Reading German Books in 2020 discussion

Royal Highness by Mann
The Seventh Cross by Seghers
All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque
Chess Story by Zweig
Death in Venice by Mann
Siddhartha by Hesse tho I fear his work will be too deep for me

Those are all great books, Donna! Another 20th century author you might want to try is Ricarda Huch, e.g. The Deruga Trial.

Book One Finished: Royal Highness by Thomas Mann. This was the story of a second son royal in an impoverished region of Germany, pre WWI. Nothing earth shattering, just a good solid story of a young man coming to actually CARE about the countryand its people. By the end I was confident things would turn around and life for everyone would improve.

Book Two finished: All for Nothing by Walter Kemposki. Near the very end of WWII an aristocratic family tries to decide what to do. The local Nazi civilian leader is determined no one will evaluate yet the Russians are within miles of the town. The novel is filled with interesting characters all offering advice. But the title says it all.