My mum and I are close.

Through an incredibly tumultuous few years through my teens – partly caused by external factors and partly caused by me being a typical teenaged jerk – we came through the other end as friends. Mum is my dear friend. She is all kinds of nutty but I appreciate nutty. Nutty resonates with me.

No matter how strained our relationship has been over the years, we were always bonded by a love of the arts. Music, movies, books. These are the great passions we share.

It began with To Kill A Mockingbird. I read it in school and loved it immediately and fiercely. I have yet to meet a person who has read Harper Lee’s classic and not been changed. Mum could not wait to share the movie with me. You’ll adore Gregory Peck, she told me. And of course I did. How could I not? He portrayed one of the most noble characters in literary history so beautifully.

Since that time, we have shared many a favourite book together. In fact, my bookshelf has two entire shelves dedicated to books I need to read that Mum has lent me. Some I have had for YEARS. And it’s not that I don’t want to read them, it’s just that having three children has seriously cramped my reading style.

I think I must have had The Book Thief for at least a year before I got around to turning the first page. Mum had raved but I was sceptical; not necessarily that it would be a good book but whether I was in the mood for Nazi Germany. Since becoming a mum, I had gone through a stage of needing to keep it light. I read a lot of magazines. Short bursts of celebrity nothingness were about the most I could take. Sad books, particularly sad books involving children, became almost unbearable. If they were based on history, even just vaguely, that was even worse. Bad things that may have actually happened to people including kids? Nuh uh. Tell me about the Kardashians.

So it was weird that I picked up The Book Thief when I was heavily pregnant with Ziggy. I don’t know what made me finally choose it but it has had the gorgeous effect of etching that time into my mind forever. Mum had just bought me a new rocking chair in preparation for my second bub’s arrival and so when Luca was napping, I would retreat downstairs to my bedroom, and in the afternoon light, I would rock and rock as I absorbed the novel I had been determined not to enjoy. So engrossed was I that if someday Ziggy reads The Book Thief and has a feeling of déjà vu, I will not be surprised in the least. The book permeated my soul and since Zig was resting just below my heart at the time, I imagine it may have permeated his as well.

When the film adaptation of The Book Thief was released last year, Mum and I went together to see it. This was unusual in itself. Three kids, yada yada. It speaks volumes that we made it happen for this particular film.

I read some mixed reviews on the film before seeing it. Making a film from a beloved book is a tough gig. It is impossible to capture every little moment. But I was enchanted by the film – particularly Geoffrey Rush. In the same way that Gregory Peck embodied honourable Atticus so perfectly, Rush gives Hans a gorgeous warmth and playfulness. In fact, all of the performances are great and I found myself immersed once again in the world Markus Zusak created in his incredible novel. And it made me want to read the book again.

I can’t wait to share To Kill A Mockingbird with my kids and I feel the same way about The Book Thief. Some stories get under your skin. I hope my boys will love the arts just as much as I do but I suppose I am hoping even harder that Harlow and I will share books and films the way that Mum and I have. I can’t imagine a greater joy.

WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK THIEF ON DVD

To celebrate last week’s release of The Book Thief on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has given me two copies of the DVD to give away to two gorgeous readers!

TO ENTER

1. Simply leave a reply below telling me which is your favourite book-to-movie adaptation. Maybe it’s The Book Thief!
2. If you’re not already, come hang with me on my Facebook page.

Conditions of entry: 

• Entrants must leave a comment below (not on Facebook) and be contactable via email. One entry per person. Australian residents only. 
• Entries close: Tuesday 20 May 2014 at noon.
• Winners will be chosen by random.org, notified by email and announced on this blog post.
• The prize will be distributed by the promoter.
• Prizes are not redeemable for cash.
• Prizes are not transferable.
• The Promoter is not responsible for prizes once they have been dispatched to the winner but please shoot me an email if you do not receive your prize within two weeks so I can investigate for you! 

 

 Promoter: The Little Mumma, PO Box 159, Montmorency, Victoria, 3094 

 

 Best of luck!