Skulls and Coffee

I have a coworker who knew I was reading this and when I mentioned I was done with the book he asked me how I liked it. "It was good; but..." I said and he smiled and agreed. 
 
There are places where the book is fantastic, haunting, and extremely well written. The words mesmerize and the text flows. You are placed in a this odd place of sorta following the Grim Reaper as he collects souls and becomes enamored with Liesel. The ending you're flipping pages determined to find out what happens-to Liesel, her parents, Max, and Rudy.
 
Then there's the middle. I can't begin to imagine how to tell this tale in the middle of WWII in Germany and yet make life somewhat normal. This is a story of Liesel and her young teen years. There's air raids, rations, and the lack of books but there's growing up, dealing with bullies, secrets, and pettiness of those years. How do you make the story compelling without much happening and yet everything happening?
 
Well, Zusak sorta figures that. However, the middle is where I got bogged down and was moving at glacier speed. 
 
So, would I recommend it? If you've heard about the book and are interested, give it a shot. I can't jump up and down and say it's fantastic but it's a really solid, well written book. Overall, I am glad I picked it up and stayed with it to the end.