author to get inside the head of so many characters and display their voices completely separate from one another. However, I thought that each character was narrated perfectly. I loved how the parts intersected so there were times when the same event was seen from two or more characters perspectives. Each character made me sympathise with their POV, but only until the next part narrated by a different character where I almost immediately sympathised with the new character's perspectives instead. If I could change one thing about this book I would include some of the adults perspectives into it, especially August's mother, Mr Browne or Mr Tushman. Although I do think it would be interesting to hear their thoughts and perspectives on some of the overarching themes, bullying in particular, I think the characters that were chosen to tell their side of things did the story justice.

I finished this novel when I was on the train home from uni. I catch an express train from the city in peak hour usually, so this train was packed full of people. I literally cried for half of the thirty-three minute journey. Tears of joy. I never cry from happiness, but I was just so happy that Auggie got his standing ovation and that Julian was leaving school and Mr Tushman's speech was just beautiful and gosh it was seriously my favourite book ending ever. I can't even describe how happy it made me feel, to see everything resolved like that. It makes me smile just thinking about it.

I cried a few more times throughout my reading as well, mostly from sadness and frustration. When Julian made the comments about Darth Sidious I cried a little. I burst into tears when Daisy died. I cried from frustration at the boys on the camp, because it just made me remember how evil and ignorant some people can be, but Amos standing up for Auggie that night was so beautiful. 

I loved how Auggie was such a Star Wards nerd. I loved Summer. I loved Mr Browne's precepts. I loved reading all the main character's precepts at the end of the book. I loved how the fight between Jack and Julian split all the boys into sides but the girls were all too mature for that kind of stuff. I loved the relationships between all the characters, because they weren't perfect and they all had fallouts at one point, just like in real life. 

Wonder was so uplifting and made me feel so happy. This has easily become one of my favourite books of all time, and I can see it staying in that list for quite a while. I would 10000% recommend this to anyone, because I think there are so many lessons that everyone would benefit from. Seriously, read it.

Why hate on YA?

If you read a lot of young adult fiction, you've probably been scoffed at on at least one occasion. For some reason, YA books are looked down upon as 'lesser' books than the classics or even standard adult literature. I'll be the first to admit that the YA genre has numerous downfalls: there's the couples that fall in love instantly, the angsty teenage protagonists, way too many vampires and a lot of stereotypical main characters. That being said, every category has negative aspects that are overdone and annoying, but that doesn't mean that every single book aimed at said audience is 'less' of a book based on it's target audience!

'Young adult' is an age category. Now that doesn't mean that only teenagers and those just older/younger will be able to appreciate the book, nor does it limit the age of any person who is able to read the book. It's simply a target. Young adult books are aimed at young adults; they cover themes, characters and situations that are particularly relevant to reader's in that age group. Note, particularly. Not restricted to, not disadvantaged by. Those kinds of readers are simply, in general, the target market for the novel's content.

Every book has the potential to be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of the genre and age classification. J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series is classified as children's literature, but the novels are enjoyed by children, teenagers and adults all over the world! Just because someone reads young adult fiction does not mean that they're less of a reader than someone who reads the classics. We should all be encouraging reading, regardless of the genre! Reading is so important for people and can be such a positive influence, especially on young adults whose minds are still forming and shaping them into the people they will soon become. If you don't want to read young adult literature because you think you're above it, that's fine. Just keep that opinion to yourself.

Favourite Villians

As a young adult and university student, I spend (or waste) a lot of time watching YouTube videos. Recently, I've been obsessed with the BookTube community - a significant group of YouTuber's who regularly upload videos that are book related in some way (for example, book reviews, book to movie adaptations, favourite books and authors and all that jazz). A few months ago, one of my favourite BookTuber's posted a video in collaboration with two other BookTuber's in which they discussed some of their favourite fictional villains, which has inspired this post. If you're interested in seeing the original video, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHsaxDjSbzo

1. Professor Delores Umbridge - Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
If you don't hate on Delores, there's literally something wrong with you. Literally. She is one of the most ignorant fictional book characters that I've ever read. When Harry doesn't agree with what she's teaching and he stands up for what he values, Umbridge punishes him in one of the most cruel ways I've ever seen. I don't even think that she's an evil character, but her obsession with pleasing and being recognised by the highest authority drives her to commit any act, no matter how terrible. She desperately needs attention from who she sees as the highest authority and I just can't stand her.

2. Count Olaf - A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
It's been a while since I read this series and I never actually even completed all thirteen books, but Jesse sparked my memory of this character from his list in the video, and I completely agree with his argument. The three siblings all try desperately hard to figure out what's going on and to escape Olaf, but he always somehow manages to be one step ahead of them. No matter what they do, he has predicted it and figured out a way to stop their plans immediately. He's such a manipulative and sneaky character, and this along with the infuriating aspect of him being a mastermind are what make him such a good villain.

3. Alex - A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
This one's bending the rules a bit I think, because Alex is actually the protagonist of the novel, but he's a really bad person. He really enjoys raping women and any sort of violence, but the novel is written in such a way that you as the reader easily sympathise with him. So he counts.

4. Bellatrix LeStrange - Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling
I don't really know why, but I think Bellatrix is a great character. She's kind of pathetically obsessed with Voldemort and will do absolutely anything to please him. She's also pretty damn crazy, especially in the movies. I just love her childish behaviour and her total lack of empathy.

5. The Government - any dystopian novel ever written
If you've read a dystopian novel, you know what I'm talking about. The government always makes bad decisions that ruin the lives of so many people, and it's up to a select few to fix the entire world. They're a pretty cliché villain, but I think that having the government as an antagonist is a brilliant idea, because it's so easily relatable. And by that, I mean that no one will ever agree with every political decision ever made and governmental bodies sometimes screw up in our society.

So they're some of my favourite villains, and really, as much as I hate some of them they're a lot of my favourite characters. A good villain often makes for a good book. People are complex, and so are characters.