I commute from
Dusseldorf to Aachen about three times a week, which is a lot of time spent on a
train. Many people are amazed by the length of my commute, but I look at it as
a wonderful opportunity to gaze out the
window, fall asleep and hope I don't get robbed, and mostly read. Since starting my Aachen gig in March, I've read a few good books that I wanted to share here.
Berlin Noir Trilogy by Philip Kerr
Our anti-hero is
Bernie Gunther is a Philip Marlowe-type detective whose moral code gets him
into trouble on the streets of Berlin in Nazi Germany. Hooked yet?
These first three
books of a fantastic series take Gunther from 1930s Berlin to the annexation of
the Sudetenland to the reckoning in 1946. Along with the way, we meet a few
historical figures. Gunther makes choices, some of them
are tough in this time and place. As we read the final book of the trilogy,
after Berlin is smashed and Germany is occupied, we meet supporting characters
from the earlier books who are either facing, or fleeing from, the consequences
of their own choices. Highly recommended.
Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis
The hilarious story
of a disenchanted political strategist who agrees to help run a campaign for a
candidate with no political ambition in an unwinnable riding before he quits
from politics. The candidate has no hope of winning and no desire to win, so he
says what he believes is right, even if it's unpopular.
The novel is now ten
years old, which were different times in Canada, but it still feels relevant
today. It's bitingly funny, yet optimistic, and satirical without being
cynical. Beneath all the jokes, the book expresses a hope in the possibility
that politicians can follow their principles not polling data, speak unpopular
truths, and treat public service like it is actually public service.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Working at Philty
McNasty's in Toronto, I met two cooks who read this book and quoted from it
frequently. They wanted to be Bourdain and would've preferred making fancy
charcuterie platters to simple chicken wings we were slinging. They also had no
interest in kitchen cleanliness – which led to the bar getting shut down for a
week over health violations.