Book Blog: Literary Tastings

A powerful tale of migration and family, Fatma Aydemir’s structurally complex Djinns weaves together several voices to create a rich narrative tapestry – a novel that will hold appeal for fans of Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other.

The Appointment by Katharina Volckmer, translated by Milena Adam is not for the faint of heart, I’m afraid, in fact you might want to schedule an appointment afterwards and take yourself on a long walk to contemplate what you just read.

If you long for the immersion and enchantment of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairytales, we’d recommend Stefanie vor Schulte’s Boy with a Black Rooster.

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, impressively translated by Michael Hofmann bares witness to a harrowing toxic love affair against the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the final years of the GDR. Much like the novel Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors it displays the intricate power dynamics between young women and much older men.

Adding to the canon of graphic novel memoirs, Birgit Weyhe’s Rude Girl uses similar techniques to Darrin Bell’s The Talk in challenging privilege and institutional racism – an engaging and eye-opening biography translated by the subject herself.

Readers who first discovered German literature through Bernhard Schlink should check out Brigitte Reimann’s Siblings for a portrait of the 1960s in ‘the other Germany’.

Readers who found solace and inspiration in Amy Liptrot's memoir The Outrun will undoubtedly enjoy A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter.

Intellectually stimulating and thematically rich: Wolfram Eilenberger’s The Visionaries is a collective biography of four women who helped to shape twentieth-century philosophy and literature, a book that will appeal to readers of Francesca Wade’s Square Haunting.

If you didn’t want Zadie Smith’s novel NW to end, why not add Shida Bazyar’s Sisters in Arms to your TBR pile?

A treat for fans of satirical novelists like Jonathan Coe, The Peacock by Isabel Bogdan is a comedy of errors that skewers workplace relationships, perfectly blending German humour and a Scottish setting.

A complex narrative that is both haunting and relentless in its exploration of dark emotional themes, Nino Haratischvili’s debut novel, Juja, will appeal to fans of unflinching contemporary writers like Evie Wyld.

Not your average Icelandic thriller: Joachim B. Schmidt’s Kalmann is a voice-driven novel that explores themes of community and change, a mystery more about people than crime, in a similar vein to Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Set over the course of a summer holiday in the country, Daniela Krien’s The Fire is a carefully wrought portrait of a marriage which reflects on society as a whole – an atmospheric, character-driven novel that will appeal to fans of Ann Patchett.

Motherhood, freedom and the legacy of colonialism are key themes explored in Sharon Dodua Otoo’s fascinating Ada’s Realm, a debut novel of immense verve and imagination that will appeal to fans of Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other.

Structured as two interconnected stories that can be read in any order, Karosh Taha’s formally experimental second novel, In the Belly of the Queen, has echoes of Ali Smith’s How to Be Both.

With its imaginative setting and surreal, claustrophobic atmosphere, The Liquid Land by Raphaela Edelbauer offers an absurdist portrait of Austria with hints of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Unconsoled.

Rombo, Esther Kinsky’s fifth novel, has echoes of Sarah Moss in its precise language and detailed depictions of the natural world.

Fans of James Herriot‘s gentle humour will enjoy Katja Oskamp’s Marzahn, mon amour.

Olivia Wenzel's debut novel is reminiscent in parts of the best of Jeanette Winterson.

If Wioletta Greg’s novella Swallowing Mercury drew you in, you might want to add Arno Camenisch’s Behind the Station to your TBR pile.

If you enjoyed Inua Ellams’ The Half-God of Rainfall, spend some time with Anne Weber’s biography-in-verse Epic Annette.

Mithu Sanyal’s debut novel offers playful parallels with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

If you enjoyed the wide-ranging storytelling in White Teeth, then make sure you add Nino Haratischvili’s The Eighth Life (For Brilka) to your TBR pile.

Ulrike Draesner’s poetry offers fans of Scotland’s beloved Edwin Morgan much to love.

Kübra Gümüşay’s Speaking and Being offers a thought-provoking companion piece to Emma Dabiri’s What White People Can Do Next.

If the twists of Gone Girl drew you in, take a moment to check out Romy Hausmann’s Dear Child.

Fans of Marilynne Robinson’s essays will find themselves drawn in by Jenny Erpenbeck’s Not a Novel.

If you enjoyed the film I, Tonya, you might enjoy the graphic novel Knock Out!

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.