Another book touching upon the topic of the war in Ukraine and another recommendation from my side! “The Death of a Soldier Told by His Sister“, as the title already suggests it, tells the story of how the author lived through her reality of losing her brother due to him being killed on the Ukrainian…
Motherhood – Sheila Heti
I went into this book with a feeling of apprehension since I have previously read reviews about it which didn’t necessarily make me want to bump it up on my “to read” list. In the end, I felt quite torn about how to rate it. There were quite a few parts that sounded interesting to…
Mars Room – Rachel Kushner
This book was a struggle to get through from the beginning until the very end… It took me almost an entire month to finish reading it because I simply was never motivated to pick it up. To me, it had the worst of all worlds combined. I wasn’t interested or involved in the plot, I…
Our Others – Olesya Yaremchuk
“Our Others” was the ninth book in the series of my personal quest to learn more about my native country, Ukraine. Previous ones that I have read ranged from fiction to non-fiction, written in English, German, Ukrainian and Russian: “Diary of an Invasion“, “Sommer in Odesa“, “You Don’t Know What War Is“, “A Ukrainian Christmas“,…
My Year of Rest and Relaxation – Ottessa Moshfegh
The harmlessly sounding title of the novel actually ended up being a story that isn’t for the faint of heart. As a disclaimer straight away, I’d only suggest this book to readers who feel to be in a stable state of mind. Reading up on trigger warnings would be a good idea as well since…
Erste Hilfe – Mariana Leky
Mariana Leky schafft es durch ihre Bücher für ihre Leser eine ganz besondere Atmosphäre zu schaffen. Ich greife zu einer ihrer Geschichten, wenn ich auf der Suche nach gleichzeitig etwas leichtem, jedoch auch tiefsinnigem bin. Ihre Romane eignen sich am besten für Momente, wenn man sich in eine gemütliche Stimmung versetzt fühlen möchte. So als…
Four Thousand Weeks – Oliver Burkeman
I came across this book at exactly the right moment in my life. If you’re also currently questioning the meaning of life, how we spend our time during it and how our society turned into one where it’s difficult to find contentment, “Four Thousand Weeks” might be the right read for you too. Regardless the…
The Woman in Me – Britney Spears
The reason why I read celebrity memoirs is because every once in a while I stumble across some really good ones. I generally enjoy reading stories about people learning life lessons and if these are actually based on real life experiences, I manage to take away even more from them. I’ve had quite a lucky streak…
The Marriage Portrait – Maggie O’Farrell
This book was another prime example of why I love book clubs! I’m generally not a fan of historical fiction and I probably would have never voluntarily chosen to read a book set in the 1560s but I was really glad to have given this one a chance!! I was captivated from the first pages…
Sprache und Sein – Kübra Gümüşay
“Sprache und Sein” zählt zu einem der Bücher, bei dem es mir schwer fiel, es nach dem Lesen zu bewerten oder zusammenzufassen. Zwar habe ich mir viele Stellen markiert, wo mir interessante Ideen oder Gedankengänge aufgefallen sind, nichtsdestotrotz fehlte mir ein klarer roter Faden, der einen durch die einzelnen Geschichten führen würde. Es ging um…
A Ukrainian Christmas – Yaroslav Hrytsak and Nadiyka Gerbish
This book and the experience of reading it is the perfect companion for the pre-Christmas time. It helps create a holiday atmosphere, inviting you with its stunning cover, enveloping you in interesting stories, as well as beautiful illustrations by Ukrainian artists. Even though the focus is set on Ukraine, it’s generally extremely informative about all…
Happening – Annie Ernaux
I have first come across Annie Ernaux’s writing through her book “The Years“ which has been picked to be read by the “Barcelona Women’s Book Club” in September of 2023. Once I got through that one, I was instantly looking forward to get to some more books of the author’s soon. Luckily, “Happening” was chosen…
Elena Knows – Claudia Piñeiro
This book had everything I could have wished for from a piece of fiction and more, so this was a strong 5/5 ★ read for me! It had beautiful style, a captivating story, well developed characters (especially considering over how few pages the story stretched) and some really important themes that have been tackled. You…
Talk to Strangers – Matt Dahlia
The reason why this book ended up in my home library was because I have been following the “Yes Theory“ YouTube channel for years. When I first heard that one of the original co-founders would be working on a project to tell their unique story, I instantly knew that I’d like to support them by…
The Yellow Wall-Paper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
I only came across this book because it was picked for the “difficult women book club” in Barcelona and I didn’t expect much going into it. Knowing that I was in for three short stories that were written in 1892, 1893 and 1911, I wouldn’t have guessed that I would actually enjoy them! Each of…
Mayflies – Andrew O’Hagan
I came across “Mayflies” after it was picked as the December 2023 read for the Sitges Expat Book Club. The blurb sounded promising, as the story of male friendship is not a topic I usually read about. What it ended up being, was a book that I found to be underwhelming. I didn’t enjoy reading…
I Feel Bad About My Neck – Nora Ephron
Having picked this book to read more about the topic of aging, how women deal with it and how they experience it, I can’t say that I ended up being a fan of it… It started with an intro by Dolly Alderton that went on and on without adding any value and it went over…
You Don’t Know What War Is – Yeva Skalietska
Even before going into this book I had some doubts about it and unfortunately they only got confirmed. I only pushed my way through it because I already had it standing on my bookshelf at home and I unfortunately haven’t checked its reviews before buying it. I’m rating this book with 1/5 ★ because I…
The Woman Destroyed – Simone de Beauvoir
I have previously shied away from books by Simone de Beauvoir, thinking that they would be too complicated or too philosophical for me, so it was only thanks to a book club in Barcelona that I got my hands on a novel by the author. Three short stories make up the entirety of the book,…
Drive your Plow over the Bones of the Dead – Olga Tokarczuk
After having previously read Olga Tokarczuk’s book “Flights” with a book club in Paris and having rated it with 2/5 ★ I didn’t think that I would read anything else by the author after it. But here we are again, a book club in Barcelona having chosen “Drive your Plow over the Bones of the…
The Flaw – Antonis Samarakis
With this book I definitely had the case where I fell in love with the book cover but was disappointed with its content. Having been attracted to the beautiful edition in a bookstore in Athens, I was expecting a bit more from a book that was advertised as having been translated into more than thirty…
Outline – Rachel Cusk
You know how you sometimes come across the right book at the right time? Well this was the case for me with “Outline“. Even though it might sound crazy but I’m adding Rachel Cusk to my list of all time favorite authors upon reading just this one book of hers. I instantly fell in love…
The Years – Annie Ernaux
This book will probably be one of those that I will pick up again and again throughout the years. The sheer amount of passages that I highlighted speaks for itself (as you can see on the photo in the bottom of the post). From stylistically beautiful phrases, to clever observations or reflections on life as…
The Beekeeper of Aleppo – Christy Lefteri
As a disclaimer in advance of the review, the reading experience of this book has been highly influenced by my personal relation to the war in Ukraine. I feel like if I would have read it about two and half years ago, I might have perceived it in a different way. With the current situation…
My Name is Red – Orhan Pamuk
This book has got to be the worst one I have read in 2023. Having started reading it in November 2022, it took me three attempts to finally finish it. When starting reading it for the third time, my only personal motivation was to prove my perseverance and my patience by fighting my way through…
Die Zukunft ist nicht binär – Lydia Meyer
Dieses Buch ist mir genau im richtigen Moment zugeflogen. Gerade nachdem ich Linus Gieses Buch “Ich bin Linus” ausgelesen habe, ist das Verlangen größer geworden, mich in die Thematik von Geschlecht und Geschlechtszugehörigkeit zu vertiefen. Die Lektüre von “Die Zukunft ist nicht binär” war nicht die einfachste, da es für mich viele neue Bereiche in…
Ich bin Linus – Linus Giese
Nachdem das Buch fast drei Jahre lang in meinem Bücherregal verbracht hat, bin ich nun endlich zu Lesen davon gekommen. Ähnlich wie zum Beispiel mit der Thematik um das Thema Rassismus herum, vertiefe ich gerne mein Wissen darin, indem ich Bücher darüber lese. “Ich bin Linus” ist eine wahnsinnig offene, ehrliche und verletzliche Erzählung darüber,…
Greek Lessons – Han Kang
This was the second book that I read by Han Kang, after previously reading “The Vegetarian” in 2019, which I rated with 4/5 ★. Even though I still have the author’s two other books, “The White Book” and “Human Acts” on my “to-read” list, I’m starting to think that the author might just not be…
