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Original poster

Is there anyone else on here who didn't love The Book Thief?

264 replies

TunipTheVegedude · 07/07/2013 20:54

I was told to persevere with it and I'm now 63% through and it's annoying me more than ever.
I'm finding it pretentious and dull and while some of the characters are fine, the girl is totally unconvincing - she reads like someone has sat down and decided on some interesting characteristics to give her ('I know! I'll make her good at fighting and football!') rather than the character growing naturally.
Is it going to get better in the last 37%?

OP posts:
Hullygully · 08/07/2013 22:28

tsk

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 08/07/2013 22:27

And not stolen from Margaret Atwood at all, no?! :)

Hullygully · 08/07/2013 22:26

There was a whole rash of books about girls being forced to get pregnant in the future. They got very tedious.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 08/07/2013 22:24

Ugh - I didn't like How I Live Now much BUT it is far, far better than the other crap she's written - that Justin one and that boy who's a girl living in a tepee or whatever it is one were DREADFUL.

Hullygully · 08/07/2013 22:13

iBoy by Kevin Brooks, ds tells me

just don't go there

Hullygully · 08/07/2013 22:10

What's that awful one where a mobile phone is thrown off a tower block and gets embedded in a kid's head and there's terrible rape and violence and all sorts? He's written lots and people rave, dear lord I say again.

I did like How I Live Now a bit more

I ask you.

Hullygully · 08/07/2013 22:09

Oh yes we had Uglies too, but I had had enough by then.

Hullygully · 08/07/2013 22:08

Yes that one.

My dc's copy has no ref to Hunger Games.

Of it's type, it's one of the better.

It was an odd summer, there were loads of them and the dc kept making me read them to share the horror.

paintyourbox · 08/07/2013 22:04

Well I really didn't like The Book Thief. Tried four times to get into it and it was still too tight so gave up in the end.

I just couldn't get with the girls character. It's not like me to give up on a book but I was getting annoyed every time I picked it up!

Original poster
TunipTheVegedude · 08/07/2013 22:02

Oh God, I don't think I can quite cope with reading that, Hully.

OP posts:
Trills · 08/07/2013 21:57

Just bought Uglies.

Hully do you mean this one?

Clearly anything set in the future is now going to refer to Hunger Games on the cover.

MadameDefarge · 08/07/2013 21:56

another one for the list

Hullygully · 08/07/2013 21:49

teenageR

Hullygully · 08/07/2013 21:49

Read Unwound for YA

dear lord it's creepy

One of those dystopian ones where if you don't like your teenage you can have em "unwound"

A good plan

Original poster
TunipTheVegedude · 08/07/2013 21:30

B.R.Collins. She's interesting. Often flawed in one way or other but make up for that by being weirdly haunting. I want to read her first one, The Traitor Game.

OP posts:
roundtable · 08/07/2013 21:24

Grin madame!

Any other book recommendations? Hoping I get more sleep so I can read without falling asleep after the first page.

I read a good ya fantasy book at a school I worked at which needed a follow up but they didn't have it. No idea what was called though.

I quite enjoyed the book where they're underground and the power starts to go out. I probably have a simple mind, but I found it an easy read. Again, I can't remember the name but I remember the storyline.

CoteDAzur · 08/07/2013 21:24

I live in a place where many people have had it, and have to say that nobody really becomes pretty after plastic surgery.

Uncanny Valley is a terrible place to live in.

Original poster
TunipTheVegedude · 08/07/2013 21:22

Enjoy it! Smile

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MadameDefarge · 08/07/2013 21:20

great. I will order the first one!

Original poster
TunipTheVegedude · 08/07/2013 21:20

Uglies is by Scott Westerfeld, who is also a grown-up scifi author.
It's set in a world where everyone gets plastic surgery on their 18th birthday so they're all pretty.

OP posts:
MadameDefarge · 08/07/2013 21:16

Uglies do tell!

MadameDefarge · 08/07/2013 21:15

roundtable, if disagreeing with another poster got one kicked off MN...well, where would we be?

CoteDAzur · 08/07/2013 21:15

I'm putting both in my Kindle wish list, thanks Smile

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 08/07/2013 21:15

The second Hunger Games was preposterous and the third was unreadable.

Original poster
TunipTheVegedude · 08/07/2013 21:14

Yes, I loved the first two Uglies books but never finished the last.
The less said about the last Hunger Games book the better.

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