James Baldwin, Giovanni's Room (1956)

 “Seriously?", you might think, "A nearly 70-year-old book?” But James Baldwin is timeless; his writing captures the essence of life while delving into the realities of love and desire in a way that resonates with readers from all walks of life. Plus, this novel is perfect for a train ride or a picnic—it is short, beautiful, and one of those books that gives you an extreme sense of satisfaction when you finish it.

Often regarded as one of the finest queer works of all time, Giovanni’s Room tells a story of love, longing, and inner conflicts. Baldwin captures the complexity of human emotions through David’s struggles and Giovanni’s passion. It is a love story that transcends identity labels, drawing readers in through its rawness and the intensity of its characters’ experiences. In the intimate space of Giovanni’s room,  David confronts his deepest desires and fears, where pivotal moments of love, betrayal, and identity play out. The room becomes a symbol of both confinement and revelation—a place where lives change course, and characters are forced to confront the truths they have been avoiding. The events that take place there ripple outward, shaping the fates of David, Giovanni, and those around them.

Giovanni’s Room is about more than just queer love; it’s a meditation on love, betrayal, identity, and the human experience. Baldwin brings to life the complexities of living authentically, struggling with societal expectations, and navigating the often painful realities of existence. It reveals profound truths about life, leaving readers grappling with its emotional weight long after they have closed the book. As a classic, it remains a heart-wrenching and beautiful novel—one that lingers with you long after you have turned the last page.

Recommended by: Dany Kanjirathingal Shaju, M.A. student (English and American Literary and Cultural Studies)

Kamala Harris, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey (2019)

There’s one story that particularly impressed me in Kamala Harris’s The Truths We Hold: An American Journey. As a young law student, she failed a very important exam. “I had put forward the most half-assed performance of my life,” she writes. And she talks about how “miserable and embarrassed” she felt because of that. To me this story proves Harris’ honesty. She made a mistake. She admits it. She deals with it.

But there’s more in The Truths We Hold. The stories of Kamala Harris’ mother were striking: a very structured, disciplined woman, she followed some version of the “American Dream” and became a living example of that dream. Now her daughter has turned into a role model. And as the book takes you from Kamala’s childhood to the years working as a prosecutor to her career as a politician, you see a woman who believes in action and in solving problems in a just and democratic fashion.

Recommended by Petra Meyenbrock

John Hattie, Visible Learning: The Sequel (2023)

Rarely am I ever mesmerised by educational research. Sometimes, I might be surprised by certain findings, and occasionally some new insights might inspire my teaching. When it comes to John Hattie, however, I find it hard not to be fascinated by the extraordinary scope of his research. That this scope is somewhat countered by the plainness of his research question – what works for learning, and what does not? – is part and parcel of what I find intriguing.

Hattie does not conduct individual studies (e.g. on the effectiveness of flipped classrooms), and he does not compile meta-analyses (e.g. on the effectiveness of digital learning). Instead, he amalgamates existing meta-analyses that pertain to learning into what could be called a meta-meta-analysis. Visible Learning: The Sequel is, therefore, based on more than 2,100 meta-analyses, which draw on 130,000 individual studies involving over 400,000,000 learners. Compared to Hattie’s groundbreaking 2008 publication, the database of his most recent monograph has even doubled in size. So if you have always wanted to know how the quality of a school building, the physical attractiveness of a teacher or chess instructions affect learning, Hattie should be your first port of call.

Recommended by Peter Hohwiller

Colm Tóibín, Long Island (2024)

Long Island brings us the sequel to Colm Tóibín’s bestselling novel Brooklyn (2009) and its movie adaptation of 2015. In Brooklyn we followed the twenty-year old protagonist Eilis on her way to emigrate from Ireland to the United States. Long Island twists this classic topos of Irish-American migration. Set over twenty years later, in the mid-1970s, we learn about Eilis’s career and her everyday life with her Irish-Italian-American family on Long Island. A conflict within this multi-generational family brings Eilis to return to Ireland for a summer, to seek old family ties, friendships and an unfulfilled love story.

Against this background, Tóibín’s novel ponders issues of home and belonging, feelings of hope and regret. All the while, the novel has its protagonists contemplating their life choices. As with the prequel Brooklyn, the reader keeps wondering which way Eilis will take: Will she dare to take a chance and choose the love of her life? Will she stay in Ireland this time, or will she eventually return to her life in New York? These questions will reverberate in you.

