#12: Esther

For our local bookstore's book club, the chosen selection of the month was the book of Esther from the Bible.  According to the ladies, this was the first time a book of the Bible had ever been chosen.

The group did not focus on Biblical implications, instead focusing on the mystery and adventure within the story, for the story has it all...and then some.

One of only two books named for a woman, Esther, chosen by the King as his next Queen, soon becomes involved in a plot (or her destiny) to save her people from the evil fate determined by the King's right hand man.

A good read!

11: The Book Thief

Ever put off something for too long and then wonder later why?  With Markus  Zusak's The Book Thief, I did exactly that....plus, I had to read it before I could watch the movie and because this novel was chosen for our high school's students' book club's first read.

Death makes for an interesting narrator.  Though quite busy during the setting of Nazi Germany, Death, one who most would find rather morbid, proves to be rather human-like, one with a sense of humor who is often amused by those who view his trade as resembling the Grip Reaper, scythe and all.  Told through the first person point-of-view, the subject matter encourages one to feel sympathy for one who must work 24/7, as all have been impacted by his visit at some point in one's life.

The story primarily takes place on Himmel Street.  Learning that Himmel means heaven brought a smile to this reader's face, for paradoxically, heaven is what this setting represents for its many of its residents.  Though the situation was harsh, this street represented escape from The Visit from Death that so many experienced during this time.

Main character Liesel Meminger, determined, scared, lonely, faced unimaginable circumstances:  the loss of her family, many meals of the same soup her foster mother made, the inability to read, a stubborn streak much too long for her own good, a stubborn streak just long enough for her own good.  The reader experiences this very harsh time through the perspective of this young adult (when Death quietens and allows her tale to be told), seeing it through the ices of the innocent.

Besides Night, I have not read many novels about the Holocaust, preferring, I suppose, to remain far away from such harsh conditions. This, though, is a time in our world's history that we should never forget, learning from that history; this time not allowing history to repeat itself.

Definitely a five-star book.  Definitely.