I usually avoid reading books set during a war because I find battle scenes extremely uninteresting and (unsurprisingly) only feel sadness while reading about death. However the book thief was different for me. For a book that is literally narrated by death, I was not sad the entire time which is something I appreciated. Perhaps this was because the pace seemed perfect and the writing is so beautiful. I also enjoyed the small creative interruptions that allowed the reader to think. The book still reveals the horrors of World War II but does so in a way that focuses on the unexpected beauty of humanity and the way people are forced to deal with situations that are out of their control. One scene in particular that stands out to me is when Liesel read to her neighbors in the basement while bombs were going off around them. In a situation where it would be so easy to focus on what could be the end, a beginning was formed through the sharing of art. The most pressing thing these people had in common was the fact that death was so near yet they bonded over something that made them feel alive. I also liked how death was not an evil character but rather a being who also felt human emotions. While doing their job, Death experienced sadness, joy and confusion. It made me think about how we may not always have a choice about what happens to us, but we can decide how to deal with it. I can only describe this book as special and cannot believe it took me so long to finally read it.