A German Reading List

The German Flag; image from here

Creating and working through a reading list is a great way to focus daily reading and improve understanding of a given topic.  My first reading list experience was valuable enough that a second is warranted.  It won't be 129 books this time . . . that was too much.  This time, of course, the focus is Germany (or Germanic peoples).

My goal with the below list is to:
- Understand German history, to include key events that shaped Germany's identity as a nation
- Be familiar with key works of German literature and fiction, from classics to modern bestsellers

You'll note that some works are not by Germans, but the content is relevant regardless.  I generated this list based on 'best of German literature' webpages, former familiarity, and word of mouth from friends and colleagues. I include genres where possible, and sub-categories if relevant. Order is roughly chronological by content (not publication); thus, fictional works are placed near historical works dealing with the same time period. Some books I've already read; any such titles include hyperlinks to my reviews. A final note: as I learned before, reading lists can (and should) change.  So this first version will undergo revision.

Author	Title	Genre
Norman Davies	Europe: A History	History- Europe
Jakob & Wilhelm Grimm	Grimm's Fairy Tales	Mythology
Joachim Whaley	German and the Holy Roman Empire Vol. 1	History- Medieval
Stephen Nichols	The Reformation	History- Reformation
Oliver Pötzsch	The Castle of Kings	Fiction- Historical
David Macaulay	Cathedral	History- Architecture
C.V. Wedgwood	The Thirty Years War	History- Medieval
Oliver Pötzsch	The Hangman's Daughter	Fiction- Historical
Hans von Grimmelshausen	Simplicius Simplicissimus	Literature
Johann Goethe	The Sorrows of Young Werther	Literature
Johann Goethe	Faust	Literature
E.T.A. Hoffmann	The Devil's Elixirs	Literature
E.T.A. Hoffmann	The Nutcracker and the Mouse King	Literature
E.T.A. Hoffmann	The Sandman	Literature
Christopher Clark	Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia	History- Prussia
Carl von Clausewitz	On War	War
James Charles Roy	The Vanished Kingdom	History- Prussia
Ernst Lothar	The Vienna Melody	Novel- Austria
Franz Kafka	The Castle	Literature
Franz Kafka	The Metamorphosis	Literature
Thomas Mann	Buddenbrooks	Fiction
Barbara Tuchman	The Guns of August	History- WWI
DK Publishing	World War I- The Complete Visual History	History- WWI
Ernst Jünger	Storm of Steel	Memoir- WWI
Erich Maria Remarque	All Quiet on the Western Front	Literature- WWI
Heinrich Mann	The Loyal Subject	Fiction
Alfred Doblin	Berlin Alexanderplatz	Novel
Lion Feuchtwanger	The Oppermanns	Novel- WWII
Klaus Mann	Mephisto	Novel- WWII
Gert Hofmann	The Film Explainer	Fiction- WWII
William Shirer	The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich	History- WWII
Anna Seghers	The Seventh Cross	Fiction- Historical
DK Publishing	World War II- The Complete Visual History	History- WWII
Elie Wiesel	Night	Memoir- WWII
Dietrich Boenhoffer	The Cost of Discipleship	Religion
Gunter Grass	The Tin Drum	Novel- WWII
Bernhard Schlink	The Reader	Novel- WWII
Wolfgang Koeppen	Death in Rome	Novel- WWII
Robert Harris	Fatherland	Alternate Hist.- WWII
W.G. Sebald	Austerlitz	Novel- Historical
Hermann Hesse	Siddhartha	Literature
Peter Schneider	The Wall Jumper	Fiction- Cold War
Christian Kracht	Imperium	Novel- Satire
Otfried Preussler	The Little Ghost	Children's
Kai Meyer	Pirate Curse	Children's- Fantasy
Markus Heitz	The Dwarves	Fantasy
Bernard Hennen	The Elven	Fantasy
Walter Moers	The City of Dreaming Books	Fantasy
Michael Ende	The Never Ending Story	Fantasy