Let me be specific.
If I read a book, and I ask myself mind-probing questions, I'll get those questions answered. If this means getting 10 or so isolated facts from a book, then so be it. When I read "The Moon by Whalelight," I wanted to know why people feared bats. (I've never been afraid of bats. When there were free-flying diurnal bats at the Brookfeild Zoo, I experienced such a sense of wonder even the memory of it brings wetness to my eyes).
And of COURSE no one has ever heard of Vera Birkenbiel. Her name is Vera Birkenbihl. Make sure your search engine settings allow for German results. Or, skip traditional search engines and go straight to www.amazon.de and take a look at her books.
