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Reading books is something you can do almost everywhere and anytime. It broadens your mind, provides you different views of our life, or it's just entertaining. I really enjoy reading books as a balance to my daily work.

On this page I have listed books that I've read. Maybe it will give you some inspiration on what to read next. Before you go through the details, however, be aware that I mainly prefer mystery stories, books about computer science, philosophy, language, and emergency services. If you aren't interested in any of these subjects, you're allowed to skip the rest of this page. :-)

You will notice that most of the books I'm reading are written in English language. If you'd like to read them in German, ask for the German title in your local book store.

English Books

Bill Bryson: A Walk in the Woods, ISBN 0-552-99702-1

The longest continous footpath in the world, the Appalachian Trail stretches along the East Coast of the United States, from Georgia to Maine, through some of the most arresting and celebrated landscapes in America.

At the age of forty-four, in the company of his friend Stephen Katz (last seen in the bestselling Neither Here Nor There, Bill Bryson set off to hike through the vast tangled woods which have been frightening sensible people for three hundred years. Ahead lay almost 2,200 miles of remote mountain wilderness filled with bears, moose, bobcats, rattlesnakes, poisonous plants, disease-bearing ticks, the occasional chuckling murderer and - perhaps most alarming of all - people whose favourite pastime is discussing the relative merits of the exernal-frame backpack.

Facing savage weather, merciless insects, unreliable maps and a fickle companion whose profoundest wish was to go to a motel and watch The X-Files, Bryson gamely struggled through the wilderness to achieve a lifetime's ambition - not to die outdoors.

Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, ISBN 1-4000-7783-4

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, fifteen-year-old Christopher is autistic and everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. He lives on patterns, rules, and a diagram kept in his pocket. Then one day, a neighbor's dog, Wellington, is killed and his carefully constructed universe is threatened. Christopher sets out to solve the murder in the style of his favorite (logical) detective, Sherlock Holmes. What follows makes for a novel that is deeply funny, poignant, and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing are a mind that perceives the world entirely literally.

Douglas Adams: The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, ISBN 0-330-31611-7

A trilogy in four parts.
Charting the whole of Arthur Dent's odyssey through space are:
The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
One Thursday lunchtime the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. For Arthur Dent, who has only just had his house demolished that morning, this seems already to be more than he can cope with. Sadly, however, the weekend has only just begun, and the Galaxy is a very very very large and startling place.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.
When all questions of space, time, matter and the nature of being have been resolved, only one question remains - "Where shall we have dinner?" The Restaurant at the End of the Universe provides the ultimate gastronomic experience, and for once there is no morning after to worry about.
Life, the Universe, and Everything.
In consequence of a number of stunning catastrophes, Arthur Dent is surprised to find himself in a hideously miserable cave on prehistoric Earth. However, just as he thinks that things cannot get worse, they suddenly do. He discovers that the Galaxy is not only mindboggling big and bewildering but also that most of the things that happen in it are staggeringly unfair.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
Just as Arthur Dent's sense of reality is in its dickiest state he suddenly finds the girl of his dreams. He finds her in the last place in the Universe in which he would expect to find anything at all, but which 3,976,000 people will find oddly familiar. They go in search of God's Final Message to His Creation and, in a dramatic break with tradition, actually find it.

Charles Dickens: Best Ghost Stories, ISBN 1-85326-734-1

Interest in supernatural phenomena was high during Charles Dickens' lifetime. He had always loved a good ghost story himself, particularly at Christmas time, and was open-minded, willing to accept, and indeed put to the test, the existence of spirits. His natural inclinations toward drama and the macabre made him a brilliant teller of ghost tales, and in the twelve stories presented here, which include his celebrated A Christmas Carol, the full range of his gothic talents can be seen. Chilling as some of these stories are, Dickens has managed to inject characteristically grotesque comedy as he writes of revenge, insanity, pre-cognition and dream visions, he indulges also in some debunking of contemporary credulity.

HH Dalai Lama: How to Practise - The Way to a Meaningful Life, ISDN 0-7126-3030-9

"Under no circumstances should you lose hope ..."

In this very special book, the Dalai Lama will lead you towards opening your heart and finding true peace in a troubled world.

