Our book tips for the summer

A tome for mums and dads

Warning: This is not an easy book. It's not a book to be read while lying on a beach towel. At almost 1000 pages, it is too heavy for that. The novel by «Time Magazine» journalist Yanagihara is hard to bear. Because the book forces the reader to participate in the excesses of its protagonists' feelings. However, it is just as difficult to put the novel down as it is to endure it. At the centre is a Jew, a former foundling who later becomes a successful, brilliant trial lawyer. He is surrounded by a dark secret: as a child, he is brought up in a convent where he is subjected to violence. He is abused, beaten and tortured for years until he is nursed back to health in a hospital after a serious accident and finally goes to college, where his fate takes a turn for the better. He keeps his past a secret, even from his best friends. It is the emotional torment of this past that is so difficult to bear. The reason why you keep reading is because of the love that runs through this book like a motif. Love in and of itself, love despite everything. Claudia Landolt

A book like a buffalo

It is around 1870 and Will Andrews, the 23-year-old hero of «Butcher's Crossing», has dropped out of Harvard because he wants to get to know the real life. Driven by an elusive urge for the wild, Andrews travels to a small town called Bucher's Crossing and joins the bison hunter Miller. He knows of a huge herd of buffalo somewhere in the mountains of Colorado. The men set off on the arduous journey. «This book is like a buffalo, stoic, dark, powerful, almost extinct,» it says on the cover. Every word of it is true. John Williams, a master of the art of description, tells a very simple American story, a parable about greed, incredibly exciting, eloquent, true to detail. Reading it, you can taste the dry dust on your tongue and the hard saddle under your bum. You can see the buffalo's fear and feel the men's obsession. And you suspect: the tragedy will take its course. A book for anyone who likes vivid, sensual language. A book that you won't be able to put down. Simply world literature! Nik Niethammer

Clever dialogues and game atmosphere for ages 12 and up

Offering teenagers an alternative to smartphones and consoles is no easy task. But the first book in the trilogy could do it, as it is somewhat reminiscent of the computer game «Fallout 4», The Viennese author Ursula Poznanski is a master of young adult thrillers. Her Eleria trilogy is set in a distant land that does not yet exist and yet must be something like New Germany. There are spheres (the class of the privileged) and there are clans (the part of the population that suffers from hunger and need). At the centre is Eleria, called Ria, who is one of the elite at the Academy of Spheres together with her friend Aureljo. But then a conspiracy breaks out and suddenly nothing is as it used to be. Exciting reading for boys and girls or young adults. Clever dialogues, insights into behavioural psychology and exciting main characters make this book so appealing. Claudia Landolt

Bedtime stories for kindergarten and lower school children - and their parents!

«Mum, one more story, please!» Of course we read another story. After all, reading aloud is important for language development and much more. But let's be honest, many children's books are pretty boring for adults. In our search for a bedtime book that would appeal to parents and children alike, we came across «Sandman's Story Book» from 1966 (!). 60 wonderful short stories about the little magician, the little zookeeper and the little postman. Some bizarre, others rather funny but all touching. «One more, please!» you'd like to whisper to your child if they hadn't already fallen asleep. Evelin Hartmann

A family story to dive into

Admittedly, Benedict Wells' «The End of Loneliness» is not a cheerful book. Jules and his siblings grow up sheltered until their parents die. Young, helpless and betrayed by life, he describes himself in the following years at boarding school. He cannot rely on his older siblings - everyone grieves in their own way. But then comes Alva. Alva with the big brown eyes, who chooses the seat next to him on the first day of school, next to him of all people... As I said, Benedict Wells does not tell a happy story, but a beautiful one - about overcoming loss and loneliness and the question of what remains unchanging in a person. And above all: a great love story. Masterful! Evelin Hartmann

For the mother-daughter conversation

Yes, we bleed - every month. This is not only physically unpleasant for most women, it is also embarrassing. A tampon is generally only asked for in a whisper. Luisa Stömer and Eva Wünsch break this taboo, create wonderful graphics about the female body and explain: Why the blood is what colour and when, what exactly happens during pregnancy or abortion, what contraceptive methods are available and what home remedies can support the cycle. They don't mince their words and don't shy away from explicit descriptions. And in the end, you get the feeling that the female body is something quite marvellous and does incredible things. A wonderful present for your daughter's first period - but only after you've read it yourself. Bianca Fritz

For rebellious fantasy lovers aged 14 and over

Kenzie is 18 years old and has never seen the sun. She lives in a dome under water and her colony determines her career and life path. However, Kenzie has completely different plans. The courageous young woman flees to the air colony without a second thought - without knowing what lies ahead and whether she will ever see her family and friends again. And so she is thrown into an adventure full of surprising twists and turns, gruesome murders and, of course, a gripping love story. A fast-paced fantasy novel with strong characters and impressive worlds. Bianca Fritz

Philosophising with children

Lorenz Pauli (text) and Kathrin Schärer (illustrations) have already written many books together. In this picture book about loving, they manage to write highly philosophically about the most important topics in life: Love, being loved and the incredible love of parents for their children. «What was it like at the beginning?», says the younger child to the older one. And the older one answers: «Suddenly you were there. And then I said: «Well, there you are at last.» And you looked and...BOOM, this love came. So big that it could never fit inside me.» The little one, a clumsy creature with white socks on his feet, a pig's trunk, giraffe ears and an elephant's tail, talks to the bigger one, a mixture of dog, mole and bear, about life, love and being loved. A book that makes your heart beat faster. Claudia Landolt

For experiments during the holidays

If you also have children at home who turn the kitchen table into a wood workshop and transform the bathroom into a chemical experimentation centre, this book will bring great joy to your offspring. The «Superlabor» presents 28 experiments in a vivid way: Melting marshmallows in the microwave or a planetary system that is reconstructed with rubber bands. This can be realised with everyday objects that can be found in every household. Claudia Landolt