New year, new books to read! Here are some new books that you can find in the GISS Library suggested by our librarian Frau Burkart. Maybe you could set yourself a goal on how many books you want to read a week or month in the new year.
Older students might
be more interested in Cartoons that shook
the world – about the cartoons printed in a Danish newspaper, which aroused
the ire of many Muslims worldwide because they defied the prohibition on
depicting the prophet. How did this controversy
unfold and how has it influenced current affairs since? The book questions our values – should
respect and tolerance bend to the right to freedom of expression?
For younger readers non-fiction
additions include a number of books about different Asian countries (in German
and in English) as well as a series on topics from Australian history.
The Gone series by Michael Grant might
appeal to young adults who like dystopian fiction; another newly added
dystopian writer is Alex Scarrow with his Time
Detectives who have to save history from herself – amazing, all the things
that nearly didn’t happen or would have been worse if they had, once a fiction
writer gets in on the case! For those
who like reality Anna Kuschnarowa or Lois Lowy might be a better choice.
Did all you Pippi Langstrumpf fans realise that
Astrid Lindgren also wrote books for the young adult demographic? Kati
is a feisty young woman in her early twenties who decides to show her boyfriend
he isn’t the only one with a little worldly sophistication – and so she travels
to USA, Italy and France. Her
observations of life in these countries are very entertaining, as is the story
that slowly unfolds – the point for contemporary readers being, of course, that
the stories were written and set in the early 1950s; so they are also eye-openers
for today’s readers to a time when travel was slower and even a trip from
Stockholm to Italy was an adventure.
While we’re on the subject of historical fiction
the sub-genre of fantasy-historical fiction throws up many very good
reads. The Attolia series is very well-written – not for dull elves: you have
to read between the lines to keep up with the inner workings of the characters;
and John Flanagan has added a prequel to his Ranger’s Apprentice which is absolutely as thrilling and absorbing
as the best of his rest (even for those of us who aren’t coffee addicts).
What did you read during the holidays? Email us or speak to Frau Burkart if you want your favorite book to appear on this blog! See you next week! Zinnia and Gwendoline
