An amazing read - I read this in one afternoon; I could not put it down. But don't expect a typical thriller/mystery - this book is so much more. And don't expect a typical coming-of-age story - this story is so much more. This is a nuanced, intelligent story.

Ammaniti's prose is sparse but it generously describes life in a five-house rural village during the hottest summer of the century.

Michele is the nine-year old protagonist of this story. Ammaniti does a superb job of presenting Michele's perspective of careening through the summer on his father's old bike to the discovery that it is not the monsters under the bed nor the bogeyman who would kidnap your childhood, but the humans.

Since I concur with all the reviews of this book, I wanted to focus on Zusak's use of several literary devices. Rather than chopping at the primary narration of Liesel's and Death's stories, the interjection of these devices made the book read ever so smoothly. First there are the narrator's "sidenotes" - explanations of words or explanations of another character's thoughts. And most importantly there is the inclusion of two stories written by Max for Liesel. I thought "The Standover Man" and "The Word Shaker" best illustrated the human compassion which haunted Death. Absolutely remarkable book.

I enjoyed this book. The time-jumping, vignette chapters gave this book a crisp pace. The lush and exotic prose provided a stark contrast to Mata Hari's despair while bringing to life her sensuality and sexuality. Disappointedly, the focus on Mata Hari's despair left little exploration of her success as a dancer throughout Europe. My first literary exposure to Mata Hari and I found myself wanting more. Fans of historical fiction would enjoy this book.

A dark and unsettling tale of women living in a time when paganism and the Church ran the lives of the villages and villagers. Imagine being accused of the cause of failed crops, soured milk or infertility on the basis of one neighbor's spiteful accusation. Gude Mueller, who has outlived most of her peers, cannot determine if her aging mind is playing tricks on her or if she has indeed cavorted with the devil (who has the face of her deceased husband) and signed the devil's book. Others will decide for her. Millman's descriptions of witchcraft, the trials and the punishments meted out are Gothic and chilling. I couldn't put the book down, wanting to learn of Gude's fate.