Book Blog: Literary Tastings

If you enjoyed the setting and ensemble cast of Elif Shafak’s The Bastard of Istanbul, we recommend Sasha Marianna Salzmann’s Beside Myself.

Fans of Neil MacGregor’s approach to history may enjoy Karl Schlögel’s The Scent of Empires.

Mangold’s memoir – located between Germany and Nigeria – shares an emotional depth and a sense of humour with Jackie Kay’s Red Dust Road.

If The End We Start From whetted your appetite for eco-fiction, we think you’ll love Helene Bukowski’s debut Milk Teeth.

If you enjoyed Mary and Bryan Talbots’ Dotter of her Father’s Eyes, we recommend Barbara Yelin and Thomas von Steinaecker’s graphic novel The Summer of her Life.

If John Buchan’s The 39 Steps had you riveted, we recommend Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz’s The Passenger.

If Ian McEwan’s The Child in Time intrigued you, we can recommend Maike Wetzel’s Elly.

If you find yourself drawn to A. L. Kennedy’s rich but uncomfortable storytelling, you might enjoy Anke Stelling’s Higher Ground.

Fans of Alan Bennett’s Keeping On Keeping On should pick up Christa Wolf’s One Day a Year: 2001–2011.

Avid readers of Rebecca Solnit should check out German author Judith Schalansky.

If you loved Fleabag for the way it brought women and their relationships to the fore, we’d recommend checking out Lucy Fricke’s Daughters.
 

Did you love Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West – or were you put off by the novel’s magical realism? Either way, we recommend Olga Grjasnowa’s City of Jasmine.

With Erich Kästner’s Emil and the Detectives, enjoy a holiday adventure to rival Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons.

Whether you were a fan of Dave Eggers’ The Circle or were left wanting something more, try Juli Zeh’s dystopian novel The Method.

 

Whether you fell in love with Mitteleuropa through Philip Pullman or are a fan of Marilyn Robinson’s essays, Stefan Zweig’s autobiography is a fascinating, revealing read.
 

If you like Kate Briggs or Maggie Nelson, you might want to pick up Heike Geissler’s Seasonal Associate.
 

Looking for a summer read to follow on from Deborah Levy’s Hot Milk? Try All Russians Love Birch Trees, by Olga Grjasnowa.
 

If Marjane Satrapi‘s Persepolis whetted your appetite for graphic novels, add Arne Bellstorf’s Baby’s in Black to your TBR pile.
 

Fans of Sarah Waters will enjoy Angela Steidele’s Gentleman Jack.

If you can’t get enough of Christopher Brookmyre, take a moment to check out Simone Buchholz’s Blue Night.
 

Michael Ende’s Momo is the perfect read for fans of Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching who aren’t quite old enough for Philip Pullman’s The Northern Lights.

If you’re a fan of Angela Carter’s off-kilter storytelling in Nights at the Circus, you might enjoy Yoko Tawada’s Memoirs of a Polar Bear.

Looking for a coming of age story to follow on from The Catcher in the Rye? Wolfgang Herrndorf’s Why We Took the Car bottles teen alienation for a road trip adventure.
 

Fans of Rachel McCrum’s The First Blast to Awaken Women Degenerate might like to check out Ulrike Almut Sandig’s Thick of it.

Readers of Ali Smith might enjoy losing themselves in this novel by Saša Stanišić.

If John Le Carré’s Call for the Dead had you on the edge of your seat, you should investigate Volker Kutscher’s Babylon Berlin.

Drawn in by Eva Ibbotson’s Journey to the River Sea? Check out Cornelia Funke’s The Thief Lord for more journeys to remarkable places.

Fans of Don Paterson's 40 Sonnets might want to check out Jan Wagner's poetry.

If you like Kate Atkinson’s novel Life After Life, you might also enjoy Jenny Erpenbeck's The End of Days.

If you like Tove Jansson's short stories, you might also enjoy Judith Hermann's Letti Park.