Guten Abend!
Yes, the calendar has just flipped into October but I’m fairly sure that other readers are doing what I’m doing… that is, making November reading plans. We have to be strategic given that it’s German Literature Month, Novella November and Nonfiction November!
This year, German Literature Month XV is hosted by Beauty is a Sleeping Cat and Tony’s Reading List (find inspiration if you’re looking for titles here).
The one rule of GLM: reading material must have been originally written in German.
There are some prompts (Nov 1-9 Genre Week; Nov 10-16 City Week; Nov 17-23 Thomas Mann Week; Nov 24-30 GDR Week) but I will probably read free-range, in an attempt to tackle the TBR stack and create some overlap with Novella November.
I’ll be choosing from the following –
- Flights of Love by Bernhard Schlink
- The End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck
- Go Went Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck
- Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig
- The Pigeon by Patrick Süskind (novella)
- The German House by Annette Hess
- Stella by Takis Würger (novella)
- Siblings by Brigitte Reimann (novella)
- Background for Love by Helen Wolff
- The Field by Robert Seethaler (novella)
- New Lives by Ingo Schulze
- Seasonal Associate by Heike Geissler
- Eurotrash by Christian Kracht (novella)
I’m also considering a re-read – Perfume by Patrick Süskind (I read this decades ago and still think about it…). And, this is a bit crazy because there is no way that my German is up to it, but I have a copy of 22 Bahnen by Caroline Wahl, in German, on the way. Reading it will be a huge project – I might finish it by German Literature Month XVI 🙂
I loved The Pigeon, which I read a few years back and I also have Siblings lined up to dovetail with Novellas in November!
A German novella, that’s perfect!
The End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck is so good! I want to read more by her for sure.
I haven’t read Perfume yet, but it’s on my TBR.
To read novels in a language where you are not completely fluent, the ebook format is best, as you can click on a word to see its translation
Gosh, I can see from your list that I haven’t read much German literature! However, two challenges for November is enough for me.
I’ve read The Pigeon and Siblings, I hope you enjoy them.
I have a couple of real chunksters in the TBR which I’m hoping I might finally get to…or at least one of them!
Thanks so much for alerting me to the official challenge information for this year. Looks like new hosts? I’m all the more excited to join in for having recently been in Germany. That’s fun that there’s a Thomas Mann week — I was planning on rereading Death in Venice for Novellas in November anyway. I read The Pigeon a few years ago for another NovNov crossover. I have The Field on the shelf, too. This year I also have Eurotrash, All Quiet on the Western Front, and novels by Daniel Kehlmann and W.G. Sebald as possibilities. I started Kairos in print when we got back from Berlin but I think I might switch to the audiobook in November.
Hi Rebecca
Tony is new, indeed, but I’m in my 15th year 😊
Thank you, you are a genius. I could read Death in Venice too, I’ve been meaning to read it for ages because I really liked The Magic Mountain and Buddenbrooks. I had it on my Kindle but the file (probably a freebie) was corrupted, so I checked out the library and they have it. I just need to get the timing of my loan right…
Every month is German Literature Month for me, LOL. As you know, I am German and live in Germany. I have to order foreign books, so I buy a lot of German books in the original. Anyway, when I saw your photo, I had to think about Magic Mountain. Thomas Mann is one of my favourite authors, certainly one of the best German authors imho.
I just read a book that has not been translated:
Weidermann, Volker “Mann vom Meer. Thomas Mann and the Love of his Life” (meaning the sea). If anyone would like to read a book in German, here is a link to my German blog.
https://derbuecherwurm.blogspot.com/2025/09/weidermann-volker-mann-vom-meer.html
I have also read “22 Bahnen” which was the recipient of the The Favourite Book of the Independent Book Shops. Good read. And not too difficult, you might even finish it in German. Enjoy.
I haven’t read any Mann – I considered Magic Mountain for GLM but at over 700 pages… It would wipe out any other November reading!
Thanks for the link to your German blog (and the encouragement for 22 Bahnen).
Yes, he has written a few doorstops. My absolute favourite is Buddenbrooks but that is just as long. He has also written some shorter ones but the long ones are definitely best.
Thanks so much for writing about GLM and for joining us.
You have some great reading plans. I might be reading Caroline Wahl as well.
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