Anfang des Krieges – Yevgenia Belorusets
Durch Bücher wie dieses schaffe ich es, bestimmte Emotionen in Worte gefasst zu lesen, die ich selber schwer zum Ausdruck bringen kann. Im “Anfang des Krieges” verarbeitet die Autorin die Eindrücke der Geschehnisse der russischen Invasion in der Ukraine seit dem 24 Februar 2022 in der Form von Tagebucheinträgen. Darin beschreibt sie die neue Realität,…
Love, Pamela – Pamela Anderson
This was a book that took me completely by surprise! Even though I’m a sucker for celebrity memoirs, I have never been interested enough in Pamela Anderson in order to be curious to read about her life in a book. I came across her documentary on Netflix, “Pamela, a Love Story“, through which I discovered…
Nastjas Tränen – Natascha Wodin
Dieses Buch war ein absoluter Glücksfund. Auf die Autorin bin ich gestoßen, als ich jene gesucht habe, die entweder Ukrainer sind oder ukrainische Wurzeln haben. Letzteres hat mich auf Natascha Wodin gebracht. Ihr Roman ist stark mit ihren persönlichen Hintergründen verwoben, in dem sie über das Schicksal und das Leben einer ukrainischen Frau erzählt, die…
A Bit of a Stretch – Chris Atkins
I found this book to be absolutely brilliant! I would have never thought that I’d pick up a story written by someone who has spent time in jail but I would have expected even less that I would highly enjoy it. It was informative, shocking, touching, emotional, funny, entertaining and simply really well written. If…
Jägerin und Sammlerin – Lana Lux
Die Leseerfahrung von diesem Buch war eine ganz besondere. Die 304 Seiten habe ich in knapp drei Tagen verschlungen, aber wenn ich während diesen Tagen mehr Zeit gehabt hätte, hätte ich es auch an einem einzigen Tag auslesen können. Sobald man sich nach den ersten 10-15 Seiten an den Schreibstil und die Dialoge gewöhnt hat,…
Real Estate – Deborah Levy
With this book the author’s “Living Autobiography” series has been completed. I do highly suggest you to read the first two books making it up first, “Things I Don’t Want to Know” and “The Cost of Living“. “Real Estate” once again steadily delivered the author’s remarkable signature style, anecdotes from her life, as well as…
The Cost of Living – Deborah Levy
This book simply ended up being another example of how Deborah Levy is climbing the ladder of my all-time favourite writers, one book at a time. Having devoured “The Cost of Living” in a bit more than a day, it left me hooked on the author’s craft and longing for more of her stories. I…
Things I Don’t Want to Know – Deborah Levy
There’s something mesmerising about Deborah Levy’s writing. Once you get your hands on one of her books, you simply don’t want to stop reading. You can feel how deliberate each chosen word and phrase is, whereas the reading experience still feels light and airy. I have only read one of the author’s novels until today,…
Sommer in Odessa – Irina Kilimnik
Auf meiner Mission mehr ukrainische Autoren zu lesen, bin ich auf das Buch “Sommer in Odessa” gestoßen, das Anfang von 2023 veröffentlicht wurde. Mich überraschte es, das Datum zu sehen, an dem das Buch erschienen ist, da es von der Erzählung und von der Stimmung her am besten als Sommerlektüre passt. Spannend fand ich es…
The Dutch House – Ann Patchett
This book ended up being disappointing in the sense that it simply didn’t manage to live up to the hype around it for me. I’ve been seeing its cover pop up everywhere around its publication date in 2019 and 2020, whereas I finally only got to it about 3 years later myself. Having read it…
Alte Weisse Männer – Sophie Passmann
“Alte Weisse Männer” haben einen Platz in meinem Bücherregal gefunden, weil ich mich in 2020 von der Trendwelle habe mitreißen lassen, als das Buch als ein Spiegel Bestseller beworben wurde. Zum Lesen davon bin ich erst drei Jahre später gekommen und wenn ich damals schon gewusst hätte, dass das Buch nur aus fünfzehn Interviews mit…
Small Worlds – Caleb Azumah Nelson
Having just recently discovered the author’s writing through his debut novel “Open Water” in the beginning of 2023, I instantly fell in love with his style. Once I heard that he would soon release a new piece of writing, I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. Just about 2 months…
Everything I Know About Love – Dolly Alderton
Having chosen “Everything I Know About Love” out of my pile of “unread books” for a couple of days of a break outside the city, with some beach time planned, it ended up being the perfect setting for it. It’s written in a low key and relaxed style, which permitted me to leisurely get through…
The Sympathizer – Viet Thanh Nguyen
Having had “The Sympathizer” on my “to read” list for a couple of years already, I decided that it was the right timing to start reading it while traveling in Vietnam. If you intend on reading it too, my first suggestion would be to have at least a basic understanding of Vietnamese history, how the…
Quiet – Susan Cain
I first picked this book up in its audio version but after just a couple of minutes of listening to it, I knew that I needed to get its physical copy. I didn’t want to miss any valuable information since it sounded like there was so much to take away from it. My first impression…
The Shallows – Nicholas Carr
Even though “The Shallows” was initially published in 2010, I found it to still be relevant while reading it in 2023. Not much has changed in the updated edition from 2020 except for a new introduction and an afterword, surely a lot of insights are missing linked to the usage of smartphones, apps, etc. but…
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin
Here comes the review I have been dreading writing ever since I finished reading the book over 3 months ago. I don’t think that I would have read “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” if it wasn’t for the “20- and 30-Somethings Book Club” in Paris that chose it as their book of the month. My…
The Culture Map – Erin Meyer
First things first, I thought that this book is an absolute must-read for people working together with colleagues from a country and a culture different from one’s own! While it’s strongly business focused, I also think that you can take along some valuable insights for personal relations as well. “The Culture Map” had the perfect…
White Fragility – Robin Diangelo
“White Fragility” has been sitting on my bookshelf for a while. I bought it back when I finally decided to get to all the racism/anti-racism books on my “want to read” virtual bookshelf during the start of the Black Lives Matter movement. Having read a few other books on the topic in the meantime, I’ve…
Auerhaus – Bov Bjerg
Zum “Auerhaus” bin ich gekommen, weil ich nach einem sehr informativen Sachbuch etwas entspannteres zur Abwechslung lesen wollte. Diesen Zweck hat das Buch auf jeden Fall erfüllt. Meiner Meinung nach aber nicht die Erwartungen, die mit den vielversprechenden Zitaten auf dem Umschlag, die “eines der schönsten Bücher unserer Tage” bewerben, einhergingen. Es geht um eine…
Invisible Women – Caroline Criado Perez
This book has definitely won my personal award of having the highest amount of highlighted passages in a book I’ve ever read in my life. While making my way through it page by page, I went through such a wide range of emotions, going from anger, frustration, disappointment to defeat and hopelessness but most of…
Open Water – Caleb Azumah Nelson
The fact of me having read “Open Water” was once again a classic example of the positive effect book clubs can have by making you leave your comfort zone. Even though I’ve heard quite a bit about the book, I wouldn’t have necessarily picked up something that sounded to be just another love story between…
Diary of an Invasion – Andrey Kurkov
This book is an absolute must-read for anyone who would like to get a good overview of the first six months of the full scale war in Ukraine that was started by Russia on the 24th of February in 2022. The author manages to tick pretty much all the boxes I would have been expecting…
Kummer Aller Art – Mariana Leky
Mit diesem Buch hätte ich am liebsten das Jahr 2023 begonnen gehabt! Obwohl ich bisher nur ein Buch von Mariana Leky gelesen habe, “Was Man Von Hier Aus Sehen Kann“, hat mir der Stil der Autorin so gut gefallen, dass ich mir sofort das neu veröffentlichte Buch von ihr geholt habe. In dem Fall von…
Beyond the Wand – Tom Felton
I think the sensation that stays the most after finishing this book is… feeling confused? What exactly was it about? It tries to be a memoir but mostly ends up focusing on Tom’s acting experience within the Harry Potter movies while only describing a tiny little part outside of it. I might see how it…
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running – Haruki Murakami
I have been curious about this book for years already but have never gotten around reading it earlier because I wasn’t sure whether I would find it interesting enough, not being a runner myself. It ended being much more generally philosophical, speaking a lot about the process of writing, similar to Murakami’s latest book, “Novelist…
Novelist as a Vocation – Haruki Murakami
Having marked the release date of this book months in advance, finally being able to anticipate reading something new written by Murakami, I was more than satisfied by “Novelist as a Vocation”. It gave such an intimate insight into the author’s life, how he became a writer and how he manages to continue being one….
