THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak

It's excellent. 

This post is for my own benefit more than anything. I want to remember what stood out to me about this book.  It's set in Nazi Germany about a family that harbors a Jewish man in their basement. The author personifies words to make readers realize their force. I feel like I'm in AP English again. Anyway, from the book: 

Yes, the Fuhrer decided that he would rule the world with words. "I will never fire a gun," he devised. "I will not have to"....he planted them day and night, and cultivated them. He watched them grow, until eventually, great forests of words had risen throughout Germany...it was a nation of farmed thoughts.

Do you know how important words are? Do you know how powerful they are?  Do you realize how much good your words can do? Do you realize how much pain your words can cause?  Be careful with your words. When I think about how valuable they are, I use them differently. This book made me cry.

Captivated.

There are few bands that consistently captivate me. The Hush Sound is one of them. I listen to their music while I'm at work and I'm always surprised at how I find myself intrigued with one of their songs. This causes me to listen to it on repeat for hours. Literally.  I think it's the intricate lyrics. I like poetry and words and such.

If you are listening with a casual ear, you will almost always miss the underlying meaning of one of their songs. But if you take the time to tune in and really listen, you will find that they are actually really incredible poets. I like people that intentionally exercise freedom of thought in order to effectively utilize their freedom of speech. I'm much better at writing what I'm thinking than actually saying it.     

I am your thought but the water is amnesia
my name is on the tip of your tongue
My image is slipping
but your memory is gripping it
this is my breath in your lungs  


Echo, my voice is an echo
of places I don't know
and stories I've been told 

Echo. We all are connected
a lighthouse, a voyage
for history's sake,
will you please take notice? 

- The Hush Sound