Reading Challenges
Back to the Roots: Learn Like the Great Minds of the Past
Forget reels, flashy apps, and AI tutors for a moment. Let’s go back to a time when language learning was slow, focused—and deeply rewarding.
Many great minds in history were true polyglots:
🧠 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe studied Latin, Greek, French, Italian, English, and even dabbled in Persian.
👑 Catherine the Great wrote in three languages and ruled a multilingual empire.
🎨 Leonardo da Vinci used Latin, Italian, and French in his notes.
They didn’t scroll. They read.
Today, most of us struggle to focus for more than a few minutes. We skim, click, and swipe—but deep reading? We’re forgetting how to do it. The German with Stories reading challenges are a way to reclaim that focus.
You’ll train your reading muscles while enjoying real, meaningful stories written by a human being (that’s me, Daniela). Audio included. Vocabulary explained. Exercises available. And you won’t be alone!
How the challenges work
Every reading challenge has a clear structure: we start together, we finish together. No more procrastination or half-finished books. You’re not doing this alone.
You’ll join a small, supportive group on Telegram or WhatsApp, where all participants keep each other motivated and I check in regularly to see how you’re doing.
You can share your thoughts, ask questions – and practice speaking by reading short sections aloud, summarizing chapters, or answering comprehension questions out loud. No pressure, no extra homework – just deeper engagement with the book you’re already reading.
Each challenge runs for several weeks – no stress, no overwhelm. Just consistent reading, accountability, and a fresh connection to the German language.
Current Challenge (B1+/B2)
Join us on November 3rd, 2025 as we begin a 20-week reading challenge based on the new short story collection Die Hexe von Bamberg! Each week, we’ll read and discuss one story together in our Telegram or WhatsApp group. Because each story is independent, you can join at any time during the challenge or skip weeks whenever you need a break. All participants are asked to introduce themselves when they join the group — it’s a friendly and supportive space for German learners who love stories.
📘 The book is available now on Amazon (paperback & Kindle) and as a PDF eBook in my Patreon Shop.
📄 You can find detailed information about the challenge and the book in this Substack article and download the Challenge Info PDF here
Challenges in 2026
The first three reading challenges were free. You only had to buy the book. Unfortunately, this didn’t work very well.
The links to the Telegram and WhatsApp groups were public, so some people joined without reading the instructions. Some were even annoyed that they didn’t get the book for free. Others never participated at all but started sending me private messages asking for help with their German. And some people joined, introduced themselves, and then disappeared.
In short, it became quite frustrating, even though I genuinely enjoy working with the active participants who respect the rules and complete the tasks.
After thinking about this for quite a while, I decided that the challenges will no longer be completely free. The next challenge will be offered as a Patreon product at the lowest price Patreon allows (currently US $3). This way, I can keep the links to the practice groups private, which is my main concern at the moment.
For paying members of the GWS Club, the Reading Challenges will continue to be included in their membership.