From Scratch – Tembi Locke
Having received “From Scratch” as a suggestion from a friend who watched and loved the Netflix series, I decided to go ahead with reading the book first. This was the best choice I could have made since I really enjoyed the book and wish I could unsee the series. It was made in a completely…
Heaven – Mieko Kawakami
Having read this book for a book club in Barcelona, getting through it was a bit of a struggle. It simply didn’t draw me in to continue reading it, which might have been linked to the distant way it was written. What it did do though, was open up an intensely emotional world for the…
Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
While writing the review almost a year after I have started reading the book, I’m relying on the passages that I highlighted since I didn’t take notes back when reading it. The only phrase I noted down when I was reading “Americanah” in 2022 was, “It has soul, heart, depth, you don’t want it to…
Hired – James Bloodworth
I have become aware of “Hired” through one of the chapters within it, speaking about the author’s experience of working at an Amazon warehouse, which has been published as an article within The Guardian. Besides that, the book is divided into chapters accompanying the author through other badly remunerated jobs, such as being a care…
Ikigai – Hector García and Francesc Miralles
“Ikigai” might be a good book for those who are currently struggling with finding meaning in their lives. It’s quite compact, being just about 185 pages long, and it is mostly filled with little tips inspired by places in Japan on how to live a long and happy life. Having previously read David A. Sinclair’s…
Ich nannte ihn Krawatte – Milena Michiko Flašar
Auf das Buch bin ich Dank einer Empfehlung der österreichischen Unternehmerin und Autorin Madeleine Alizadeh, aka @dariadaria, auf ihrer Instagram-Seite aufmerksam geworden, da sie es erwähnte hatte, dass es ihr gut gefallen hat. Bei mir hinterließ es leider keinen bleibenden Eindruck, zwar war es ein netter Zeitvertrieb, als ich es gelesen habe, jedoch würde ich…
Conversations with Friends – Sally Rooney
If you have some holidays planned this year and don’t know which book(s) to bring along with you yet, I’d strongly suggest you to pack a copy of “Conversations with Friends”! This is the author’s second book that I’ve read after having been a bit disappointed by her “Normal People“, which I rated with 3/5…
Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words – Jay Rubin
This book is the ultimate bible for the biggest Haruki Murakami fans! Written by one of Murakami’s translators, Jay Rubin, it gave a structured overview onto the years from where Haruki Murakami started and where he got to with time. It went as far as even recapping the content of every book written by Murakami…
Stop Reading the News – Rolf Dobelli
The title of the book drew me in while I was caught up in a stream of endless reading of the news on the war in Ukraine for almost a month. I knew that this behavior was having a mentally deteriorating effect on me but I simply couldn’t and didn’t want to stop. This event…
Untold Day and Night – Bae Suah
My choice of this book has been influenced by “bookstagram”, having first seen it there and having been intrigued by the cover. In this case the judgement by the cover was successful! During this short read when I got through the 150 pages in just a couple of days, I was mesmerised by the writing….
Klara and the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro
Introducing, the book that I wished I would have never spent 21€ on… I picked up a copy of “Klara and the Sun” for a book club, first having started reading the physical book, then having switched over to the audio version while I was on a trip and in the end finishing it in…
Open Heart – Elie Wiesel
This was the first book I was able to read through ever since the start of the full scale war in Ukraine, on the 24th of February 2022. I was looking for something humane, something warm and touching, something that would be inspiring and Elie’s story about life after having survived Holocaust hit the right…
Don’t Touch My Hair – Emma Dabiri
Reni Eddo-Lodge’s book “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race Anymore” having touched upon the topic of Black hair, its particularities and what it’s like to stand out with it, while living in a predominantly white society made me curious about Emma Dabiri’s book that is mainly dedicated to the topic of…
To Paradise – Hanya Yanagihara
For the fans of the author’s “A Little Life” (I sure was one of them 🙋🏻♀️) the waiting finally had an end on the 11th of January 2022, when a new long awaited book of hers was released – “To Paradise”. I instantly started reading it once I picked up a copy at my local…
Родина-тётя – Андрей Алехин
Находясь в Украине и отправляясь в поиски нескольких новых книжек, чтобы привезти их обратно домой во Францию, я оказалась перед данной реальностью – в Киеве почти во всех книжных магазинах теперь продаются только книги на украинском… Хотя я без проблем всё понимаю, если со мной кто-то общается на украинском, то читать книги на нём я…
Shuggie Bain – Douglas Stuart
I believe that this novel will probably either be a hit or a miss for readers, you’ll either hate it or love it. I ended up landing somewhere right in between. So let’s directly get to the breakdown and the explanation of the reasoning behind my 3/5 ★ rating: The morning light was the colour…
A History of Ukraine – Oleksandr Palii
This book is a great starting point for someone who would like to get a better understanding about the country of Ukraine, its history, culture and traditions. Or in my case, it was a good refresher on the history of the country, after countless years have passed since my Ukrainian school education. I read it…
My Body – Emily Ratajkowski
This book has taken me by surprise. I somehow ended up pre-ordering it without planning to, simply because I was curious about Emily’s writing after having read her article “Buying Myself Back” (Ratajkowski, 2020) on The Cut website. And luckily, I wasn’t disappointed! 239 pages long, comprised of 12 essays, this was quite a short…
Das Licht – T. C. Boyle
Es scheint so, als ob mir dieses Buch über den Weg gelaufen ist, um mir eine Lektion zu erteilen… Dass ich endlich aufhören sollte, in Airbnbs hinterlassene Bücher zu lesen, mit der Hoffnung dadurch über einen verborgenen 5/5 ★ Schatz zu stolpern. Es ist das zweite Buch, das ich von T. C. Boyle gelesen habe…
Strangers – Taichi Yamada
“Strangers” was one of those books that has been left behind by another traveler on the shelf of an Airbnb apartment. Me, always being curious about what kind of reads others bring along on their vacations, decided to take it along for a couple of days at the beach. As it says in the reviews…
A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle
The review of this book could start off with a game of “never have I ever”… Never have I ever taken along so much valuable knowledge after finishing a book. Never have I ever highlighted as many passages within a book. Never have I ever come across a book that would feel so life-changing. Never…
What I Know About Running Coffee Shops – Colin Harmon
This book is THE ultimate bible if you have ever thought of or dreamt about opening up your own coffee shop (which was the case for me)! I started reading it while being in the middle of a 2 week long, intense, all-day training, teaching you all the aspects of becoming a creator of a…
Just Like You – Nick Hornby
Having previously read Nick Hornby’s books “A Long Way Down“, “About a Boy” and “High Fidelity”, I didn’t really have high expectations towards “Just Like You”. I have never rated any of the author’s books with more than 3 out of 5 ★ and his newest release can be classified within the same category. This…
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat – Oliver Sacks
Oliver Sacks has been on my “to-read” list as an author for quite some time and I was especially excited when it was picked as the book of the month within one of my book clubs. It ended up being such a fascinating read and I can’t wait to discover more of the author’s works!!!…
Couchsurfing in Saudi Arabien – Stephan Orth
Jedes Mal wenn die Nachricht erscheint, dass bald ein neues Buch von Stephan Orth veröffentlicht wird, mache ich wortwörtlich einen Freudentanz! Ich habe in der Zwischenzeit vier seiner Bücher gelesen und habe mich in jedes davon Hals über Kopf verliebt!!! Zu “Couchsurfing im Iran“, “Couchsurfing in Russland” und “Couchsurfing in China” kommt jetzt das vierte…
Eine Formalie in Kiew – Dmitrij Kapitelman
Das neueste Buch von Dmitrij Kapitelman war einfach nur wie Balsam für meine ukrainische Seele. Für diejenigen, die mit dem Land und dessen Traditionen nicht so vertraut sind, kann es zu einer spannenden Entdeckungstour an einer Leseerfahrung werden. Von den ersten Zeilen an wurde ich von nostalgischen Gefühlen überflutet, als man den Autor auf der Reise…
The One Thing Worth Doing – John Pope
Having come across John Pope’s novel thanks to the Paris Anglophone Book Club, it was an extremely interesting insight into the finished product of a self-published book. Even though there were little bits and pieces of the narrative that were a bit less appealing to me, in general it was a pleasant read. There was…
Der Klang der Wälder – Natsu Miyashita
Natsu Miyashitas Buch schafft vor allem eines hervorragend – eine besondere Stimmung zu zaubern. Im Vergleich zum raschen und gestressten Alltag bietet einem die Geschichte in “Der Klang der Wälder” eine Oasis der Ruhe und des Rückzugs. Ich habe mich jedes Mal aufs Neue darauf gefreut, in das Buch einzutauchen, was auch durch die wunderschöne…
JANUARY 2021 READS: 6 books
This month has simply passed by in a flash for me :O I managed to squeeze in one extra little book into my monthly goal of 5 reads and surprisingly, a French one! Hoping that this is something I’ll be able to add on more of throughout the year, diversifying my reading languages even more….
