I'm So Glad We've Had This Time Together...

...to have a laugh and sing a song...

My condolences to Harvey Korman's family. I enjoy watching clips of Harvey laughing. It always made me laugh to see him lose composure. Here are a few clips of the things that made me enjoy his humor:









:::::::::::::::::::::::::Book Review::::::::



Written with Death as the narrarator you would think this book entirely dark and brooding. The book surprised me with the gentle manner that Death appears. He is not boastful, angry, vengeful, lurking, and evil. He is comes across as a reliever of suffering, torn or tortured bodies. Some beg him come, but he cannot. He has a few people that make him pause and watch their lives and take particular note. One of these people is Liesel Meminger who is sent into foster care to a German family in Molching. On the trip to her new family she has a very ill brother with her that dies on the train ride. It is at this time Death takes notice of Liesel and watches her actions. This is also when she steals her first book.

I was eager to read every chapter to find out more about Liesel and her life, set during WWII and Nazi Germany. The characters are in a struggle to survive and that struggle produces acts that the characters, themselves, find immoral but necessary. I'm usually a very ethos person and would have a problem with such characters, but I didn't with these. The starvation had the characters choose to steal for bits of food. During one scene the newly stolen apples are devoured so quickly that the act produces it's own punishment. Liesel vomits up her spoils. Liesel steals books from the mayor's wife, but realizes that the mayor's wife is allowing her to steal them. This complex relationship is amazing to me.

I love Liesel's "Papa" Hans Hubermann. He is a painter by trade and a man with a heart that swells with compassion. That heart is battered by a son eaten up by the rhetoric of the fuhrer. His daughter is indifferent. When Liesel comes to live with him a friendship is formed that withstands so much of the turmoil in their lives. He is a man that keeps promises and alternates hating himself for keeping those promises, and realizing that it is the right thing to do.

There are so many characters in this that I want you to discover them for yourselves. Rudy is a fantastic character with his crazy quirks and his immense loyalty to Liesel that you might fall in love with him, too. Rosa Hubermann and her abrasive nature, but big heart. Death...surprisingly a likable guy.

This book speaks in large measure to the power of words. Hitler used them to try and annihilate a race and took many of his own with his hate speech. Liesel discovered that her power of words could elevate others and give hope to those who had their well of hope depleted.

I cried through the last part of the book. I had grown attached to these characters and it came as no surprise, as Death is the narrarator, that some of the characters were taken by him. No matter the tears, this book was well worth each one.


Take Care! :)