Recommended by Sara Strauß

Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping (1980)

An author of fiction and non-fiction, Marilynne Robinson is a preeminent American writer: so much so that Barack Obama interviewed her while he was president of the United States! Her novel Gilead appealed to readers immensely and won a Pulitzer Prize.  For me, however, Housekeeping, her first novel, is her finest.  Maybe it is because she writes there about the Northwest, a part of the country with which I identify and which seems most like home to me, and is the place the protagonist must make her home.  Robinson's language is so gripping that when I try to describe her prose to others, I resort to the word crystalline in order to convey something of its clarity and simple elegance. A story about the lives of two orphaned sisters and the eccentric female relatives who look after them, Housekeeping compels and transfixes. Robinson’s characters come alive and invite the reader to care for them, as they navigate and learn to keep house in a world of trials, uncertainties, but also occasional tendernesses. 

Recommended by J.M. Van Der Laan, Professor Emeritus, Illinois State University, and a visiting professor in the Department of English & American Studies at UPB.

Naomi Alderman, The Power (2016)

The 2017 winner of the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, Alderman’s intriguing novel The Power plays with the familiar and turns it on its head. It depicts a society where power gradually changes hands. The world’s entire female population evolves physically, becomes stronger and adept at incapacitating or even killing men at will. 

Framed by letters from a fictional male author to a female colleague, the bulk of the novel is introduced as a historical fiction manuscript waiting for review. Hence some chapters are followed by illustrations of ‘ancient artefacts’ stemming from our time and their accompanying, sometimes humorously unhinged interpretations.

The novel makes the reader question existing power structures down to the smallest, seemingly irrelevant social convention. The featured situations as well as the protagonists’ patterns of behavior are recognizable but feel entirely different due to the altered circumstances surrounding them.

Recommended by Hannah Fasel

Kazuo Ishiguro, The Buried Giant (2015)

Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant is set in a fictional post-Arthurian England, where nobody seems to be able to retain long-term memories. The plot follows an old married couple, Beatrice and Axl, who one day faintly remember their son and decide to embark on a quest to find him.

Despite being set in a fantasy world, the novel explores a deeply relatable and human topic: How a lack of memory can be a source of bliss and pain. Ishiguro showcases both sides of the coin throughout the story in his usual nuanced and subtle style.

The Buried Giant delivers an expertly-paced story that will make you question every development and memory. The lines between good and evil are as blurry as the characters’ recollections of the past. At 345 pages this book takes you along on the heartfelt journey of the protagonists in search of their son and who they once were.

Recommended by Tim Illigens, M.A, student (Comparative Literature)

E. Lockhart, We Were Liars (2014)

Beechwood Island, just off the coast of Massachusetts: the idyllic and secluded destination for the Sinclair family’s summers. This is a place of endless possibility, opulent wealth, and terrible secrets. Who are the liars in this story? What is the truth?

This book will make you  question everything you have read and simultaneously confront you with undeniable truths. It will leave you reeling after shocking revelations and immediately make you return to the beginning to reflect on the journey you have taken with it.

We Were Liars tells a beautifully crafted, mysterious, thrilling, and heart-wrenching tale of love and loss and of power and privilege. E. Lockhart’s skilful, poetic writing and vividly descriptive imagery will take you straight to Beechwood Island and leave you in awe of the novelist's craft. This YA novel is a magnificent read at any age, whose impression you are not likely to forget any time soon. 

Recommended by: Emily Louise Cane, B.Ed. student (English & German)

Kate Crawford, Atlas of AI  (2021).

Everyone is talking about AI, but what does ‘Artificial Intelligence’ actually mean when even the concept of intelligence as such is highly complex and contested? In public discourse, the gaps in the conceptualisation of AI are filled with various ‘myths’, which often, rather than focusing on the present state of the technology/technologies, paint scenarios of the future. This ‘mythical’ framing can veil the problems which AI is already raising in the here and now. It also frequently represents AI as an independent agent, obfuscating human responsibility in creating the technology.