Bonjour Tristesse – Françoise Sagan
Upon finishing reading this book, I felt quite conflicted… The main character was extremely vain, superficial, privileged and spoilt. The voice it was written in took the mindless state of existence during teenagerhood to its perfection. It was full of sexist remarks, uttered by both men and women. If you take it as a snapshot…
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
“The Midnight Library” was the first one of Matt Haig’s books that I have picked up after having heard tons about his other publications and this one just having been released in 2020. It has been chosen by one of my book clubs to be read in January 2021 and I decided to join in…
Syria’s Secret Library – Mike Thomson
Prior to reading “Syria’s Secret Library“, I have just finished “The Book Collectors of Daraya” by Delphine Minoui. Both books were written about the hidden library within the Syrian town of Daraya but my curiosity simply hasn’t been satisfied after Delphine Minoui’s book, which was originally published in French in 2018. Upon doing some additional…
21 Lessons for the 21st Century – Yuval Noah Harari
This was my third Harari book that I immersed myself in, after having read “Sapiens” in 2016 and “Homo Deus” in 2018. I find myself recommending these books to people because I did find them incredibly valuable and informative (especially Sapiens!) but I still end up only giving ratings of 3/5 ★ to them. It…
Schreibtisch mit Aussicht – Ilka Piepgras
Dieses Buch, das zu meinem zuerst gelesenen im Jahr 2021 wurde, ist vor allem eines – wahnsinnig vielseitig! Die größten Unterschiede bestehen in der Länge der insgesamt 23 Essays, die zwischen drei und dreißig Seiten lang sind, und deren Qualität. Man liest sowohl originale, für dieses Sammelwerk geschriebene Erzählungen auf deutsch, als auch Übersetzungen von…
The Book Collectors of Daraya – Delphine Minoui
Within this book, the reporter Delphine Minoui tells the story of an underground library that has been created within the Syrian town of Daraya, despite the constant bombings and a state of terror the inhabitants were surrounded by, day in, day out. The focus is placed upon both the founders of this library, as well…
DECEMBER 2020 READS: 7 books
Here a look back onto the last books that I have finished off the year with and I couldn’t be more excited to finally move onto a fresh page in 2021. As it is almost every year round, the Christmas period means spending time with the family and reading – A LOT! With the top…
Essentialism – Greg McKeown
The most important take-away from this book for me was – if you’re not feeling completely overworked, chaotic and goal-less with the things you’re currently doing on a daily basis (whether that’s in your personal or your professional life), put this book aside until you feel that way one day and only then reach out…
Greenlights – Matthew McConaughey
Reading Matthew McConaughey’s memoir is comparable with the experience of sitting down with a good friend and simply having a chat about life. Having a laugh with each other, shedding some tears and sharing some little life lessons. It’s especially ideal as an end of start of the year read, as it manages to round…
Geschichten mit Marianne – Xaver Bayer
Ich bin auf Xaver Bayer’s neues Buch dank dem österreichischen Buchpreis 2020 aufmerksam geworden und auch wenn es für mich bei einer Bewertung von “nur” 3/5 ★ bleibt, war es dennoch eine sehr unterhaltsame Leseerfahrung! Das Buch ist so kurz, dass man es innerhalb eines Tages auslesen kann und es sich ideal dafür eignet, wenn…
If I Had Your Face – Frances Cha
This book was the first one that I read that gave an insight into South Korean life and its culture. By the time I was done with it though, it has left me longing for more. More depth, to be more stylistically impressive and to be able to see more development of the characters. It…
Intimations – Zadie Smith
I was completely disappointed by this tiny piece of writing made up of 6 essays by Zadie Smith. Maybe it was because I’ve been meaning and wanting to read something by the author for such a long time, having built up too high expectations. Maybe because this isn’t the right book to start with if…
The Diary of a Bookseller – Shaun Bythell
Having had this book on my virtual “to read” list for a while, I have finally come across it by chance in a book shop in Lisbon the other day. What it ended up being was a light and quick little read, sparkled with a bit of humour here and there, while telling the story…
NOVEMBER 2020 READS: 5 books
During the previous month I got to enjoy the entire spectrum of the reading experience – from taking on a French book once again and being complete disappointed by it, to devouring up 3 amazing books, one of them being “The Queen’s Gambit”. Both the book and the series have exceeded all my expectations and…
The Queen’s Gambit – Walter Tevis
Having decided to read this book before watching the Netflix series, I was more than positively surprised by it! I would even say that it ended up being one of the favourite discoveries of the year for me. My biggest hesitation (as I can imagine it being for a lot of other readers), was the…
The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
It’s quite difficult to put the reading experience of “The God of Small Things” in words because it was marked by so many ups and downs for me. To start with the positive parts first, I would describe reading “The God of Small Things” with the sensation of stepping into a mystic maze. A place…
Une simple lettre d’amour – Yann Moix
This has definitely got to be the worst book I have read this year so far… It really reminded me of my worst book of 2019, “Submission” by Michel Houellebecq. The style of the two of them really resembled, the story being told from the point of view of a despicable, misogynist and racist guy….
Know My Name – Chanel Miller
Going into this book I wasn’t expecting too much besides that the personal story that the author would tell to be really impactful. A story that got a lot of media attention in the US about how a young girl got assaulted by a Stanford student on campus grounds. What I wasn’t prepared for, was…
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone – Lori Gottlieb
This book was everything I was hoping for and so much more! Just as its subtitle says – “A therapist, her therapist, and our lives revealed”, this book will give you an insight into the world of therapy while most importantly diving into the topic of therapists having their own therapists too. It’s extremely satisfying…
OCTOBER 2020 READS: 5 books
On the photo, the books that accompanied me during a month when we were not yet locked in our apartments in France for the 2nd time in 2020, when we were officially allowed to go for walks for longer than an hour, longer than 1km away from home and more than just once per day….
