Reading tips for Christmas and New Year

To match the cold winter temperatures, there are of course some latest reading tips for the Christmas and New Year period. After all, when the days get shorter and colder, there’s nothing better than enjoying a good book on the cosy sofa with a hot cup of tea or cocoa.

For my Christmas reading tips, I have brought along three novels, all of which have been made into films in recent years or are currently being shown in the cinema (The Door-to-Door Bookstore). However, the books could not be more different in terms of theme and story.

Enjoy reading and I hope that there is a suitable reading tip for you too!

The Door-to-Door Bookstore
by Carsten Henn

A book about the love of books – what could possibly go wrong?

Carl Kollhoff is an elderly gentleman who works in a bookshop and delivers the books ordered by regular customers. He is eccentric, neurotic and out of time. One day, on his daily book tour, he meets a young, somewhat precocious girl called Schascha. She accompanies him, and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t get rid of her. Although Carl doesn’t like his companion, she sticks with him. What’s more, she soon finds ways and means of getting into the customers’ houses. And, surprise, surprise, she gives the book walker (as she calls Carl) tips on which books he should deliver. The two become friends. But one day, Schasche suddenly stops coming. And because misfortune rarely comes alone, Carl is also sacked.

The book is a feel-good novel, but also exciting. The story is touching and warm-hearted, but also melancholy. And above all, the book is by no means cheesy, as you might think from the synopsis.

A clear recommendation! The film version of the book can also currently be seen in the cinema.

Bullet Train
by Kotaro Isaka

I became aware of this thriller because it was made into a film with a star cast.

In this wacky and turbulent thriller, several very different killers meet on the Shikansen from Tokyo to Kyoto. The two hitmen Lemon and Tangerine are tasked with bringing home the kidnapped son of gangster boss Minegashi. They are also supposed to bring the ransom money, which they have with them in a suitcase. But shortly after the journey begins, the son is dead and the suitcase has disappeared. The two set off on the train in search of the suitcase and meet other killers along the way.

The characters are quirky, their cover names such as ‘the cockchafer’, ‘the prince’ or ‘the citrus fruits’ are even quirkier, and the dialogue could have been penned by Quentin Tarantino. And that’s exactly what this thriller thrives on, because unfortunately the story isn’t really convincing.

My conclusion: comic-like entertainment with bizarre gangsters and pulp fiction-style dialogue. Entertaining, worth reading, but definitely not a must-read.

The Martian
by Andy Weir

You probably know the film adaptation of this novel with Matt Daemon.

It’s about astronaut Mark Watney, who is stranded on Mars due to unfortunate circumstances. Now he must first find a way to survive on the inhospitable planet and make contact with Earth to draw attention to his situation – because he is falsely presumed dead. What Mark Watney experiences on Mars is largely written in the form of a logbook. In it, Mark himself recounts his day-to-day life on Mars. This is extremely amusing, especially as the astronaut has a good sense of humour. At the same time, however, this narrative form also means that it never gets really exciting – at least not in the sections of the book where the plot is only told in logbook entries.

A very entertaining read, not just for science fiction fans.