Book Blog: Literary Tastings © Goethe-Institut Glasgow Each month we pick a book that has made waves in the UK recently and we pair it up with an equally wonderful German book with a similar feel. Our book blog will resume at the beginning of 2026 after a short break. Previous Editions © Peirene Press In search of a new life: Fatma Aydemir’s Djinns 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. © Fitzcarraldo Editions December 2024 The Appointment by Katharina Volckmer 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. © Indigo Press October 2024 Boy with a Black Rooster: a fairytale for grown-ups 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. © Sophia Hembeck September 2024 Jenny Erpenbeck: "Kairos" 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. © V&Q Books July 2024 Birgit Weyhe’s 'Rude Girl': breaking new ground in graphic novels 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. © Penguin Classics June 2024 Brigitte Reimann’s Siblings: Nostalgic for a different future 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’. © Pushkin Press May 2024 Christiane Ritter: A Woman in the Polar Night 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. © Klett-Cotta Verlag April 2024 The Women Who Dared to Think: The Visionaries by Wolfram Eilenberger 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. © Scribe Publications March 2024 Sisters in Arms: A Summer of Reckoning 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? © V&Q Books October 2023 Isabel Bogdan: The Peacock 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. © Scribe September 2023 Nino Haratischvili: Juja 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. © Bitter Lemon Press August 2023 Joachim B. Schmidt: KALMANN 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. © Maclehose Press July 2023 Daniela Krien: The Fire 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. © Maclehose Press June 2023 Sharon Dodua Otoo: Ada’s Realm 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. © V&Q Books May 2023 Karosh Taha: In the Belly of the Queen 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. © Scribe Publications April 2023 Raphaela Edelbauer: THE LIQUID LAND 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. Bucheinband © Fitzcarraldo Press March 2023 Esther Kinsky: Rombo Rombo, Esther Kinsky’s fifth novel, has echoes of Sarah Moss in its precise language and detailed depictions of the natural world. © Carl Hanser Verlag / Peirene Press January 2023 Katja Oskamp: Marzahn, mon amour Fans of James Herriot‘s gentle humour will enjoy Katja Oskamp’s Marzahn, mon amour. © S. Fischer Verlage / Dialogue Books December 2022 Olivia Wenzel: 1000 Coils of Fear Olivia Wenzel's debut novel is reminiscent in parts of the best of Jeanette Winterson. © Dalkey Archive Press November 2022 Arno Camenisch: Behind the Station 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. © Indigo Press October 2022 Anne Weber: Epic Annette If you enjoyed Inua Ellams’ The Half-God of Rainfall, spend some time with Anne Weber’s biography-in-verse Epic Annette. © V&Q Books September 2022 Mithu Sanyal: Identitti Mithu Sanyal’s debut novel offers playful parallels with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. © Scribe Publications August 2022 Nino Haratischvili: The Eighth Life (For Brilka) 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. © Shearsman Books July 2022 Ulrike Draesner: This Porous Fabric Ulrike Draesner’s poetry offers fans of Scotland’s beloved Edwin Morgan much to love. © Profile Books June 2022 Kübra Gümüşay: Speaking and Being Kübra Gümüşay’s Speaking and Being offers a thought-provoking companion piece to Emma Dabiri’s What White People Can Do Next. © Quercus May 2022 Romy Hausmann: Dear Child If the twists of Gone Girl drew you in, take a moment to check out Romy Hausmann’s Dear Child. © Granta March/April 2022 Jenny Erpenbeck: Not a Novel Fans of Marilynne Robinson’s essays will find themselves drawn in by Jenny Erpenbeck’s Not a Novel. © SelfMadeHero February 2022 Reinhard Kleist: Knock Out! If you enjoyed the film I, Tonya, you might enjoy the graphic novel Knock Out! © Suhrkamp Verlag / Text Publishing January 2022 Sasha Marianna Salzmann: Beside Myself If you enjoyed the setting and ensemble cast of Elif Shafak’s The Bastard of Istanbul, we recommend Sasha Marianna Salzmann’s Beside Myself. © Polity Books December 2021 Karl Schlögel: The Scent of Empires Fans of Neil MacGregor’s approach to history may enjoy Karl Schlögel’s The Scent of Empires. © DAS November 2021 Ijoma