Dependency – Tove Ditlevsen
The third and final part of Tove Ditlevsen’s autobiography almost draws you into a dependency to it until you turn the very last page. After a less engaging middle part, “Youth”, this one has definitely left me under an impactful impression. Just as the title suggests it, this part of the story deals with the…
Youth – Tove Ditlevsen
As much as I have absolutely fallen in love with “Childhood”, Tove Ditlevsen’s first part of her autobiographical trilogy, “Youth” simply didn’t manage to measure up to its standards. The second part of her memoir circles around the author’s teenager into early adulthood years, which are narrated in a much less introspective and reflected kind…
Childhood – Tove Ditlevsen
Here is a case where judging a book by its cover has gone well for me 😉 Never having heard of the author Tove Ditlevsen before, I have discovered this trilogy, Childhood making up the first book of it, on…. Bookstagram! (aka some accounts posting book content on instagram) I was tempted to purchase this…
Night Boat to Tangier – Kevin Barry
This is one of those books where I actually really feel sorry about giving it a low rating… There were some parts that I found really enjoyable, the language was absolutely beautiful at times, the descriptions were almost tangible, but… It just wasn’t a story for my taste. If it wouldn’t have been for my…
Lifespan – David A. Sinclair
“Lifespan” was definitely one the most challenging books I have read this year and if it wasn’t for a book club I’ve attended, I would have never come across it! As I noted down 25 pages in, I straight away understood that it would be a bumpy ride. It’s demanding of your entire attention and…
SEPTEMBER 2020 READS: 5 books
Here the wrap-up of my September reads which was one of the most rewarding months this year so far!All the 4 books you see on the top of the stack, I have absolutely adored! The last one, “Memory Police”, was read in an eBook format for a change and I was really glad that I…
Future Crimes – Marc Goodman
Did you know that the technology to simply control gadgets (like your Google Glass) with your thoughts already exists? Did you hear about the 2013 story of electronic teakettles and irons manufactured in China that spread a virus to all your electronic devices through WiFi? 😀 Or that we’ll be able to literally “bring back…
Couchsurfing in China – Stephan Orth
Nachdem ich ein riesiger Fan von Stephan Orth’s beiden anderen Couchsurfing Büchern war (Couchsurfing im Iran und Couchsurfing in Russland), war ich wahnsinnig gespannt über seine neuen Abenteuer in China. Ihr habt wahrscheinlich die Bewertung im Titel schon bemerkt und ich kann mit voller Überzeugung sagen, dass es absolut lesenswert ist! Ich bin immer noch…
Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed – Meghan Daum
This book was an incredibly impactful one for me and that’s surely because its topic is of immense interest at this certain time in my life. I’ve never liked kids and have never felt any longing to give birth to some of my own ones. There was a moment in my life when I felt…
The Discomfort of Evening – Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
I have recently been quite spoiled by 5/5 ★ books and “The Discomfort of Evening” was a very welcome addition into that category! It was a well deserved winner of the International Booker Prize in 2020, in my point of view, and I was really glad to have come across it thanks to that award….
The Fire Next Time – James Baldwin
Diving into my first James Baldwin book, I was simply blown away by how elegant and impactful his writing was. I was glad to have an introduction to his works with “The Fire Next Time” since it’s such a personal account, allowing you to get to know the author better. The way he tackles the…
Was Man Von Hier Aus Sehen Kann – Mariana Leky
Wäre es nicht für “Bookstagram” (= Buchempfehlungen auf Instagram), hätte ich wahrscheinlich “Was Man Von Hier Aus Sehen Kann” niemals gelesen! Die Inhaltsangabe an sich sprach mich nicht besonders an, aber umso glücklicher war ich darüber, dank dem Hype um das Buch herum es entdeckt zu haben. Die Autorin nimmt einen auf eine emotionale Achterbahn…
Small Fry – Lisa Brennan-Jobs
Picking up this memoir that I bought almost a year ago during an event with the author at the Shakespeare & Co shop in Paris, I’ve got to say that I was a bit disappointed… I have picked up the book on 8 different days to get through it, which was proof that it simply…
Kindred – Octavia E. Butler
Going into a novel identified within the sci-fi genre written in the 1970s, I didn’t have any expectations since it’s not my typical kind of read. The last sci-fi I had to struggle my way through was Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and I still feel traumatised by it to this…
Born a Crime – Trevor Noah
This book… Was simply unforgettable… I laughed and I cried while reading it, both thanks to dozens of hilarious moments but also to a tragic one towards the end. This book simply hooks you from the first sentences on (which you can see yourself within the first quote) and I applaud either Trevor Noah’s writing…
HOW TO: Join a Book Club
Have you always wondered about the idea of a book club, heard some friends or acquaintances talking about it or were simply curious about joining one but didn’t quite know where to start? Then this little guide is for you. If you’ve also always been hesitant about book clubs, thinking that they’re a gathering of…
JULY 2020 READS: 5 books
Even though I felt like I was in a bit of a reading slump in July, I finally managed to reach my monthly goal of 5 finished books. The majority of them actually also had really high ratings besides one huge disappointment – “Where the Crawdads Sing”. For the fact of on how many bestseller…
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Eddo-Lodge
My hunt for non-American literature on the topic of (anti-)racism continued and that’s how I came across Reni Eddo-Lodge’s book. It’s very heavily centred on British history, stories and statistics, so do be aware of that when you’re going into the reading. I specifically chose it for that reason because even though all the purely…
Everything I Never Told You – Celeste Ng
Celeste Ng’s novel “Little Fires Everywhere” was the book I rated the highest during the month of June 2020, so that’s why I was curious to tackle her debut novel. With “Everything I Never Told You”, I wasn’t disappointed either and settled on a 4/5 ★ rating, just like for the other book. The first…
Was weiße Menschen nicht über Rassismus hören wollen – Alice Hasters
Sogar bevor ich Alice Hasters Buch fertiggelesen habe, war mir absolut klar – das ist ohne Zweifel ein 5/5 ★ Buch! Endlich wieder eines, nachdem mir den gesamten Monat von Juni 2020 keines über den Weg gekommen ist! Gerade mal innerhalb von drei Tagen ausgelesen, kann ich es jetzt mit felsenfester Überzeugung bestätigen – die…
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
4 reasons why “Where the Crawdads Sing” isn’t as amazing as the huge hype around it is suggesting. Above the roar of the pounding waves, Kya called to the birds, The ocean sang bass, the gulls sang soprano. Shrieking and crying, they circled over the marsh and above the sand […]. p. 31 At late…
The Honeymoon Effect – Bruce Lipton
This book is a prime example of the category of books “I would never have bought myself”. It has presented itself as a lesson of the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, throwing in an additional one on “Don’t judge a book by its title”. It looks cheesy, it sounds cheesy, which it…
JUNE 2020 READS: 5 books
After the legendary month of May, my reading speed once again returned to its normal state in June. The lockdown due to the COVID 19 virus got lifted, we all returned a bit to our normal lives while going out in the evenings and meeting up with friends. I additionally had some enormous changes at…
All We Leave Behind – Carol Off
This book has been standing around on my “to read” bookshelf at home for 9 months until I finally got to it. I’ve picked it up at the airport in Montreal but I guess the topic finally sounded a bit too intimidating to jump on reading it earlier. The story circles around the conflict in…
Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng
Diving into my first Celeste Ng book, I luckily wasn’t disappointed! I devoured up “Little Fires Everywhere” in just about a day and a half and I now completely understand why Reese Witherspoon jumped on the opportunity of getting the rights to film a series based on this book. It’s all you could wish for…
Behind Closed Doors – Natalie Fiennes
This super short book of just about 150 pages really has the potential to make you question well anchored thoughts and ideas in your mind. Starting from how “virginity” is a purely heteronormative and invented term, which is still being used too often in our society, to how we’re not taught about the diversity of…
Trick Mirror – Jia Tolentino
My first reaction upon finishing the book was – what the hell did I just read??!! The 9 chapters that make up the book felt so much all over the place that it felt like I’ve read 9 short different books. The topics ranged from the author’s personal stories about her disinterest towards marriage, her…
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree – Shokoofeh Azar
The choice in order to purchase this book and to suggest it to my local book club was a personal one. Ever since having traveled to Iran and having heard about people’s experiences living there after the Revolution, I was curious to read more about it. What I’ve been repeatedly confronted with, were the views…
MAY 2020 READS: 8 books
The month of May 2020 has entered my personal history of being the one with the most books ever read within a month in my entire life! And you know what made it possible? The entire COVID-19 crisis situation! So as dramatic, tragic and sad these events are, I’m still trying to see the positive…
Three Women – Lisa Taddeo
After reading “Normal People“, I decided to move on to the next hyped book I constantly kept hearing about – “Three Women”. Unfortunately, in this case, it didn’t turn out that well… The lesson I have learned here is to mind the upvoted ratings about the book on goodreads. Even though this book doesn’t have…