Kate Crawford’s Atlas of AI dismantles some of these ‘myths’. She shows how mapping (through AI) can be a harmless practice of enhancing knowledge but also one of control. Specifically, she counters the ‘myth’ of AI as a disembodied entity, revealing the technology’s material basis (i.e. the computers, servers, rare minerals etc. needed to sustain it). Crawford also challenges the widespread notion of AI as neutral and shows how it can be prone to bias, discrimination and exclusion, mainly due to the human input, which at least at the moment, is at its basis.

Although the book is not science fiction, it is still highly readable. It contains valuable insights for those who wish to approach AI based on the factual changes that it is already initiating in human societies and interpersonal relationships. And while what Crawford outlines is often scary enough in itself, she also reminds us that, though perhaps to different degrees, we do have a certain agency in shaping the future. Not everything that can be done necessarily has to be done.

Recommended by: Christina Flotmann-Scholz

V.E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (2020)

This enchanting fantasy novel will whisk you away to a world of eerie magic, undesirable immortality, and the everlasting power of human connection. The story revolves around Addie LaRue, a 23-year-old woman who agrees to a Faustian bargain: she becomes immortal, only to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Her journey through the centuries is both heart-breaking and inspiring. Addie’s enduring loneliness is palpable, and you cannot help but be drawn into her world.
V.E. Schwab builds her historical settings on  thorough research and infuses vitality into each time period. She also breathes life into her characters, who are not merely players in a narrative, but vibrant and multifaceted beings. This is a story about resilience and humanity that will make you ponder  the legacy we all leave behind. If you are in the mood for an absorbing novel full of love and a touch of the supernatural, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a must-read. It will stay with you long after you have turned the last page.

Recommended by: Weronika Anna Chrusciel, M.A. student (English and Digital Humanities)

Mona Awad, Bunny  (2019)

Dead Poet’s Society meets Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland meets Mean Girls meets The Craft. Oh, Bunny, Mona Awad’s Bunny is a must read! Why is it called Bunny? “We call them Bunnies because that is what they call each other. Seriously. Bunny.”

Samantha, an outsider within her post-graduate ivy league cohort, unexpectedly finds herself receiving an invitation to the exclusive “Smut Salon” hosted by the Bunnies, an intimate gathering of affluent female writers of her class. What ensues is a descent into a shadowy realm replete with clandestine rites and enigmatic revelations as Samantha delves deeper into their world. Follow the pink-eyed Bunnies down the rabbit-hole and see for yourself whether this “postmodern feminist Fight Club” is for you, Bunny. Rest assured: you'll either embrace it passionately or reject it vehemently – oh, Bunny, there is no in-between. Bunny, we love you.

Recommended by: Pia Mönninghoff (M.Ed. English/Spanish) and Mattea Jolmes (M.A., English and American Literature and Culture/Linguistics)

Kim Newman, Anno Dracula (1992)

London, 1888: A savage killer is on the loose, butchering innocent young women all over the dark streets of Whitechapel. While this novel echoes the gruesome killings of Jack the Ripper, it is particularly true in this case that ‘the devil is in the detail.’ Here, all of Jack’s victims are vampires. Anno Dracula lures us into the mystic and bleak realms of an alternative Victorian society, one in which vampirism is the order of the day, or, rather, night. It comes as no surprise that many of our most beloved and feared vampiric characters have crawled out of their tombs to reappear in this thrilling alternative ending to Stoker’s original. While Count Dracula himself has become Britain’s dark Prince, the first vampire of English prose, Lord Ruthven, leads the country as Prime Minister. And we encounter other familiar figures in the company of the undead, such as the famous Dr Henry Jekyll and Inspector Lestrade or even the renowned Oscar Wilde and Frederick Abberline.

This story truly bites the reader's neck and persuades them to let the alluring nature of the vampire take over their minds. This makes Anno Dracula the perfect read for these dark and gloomy autumn nights.

Recommended by: Juliana Jürgens, M.Ed. student (English & History)

Anuk Arudpragasam, A Passage North (2021)

This is a book for people on trains. And it's a book for anyone willing to immerse themselves in a meditative, sensuous novel that asks countless questions and provides answers to some really important ones. A Passage North tells the story of a young man named Krishan. He takes a train from Sri Lanka's capital Colombo to the island's North. He attends a funeral of a person he's not even all that close to: She was his grandmother's former caretaker. We follow Krishan's thoughts on the Sri Lankan Civil War, the devastation of the country, the pain inflicted on so many people, and we also learn about his own, fairly privileged life, an intense love affair and its end, as well as books he has read, YouTube videos he has watched, his everyday routines. Anuk Arudpragasam's singularly beautiful prose style makes you want to read on and on and on. A Passage North is a novel you'll never forget.

