a-blogofones-own

[a-blogofones-own]

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This post may contain spoilers.

THE BLURB - as seen at the back of the book

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier stil.

By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Grave Digger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery.

So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up and closed down.

MY REVIEW

9.3/10 - This book is so heartbreaking right from the start and it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it, even though I couldn't stop crying half of the time.

The more I grow up, the more I realize that war is something that's very much omnipresent and something that will never end, and reading this book now feels like I'm, unwillingly, drawing parallels between what was and what is. While the book in and of its own is sad, what's sadder is that in the 80 years that have passed since WW2 ended, the only thing that changed are the targets. The world is moving back towards the 1940s and it is, as it seems, very much out of our control.

I feel like I'm reading this book all the time. Whenever I see the news, I am reading this book. Whenever I see an article on the current situation in the world, I am reading this book. Whenever I see pictures of people dying of starvation, I am reading this book.

What makes a book a classic are universal themes and lasting influence — or, in one word, timelessness, which is something that this book definitely has.

-Ash xx

[a-blogofones-own]

Pt. 2/2 ★There's always a way.★

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ALL-STAR SUPERMAN (bt Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly) VOL 7-12!!!!

All of this shouldn't be taken as fact because it's only my OPINION on the issues and opinions vary from person to person.

The Review

VOL. 7

★★★

I think this issue was okay. It was one of those where you get right into the action. I like the introduction to a new planet and I like how the planet looks.

VOL. 8

★★★★.5

I like this one because, although he probably did this before and I just didn't realize, he asks for help. He is aware that he needs help, he asks for it and he is not afraid to accept it. SUPERMAN, the strongest person on Earth, asks for help which shows that it's okay to do so. I think this, even though it was a small thing, was really important because in today's world people are afraid to ask for and accept help and seeing somebody strong, even if they're fictional, ask for help, may make it easier for others to do so too.

VOL.9

★★★

In this issue we meet two other Kryptonians (Lilo and Bar-El). It took Superman two months to come back to Earth from the Bizarro planet and while he was gone this pair found their way to Earth and started trying to rebuild Krypton. To me this shows how, by what we've seen, Kryptonians generally have a lot of ambition and power, but not in the physical sense, more so the power over others, it just depends on the individual how they decide to use it. To us they seem like negative characters because of their treatment of Earth, but in their reality they're just trying to rebuild their home, it's just that they're going about it the wrong way. But this also shows that, again as far as we've seen, Kryptonians also have a sense of loyalty, Superman is loyal to the Earth and its people and Lilo and Bar-El remain loyal to Krypton and each other until the end.

VOL. 10

★★★★★

This one was very sad because he knows what's going to happen and he's made his peace with it. In this issue it's just him wrapping everything up and preparing for a final goodbye. He is writing his final will and testament and this issue feels like it is just that. I like that it shows that he cares a lot about the people and the front page of this one shows that as well. It shows how much he loves the Earth and considers it his home. I also like how, despite all, he still hasn't given up on Lex and still believes that there is good in him even though Lex is the reason Superman is dying. He refuses to give up hope. I also like how he left something to Clark Kent even though HE is Clark Kent. It feels like in his final hours, instead of being Clark Kent, he is just being Kal-El and looking at Clark Kent as a friend that helped him throughout his life on Earth.

VOL. 11

★★★★.5

This issue is setting up the final battle between Superman and Lex Luthor, but it also has some little moments that mean a lot to me. I like how he decided to preserve Zibarro's poetry and to me it shows that he feels remorse for leaving him behind. I also like how he said to the robots that he couldn't ask for greater loyalty which shows how grateful he is. Finally I like how he still has hope and believes that there will always be a way.

VOL. 12

★★★★

This is the final issue and the final battle between Superman and Lex. It starts of with Superman having a talk with his biological father in the afterlife. I like that he still gets a chance to finish the job and finish all of the 12 labors. I also like that he used Lex's line against him (brain beats brawn) and I like how Lois is the one who holds onto hope in the end. I like the open ending because by leaving it open it gives HOPE to the readers that he will return and that he may not actually be dead, staying true to the old saying "Hope dies last.".

