5 Book Tips for Summer 2023 | Contemporary topics lightly packaged

Although the novel is from 2013, it is still a great read. It is about experiences of racism, alienation, love and, despite these challenging themes, is often light and humorous at the same time.

From the book

“Ifemelu and Obinze’s great love begins in Nigeria in the nineties. Then they go their separate ways: while the self-confident Ifemelu studies in Princeton, Obinze is stranded as an illegal immigrant in London. After years, Ifemelu returns to the bustling metropolis of Lagos as a well-known blogger driven by homesickness, where Obinze now lives with his wife and daughter. They meet again and are suddenly faced with a decision that turns their lives upside down. Adichie writes admirably simply, boundlessly empathetic and with a sharp eye on society. She succeeds in writing a haunting novel that gives new meaning to humanity and identity.”

(Translated from German book description)

A very topical discourse on the subject of “having children” in this day and age. Packed in short insights into the realities of life of 4 different women. A relatively entertaining and yet intense and very exciting book.

From the book

“What if Sina couldn’t get pregnant? What if Mona never had children? Would that make the world a better place? Yes, thinks climate activist Eva Lohaus: only a birth stop can still save our planet. While she struggles with the consequences of her radical vision, the sisters Sina and Mona struggle with their own life plans. From a distance they envy, from up close they pity each other, together they try to resist responsibility and the pressure of expectations. But it is the encounter with Mona’s new neighbour that really changes our view of motherhood. What are the arguments against and in favour of having children today? In her precise and captivatingly unadorned language, Verena Keßler tells of four women who find their very own answers to this question.”

(Translated from German version: Hansa Literaturverlage)

If you are looking for a bit more satirically packaged social criticism, this is the book for you. The book is set in the near future and tells the story of an (exaggerated but actually quite normal) family that continues to live its life despite the advancing climate catastrophe, even though a lot is changing. A lot of humour, a lot of criticism and a lot that readers can take away from this reading about our time.

From the book

“The countdown to the apocalypse is on: California is going up in flames, floods threaten Florida. “The planet is dying, don’t you see?” reproaches Cooper to his mother, who obediently switches her kitchen to deep-fried grasshoppers. There are also heated discussions with sister Cat, who has acquired a pet tiger python named Willie, which she hangs around her shoulders like a glittering jewel. The question of the relationship to the environment runs like a rift through the family until one night Willie disappears from the terrarium. With “Blue Skies”, T.C. Boyle has written the ultimate novel about everyday life in our times. Eerie, funny and prophetic.”

(Translated from German version: Hansa Literaturverlage)

In her novel, Evaristo tells the story of 4 Brtish black women over the course of a century. She talks about their challenges, struggles and their desire to find a place in this world. Also absolutely worth reading.

From the book

“The playwright Amma is on the verge of a breakthrough. In her first production at London’s National Theatre, she grapples with her identity as a black, lesbian woman. Her good friend Shirley, on the other hand, is burnt out after decades of working in underfunded London schools. Carole owes a lot to Shirley, her former teacher, who now works as a successful investment banker. Carole’s mother Bummi also wants to stand on her own two feet and starts a cleaning company. She grew up in poor circumstances in Nigeria and gave her daughter Carole an English first name for good reasons.

Even though the women, their roles and life stories in Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, etc. are very different, their choices, their struggles, their questions never stand alone, they all tell of the desire to find a place in this world.”

(Translated from German version: Klett-Cotta Verlag)

As a light conclusion, we recommend this coming-of-age book. It is about a hot summer day in the village of Bodenstein, about Pascal and Jacky, about summer, growing up, about friendship and about very vivid images that are conjured up in your mind while reading this novel.

From the book

“31 August 1999. Scorching heat lies over Bodenstein, the home town of 15-year-old Pascal. It’s the big holidays, and the boy could actually enjoy the summer. The skate park. The parties of the sixth formers. The open-air swimming pool with the best chips on the planet. But since he can no longer swim, Pascal no longer likes the summer. Why that is, he can’t tell you. Nor why everyone calls him Krüger. And certainly not why he is not allowed to fall in love under any circumstances. He prefers to daydream and write stories. Then Jacky crashes into his world. A mysterious girl from the circus. With red hair, water-blue eyes and no fear of anything. Together they spend a shimmering, last summer day that changes everything forever …”

(Translated from German version: dtv-Verlag)