i can't get past the first two pages....

i keep on rereading the opening pages (see love at first sentence from yesterday). i can already tell i will be adding this book to the short list of "books i wish i had written."


* * * a small theory * * *
people observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations, with each passing moment. a single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. waxy yellows, cloud-spat blues. murky darknesses. in my line of work, i make it a point to notice them.

as i've been alluding to, my one saving grace is distraction. it keeps me sane. it helps me cope, considering the length of time i've been performing this job. the trouble is, who could ever replace me? who could step in while i take a break in your stock-standard resort-style vacation destination, whether it be tropical or of the ski trip variety? the answer, of course, is nobody, which has prompted me to make a conscious, deliberate decision--to make distraction my vacation. needless to say, i vacation in increments. in colors.

still it's possible that you might be asking, why does he even need a vacation? what does he need distraction from?

which brings me to my next point.

it's the leftover humans.

the survivors.

they're the ones i can't stand to look at, although on many occasions i still fail. i deliberately seek out the colors to keep my mind off them, but now and then, i witness the ones who are left behind, crumbling among the jigsaw puzzle of realization, despair, and surprise. they have punctured hearts. they have beaten lungs.

which in turn brings me to the subject i am telling you abut tonight, or today, or whatever the hour and color. it's the story of one of those perpetual survivors--an expert at being left behind.

it's just a small story, really, about, among other things:
*a girl
*some words
*an accordionist
*some fanatical germans
*a jewish fist fighter
*and quite a lot of theivery

i saw the book thief three times.


this book will chew me up and spit me out a different person on the other side. i can already tell. thank you sheree, darling, for making me buy this book. and thank you elnora, for telling me about it in the first place.


quote: the book thief - zusak