Normal People – Sally Rooney
The moment has come when I have finally given in to the hype around the book of “Normal People”, simply because I couldn’t help my curiosity anymore (and because I wanted to have a direct comparison between the book and the series). From my perception, this book is made for a target group of readers…
Unorthodox – Deborah Feldman
Having been too impatient and having watched the Netflix series of “Unorthodox” first, I was definitely in for a positive surprise with this book. After overcoming the annoying fact that I wouldn’t be able to get a copy with a different cover than the one with the actress Shira Haas on it, I finally gave…
Educated – Tara Westover
The past is beautiful because one never realises an emotion at the time. It expands later, & thus we don’t have to complete emotions about the present, only about the past. Virginia Woolf That’s the quote the book starts with and it’s definitely my favourite one out of the entire reading experience. I came across…
How to Break Up with Your Phone – Catherine Price
While this book is intended to be used as a 30 day plan in order to break up with your phone, I read it in almost one sitting and am more than happy to give it a full 5 out of 5 ★ rating straight away! This book is literally life-changing! I already see it…
After the End – Clare Mackintosh
“After the End” isn’t a book I would normally reach out to myself. Somehow the name and the cover of the book screamed out kitsch, cliché and chick flick to me. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a chance, having stumbled across it through a friend of a friend on instagram, saying that it was…
The Hidden Life of Trees – Peter Wohlleben
What started off as an incredibly interesting book filled with completely new information for me, didn’t quite manage to hold that level until the very end. Nevertheless, I still considered it to be a more or less enjoyable read. I really appreciated the sense of humour of the author throughout the writing and the short…
8 simple habits to read more
I have always been a huge bookworm ever since I was little (nerdy glasses included throughout my entire childhood). During summer vacations at my grandparents’ place next to the Black Sea I much rather preferred spending my days at the library than at the beach! So reading is something that has always come naturally to…
APRIL 2020 READS: 5 books
This month was composed of the ups and the downs, the highs and the lows of reading experiences. Nevertheless, 2 out of the 5 books will very likely make it into the top picks of 2020, so that makes it a good month in my point of view! Regardless of being in the situation of…
Qualityland – Marc-Uwe Kling
This book had quite a unique balance to it. It was light and fun, as well as deep and meaningful, when touching on an analysis of our current world and the future we’re heading towards. I believe that your opinion on “Qualityland” will depend on how you read it and what you decide to take…
How To Do Nothing – Jenny Odell
Ever since reading “Talking to Strangers“ by Malcolm Gladwell, I have learned to not expect anything from a book by its title. This has proven to be helpful in the case of “How To Do Nothing” since the content of the book was not based on its literal meaning. It’s catchy, it sells, so I…
Why We Sleep – Matthew Walker
If I was given the restriction to only read 1 single book this year, then I would without a doubt choose Matthew Walker’s “Why We Sleep”!!! I don’t remember the last time I read a book that was so densely packed with valuable information and on top of that “packaged” in such an approachable way…
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong
“On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong has instantly become my favourite book of the year out of all the 16 I have read so far in 2020. If you were wondering, that is the author’s actual name, it was changed into Ocean by his mother after she has separated from her husband, who…
Vox – Christina Dalcher
This novel can unfortunately be shoved off to an imaginary list of disappointing bestsellers which apparently appeal to the masses. If you don’t want to fall into that trap, I’d suggest you to skip this book and rather read Margaret Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale”, if you’re looking for a dystopian feminist story. I accidentally bought the…
Talking to Strangers – Malcolm Gladwell
I have been tempted to pick up the “Talking to Strangers” book having previously liked Gladwell’s “Outliers“ (read it in 2015 and gave it a 4 out of 5 star rating back then) and also because of its title, which ended up being completely misleading. I was expecting something more psychological or something that would…
Mr. Gwyn – Alessandro Baricco
I read the German translation of “Mr. Gwyn” by Annette Kopetzki and I’ve got to say that after this first book as an intro to the author, I’m very curious about discovering other novels by Alessandro Baricco! I got through “Mr. Gwyn” in almost just a single day, one reason being that I was stuck…
A Good Wife – Samra Zafar
This book and Samra’s story is such an important one portraying abusive relationships, as well as the dangers of strict (religious) traditions, such as arranged marriages. While reading it, you manage to live through that suffocating feeling of being trapped and at times, it even sounds like something out of a horror movie. The most…
Tyll – Daniel Kehlmann
Life is too short to be reading books that you don’t enjoy. If I’d actually be living by that mantra, I wouldn’t have finished this book. My opinion is highly subjective though, since I actually really liked one of Daniel Kehlmann’s previous books, “Ruhm“. Nevertheless, I literally had to force myself to get through “Tyll”,…
The Testaments – Margaret Atwood
I was incredibly disappointed by the “The Testaments”…It didn’t read like a Margaret Atwood book at all, it felt like it has been reduced to the genre of young adult fiction in order to reach a broader public and it didn’t do the “Handmaid’s Tale” justice as a continuation of the story.Having re-read “The Handmaid’s…
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Re-reading this book 2 years later, in preparation for starting “The Testaments”, I still agree with the rating of 4 out of 5 stars I gave back then! Brilliantly written, with a style that goes down as smoothly as butter, “The Handmaid’s Tale” was an absolute delight to read. It’s so refreshing to finally have…
American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins
This book was selected for a book club I’ll be attending and I now completely understand all the polarising opinions about it. Even to simply support the critical voices, I would’ve liked to give it 1/5 stars, but it did have 2 positive points to it, so I decided to settle on the total of…
What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About – Michele Filgate
This is the perfect example of a book to prove why I love reading so much over watching series or movies. Just like one of the authors mentions, As a child I dipped into books, and everything around me, including my body, faded away. It was a very conscious act. I am very lucky that…
The Universe in Your Hand – Christophe Galfard
I’ll start off with the mention that this is an amazing book and that I’d suggest each and everyone to read it! (don’t mind the 3 stars!!) It opens up your understanding of our planet, our universe and simply how bizarre our existence is, living on a ball of matter floating through space. I’ll also…
The Art of Making Memories – Meik Wiking
The Universe is made up of stories. Not atoms. Muriel Rukeyser I picked this book up at an airport shop after a birthday trip to Canada, which I would now describe as one of the best trips of my life. Already then I was afraid of the memories fading away or of losing them completely,…
Life for Sale – Yukio Mishima
I thought that this book was absolutely beautiful. Swaying back and forth between 4 and 5 out of 5 stars, I finally settled for the highest grade. It’s an extremely short and easy read, but nevertheless executed perfectly by the author. I loved the way it was structured with short chapters that made you want…
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Philip K. Dick
This book probably wasn’t as bad as some other 1/5 star rated ones that I have read, I still found zero enjoyment in it, so I couldn’t rate it any higher (another reasoning for the grade was that it surely didn’t measure up to Olga Tokarczuk’s “Flights”, which I read a couple of weeks ago,…
Machines Like Me – Ian McEwan
This is the first book I have read by Ian McEwan and it has definitely sparked my curiosity to discover more books by the author. I really wanted to like this one, since I’m generally a fan of AI and I have also initially given it 4/5 stars, but while going through the review, it…
Flights – Olga Tokarczuk
Having picked up the book for an upcoming book club but most of all having been curious about it because of Olga Tokarczuk having received the Nobel Prize for Literature, I’ve got to say that I was underwhelmed to say the least. Personally, getting through this book was a pain… I didn’t feel motivated to…
Delta of Venus – Anaïs Nin
Finishing up this book, I’ve had a bit of mixed feelings about it. All in a all, I think I’m just generally not really into reading erotica. I’d rather do it myself than read about it 🤷🏻♀️🤭 Nevertheless, it can be said that it is written in such a way that it would be appealing…
Talking as Fast as I Can – Lauren Graham
If you have picked this book up because you are or used to be a fan of the Gilmore Girls, I’ve got 2 suggestions for you: Jokes aside, this book is simply a joke… One of the biggest reasons why I picked it up, was because I saw that it won Goodreads’ 2017 Comedy Book…
Closer – Sarah Barmak
This book ended up being one of my favourites for the entire year of 2019. I wish I would’ve come across it earlier in my life and wish that literature like this would be part of sexual education rather than the outdated program that is currently still being taught to teenagers all over the world….
