Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Genre: Realistic Fic / Romance
Page Count: 325

Summary (from Goodreads):

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

I picked up this book because I had heard it was strongly recommended for fans of The Fault in Our Stars.  Turns out, I really enjoyed this book!

As the cover suggests, music played a part in Eleanor and Park's story, which made me happy. Music is a big part of my life, so I felt more engaged in the story.

Plus, the writing was spot-on for this type of story.  I liked how it wasn't "love at first sight" - it took a while for Eleanor and Park to warm up to each other, and that fact kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting for the drama to unfold.

The characters were excellent!  Character development is what I typically focus on when I'm reading, and I loved how the novel switched points of view - I liked knowing what was going on in Park's head and knowing what was going on at the same time in Eleanor's. That factor only works in some novels, but it definitely worked in this one.

The ending was heartbreaking, though.  Be warned!  Make sure you have some tissues lying around when you're reading those last few chapters.

Overall, I enjoyed the book.  It dealt with some social issues and the story kept me reading.  The romance was cute and compelling.  Will be reading future Rainbow Rowell books for sure!

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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Genre: Historical Fiction
Page Count: 552

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS):

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

I've been hearing about this book for ages and I finally picked it up to see what all the hype was about.  Well, if you haven't read this yet, this book most definitely lives up to the hype.

THE CHARACTERS:

I connected with Liesel so much.  The fact that she recognized how powerful words are and how she loved both reading and writing certainly made me resonate with her the most.  I also liked how three-dimensional she was. Problems that she came across wouldn't just pass straight through her - she would think about those obstacles and use what she's experienced in the past to help her with her decision -- she was written perfectly.

The other characters were great as well.  I loved Rudy and Hans and even Death's characters.  They were all fantastic, and if I wrote a paragraph about each, you wouldn't make it to the end of this post.

THE PLOT:

Perfectly executed. There were a couple slow spots, but the action and the suspense really made up for them.  There were twists and subplots that were compelling and that I didn't see coming. 

THE WRITING:
Phenomenal.  That's all I can say.  There was at least two quotable phrases on each page -- hundreds of beautiful metaphors and insightful sentences.  Markus Zusak's writing really made the story vivid and you knew how each scene felt, smelled, and looked like all in gorgeous detail.  He's definitely become one of my favorite authors for his writing style.

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