German American Social Club of Cape Coral
German American Society of Central Florida (Casselberry, Orlando area)
German American Club of Palm Beaches (Lake Worth)
German American Club of Sarasota
German American Friendship Society of Pinellas County (Largo)
Faust — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Sorrows of Young Werther — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship — Goethe
The Trial — Franz Kafka
The Metamorphosis — Franz Kafka
Steppenwolf — Hermann Hesse
Siddhartha — Hermann Hesse (beautiful spiritual novel, very readable)
Demian — Hermann Hesse
All Quiet on the Western Front — Erich Maria Remarque
Berlin Alexanderplatz — Alfred Döblin
Effi Briest — Theodor Fontane
The Magic Mountain — Thomas Mann
Buddenbrooks — Thomas Mann
Most of these are available in audiobook form on Hörbuch Kanal (YouTube), Audible, Spotify, and even Librivox (public domain)
Dark (Netflix) — world-famous sci-fi thriller
Babylon Berlin (Netflix, Amazon) — stunning 1920s Berlin crime drama
How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) (Netflix) — modern, clever youth series
Deutschland 83 / Deutschland 86 / Deutschland 89 (Hulu, Amazon) — Cold War spy thrillers
Charité (Netflix) — historical hospital drama in Berlin
Biohackers (Netflix) — modern bio-science thriller
Dogs of Berlin (Netflix) — crime thriller
Tatortreiniger (Amazon Prime) — quirky, dry humor, cult classic
👉 Also check: ZDF Mediathek, ARD Mediathek — many free series with German subtitles (VPN may be required for full access in the US).
For beginners & low intermediate:
Café in Berlin — André Klein
âžœ Short funny stories about an immigrant’s life in Berlin. Great starter.
Ferienhefte series — Hueber Verlag
➜ Graded readers with exercises, vocabulary.
Deutsch Übungsbuch — various publishers
➜ Useful for daily practice.
Deutsch perfekt magazine
âžœ Monthly magazine designed for learners — articles + grammar. (www.deutsch-perfekt.com)
Intermediate+
Emil und die Detektive — Erich Kästner
➜ Classic children's novel, charming language.
Momo — Michael Ende
➜ Philosophical, imaginative, not too hard.
Der kleine Prinz (The Little Prince) — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
➜ German translation is beautiful and simple to follow.
Kurzgeschichten von Franz Kafka
âžœ Short stories — challenging but rewarding.
Checkers Old Munchen (Pompano Beach)
Pinecrest Bakery and German Deli (Miami)
Heidi's Jazz Club & German Restaurant (Cocoa Beach)
Kallis German Butcher Shop (Port Charlotte)|
Heidi’s German Restaurant (Fort Myers)
Schnitzel House (Fort Myers Beach)
Old Castle Restaurant (Sun City Center)
Siegfried’s German Restaurant (Sarasota)
Heidi's Schnitzel Kitchen (Sarasota)
The Reader — Bernhard Schlink
Measuring the World — Daniel Kehlmann
The Hangman’s Daughter — Oliver Pötzsch (great historical fiction, fun and accessible)
Look Who’s Back — Timur Vermes (satirical, bold)
Alone in Berlin — Hans Fallada
The Swarm — Frank Schätzing (eco-thriller, huge international hit)
Why We Took the Car — Wolfgang Herrndorf (youth literature for all ages, modern German cult classic)
The End of Loneliness — Benedict Wells
Tyll — Daniel Kehlmann (historical novel, poetic)
Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) — Wim Wenders
Run Lola Run (Lola rennt) — Tom Tykwer
Good Bye, Lenin! — Wolfgang Becker
The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) — Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Downfall (Der Untergang) — Oliver Hirschbiegel
Barbara — Christian Petzold
The White Ribbon (Das weiße Band) — Michael Haneke
Oh Boy (A Coffee in Berlin) — Jan Ole Gerster
Phoenix — Christian Petzold
Never Look Away (Werk ohne Autor) — Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Toni Erdmann — Maren Ade (quirky, modern)
🎥 Streaming Tips:
Netflix US: Quite a few German films (e.g. Dark, How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), Blood Red Sky).
Amazon Prime: Very good selection of German movies & TV shows.
Kanopy: Free with many US library cards — excellent German film section.
Mubi: Excellent for arthouse German cinema.
For Language Learning:
Coffee Break German — engaging lessons for beginners and intermediate
Slow German (by Annik Rubens) — spoken slowly, clear pronunciation
Deutsch – warum nicht? — classic series by DW, still excellent
LingQ German Podcast — everyday conversations in German
For Advanced / Cultural Insight:
Das Coronavirus-Update — excellent science podcast from NDR
Deutschlandfunk Kultur — rich range of culture, society, and literature
Zeit Verbrechen — gripping true crime podcast (one of the most popular in Germany)
Alles gesagt? — long-form interviews with German cultural figures
Hotel Matze — cultural podcast with creators, authors, filmmakers
@deutschraplernen — learn with German rap lyrics
On TikTok:
@easygerman
@deutschlernenmitanja
@germanwithjenny