Lullaby – Leïla Slimani
The story instantly whips you up into hyper awareness with the way that it starts, announcing the tragic ending on the first couple of pages. The fact that it still makes you want to read on and understand the whole story, is definitely a sign of great writing! The style was simply impeccable, simple, yet…
Submission – Michel Houellebecq
This is definitely the worst book I have read this year (and it also comes close to probably being one of the worst books I’ve ever read in my entire life). To start off, I absolutely don’t understand the hype and the buzz around Michel Houellebecq. To me, he comes off as a completely arrogant…
The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga
From the very beginning of the book, I simply wasn’t a fan of the main character. More than that, 118 pages in, I’ve noted down that I couldn’t care less about what would happen to him. There’s no connection I’ve felt towards him whatsoever and no matter how well the story would’ve been written, it…
Stoner – John Williams
This book left a really strong impression on me, even though it is once again one of those that I wouldn’t have picked up myself. I stayed awake until 2am finishing the last 100 pages and that’s a sure sign of a well written book for me. One of the most striking things to me…
Bluebeard’s Egg and Other Stories – Margaret Atwood
Even though I wouldn’t have normally picked up a book of short stories, I was glad that I came across “Bluebeard’s Egg and Other Stories” for a book club. All in all, I’d straight ahead say that it was an enjoyable read, but for me it stays within the frame of a bit above an…
Suicide Club – Rachel Heng
I did want to give the book 3 out of 5 stars, just for the topic that it’s centred around, but I just couldn’t manage to warm up to like it more. There’s something very “pop-culture-like” about its style and writing, whereas nowhere as bad as 50 Shades of Grey, it somehow falls into a…
Sadness is a White Bird – Moriel Rothman-Zecher
I couldn’t have been happier to come across “Sadness is a White Bird” by chance, the book having been selected for a book club that I attended. I have devoured it up in no time, staying up late until the middle of the night. The language flows beautifully and I loved the way the narrative…
The Bookseller of Kabul – Åsne Seierstad
Having by chance stumbled across this book in a bookshop in Cuba, I couldn’t have been more glad to have come across it!! This narrative of a “not so usual” Afghan family is so eye-opening on so many levels. It was specifically for me, since I’ve never dived into the topic about the country or…
Starkes Weiches Herz – Madeleine Alizadeh
An Madeleine’s Buch habe ich mich mit einer Prise Skepsis rangemacht. Sowohl das Buchcover, als auch den Buchtitel fand ich zu kitschig und war sogar richtig enttäuscht darüber, dass diese die Endwahl für das fertige Produkt wurden. Ich schämte mich sogar ein wenig dafür, mit dem Buch in der U-Bahn gesehen zu werden, das einem…
The Catcher in the Rye – J. D. Salinger
There was something very Woody Allen-like about the book. So if you enjoy his movies and the way the dialogues flow, you’ll surely like this story. It simply reads like the screenplay of the movie “Wonder Wheel”. Nevertheless, the main character is hardly able to build up relatability and there’s not much happening throughout the…
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
Unfortunately after finishing this book, I simply thought that it’s way too over-hyped. Yes, the idea of the story is an interesting one, the way it was executed on paper though, left a lot to be desired. Another issue I had with the printed edition, was the fact that the ending was completely spoiled within…
Hot Milk – Deborah Levy
Hot Milk is one of those books that you pick up and can’t stop reading. I’ve never experienced that the reviews (which are actually just short phrases) on the cover of the book corresponded so much with the story and the way it’s narrated. Just as it is described by previous readers/raters, it does pull…
M Train – Patti Smith
Finishing up “M Train”, I still feel enveloped in a trance and dream-like state. The reading experience has been like taking a seat on Patti Smith’s train of thought, a comfortable window seat, watching passing by landscapes, cities, people. Like gently floating on waves from one image to the next, I felt transported to a…
Cuba – Alan West-Duran
The book started off in a way you would expect from a university paper or a thesis on the topic of Cuba (not a good one though and which was not. a great. sign). The author dove directly into the deepest details while not giving you enough background on any of the subjects approached: Minute…
Havana – Mark Kurlansky
I absolutely adored this book and couldn’t have wished to stumble upon a better intro to the country of Cuba before my upcoming trip! The biggest tip I could give, is to read it with Cuban music in the background and you’ll feel directly immersed into the story and the country. What others criticised, I…
Reading Lolita in Tehran – Azar Nafisi
This book wasn’t captivating, it had to fight for your attention. It wasn’t a page-turner and yes, its structure was quite chaotic (what I already expected from it, by skimming through other readers’ reviews). You have to create time for it, give it air to breathe, allow it to take space in your day, to…
Slaughterhouse-Five – Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Having read this book during a beach vacation, “Slaughterhouse Five” has been a perfectly short, yet impactful read. The writing style was one of a kind, which left you perplexed in the beginning and wondering what kind of a book you have stumbled across and whether it’s worth getting through it or not… As the…
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
As much as I’ve always heard about “To Kill a Mockingbird” as an absolute must-read, I haven’t been convinced into loving it. Writing the review 2 months after having finished the book, I can’t go into as many details anymore, but I do know that I’ve waited a while, hoping that I might find some…
The Giver – Lois Lowry
I have stumbled across this book through a list of “highly rated books” on the website Goodreads.com, but I’ve got to say that its target audience is and stays young adults (if not even mainly kids). The story had an interesting idea, though it lacked in execution. It reminded me a bit of “Brave New…
Don’t Be a Tourist in Paris – Vanessa Grall
This book is an absolute must-have for any kind of Paris-fanatic: Whether you’ve been living in the city for years and want to have a new and fresh view onto it or you’re coming to visit for the very first time – there’s something within it for both types of readers! It motivates you to…
Speed Reading with the Right Brain – David Butler
I’d give the book 3 out of 5 stars for its idea, whereas purely based on the content of it, it would barely measure up to 1-2 stars. What the author managed, was to give you a proper understanding of what “speed reading” is supposed to be about, with a focus on comprehension rather than…
In Cold Blood – Truman Capote
Having had this book suggested by a friend, I had high expectations for it, which unfortunately haven’t been met. My biggest issue with the book was the fact that it only picked up pace and became more or less captivating 150-170 pages into the story. Compared with the total length of the book, being about…
Who Moved My Cheese? – Spencer Johnson
You can’t even call this a book, it was rather a simple story bound in a soft cover. It was short, foolproof, understandable to each and everybody. Was there any literary effort given to it? Wouldn’t say so. Yes, it was a brief and fun story to read through in probably less than 2 hours.Might…
The Help – Kathryn Stockett
“The Help” was an incredibly touching, deep kind of story, for which I found that it was a pity that it ended up being one of those books that you’d need to read in as close to one sitting as possible. The way it was written is bustling with character, each chapter written by a…
The End of Eddy – Édouard Louis
I would give “The End of Eddy” a rating rating of at most 2,5 out of 5 stars. The book simply wasn’t long enough to get attached to it or to understand the characters. Somehow the story felt like it was being suffocated, that it didn’t have enough space and enough pages to unfold itself…
Killing Commendatore – Haruki Murakami
After having put two non-enjoyable books behind me, I do have to say that as usual to Murakami’s style, this story simply flowed with ease. When you sat down with the book, you were softly enveloped into a different world and the storyline unfolded with ease. Nevertheless, I do have to say that “Killing Commendatore”…
The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood
After having read “The Handmaid’s Tale” and having absolutely adored it, I was curious to dive into another work by Margaret Atwood. Unfortunately, I can’t give as much praise for “The Blind Assassin” I found the story to be extremely slow-paced (whereas that’s something that never disturbs me in other books), so that it would…
S – J. J. Abrams
Even a couple of weeks after having finished this book, I’m still at a loss for words to describe it… And not in a positive sense…I wish I could have given it a higher rating, but it’s absolutely impossible, after having struggled through this “thing” for almost two months, dragging its weight along everywhere that…
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World – Haruki Murakami
I have recently found out how I can explain Murakami’s style to people who haven’t read any of his work yet – you could compare him to Dali or Magritte in the world of artists. He’s the surrealist of the writers, constructing unbelievable worlds, at times disturbing, at others completely mesmerising. This book was no…
Factfulness – Hans Rosling
When I started “Factfulness“, I had quite mixed opinions about it. One of the first things that I noticed, was that you could literally hear the frustration in the author’s voice about people’s perception of the current world. Getting deeper into the book, I did understand the roots of this feeling better though. What I…
A Little Life – Hanya Yanagihara
This is one of the best books I’ve read in the last couple of years and it has definitely made it onto my favourites list!!! Yanagihara’s style was absolutely effortless, the story flowed so easily from chapter to chapter that you didn’t even notice yourself flipping the pages. To sum it up, I guess the…
