Top 5 Wednesday: Fairly Local

Hey there bookworms,

today's T5W topic is one I was really looking forward to: Fairly Local! I'm from Germany, but I mostly read books by English-speaking authors, so this gives me the chance to talk about some books by authors from my own country! T5W is a weekly book blogging meme currently hosted by Gabriela in the official goodreads group. 

1. The Ruby Red trilogy by Kerstin Gier

This is a fairly well-known ya fantasy/romance trilogy even outside of Germany. It's about a girl who can travel through time and her weird but interesting family that hides many secrets. Of course, falling in love between centuries isn't always the best choice... Kerstin Gier is a very well-known German author of not only ya books, but of adult contemporary novels too. 

2. The Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke

Cornelia Funke may be among Germany's best known authors of children's/middle grade fiction.. The Inkheart trilogy is about a girl named Meggie whose mother once disappeared into the pages of a book - because Meggie's father has the power to make characters come to life by reading out loud, but for everyone he reads out of a book, someone else has to go in...

3. Erebos by Ursula Poznanski

This is a ya thriller that even won the German YA Literature Prize! It's about a mysterious computer game named Erebos that is making its way around Nick's school - and it's no ordinary game, because the players have to go on quests in real life. It's all fun, until one day, the game tells Nick to murder someone... Ursula Poznanski is the author of many books, among them ya thrillers, a dystopian trilogy and also adult thrillers.

4. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

I read this book many years ago and the only thing I remember is that I loved it. I'd say it's considered a classic of children's/middle grade fiction. The funniest thing is that ironically, the author's last name means "end"! There's also a movie to this, but it's reviews are pretty bad. I haven't seen it and I won't, but if you're thinking about giving it a go, do yourself a favor and read the book instead.

5. The Kangaroo Chronicles by Marc-Uwe Kling

I have to admit I haven't read this series myself, but some of my friends have and they keep pushing me to finally read it. It's about the author himself sharing a flat with a kangaroo, and they debate all kinds of questions (that range from weird-a** comedic to political). Marc-Uwe Kling's books are political, but in a very readable way, and there are even card games connected to the Kangaroo chronicles. 

Bonus:

Marc-Uwe Kling is also the author of an adorable (and equally funny) picture book called Das NEINhorn ("The NOnicorn") about a cute little unicorn foal that says NO to everything. Unfortunately, I think it hasn't been translated to English yet, but the pictures itself are worth checking out!

 

That's it for today! I had fun talking about some books from Germany, and I'm happy some of them have found their way onto the international market too. Have you read any of those books? And did you know they were originally German? I'm always excited to talk to you in the comments! Happy reading and until next time,

~ Anni