The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: I heard about this from numerous friends and BookCrossers who loved it. I was not disappointed. Death narrates this tale of WWII Germany about a young girl, her foster parents, neighors, stolen books, and a certain Jew. The characters are all quite memorable (my favorite was Rudy) and the unique narrator choice lends an interesting twist to the storytelling. The metaphors in particular are fantastic. There were times when I laughed and times when I cried, but ultimately the ending is quite satisfying. I’ll definitely have to pick up Zusak’s other works.