Set out in a series of distinct steps towards enlightenment, How to Practise is a constant and daily companion for spiritual seekers of all faiths in the quest to practise meditation, wisdom and morality. The Dalai Lama shows us how to overcome our everyday obstacles, from feelings of anger and mistrust to jealousy, insecurity and counterproductive thinking. Imbued with His Holiness' vivacious spirit and sense to playfulness, this guide to a meaningful life offers the Dalai Lama's sage and very practical insight into the way we live today and what binds us all together.

Patrick Süskind: Perfume, ISDN 0-14-012083-1

'Born in sweaty, fetid eighteenth-century Paris, Grenouille is distinctive even in infancy. He has "the finest nose in Paris and no personal odour". With wit, a Gothic imagination and considerable originality, Süskind has developed this simple idea into a fantastic tale of murder and twisted eroticism controlled by a disgusted loathing of humanity ... Clever, stylish, absorbing and well worth reading' - Literary Review

Bill Bryson: Mother Tongue, ISBN 0-140-14305-X

'More than 300 million people in the world speak English and the rest, it sometimes seems, try to ...'

In this hymn to the mother tongue Bill Bryson examines how a language 'treated for centuries as the inadequate and second-rate tongue of peasants' has now become the undisputed global language (more people learn English in China than live in the USA). He explains how the words shampoo, sofa, slogan, OK and rowdy (and others drawn from over fifty languages) got into our dictionaries and how the major dictionaries were created.
He explores the countless varities of English - from American to Australian, from Creole to Cockney rhyming slang - and the perils of marketing brands with names like Pschitt and Super Piss. With entertaining sections on the oddities of swearing and spelling, spoonerisms and Scrabble, and a consideration of what we mean by 'good English', Mother Tongue is one of the most stimulating books yet written on this endlessly engrossing subject.

Philip Kerr: The Grid, ISBN 0-446-60340-6

Welcome to the most ingenious building ever designed. Now try to get out alive...

In downton Los Angeles it stands as a monument to man's genius - a glittering, high-tech office tower that washes its own windows, purifies its own air, and even knows which of its employees is using drugs. But now, the building known as the Gridirion has turned malevolent. And its first victim is about to die.

From its hardware-jammed computer room on the fourth floor to the 300-foot-high tree that rises in its atrium, the Gridirion is thinking for itself - and turning into a house of horrors. And for the men and women trapped inside, there is only one way out: through the raw, human will to survive.

From Philip Kerr, one of England's most acclaimed writers, comes the towering novel of high-tech terror ...

HH Dalai Lama, Howard C. Cutler: The Art of Happiness, ISBN 0-340-75015-4

In this unique and important book, one of the world's great spiritual leaders offers his practical wisdom and advice on how we can overcome everyday human problems and achieve lasting hapiness.

The Art of Happiness is a highly accessible guide for a western audience, combining the Dalai Lama's eastern spiritual tradition with Dr. Howard C. Cutler's western perspective. Covering all the key areas of human experience, they apply the principles of Tibetan Buddhism to everyday problems and reveal how one can find balance and complete mental and spiritual freedom.

For the many who wish to understand more about the Dalai Lama's approach to living, there has never been a book which brings his beliefs so vividly into the real world.

Vincent Price, Chandler Brossard: 18 Best Stories by Edgar Allen Poe, ISBN 0-440-32227-8

Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849), poet, critic, and short-story writer, is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American authors of the nineteenth century. Although he cared less for his short stories than his poems, and indeed considered himself primarily a poet, it is for his tales that he eventually became best known. Dealing chiefly with mystery, horror, and crime, they are regarded as important forerunners of the modern detective story. His weirdness and dramatic power as a storyteller, combined with his poetic gifts, have gained for him a prominent place among universally known literary figures.

Simon Brett: A Shock to the System, ISBN 0-330-31595-1

'The first murder was almost accidental. Indeed, if it had ever come to court the charge would probably have been manslaughter. But the legal difference between the two crimes can be one of intention, and there is no doubt that at the moment he hit the old man, Graham Marshall intended to kill him. And that was his first taste of the power of death.'

For nearly twenty years, Graham Marshall has played the company game. And now, just when the major prize is within his reach, the rules are suddenly changed. Graham Marshall is passed over for his longed-for promotion.

