如海月

I first read this book at the age of ten. My teacher gifted it to me for my outstanding performance in school. But I couldn’t understand half the things in the book and it has been standing on my shelf gathering dust for one and a half years before I took it out a few days ago when I was in desperate need for a book. Even last year, when I first read it, I found I could relate to Liesel, if only just a little. I have a friend who’s an avid reader like me, and we often bond over plastic tea cups, invisible tea, very real sandwiches, and of course books, during the weekends with a couple of other friends. She had large bookshelves piled with books, and a list for anyone who was interested in borrowing. We just had to fill in our names, date of borrowing, name of book, and fill in the date of return when we did. I preferred to read on the spot, so I didn’t touch the list until a few months ago. I borrowed a couple of Enid Blyton’s books as well as the Hobbit, and went away happily to read them. The large amount of books was like tubs of ice-cream for me. A few weeks later, though, some other books had caught my attention and these borrowed ones lay in a corner. I only remembered them a month later, and decided I would return them the next weekend. But my friend had long moved—and I had been too engrossed in revisiting Scion of the Fox to notice the messages piling up on my discord. Of course I will return them, but it is a question of when. And so I unofficially and unknowing became A Book Thief. Now I am halfway through the book, and I can’t stop going. I’m a train with too much fuel and I have to either make it to my destination or fall right of the tracks. I have devoured every word deliciously, and I can understand why I didn’t get it last year. You can’t help but love Rudy. And Liesel. And Max. And Hans. And of course Rosa. I love this book so much you have no idea.