Threaten to Undo Us Those of you who have followed my website for a while may have heard me talk about how my mother’s family was relocated from their home in Silesia. In all, 12 million German Nationals were forced out of Eastern European Countries after World War 2 as part of a pact made by the Allied Powers. The…
Category: Book Reviews
Some of my Favorite German Cookbooks in English
Because of my recent move, I had to box up my Cookbook collection. (Some people might think I have a cookbook problem, but I look at it more as an “enthusiasm”.) There were a lot. (I stopped counting at 15 boxes… Tech Guy just shook his head) But in packing them up, I was able to do bit of real…
What is a Duden? It is MORE than Just a German Dictionary!
What is a Duden? Is it just a wordbook? A dictionary? A sort of Encyclopedia? A bit of a grammar guide? In truth, it’s all of those things. The German Duden or Vollständiges Orthographisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (Complete Orthographical Dictionary of the German Language) by Konrad Duden is the gold standard for all things related to the German Language and…
Fun Facts About King Ludwig II- Not So Happily Ever After
Have I already mentioned how much I enjoy guest posts? And I’m sure you all might have noticed how much I enjoy “fun facts”? (Like did you know that the distance between the kneecaps on the Roland statue is an official measurement in the city of Bremen?) So when I got an email/post contribution from Susan Braun filled with…
Biergarten Cookbook Traditional Bavarian Recipes with a Modern Twist
Biergarten Cookbook Visit any Bavarian Biergarten during the Summer, and you will see people enjoying the mild weather with a Maß of beer and food. But this isn’t an ordinary picnic… you won’t find plain old ham sandwiches and potato chips… Out of baskets and coolers come fresh Salads, grilled Sausages, a variety of dips, pickled veggies and sliced…
The House By the Lake by Thomas Harding- History of a Home
[no_toc] The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding: One House, Five Families, and a Hundred Years of German History Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time reading books I would have avoided a few years ago… books about Germany in the 20th century. The emotional toll was just too high. But, despite my anxiety about going down that…
Traditional Couture; Folkloric High Fashion in Germany
A few years ago I shared the story of how I bought my first “dirndl” or tracht. Because my family is not Bavarian, I didn’t want to buy a traditional Dirndl. Instead, I hoped to find something that would reflect the region my family came from in Germany, while still maintaining a recognizable German style. I looked at a LOT…
Orderly and Humane – German Refugees from World War 2
I grew up with family stories about the German refugees from World War 2. Both of my parents came from the east… Mama from Silesia, Dad from Brandenburg, and both lost their homes.I had heard about DonauSchwaben, and stories about staying ahead of the Soviet Army. About being expelled from homes and villages. About leaving houses, friends and possessions…
Oliver Pötzsch The Ludwig Conspiracy Book Review
The Ludwig Conspiracy Because of a recommendation, I recently read Oliver Pötzsch, The Ludwig Conspiracy Book. It really was a fun romp of a mystery. The story reminded me a bit of Dan Brown’s works (The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons) … but since it all came with a German accent…. it felt much closer to home. Oliver Pötzsch’s…
The Hangman’s Daughter Book Review- A Mystery Set in Medieval Germany
The Hangman’s Daughter (Hangman’s Daughter Tales) (A Hangman’s Daughter Tale) I finally have the chance to write a The Hangman’s Daughter book review. I stumbled across the book by Oliver Pötzsch a while ago, and put it on my shelf. I’m always intrigued by the books from Germany that get translated and become bestsellers in the US. On my way to the airport…