[a-blogofones-own]

Pt. 1/2 ★What happens when the unstoppable force meets an immovable object?★

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ALL-STAR SUPERMAN (by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly) VOL. 1-6!!!!

All of this shouldn't be taken as fact because it's only my OPINION on the issues and opinions vary from person to person.

The Review

VOL. 1

★★★★

The first volume is okay. It sets up the story nicely and gets right to it without wasting time, which I like!!

There isn't much to say about it since it's just the start, but the first and last pages are my favorites from this one. The first one gives us the background info (which the reader probably already knew) and the second one closes it nicely with everything said without explaining it with words.

VOL. 2

★★★.5

I find Lois's reaction interesting, I like that she didn't believe him right away, it makes it realistic for me.

This was cute!!

VOL.3

★★

This one is my least favorite so far. I like that she got to experience what being Superman is like for a day and I like that he did all of that for her.

What I don't like is how immediately after meeting Samson and Atlas she gets objectified and becomes a prize to be won and then after that becomes a damsel in distress. Since she already gained those powers for a day, I wish they would've let her use them more and actually be the hero for a day.

This was nice though.

VOL. 4

★★★

It's alright. It wasn't really to my liking, but it wasn't bad. I really don't have much to say about it.

Since I don't have much to say, I'm leaving you with this picture of Jimmy!

VOL.5

★★★★★

So far this one and the 6th issue are my favorites. This one is really fun. I really like how Lex keeps obsessing over Superman in front of Clark without knowing that Clark is indeed Superman + he low-key keeps saving him without knowing that he's helping the very man he swore to destroy. (The eyebrow moment was also really fun.)

VOL.6

★★★★★

Again, one of my favorites so far, very moving and I like the twist at the end. I also like how the bandaged Superman showed up once before (Vol. 2) announcing that something will happen. Again, a very moving and sad issue. Oh, it also has Krypto.

Note:

This is a bit different from my last two posts, not only because it's a comic book, but also because I changed my usual format up a bit. I hope you guys like it.

-Ash xx

[a-blogofones-own]

THE BLURB - as seen on the back of the book

"We lost all three girls that summer. Let them slip away like the words of some half-remembered song and when one came back, she wasn't the one we were trying to recall to begin with."

Tikka Molloy was eleven and one-sixth years old during the summer of 1992. That summer, the hottest on record, the Van Apfel sisters - Hannah, the beautiful Cordelia and Ruth mysteriously disappeared. Did they run away? Or were they taken? The mystery of their disappearance has never been solved.

Now, years later, Tikka has returned home and is beginning to piece together what really happened. The summer that shaped her. The girls she couldn't forget.

MY REVIEW

7/10 - It is a bit slow-paced and there are a lot of time jumps. It has some really good descriptions which help with immersion and the overall vibe is to my liking (small-town mystery).

It revolves more around WHY they're gone rather than finding them. It is about the things that LEAD them to being gone. There is a lot of things that could be triggering for some readers, such as :

TW - Religious trauma, domestic abuse, a HEAVILY implied pedophile and death (as of now that's all I can remember, if there's anything more I remember I will add it)

I like that, in this book, closure is something found within yourself. Tikka found closure by deciding to stop dwelling on things rather than facing them like she had been trying since the girls disappeared.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

- I like it, I just wish the pacing was faster

- It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was still very interesting

- Not sure if I'd recommend it to just anyone, but I feel like it's worth giving a chance

-Ash xx

[a-blogofones-own]

Hi guys, welcome!

This is a book blog and it serves mostly as a "book diary" for me. I will be posting the books I've read and my thoughts on them. I have a book account on instagram as well (@/ablogofonesown) where I post the same kind of content. On that account I already have one post up, which I will probably not be posting here. My posts on here will be less edited than the ones on Instagram, but the written content will be the same, so you're not missing out on anything either way (unless you prefer visually "good" looking posts, then you should check out the Instagram account :/)

By the end of the week I will probably post the first entry into this blog! The book in question is "The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone" by Felicity McLean.

I hope you enjoy the future entries/content and thanks to anyone who follows based on this post alone, I know I'm not giving you much :| (sorry).

That is all as of now!

-Ash xx