Reading German Books in 2020 discussion

I have decided to go straight into this climb this year. 2020 saw me buying many German translated books which I did not get to read.
So...
1. Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck
Have now finished this wonderful novel. I realised I need to read more German history as at times was a bit lost chronologically. I reread most of the novel immediately and could easily read it again.
I do not give five stars without much thought but this was definitely a five star read.

That's brave, I really liked 'Visitation' interested to see what you think of it.

Have you read anything else by her Mirko? The shift in style between the earlier novels and 'Go, Went, Gone' seemed quite a dramatic one, although I thought the ideas in 'Go, Went, Gone' were important ones to explore, in terms of the writing I prefer 'Visitation' and 'The End of Days'.

I think Visitation is her best. So well-picked, Penelope!

I wanted to read an Erpenbeck last year, and ended up with Gehen, ging, geganen because it's the only one I could get from the library (in German). I liked it fine, but it sounds like I really should try her other ones. I'll just have to buy them - should really read through the stacks here before buying more!

I like her work in general so I'd say pretty much anything she's published is worth trying. I hope you find the novel interesting, look forward to yours and Penelope's thoughts.

2. Dark Satellites by Clemens Meyer

How did you like these stories, Penelope?

I listed Dark Satellite as my next read so am only five stories in at this stage. Enjoying them very much, sparse and sometimes heart rending. I find with short stories I have to pause between each one so am taking it slowly. .

3. Not a Novel: A Memoir in Pieces by Jenny Erpenbeck I read this book because I had so enjoyed Visitations. As often happens in memoirs and in this case, Pieces I found some not as interesting as others. Overal it did not disappoint and am now looking for another novel by this author. I was fascinated to read about her life in East Berlin and how she was affected by the Wall coming down, in fact how East Berlin was affected. The last Piece in the book about immigrants was especially stunning. Am determined now to read more of this author and also about East and West Berlin. My previous exposure has probably been entirely made up of stories involving escapes, some successful some not. This book gave me another point of view and much pause for thought. 4 stars.

4. The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine by Alina Bronsky Not entirely for me but thought the title was perfect and what a great ending. Rosa will always come out on top. 3 stars

5. You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann trans by Ross Benjamin. 4 stars.
This was a complete surprise. Because I'm reading Measuring the World this book came up and I downloaded a sample. It was so good and so intriguing I immediately bought the full book. Scary, in fact chilling but oh so good.

It is a good read. There’s a film too, which I must get round to watching some day.

6. An Inventory of Losses by Judith Schalansky 4 stars.
I enjoyed this so much. Thought her preface was a fantastic, if not a startling way to introduce her subject and to lead in to the topics she wished to write about. The inclusion of a who's who at the end was helpful and interesting. Some of the criticism of this book was a loss of focus and that at times the author's intention was unclear. For me it only added interest as I worked through a few paragraphs to see where the prose was taking us. Definitely part of the charm of this wonderful writing.

7. Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann. Took me long enough to read it and then enter it here but I loved it and think Daniel Kehlmann is on top of my list of authors to look for.