Tag Archives: Germany

1913: A Year of Gossip

Posted on December 21, 2020 by smellincoffee

I reviewed this title on goodreads, I described it as “People magazine for prewar Germany & Austria, with Louis Armstrong and a stray Frenchman thrown in for good measure.” There’s no traditional narrative, more a long series of vignettes that … Continue reading →

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COVID Reviews #6 Cleaning Up with gangsters, Navajo, politicians, and so many Germans

Posted on October 20, 2020 by smellincoffee

Back in September and early October when I was under quarantine, I didn’t have computer access, so I couldn’t take many notes or write reviews when things were fresh on my mind. I tried to post comments intermittently, but some … Continue reading →

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In the Garden of Beasts

Posted on July 30, 2020 by smellincoffee

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin © 2011 Erik Larson 432 pages In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt needed a man for a post no one wanted to fill: US Ambassador to Germany.  … Continue reading →

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Reads to Reels: Er Ist Wieder Da

Posted on July 1, 2020 by smellincoffee

So there I was, innocently looking to see if Netflix carried  older WW2 films like 36 Hours,   when I spotted Hitler. “Look who’s back?” I said. “Oh dear.”  I’d previously watched The Death of Stalin (Jason Isaacs is a … Continue reading →

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Er Ist Wieder Da

Posted on June 30, 2020 by smellincoffee

Er Ist Wieder Da  |  Look Who’s Back! © 2011 Timur Vermes 401 pages “Herr Hitler … I’m calling to ask whether you’d like to write a book?” “I already have,” I said. “Two, in fact.” Hitler’s back, and boy … Continue reading →

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Prague Fatale

Posted on February 20, 2020 by smellincoffee

Prague Fatale © 2011 Phillip Kerr 432 pages Bernie Gunther is a man contemplating suicide.  Once, in the Weimar years, he was a happily married policeman. But his wife died,  he fell into the bottle, and not long after that Germany itself … Continue reading →

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Metropolis

Posted on June 12, 2019 by smellincoffee

Metropolis© 2019 Phillp Kerr384 pages At the height of Weimar decadence, young Bernie Gunther is invited to join the Murder Commission. It’s a step up from Vice, and the department needs every watchful eye and quick wit it can get:  … Continue reading →

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Munich

Posted on January 14, 2018 by smellincoffee

Munich© 2018 Robert Harris354 pages By this time tomorrow, Adolf Hitler could be dead… The year is 1938, and Europe is again sliding into war — a war that only one man wants.  The man is Adolf Hitler, who is … Continue reading →

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German Resistance to Hitler

Posted on October 14, 2017 by smellincoffee

German Resistance to Hitler© 1988 Peter Hoffman188 pages Peter Hoffman’s research into the German resistance culminated in a 900-page History of the German Resistance 1933-1945, but this work – simply titled German Resistance to Hitler —  is a much smaller … Continue reading →

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Ein Feste Burg

Posted on October 12, 2017 by smellincoffee

A Mighty Fortress:  A New History of the German People© 2004 Steven Ozment314 pages Like many Americans, I first knew the Germans only as the villains of our world wars. It wasn’t until college, when over-full Spanish classes thrust me … Continue reading →

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