Susanne Bacon, author of the Wycliff novel series, recently published her German-American Essays in a book called “Home from Home”. Each essay describes what it feels like to be a German in the United States. To look at everyday life through a slightly different lens, shaped by different experiences. Susanne came to the US as an adult, and is able…
Category: Book and Movie Reviews
Hanni and Nanni – Our Favorite Twins for Over 50 Years!
Of all the nicknames I had growing up, my favorite was bestowed on me by my German family, “Leseratte” (Reading Rat). Every time I went to Germany, I spent a LOT of time reading. Why would I spend so much time with my nose in a book in GERMANY? Well, the family was in Farm Country, and people were…
What is the Sandmaennchen? A little Man who Sent German Kids to Dream
When the Wall separating East Germany from West Germany fell, many of the icons produced by the East vanished. There is one BIG exception. The Sandmännchen. What is the Sandmaennchen? And how did he continue to thrive despite his East German origins? This little figure with a long goatee and pointed cap captured the hearts of German children with his…
German Meals at Oma’s by Gerhild Fulson- My Favorite German Foods!
German Meals at Oma’s: Traditional Dishes for the Home Cook Recently Gerhild Fulson, who is the force behind Just Like Oma (aka Quick German Recipes) and one of my favorite German Recipe Bloggers sent me a copy of her new cookbook German Meals at Oma’s: Traditional Dishes for the Home Cook to preview. It immediately jumped onto my list of favorite…
The German Cookbook by Alfons Schuhbeck- My Review
The German Cookbook Recently the people at Phaidon Publishing asked me to take a look at The German Cookbook… and wow, I’m impressed. Alfons Schubeck’s collection of over 500 authentic German recipes brings together all the different regional dishes in one (heavy) comprehensive book. You won’t just find the standard Rouladen, Sauerbraten, Schnitzel Recipes that are on most German menus.…
Max and Moritz- Behind Wilhelm Busch’s Bad Boy Stories
At the end of the book, the Miller grinds up the two boys in the giant flour mill, and ducks eat them. It sounds like the latest horror film to come out of Hollywood, doesn’t it? But this is the ending of Wilhelm Busch’s “Max und Moritz: Eine Bubgeschichte in sieben Streichen” (“Max and Moritz : A Boyish Story of…
The Pied Piper of Hamelin Story-800 Year Mystery Wrapped in Fairy Tale
When I was growing up, one of my favorite German fairy tale vinyl records had the Rattenfänger von Hameln story, the Pied Piper of Hamelin Story. As a child, the idea of all those kids being snatched up because the town fathers didn’t want to pay the exterminator’s bill made a HUGE impression on me. I listened over and over,…
The Shortest History of Germany – A Book Review
The Shortest History of Germany I never pack enough books when I travel. The worry about overweight luggage or carrying things I won’t need is just too stressful. So, on my last trip to Berlin, I got to the airport with only a chapter of a book left to finish… not nearly enough for my 11 hour flight home. Luckily,…
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson- My Review
“In the Garden of Beasts” refers to the Tiergarten in Berlin (which translates to Animal Park or Beast Garden). Much of the book takes place around this beautiful park, once the hunting ground for the Great Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, the Grosse. In the 1930s, the Reichstag, the US Embassy, the Brandenburg Gate, and Görings “city house” were nearby. The Tiergarten…
Threaten To Undo Us by Rose Seiler Scott – My book Review
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…