Recommended by Christoph Ribbat (Department of English & American Studies)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah (2013)

"In America, racism exists but racists are all gone. Racists belong to the past. Racists are the thin-lipped mean white people in the movies about the civil rights era." This is a taste of the blog "Observations About American Blacks (Those formerly known as Negroes) by a Non-American Black." Its author,  Ifemelu, a young Nigerian woman – and the protagonist of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel Americanah –, migrates to the U.S. for a university degree. Her high hopes  are quickly disappointed, when she discovers that she is now defined as a ₋ black ₋ immigrant, but of course being black in the United States is not a problem, not a disadvantage ... except everywhere where it is. Adichie's Americanah offers readers an invaluable perspective of a witty and astute African woman trying to fit into American society without losing herself.

And yet, this is not 'only' a story about immigration, job insecurity, or Ifem's attempts to have a constructive and open discussion about race in America with people who insist they 'don't see colour.' It is also a love story of Ifemelu and Obinze, who needed to drift apart to understand what they really want – but can they continue as before?

Recommended by: Nadja Fakha (Department of English & American Studies)

Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003)

In Mark Haddon’s novel, the reader accompanies fifteen-year-old Christopher on his journey to solve a murder mystery. Challenged with a milder form of autism-spectrum disorder, the protagonist approaches the mystery in a particularly accurate and rational manner, meticulously keeping track of every detail. The illustrative and carefully organised chapters mirror Christopher’s individual habits, creating a narrative that evokes lots of empathy.

Curious Incident invites us not only to unravel the murder mystery but also to celebrate the merits and talents of gleaming souls on the spectrum. Everybody feeling misunderstood and underestimated in a world still full of burdens for people deviating from the norm will feel cherished and encouraged by this book. If you love to delve into captivating narratives exploring the complexities of human nature, you should not miss out on Haddon’s novel.

Recommended by: Lisa Thöne, M.A. student of English Linguistics and Literature and Culture.

Channel Kindness: Stories of Kindness and Community (Born This Way Foundation Reporters with singer/songwriter Lady Gaga) (2020)

Have you ever felt alone with the things you have to go through in life? If yes, this book is your best friend, adviser, and “safe place“ all in one. In a world where issues like racism, queer rights, and hate concern more people than ever before, these inspiring stories show how actions of kindness and community can make the world a better place. They are told by teenagers and young adults who teamed up with the Born This Way Foundation, founded by none other than global superstar Lady Gaga. In honour of last month’s Pride Month, the stories about coming out and finding your own personal and sexual identity are probably the most interesting to read. By sharing the stories with readers from all over the world, a generation of young people encourages others who might be feeling the same way and who certainly feel alone at some point. 

The clear message of this collection of stories is that people can actively change their behaviour towards others by spreading kindness. I absolutely recommend reading this book.

Recommended by: Marie Holtz, B.Ed. student

Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967)

One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of the mythical, initially isolated town of Macondo somewhere in Colombia. It follows its founding family, the Buendías, over multiple generations and entails their circular existence and their encounters with romance, wars, intrigues, and adventures. The reader is presented with a story of life and death, of growing wealth, of decay and madness, and of the potential and inevitable realities of humankind in itself. The book questions the concepts of time and history with personality traits being repeatedly displayed in different characters throughout different generations, with mistakes being repeated, and with more people named Aureliano than one can imagine.

In combination with beautiful imagery and elements of magic realism, reading the book feels like drifting through a bizarre dream, presenting both overwhelming beauty and sadness. Though at times challenging and difficult to follow, García Marquez’s story is an experience in itself and it will come back to you in a most rewarding way, even after turning the last page.

Recommended by: Anja Trampel, M.Ed. student (English & French)

Gail Honeyman, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (2017)

May is the month of European Mental Health Week. And it is time to confront the topic of mental health more openly. As the World Health Organization notes, “individuals with mental ill-health are often shunned and denied access to care." WHO states that "it is vital to not only address the needs of people with defined mental disorders but also to [...] recognize the intrinsic value of positive mental health.”

