I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak - Aussie Author Challenge book.11

Book chat from me again.  A lot of readers in the blogger world agree that The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a phenomenal piece of creative art.  I think so too.  So, I wanted to read another book of his, but I kept putting it off, because I thought "how can it be anywhere close to The Book Thief?"...I can now answer that.  It's different.  The setting is different.  The era is different.  The age of characters are different.  It's different, yet wonderful as well. 

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak - There is some really great stuff here.  At times, I got really annoyed and slightly angry.  Then, as the story continued, I liked that I had that response.  It was thought-provoking and demanded an array of emotions to be experienced.  I also felt encouraged, hopeful, and was brought to tears more than once.  Sometimes, I wanted to hug and applaud the main character; other times I wanted to tell him that he was a complete idiot.  Read it for yourself, and you decide. 4.5/5

I'd seen this quote before.  I gotta admit, when I read it in the actual book, I was especially moved by the power of these words.  These beautiful words about beautiful people are captured in a beautiful moment in the story.  Finding quotes like this in the actual context of a story is one of the beauties of a book.

I have more Markus Zusak news.  I am going to a speaking engagement of his at the Sydney Jewish Museum.  In my facebook news feed, I saw the event created.  I didn't even realize that I followed him on facebook, but I'm sure glad I do because in a matter of days, the event sold out.  As the event states, "Markus Zusak was born in Sydney, Australia. His mother Lisa is originally from Germany and his father Helmut is from Austria. They immigrated to Australia in the late 1950s."  I'm really looking forward to this.  I don't know what to expect, and I'm going solo, but I think this makes me feel like a serious bibliophile.  Or fangirl.  Or both.

 

I aimed to reach "Kangaroo" status with this challenge, and I'm fairly confident I'll do it! 

KANGAROO
– Read and review 12 titles written by Australian Authors of which at least 4 of those authors are female, at least 4 of those authors are male, and at least 4 of those authors are new to you;
– At least 6 fiction and at least 2 non-fiction, and at least 2 titles first published in 2014 or 2015.

Female authors:
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta - COMPLETED 11 April 2015 - 5/5
Frantic by Katherine Howell- COMPLETED 6 April 2015 - 3.5/5
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (published 2014) - COMPLETED 11 August 2015 - 4/5
Girl, Defective by Simonne Howell - COMPLETED 7 September 2015 - 4/5

Male authors:
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak - COMPLETED 24 September 2015 - 4.5/5
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion (published 2014) - COMPLETED 26 June 2015 - 1/5
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan - CUT
The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McGinty
A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley (non-fiction) - COMPLETED 10 February 2015 - 4/5

Authors new to me:
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley - COMPLETED 3 April 2015 - 3.5/5
Strange Places by Will Elliott (non-fiction) - COMPLETED 2 April 2015 - 2/5
All That I Am by Anna Funder - COMPLETED 28 March 2015 - 4/5
Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher - COMPLETED 11 March 2015 - 5/5

Before I go (since we're talking about books)...............September 27th through October 3rd is Banned Books Week - Celebrate the Freedom to Read - more information here: http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/
I got online, reserved the top most frequently challenged or banned young adult fiction book for 2014-2015 (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie), and I'm going to read it this week!