I finished writing a fully fleshed second draft of my year 2013 story strand. Yay. The last ten chapters are much stronger and I'm so excited that his part is ready for beta reading.
Now I need to work on my 1930s and 40s strand, (not as many chapters as 2013). So with that in mind, I've a few books to read.
Farewell to East Prussia: A German Boy's Experiences before and during World War II by Erhard Schulz, 2003, the 2015 English edition Ortrun Schulz
Forgotten Land: Journeys among the Ghosts of East Prussia by Max Egremont, 2011
Vanished Kingdom: Travels through the History of Prussia by James Charles Roy, 1999
I'm particularly intrigued to read Farewell to East Prussia as it was originally written by a man who grew up in Elk Valley County, East Prussia until he was 11 years old, when they fled.
In my story, the 1930s is told from the point-of-view of a woman from Konigsberg, East Prussia, just on the eve of World War Two.
I have already read some non-fiction books about East Prussia, trying to get a sense of place and time. These are the other books, although the first book, I only read the chapter pertaining to East Prussia:
Vanished Kingdoms: The rise and fall of states and nations by Norman Davies, 2012
The Fall of Hitler’s Fortress City: The Battle for Konigsberg, 1945 by Isabel Denny, 2007
Before the Storm: Memories of my Youth in Old Prussia by Marion Donhoff, 1990
And I've also been scouting for novels that take place in East Prussia.