#GermanLitMonth: Ingrid Noll
findingtimetowrite » German Literature
by MarinaSofia
3M ago
Ingrid Noll: Der Hahn ist tot (The Cock Is Dead), 1991 Yes, I’ll stick to the double-entendre of my translation of the title, because this is very much about the relationship between men and women, about men’s libido and one woman’s obsession with a man. I was also surprised to see that the book came ..read more
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Monthly Summary May 2024
findingtimetowrite » German Literature
by MarinaSofia
9M ago
Books Read You can see that I’ve been busy this month with travelling to Berlin, hosting a friend for a week and also still binging a bit (OK, a LOT) on Korean and Japanese TV series. I’ve read fewer books than usual, only eleven, of which at least four were very quick reads indeed. Seven of the eleven books were either in foreign languages or in translation (two from Japan, two in German, one in Romanian, one from Kazakhstan and one from Spain), while two were part of the Women’s Prize shortlist. I’ve also continued to read different forms of memoir: The Rooster House, Zambind printre nori ..read more
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#InternationalBooker: Three from the Longlist
findingtimetowrite » German Literature
by MarinaSofia
11M ago
Sourcing the longlisted books can be an expensive and difficult business, as my local library only has a couple of them, but I have had a chance to read three of the books since the longlist was announced on Monday 11th March, so am hopefully on track to read most of them before the shortlist in April. However, the reviews will be quite short, because I will provide a more in-depth review of the shortlisted titles. Andrey Kurkov: The Silver Bone, transl. Boris Dralyuk, Collins. This was the only one of the longlist that I already had downloaded on my Kindle, not because I predicted that it wou ..read more
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Reading Plans for the Rest of 2021
findingtimetowrite » German Literature
by MarinaSofia
1y ago
I am really enjoying my aimless September wanderings of reading without a purpose and often with no intention to review. It provides a much-needed break and gives me the time and leisure to immerse myself in the rapidly-changing world of 1930s and 40s Britain, the world of the Cazalets. Although I will be wary of overburdening myself with obligations in the future, I do like to have a bit of a plan for my autumn and winter reading. So here are my current plans (as always, they are subject to change, depending on internal whims and external events). October: Romanian Fun Reads Family sagas have ..read more
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#WITMonth: Love in Five Acts by Daniela Krien
findingtimetowrite » German Literature
by MarinaSofia
1y ago
After Greenlandic youth culture and middle-school Japan, we move to a more mature milieu and slightly more touristy destination. This is also #20BooksofSummer no. 15. Daniela Krien: Love in Five Acts (Die Liebe im Ernstfall), transl. Jamie Bulloch Five women in their forties in post-reunification Leipzig muse about their lives and choices, and learn how to face their future in a series of linked stories. Paula is friends with Judith, Brida is Judith’s patient, Malika is the ex-girlfriend of Brida’s ex-husband, and Jorinde is Malika’s sister. Their stories are full of the difficulties and sorr ..read more
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Incoming Books for the Winter Months
findingtimetowrite » German Literature
by MarinaSofia
1y ago
I didn’t receive any books for Christmas, other than the Vintage Crime Advent Calendar I offered myself. I don’t think I have any more books currently on order, and I have tried to weed out some of my shelves. Nevertheless, quite an alarming pile of new books have somehow managed to wing their way to me over the past month or so. And I’m not even counting e-books, although I might mention one or two below. From top to bottom: The first four books – I suppose my Berlin shelf is getting quite well-stocked now, in preparation for my move towards the end of the year. Although I can understand peo ..read more
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#GermanLitMonth: Gabriele Tergit and Weimar Berlin
findingtimetowrite » German Literature
by MarinaSofia
1y ago
Gabriele Tergit: Käsebier erobert den Kurfürstendamm (Käsebier Conquers the Kurfürstendamm), 1931. Available in English from NYRB in US and Pushkin Press in UK, translated by Sophie Duvernoy as ‘Käsebier Takes Berlin’. Gabriele Tergit was a journalist and the first female court reporter during the 1920s in Berlin. She wrote this debut novel informed by her experiences of working for a newspaper in just six weeks and it catapulted her to instant fame. It is a wicked satirical snapshot of the late Weimar Republic but it covers perennial topics such as media manipulation, celebrity culture, corru ..read more
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Reading Summary September 2022
findingtimetowrite » German Literature
by MarinaSofia
1y ago
After the physical and emotional turmoil of August, September has continued somewhat in the same vein, the only highlight being the couple of days I got to spend at Bloody Scotland. My reading, therefore, continued to be a mix of translations (four out of eleven books), escapism (two uplifting books) and grit (six crime stories). Paul Gallico’s Jennie was just what I wanted to cope with Zoe’s loss, while Lolly Willowes was witty and liberating, although I perhaps stretched things too much in comparing it with Tomb of Sand. I was sympathetic to but more ambivalent about the female rage display ..read more
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Two German-Language Books About Womens’ Rage
findingtimetowrite » German Literature
by MarinaSofia
1y ago
Mareike Fallwickl: Die Wut, die bleibt (The Lasting Rage) Anke Stelling: Schäfchen im Trockenen (Keeping Your Sheep Safe – translated as ‘Higher Ground’ by Lucy Jones, Scribe) Back in 2014, I read Claire Messud’s The Woman Upstairs and encountered a woman’s raw, unfiltered anger for the first time. I loved it, although it divided readers and led to an upsurge in debate about ‘unlikeable’ characters (which seems to be even more of a no-no when it comes to female characters). There have been other books since which explore what might happen when women refuse to go along with the script handed to ..read more
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Best of the Year: This Year’s Releases
findingtimetowrite » German Literature
by MarinaSofia
1y ago
I’ve read 160 books this year, so it’s impossible to stick to a list of a mere ten top favourites. So instead I’ve organised things by categories. Don’t worry, I won’t quite name 160 books! After a stint of rereading and a look at modern classics from the first half of the 20th century, I am now becoming more contemporary and looking at this year’s releases. This used to form the bulk of my reading back in 2013-2016 when I was doing a lot of crime fiction reviewing, but I have been much slower to read them these past 2-3 years. I now much prefer for the buzz to die down. The buzz for the title ..read more
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