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine deals with a protagonist who is not completely fine and has a hard time admitting this. One of the questions we are confronted with everyday is “How are you?” Most people respond with one or two positive words, thank the other person for asking and ask the same question in return. But sometimes, we are not feeling ‘great’ or ‘good’. We are not feeling “completely fine, thanks for asking”.

Gail Honeyman's heartwarming and beautifully written novel not only sheds light on the daily routines that keep us from meeting our emotional needs. It also explores the ways in which people could learn to let go of these routines to really feel good, great or even: completely fine.

Recommended by: Julia Schneider (Literary & Cultural Studies)

Casey McQuiston, Red, White & Royal Blue (2019)

A British prince who doesn’t meet royal expectations, a forbidden love story, and a lot of drama – sounds familiar? No, this is not another memoir by a wayward royal, nor the newest podcast (or Netflix show, who is keeping track at this point anyways?). It is: a novel called Red, White & Royal Blue.

In this young adult (or new adult? Genres are fuzzy) work of fiction, a young British prince falls in love with the son of the (female!) president of the United States. But before they fall in love, they have to overcome one obstacle. Prince Henry and Alex Claremont-Diaz are not quite fond of each other and when Alex’ mum becomes president, they have to publicly fake a close friendship. This starting point might sound cheesy and predictable (and I’m not saying that it’s not) but it’s mostly a story about two carefully crafted protagonists who both have their personal and professional battles to fight.

This novel is full of humour, love, and enough relatability to be enjoyed by anyone (no matter their age, sexuality, or nationality). Most importantly, it’s a nice escape from our sometimes similar but also different reality.

Recommended by: Larissa Jäger (Linguistics).

Anna Burns, Milkman (2018)

Milkman is told from the perspective of an 18-year-old girl in Northern Ireland. In addition to the usual struggles of growing up, she has to navigate the difficult political climate of the region, where every behaviour deemed to be out of the ordinary could get one into serious trouble. (Burns’ novel is part of a larger trend in Northern Irish fiction focusing on the 30-years long violent conflict between Protestants and Catholics colloquially known as the Troubles.) The protagonist is repeatedly stalked and harassed by the eponymous ‘Milkman’, an older man involved with a local paramilitary group.

Despite its bleak premise, Burns’ Booker Prize-winning novel tells a captivating and suspenseful story about a harrowing time in history. Milkman provides a brutally honest and scathing portrayal of the Troubles and serves as a warning not to return to the violence of the past.

Recommended by: Dennis Henneböhl, researcher in our department’s Jean Monnet Module project EU-IRL-CULT: Ireland, Europe and Brexit

TJ Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020)

Linus Baker is a perfectly normal case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He evaluates the well-being of magically gifted children in orphanages. One day he is summoned by Extremely Upper Management. They have a very special and highly classified assignment: he is to investigate the orphanage that houses the Antichrist. But Lucy, as the Boy-Antichrist is called, is not the only surprise waiting for Linus ....

The House in the Cerulean Sea is a feel-good, queer fantasy novel that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Truly a wonderful read! One of the passages that resonated with me in particular is this: “Hate is loud, but I think you’ll learn it’s because it’s only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard. You might not ever be able to change their minds, but so long as you remember you’re not alone, you will overcome.”

Recommended by: Stefan Pape (Linguistics).

M.L. Rio, If We Were Villains (2017)

If We Were Villains challenges one of Shakespeare’s most famous dictums: ‘A man can die but once.’ It is a thrilling love story, drama, and murder mystery surrounding Oliver Marks, a former actor at the fictional Dellecher Shakespeare conservatory. Oliver’s classmates embody the stereotypes we so often find on stage: villain, hero, tyrant, temptress, jack-of-all-trades, and ingénue. Their roles shift and switch, ironically mirroring their respective development, and they accidentally get too involved in several plays as they are staged. As an unforeseen shift of power happens  (and a lot of alcohol is involved), one of the group members falls under “the gloomy shade of death.” The murder mystery begins. I can’t recommend this novel enough, especially, if you’re into Shakespeare and/or enjoy crime fiction.

Recommended by: Mattea Jolmes, M.A. student of English and American literature and culture