Mangold: The German Crocodile Mangold’s memoir – located between Germany and Nigeria – shares an emotional depth and a sense of humour with Jackie Kay’s Red Dust Road. © Unnamed Press October 2021 Helene Bukowski: Milk Teeth If The End We Start From whetted your appetite for eco-fiction, we think you’ll love Helene Bukowski’s debut Milk Teeth. © SelfMadeHero September 2021 Barbara Yelin and Thomas von Steinaecker: The Summer of her Life 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. © Pushkin Press July 2021 Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz: The Passenger If John Buchan’s The 39 Steps had you riveted, we recommend Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz’s The Passenger. © Scribe Publications June 2021 Maike Wetzel: Elly If Ian McEwan’s The Child in Time intrigued you, we can recommend Maike Wetzel’s Elly. © Scribe Publications May 2021 Anke Stelling: Higher Ground If you find yourself drawn to A. L. Kennedy’s rich but uncomfortable storytelling, you might enjoy Anke Stelling’s Higher Ground. © Seagull Books April 2021 Christa Wolf: One Day a Year Fans of Alan Bennett’s Keeping On Keeping On should pick up Christa Wolf’s One Day a Year: 2001–2011. © Maclehose Press March 2021 Judith Schalansky: An Inventory of Losses Avid readers of Rebecca Solnit should check out German author Judith Schalansky. © V&Q Books February 2021 Lucy Fricke: Daughters 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. Cover © Oneworld Publications January 2021 Olga Grjasnowa: City of Jasmine 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. Cover © Jonathan Cape December 2019 Erich Kästner: Emil and the Detectives With Erich Kästner’s Emil and the Detectives, enjoy a holiday adventure to rival Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons. Cover © Vintage November 2019 Juli Zeh: The Method Whether you were a fan of Dave Eggers’ The Circle or were left wanting something more, try Juli Zeh’s dystopian novel The Method. Cover © Pushkin Press October 2019 Stefan Zweig: The World of Yesterday 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. Cover © MIT Press September 2019 Seasonal Associate: questioning the world of work If you like Kate Briggs or Maggie Nelson, you might want to pick up Heike Geissler’s Seasonal Associate. Cover © Other Press July 2019 All Russians Love Birch Trees: Citizens of Nowhere Looking for a summer read to follow on from Deborah Levy’s Hot Milk? Try All Russians Love Birch Trees, by Olga Grjasnowa. Cover © SelfMadeHero June 2019 Arne Bellstorf: Baby’s in Black If Marjane Satrapi‘s Persepolis whetted your appetite for graphic novels, add Arne Bellstorf’s Baby’s in Black to your TBR pile. Cover © Serpent's Tail May 2019 Gentleman Jack: We were always here Fans of Sarah Waters will enjoy Angela Steidele’s Gentleman Jack. Cover © Orenda Books April 2019 Blue Night: Crime novels which buck expectations If you can’t get enough of Christopher Brookmyre, take a moment to check out Simone Buchholz’s Blue Night. Cover © Puffin Books March 2019 Momo: when time stood still 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. Cover © Portobello Books February 2019 Memoirs of a Polar Bear: Studies in Snow 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. Cover © Andersen Press January 2019 The road trip Holden Caulfield never took 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. Cover © Seagulls Books December 2018 Ulrike Almut Sandig: ‘But I won’t say a word…’ Fans of Rachel McCrum’s The First Blast to Awaken Women Degenerate might like to check out Ulrike Almut Sandig’s Thick of it. Cover © Pushkin Press November 2018 Before the Feast: rewriting the old stories Readers of Ali Smith might enjoy losing themselves in this novel by Saša Stanišić. Cover © Sandstone Press October 2018 Babylon Berlin: Politics to the sound of the cocaine blues 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. Cover © Chicken House Press September 2018 The Thief Lord: on the trail of winged lions 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. Cover © Arc Publications August 2018 Jan Wagner: Telling it slant Fans of Don Paterson's 40 Sonnets might want to check out Jan Wagner's poetry. Cover © Portobello books July 2018 Jenny Erpenbeck’s The End of Days: A whole World of Reasons If you like Kate Atkinson’s novel Life After Life, you might also enjoy Jenny Erpenbeck's The End of Days. Cover © Serpent's Tail June 2018 Judith Hermann: Silence Speaks Volumes If you like Tove Jansson's short stories, you might also enjoy Judith Hermann's Letti Park. Top