Un Thé à Shanghai – Jamel Balhi
What started out as a promising read, ended up as quite a disappointment… Having shared a BlaBlaCar trip from Zurich to Paris with the author was how I first found out about his existence. A quick Google search afterwards showed up the couple of books he has written about his trips around the world. What…
Call Me by Your Name – André Aciman
Having just finished the book and ending it off by watching the movie to it, I’d say that the two of them compliment each other. Having read the book just before put a bit more meaning into the movie. Nevertheless, I can’t say that I have enjoyed the book. Yes, there were some parts which…
The Art of Thinking Clearly – Rolf Dobelli
Having gone through the book, I strongly agree with some bits in reviews about it, which I have skimmed through before starting. While “The Art of Thinking Clearly” succeeds at presenting something of an easier breakdown of “Thinking, Fast and Slow”, it felt highly repetitive (some ideas being too similar and being presented too often),…
God Save la France – Stephen Clarke
Picking up “God Save la France” for the second time but in its French translation to practice my language skills has only left me disappointed. I remember rating “A Year in the Merde” as one of my favourite books after finishing it, laughing out loud while going through it and finishing it in a flash…
House of Leaves – Mark Z. Danielewski
Even weeks after I’ve finished this book, I haven’t gotten around to the review, since I couldn’t really manage to phrase what I thought about it. What I can definitely confirm now – after getting the book suggested, I was warned that it would be “an experience” rather than a simple read and I can…
Le K – Dino Buzzati
This being the first encounter with Dino Buzzati’s work, I was definitely positively surprised, judging by the fact of how I chose to buy the book. It has been standing around on my bookshelf for at least five-six years, having picked it up in a little French town from a shelf outside on the street,…
Homo Deus – Yuval Noah Harari
Finally! After three months (which is the longest it has taken me to finish a book in a while!) I’ve finally gotten through this one! It was an incredibly interesting read, but the time that it has taken to finish it, speaks quite a bit about it. I was a bit disappointed by it in…
Le Livre des Étreintes – Eduardo Galeano
Reading this one in French has definitely been a challenge, so I would suggest you to read it in a language you feel at ease with. I felt a bit conflicted with my general opinion about the book: It has helped me in moments I have been feeling completely and absolutely down. I was literally…
Your Body’s Many Cries for Water – Fereydoon Batmanghelidj
I wish I could have given the book a better rating due to its content but it just didn’t measure up to anything higher than 3 out of 5 stars. It wasn’t incredibly well written, it was extremely repetitive and the “stuck in the 90s” design of the cover, as well as of some randomly…
Wonder – R. J. Palacio
There are few words that can describe the impression “Wonder” left after reading it and I think you would see best by making your own opinion of it. It was sweet, enchanting, heart warming, extremely emotionally touching (leaving you laughing out loud or even getting teary-eyed at times) and besides all that, so so well…
À propos d’un gamin (About a Boy) – Nick Hornby
Out of the 3 Nick Hornby books that I’ve read, this was definitely the one that I hated the least 😁 The characters were better developed, in my opinion, than the ones in “A Long Way Down” or “High Fidelity”. Nevertheless, what seemed to have mainly elevated the rating, was the fact of imagining Hugh…
Couchsurfing in Russland – Stephan Orth
Ein Buch, das ich jedem weiterempfehlen würde, der/die Lust hat, einen Einblick in die echte russische Kultur zu bekommen. Ohne Vorurteile, abseits der Klischees und der Stereotypen, unbeeinflusst von den aktuellsten politischen Ereignissen. Für jemanden der mit der Art der russischen Menschen vertraut ist, kann ich mit Sicherheit sagen, dass mit dem Buch ein absolut…
Underground – Haruki Murakami
Murakami’s “Underground” has definitely nothing to do with the author’s other works of fiction. Nevertheless I mostly reached out for the book because of Murakami – I didn’t end up being completely disappointed but it also wasn’t a groundbreaking book in my opinion, therefore the 3 out of 5 stars rating. What I read out…
Couchsurfing im Iran – Stephan Orth
Nach dem Fertiglesen des “Couchsurfing in Russland” Buches, bin ich von der iranischen Version sogar mehr begeistert! Der Unterschied zwischen den beiden ist, dass in der Iran-Ausführung mehr Zeit genommen wurde, über die Personen und die Interaktionen mit den Leuten zu schildern, anstatt den Fokus auf das Land im Allgemeinen zu setzen. Der Erzählfluss war…
Vous descendez? (A Long Way Down) – Nick Hornby
The only reason why I keep on reaching out to Nick Hornby’s books is the fact that I’ve got them standing around in French on my bookshelf. In my opinion, that’s also the only plausible reason to read them – translated from English into other languages to learn those foreign language, since the style and…
Read Bottom Up – Neel Shah, Skye Chatham
A super quick read (just about one and a half hours) which I have become suspicious about while skimming through a couple of reviews on Goodreads.com before starting the book. It just seemed to have potential to be in the style of one of those cheesy rom-coms – a typical and predictable boy-meets-girl story. Was…
A Strangeness in My Mind – Orhan Pamuk
Going through my second Orhan Pamuk book, it once again had the effect of pulling you into a completely different world and making you feel as if you’ve known the characters for years. The way it’s written is absolutely effortless and the transitions of seeing the story from different people’s perspectives gave it even more…
Chernobyl Prayer – Svetlana Alexievich
“Chernobyl Prayer” was one of those books that simply took you on an emotional roller-coaster ride while reading it. The collected stories would probably be the most authentic ones you’ll get to read when trying to find the real background stories of people affected by the Chernobyl disaster. With tears of sadness, feeling touched by…
Confessions of a Sociopath – M. E. Thomas
I would have given the book a 4 out of 5 rating, but unfortunately it was too noticeable that the author absolutely isn’t a professional writer. I just started reading “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran Foer and the difference couldn’t have been bigger, the 2 books seem like 2 absolutely different worlds judging by the…
The Dark Road – Ma Jian
Ma Jian’s story definitely gave an absolutely different perspective on China’s “one child policy” than what you would expect. The narrative proceeded in a way that felt a bit like a roller-coaster ride, which could be perceived from both a positive and a negative side. It didn’t manage to captivate your attention completely but nevertheless…
The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins
I started with “The Girl on the Train” longing for a similar read to “Gone Girl” but it simply ended up being TOO similar. I even checked the publication years, whether Hawkins might have gotten some inspiration from Flynn, which might very well be possible. The way both stories developed were very much alike, the…
The Vegetarian – Han Kang
“The Vegetarian” was a short, yet an impactful read, which managed to grasp you emotionally if you opened up to the story. Regardless the name, the topic of vegetarianism, though playing a decisive role in the development of the story, was only a marginal one. It was much more of a tale of the freedom…
Influence – Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen
As far as the format of this book – it was much better than what I’ve expected it to be. What I thought would have just be a narrative about the lives of the Olsen twins, led on by their portraits embellishing the cover, turned out to be something completely different. A gorgeous book full…
Paris Revealed – Stephen Clarke
Having read two books by Stephen Clarke about the Parisian adventures of a fictitious character, “Paris Revealed” sounded like a light and fun read, while I didn’t have any expectations towards it at all. Though it did have a few entertaining passages and it was successful at introducing the Parisian way of life, starting from…
Sharp Objects – Gillian Flynn
After reading Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” I couldn’t wait to get my hands on another book of hers. Unfortunately the expectations couldn’t measure up for “Sharp Objects”. Though you did finally feel a bit entertained and enveloped in the events of the book upon arriving somewhere towards the middle of the story, there were too…
Scenes from Village Life – Amos Oz
Having previously read “My Michael” by Amos Oz and having immensely enjoyed it, I was excited about indulging in “Scenes from Village Life“. Even though a certain atmosphere was established through a particular warmness in the author’s style, it was a generally a disappointing read. This was a typical book which needed to be read…
The Prisoner of Heaven – Carlos Ruiz Zafón
I’ve heard a lot of praise for the works of Carlos Ruiz Zafón from friends who have read his books. “The Prisoner of Heaven” was picked up by chance at an airport, mostly because I was intrigued by the description on the back. The secret World of the Cemetery of Forgotten books, hidden in the…
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared – Jonas Jonasson
“The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared” turned out to be one of the worst books I have read in years. That’s what you get for trusting the bestseller list and giving this book with the weird title a chance. Books with 400 pages like this one I usually finish reading…
1Q84 – Haruki Murakami
This book leaves you off wanting more. It’s special. Just as so many of Haruki Murakami’s books, this one enveloped you in an extraordinary atmosphere, where you felt so close to the characters. It was a touching, but at the same time an exciting story. Once you started reading it, you simply didn’t want to…
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