The Book Thief is narrated by Death, and it works

I was ready for that to be a gimmick. Instead he turns out to be the gentlest voice in the book, tired and a bit fond of the people he has to collect. He also tells you early on who's going to die, and it doesn't help at all when you get there.

It's a long book about a girl in a small German town during the war who steals books she can barely read. If you loved words as a child, this will get to you. I read the basement scenes twice.