Book Blog: Literary Tastings

Two girls with cutlery in their hand pretend to eat a pile of books. © 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.

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December 2021 Karl Schlögel: The Scent of Empires

Book Cover: The Scent of Empires © Polity Books Fans of Neil MacGregor’s approach to history may enjoy Karl Schlögel’s The Scent of Empires.

Previous Editions

November 2021 Ijoma Mangold: The German Crocodile

Book Cover: The German Crocodile © DAS Mangold’s memoir – located between Germany and Nigeria – shares an emotional depth and a sense of humour with Jackie Kay’s Red Dust Road.

October 2021 Helene Bukowski: Milk Teeth

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

September 2021 Barbara Yelin and Thomas von Steinaecker: The Summer of her Life

Bucheinband: The Summer of Her Life © SelfMadeHero 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.

July 2021 Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz: The Passenger

Book Cover: The Passenger © Pushkin Press If John Buchan’s The 39 Steps had you riveted, we recommend Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz’s The Passenger.

June 2021 Maike Wetzel: Elly

Book Cover: Elly © Scribe Publications If Ian McEwan’s The Child in Time intrigued you, we can recommend Maike Wetzel’s Elly.

May 2021 Anke Stelling: Higher Ground

Book Cover: Higher Ground © Scribe Publications If you find yourself drawn to A. L. Kennedy’s rich but uncomfortable storytelling, you might enjoy Anke Stelling’s Higher Ground.

April 2021 Christa Wolf: One Day a Year

Book Cover: One Day a Year: Carrying on regardless © Seagull Books Fans of Alan Bennett’s Keeping On Keeping On should pick up Christa Wolf’s One Day a Year: 2001–2011.

March 2021 Judith Schalansky: An Inventory of Losses

Book Cover: An Inventory of Losses by Judith Schalansky © Maclehose Press Avid readers of Rebecca Solnit should check out German author Judith Schalansky.

February 2021 Lucy Fricke: Daughters

Book Cover: Daughters by Lucy Fricke © V&Q Books 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.
 

January 2021 Olga Grjasnowa: City of Jasmine

Book Cover: City of Jasmine Cover © Oneworld Publications 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.

December 2019 Erich Kästner: Emil and the Detectives

Book Cover: Jonathan Cape Cover © Jonathan Cape With Erich Kästner’s Emil and the Detectives, enjoy a holiday adventure to rival Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons.

November 2019 Juli Zeh: The Method

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

 

October 2019 Stefan Zweig: The World of Yesterday

Book Cover: Pushkin Press Cover © Pushkin Press 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.
 

September 2019 Seasonal Associate: questioning the world of work

Book Cover: Seasonal Associate Cover © MIT Press If you like Kate Briggs or Maggie Nelson, you might want to pick up Heike Geissler’s Seasonal Associate.
 

July 2019 All Russians Love Birch Trees: Citizens of Nowhere

Book Cover: All Russians Love Birch Trees - Citizens of Nowhere Cover © Other Press Looking for a summer read to follow on from Deborah Levy’s Hot Milk? Try All Russians Love Birch Trees, by Olga Grjasnowa.
 

June 2019 Arne Bellstorf: Baby’s in Black

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

May 2019 Gentleman Jack: We were always here

Book Cover: Gentleman Jack Cover © Serpent's Tail Fans of Sarah Waters will enjoy Angela Steidele’s Gentleman Jack.

April 2019 Blue Night: Crime novels which buck expectations

Book Cover: Blue Night Cover © Orenda Books If you can’t get enough of Christopher Brookmyre, take a moment to check out Simone Buchholz’s Blue Night.
 

March 2019 Momo: when time stood still

Book Cover: Momo Cover © Puffin Books 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.

February 2019 Memoirs of a Polar Bear: Studies in Snow

Book Cover: Memoirs of a Polar Bear Cover © Portobello Books 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.

January 2019 The road trip Holden Caulfield never took

Book Cover: Why We Took the Car Cover © Andersen Press 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.
 

December 2018 Ulrike Almut Sandig: ‘But I won’t say a word…’

Book cover: Thick of it by Ulrike Almut Sandig Cover © Seagulls Books Fans of Rachel McCrum’s The First Blast to Awaken Women Degenerate might like to check out Ulrike Almut Sandig’s Thick of it.

November 2018 Before the Feast: rewriting the old stories

Book cover: Before the Feast by Saša Stanišić Cover © Pushkin Press Readers of Ali Smith might enjoy losing themselves in this novel by Saša Stanišić.

October 2018 Babylon Berlin: Politics to the sound of the cocaine blues

Book cover: Babylon Berlin by Volker Kutscher Cover © Sandstone Press 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.

September 2018 The Thief Lord: on the trail of winged lions

The Thief Lord: on the trail of winged lions Cover © Chicken House Press 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.

August 2018 Jan Wagner: Telling it slant

Jan Wagner Buch Cover © Arc Publications Fans of Don Paterson's 40 Sonnets might want to check out Jan Wagner's poetry.

July 2018 Jenny Erpenbeck’s The End of Days: A whole World of Reasons

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

June 2018 Judith Hermann: Silence Speaks Volumes

Judith Hermann: Silence Speaks Volumes Cover © Serpent's Tail If you like Tove Jansson's short stories, you might also enjoy Judith Hermann's Letti Park.

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