And in the shock that follows, Graham Marshall's thoughts turn to murder.

Again.

Cinthya Wall, KA7ITT: A Spark to the Past, ISBN 0-931625-34-3

Kim Stafford and Marc Lawrence are blown on the winds of time back to a wagon train in 1845. Their 20th century knowledge and ham radios are the only chance for survival on the Oregon Trail.

A SPARK TO THE PAST is the sixth in the Amateur Radio series by Cinthya Wall KA7ITT, Oregon author of NIGHT SIGNALS, HOSTAGE IN THE WOODS, FIREWATCH!, EASY TARGET, and DISAPPEARING ACT.

Cinthya Wall, KA7ITT: Disappearing Act, ISBN 0-931625-29-7

"Cruise nanny" - Kim Stafford is delighted to accept the Gressners' invitation to babysit their three children for a week while they all sail aboard the Sea Mystic along the Pacific Coast. But, Leo Kinelli, an ex-con masquerading as the shipboard magician, "Orlando the Great", also has his eyes on the Gressner family. His target - four year old Jason. His goal - kidnapping and a three million dollar ransom. Join Kim and her friend Marc Lawrence as they fight to save a little boy's life.

DISAPPEARING ACT is the fith in the Amateur Radio series by Cinthya Wall KA7ITT, Oregon author of NIGHT SIGNALS, HOSTAGE IN THE WOODS, FIREWATCH!, and EASY TARGET.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, ISBN 0-14-005724-2

Containing some of Sherlock Holmes's most famous cases, in which his eagle eye and brilliant brain are stretched to their limits.

Amid the foggy streets of sinister London and the even more sinister smiling countryside, Holmes and Watson once more solve the unsolvable. In "The Speckled Band", "Scandal in Bohemia", "The Engineer's Thumb", and nine other intriguing stories, the great mastermind of detection grapples with the very extremes of treachery, duplicity and murderous evil.

Holly Henderson, Liz Tigelaar: Lighthouse Legend, ISBN 0-7522-1953-7

"Play with me," the voice cried.

From day one Joey doesn't like the lighthouse. There's something creepy about it. But now that Dawson has persuaded Jen, Pacey, and Joey to volunteer as summer interns at the local Oceanographic Institute, Joey's been assigned the role of tour guide at the abandoned, forbidding structure.

Her friends think she's stressing out, but Joey swears she's hearing voices. Or at least a whispery, childlike girl's voice, that calls and calls to her. Someone - or something - is out there.

"Play with me, Josephine ..."

Jerzy Kosinski: Being There, ISBN 0-553-25312-3

Chauncey Gardiner is the great enigma: a hero of the American media. TV loves him; print pursues him. He is a household face. He is the one everybody is talking about, though nobody knows what he is talking about. No one knows where he has come from, but everybody knows he has come to money, power, and sex. Was he led to all this by the lovely, well-connected wife of a dying Wall Street tycoon? Or is Chauncey Gardiner riding the waves by himself because, like a TV image, he floated into the world buoyed up by a force he did not see and could not name? Does he know something we don't? Will he fail? Will he ever be unhappy? The reader must decide.

... And yes ... I must confess that I have read all of them ;-) ...

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, ISBN 0-7475-3274-5

Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy - until he is rescued by a beetle-eyed giant of a man, enrols at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and dodes battle in a deadly duel. The Reason: HARRY POTTER IS A WIZARD!

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, ISBN 0-7475-4960-5

Harry Potter is a wizard. He is in his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Little does he know that this year will be just as eventful as the last ...

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, ISBN 0-7475-4950-8

Harry Potter, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry can't wait to get back to school after the summer holidays. (Who wouldn't if they lived with the horrible Dursleys?) But when Harry gets to Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There's an escaped mass murderer on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school ...

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, ISBN 0-7475-5442-0

It is the summer holidays and soon Harry Potter will be starting his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is counting the days: there are new spells to be learnt, more Quidditch to be played, and Hogwarts castle to continue exploring. But Harry needs to be careful - there are unexpected dangers lurking ...

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, ISBN 0-7475-6940-1

Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses. 'It is time', he said, 'for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I'm going to tell you everything.'

Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unusually for a schoolboy, however, Harry is not enjoying his summer holidays. He is feeling neglected by his friends, and, as ever, the Dursleys are making his life a misery. But Harry has had enough. He is beginning to think he must do something, anything to change his situation. Then the summer holidays come to an unexpectedly dramatic end, and Harry is thrown back into life at Hogwarts School. What Harry is about to discover at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down ...

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, ISBN 0-7475-8108-8

It is the middle of the summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at the Durselys' house in Privet Drive for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw the headmaster was in a fierce one-to-one duel with Lord Voldemort, and Harry can't believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Durselys' of all places. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks' time? Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of Muggle and magic start to intertwine ...

J.K. Rowling charts Harry Potter's latest adventures in his sixth year at Hogwarts with consummate skills and in breathtaking fashion.

German Books

Rembold, Levi: Einfuehrung in die Informatik, ISBN 3-446-18157-1

Es gibt kaum noch ein technisches oder naturwissenschaftliches Problem, das von der Informatik nicht beeinflusst wird. Mit diesem Buch liegt eine geschlossene Einfuehrung in die Informatik fuer Naturwissenschaftler und Ingenieure vor, die den heutigen Erfordernissen dieser Studiengaenge entsprcht. Die dritte Auflage des tausendfach bewaehrten Lehrbuches wurde komplett ueberarbeitet und erweitert.

Das Lehrbuch wurde ueber zahlreiche Vorlesungszyklen erprobt. Die modulare Struktur der einzelnen Kapitel erlaubt es dem Leser, je nach Vorkenntnissen den gewuenschten Stoff selbst zusammenzustellen. Damit eignet sich dieses Buch auch zum Selbststudium.

Aus dem Inhalt:

- Grundlagen der Informatik
- Datenstrukturen
- Algorithmen und Prozesse
- Programmiersprachen und -systeme
- Software-Engineering
- Rechner-, Netzwerkarchitektur und digitale Speichermedien
- Betriebssysteme und verteilte Systeme
- Rechner fuer die Prozessautomatisierung

Simon Singh: Geheime Botschaften, ISBN 3-423-33071-6

"Top secret" - die spannende Geschichte der geheimen Codes, erzaehlt von dem Beststellerautor Simon Singh.

Ob im Krieg, in der Liebe oder im Wirtschaftsleben - seit Jahrtausenden arbeitet die Menschheit mit verschluesselten Informationen und geheimen Codes. Die Methoden wurden immer raffinierter bis in die Gegenwart, wo im Zeitalter der Computernetze Billionen von Daten kursieren.

Wolfgang Schüler: ... Fünf ... Vier ... ruft ... Monitor, ISBN 3-7723-5814-4

Hinter den Kulissen der deutschen Funküberwachung

Die Fahndung nach Schwarzsendern, die Ermittlung von Piratensendern und illegalen CB-Funkern wird in diesem Buch von einem langjährigen ehemaligen Mitarbeiter einer deutschen Funküberwachungsstelle eindrucksvoll geschildert.
Von der Ortung von Mikroabhörfunkanlagen (Wanzen bzw. Minispionen) bis zum kilowattstarken Piratensender wird Ihnen ein interessanter Blick hinter die Kulissen dieses aufregenden Jobs gewährt.
Anhand spektakulärer Erpressungs- und Entführungsfälle, zum Beispiel dem Fall Dagobert, wird das hohe technische Niveau der Funküberwachung sichtbar.

Bastian Sick: Der Dativ ist dem Genetiv sein Tod, ISBN 3-462-03448-0

Ein Wegweiser durch den Irrgarten der deutschen Sprache.

Die deutsche Sprache kennt zwar nur vier Faelle, dafuer aber ueber tausend Zweifelsfaelle. Heisst es Pizzas oder Pizzen? Gewinkt oder gewunken? Wann schreibt man Storys und wann Stories? Hat der Genetiv noch eine Chance - trotz des Dativs und dem Dativ zum Trotz?

Dieses Buch praesentiert die grossartige SPIEGEL-ONLINE-Kolumne "Zwiebelfisch", die Woche fuer Woche Leser amuesiert, schockiert, belehrt und begeistert.