Count me in guys – I couldn’t resist participating in the German Literature reading month hosted by Caroline and Lizzy. I really shouldn’t as this time of the year is going to be super hectic at work and perhaps a craft show but I just couldn’t say no. When I told my husband he said of course I should join.
I think most of you know my husband is German so of course he would think reading a lot of German literature is a good thing. So the structure of the challenge is this:
Week 1: 1-7.11 Ladies Week
Week 2: 8-14.11 Gents Week
Week 3: 15-21.11 Ladies Week
Week 4: 22-28.11 Gents Week
Weekend 29-30.11 Read as you please
A quick scan through my bookshelves and here are the books I found:
I can pretty much tell you I won’t be finishing the Grimm’s Fairy Tales – that book is massive but I wouldn’t mind reading a couple of the tales. Here Comes Mrs. Kugelman by Minka Pradleski is a book I got this summer and I believe it’s one that was well received in blogland. The Passport by Herta Müller I’ve wanted to read as she received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 09. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is of course a classic. The Blind Side of the Heart by Julia Franck sounded like a good novel. Günter Grass and Christa Wolf are writers I’ve been a bit intimidated by so their books have been languishing on my shelves.
I am pretty sure I have a few other German novels on my shelves but these are the ones I could quickly find. This is exciting for me. I know when we go to Germany we always visit bookshops and while I am happy to check out the English sections I am always bummed out that I can’t browse (well other than to see the different book covers) the novels and Krimi sections.
Anyway, I am not sure which book to start with first but I better get started. If you’ve read any of these let me know what you think.
Start with the shortest one! That’s what all the college kids do !!!
How fun! I hope you enjoy your selections, Iliana!
Isabel – You are good! That’s what I totally should have done but no, I picked the Franck book which also is not light reading. I don’t know what I was thinking!
Literary Feline – I’m getting a bit concerned because I think with the exception of the Grimm and the Hesse they all sound kind of sad. War stuff which I don’t handle very well. I’ll see how it goes and report back!
Oh, what a nice selection! I look forward to hearing all about the ones you choose.
I hadn’t thought of reading some fairy tales–that sounds like fun, though I guess I have plenty already to choose from! I pulled out my copy of the Christa Wolf book, too, since I have been reading her essays. She does seem pretty formidable. I’m curious about the Franck book, too. Have fun choosing!
Stefanie – I will keep you guys posted 🙂
Danielle – I had to throw that one in there because these books are all heavy subjects so I thought it might be a bit fun to go back to my childhood reading!