What we didn't read this summer

Walking along the beaches of Italy, my bibliophile eyes often encountered people immersed in reading and books resting on sunbeds. My keen gaze tried to catch the titles and authors to answer the question, “What do Italians read during their vacations?” Despite my belief that everyone seeks an engaging story to accompany their moments of relaxation, while writing this article, a study was released that suggests otherwise.

Reading Habits of Italians and the Eurostat Study

The Eurostat study places Italy among the European Union countries that read the least. Only 35% of the population over 16 years old reads at least one book a year. The study, conducted by the EU's statistical office, is based on interviews with population samples in various member states, not on sales figures. It considered books read during leisure time, excluding those read for work or study purposes. This means that in Italy, 65% of the population doesn’t read for leisure. This places us in the third-to-last place among the 27 EU members, with only Cyprus and Romania behind us. This study also confirms that women and young people aged 16 to 29 read the most in Europe. Among under-30s, 60.1% have read at least one book in 2022, while only 47.2% of those aged 65 and older have done the same. Female readers outnumber male readers, with 60.5% compared to 44.5%. For more details, you can also consult the Istat 2022 survey. To improve these statistics, we have only one option: read more!

Books to Read Now

Below are some of the books that we (or didn’t) read during the summer, titles that we can catch up on and that can provide long hours of entertainment. It's a mix of the most read books in recent weeks, hot topics that can be explored through reading, and texts that I believe deserve much more attention.

Consumerism and TikTok: Das Kapital - Marx

The pandoro gate, influencer mega unboxings, and the spread of the hashtag #influcirco are generating increasing attention towards the accumulation of goods and money by a narrow segment of the population. Transparent communication and ethics are increasingly demanded by consumers, as are reflections on the environmental and social impact that certain examples set. These themes are also explored in the exhibition Monte di Pietà curated by Christoph Büchel, currently on display at Fondazione Prada in Venice. The essential book to read for deep reflection on these topics is Marx’s masterpiece, Das Kapital.

How Does It End? My Lady Jane - Cynthia Hand

In June, Amazon Prime released a highly ironic and entertaining fantasy romance series that reimagines the story of Lady Jane Grey from a feminist perspective. The plot is based on Cynthia Hand's novel of the same name. Edward is sixteen and the King of England. On his deathbed, he decides to leave the kingdom to his cousin Jane. Forced into marriage, she finds herself juggling an unwanted husband and a kingdom torn by conflicts between humans and shapeshifters. Despite the success of the series, a second season has not been confirmed. So, we must read the book to find out how it ends.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Yara. The True Crime - Giuseppe Genna

We’ve followed the news, watched documentaries, and seen the new Netflix series that reexamines the outcome of the trial. Now, all that’s left is to read the books written about the story of Yara Gambirasio, who disappeared and was later found dead in 2010 in Brembate di Sopra, Bergamo. Giuseppe Genna’s book, published in 2023 and nominated for the Strega Prize, tells the story in first person, reconstructing it with a relentless eye that focuses on the social implications of this tragedy.

In Search of Happiness: Succede sempre qualcosa di meraviglioso - Gianluca Gotto

This book tells the story of Davide, a young man whose certainties collapse one after another until he loses the desire to live. In Vietnam, he will meet, by chance or fate, a timeless character from whom he will learn an alternative and bright way to approach life. A story of rebirth in which one can lose oneself to find oneself, as Gianluca Gotto delves into the theme of the search for happiness.

The 2024 Strega Prize Winner: L'età fragile - Donatella di Pietrantonio

We’ve already discussed how the Strega Prize works, and we know how important it is for a book to win this prestigious award. Donatella di Pietrantonio, in this novel about fragility, tells us that there is no age without fear. We are always fragile, as parents and as children, when we need to rebuild and when we don’t even know where to lay the foundations. But there is a precise moment when we throw ourselves into the world, exposed and vulnerable, and the world must not hurt us.

The Literary Sensation of the Summer: Come l'arancio amaro - Milena Palminteri

For lovers of stories set in rich historical contexts, it's possible to immerse oneself in 1960s Agrigento. Carlotta is thirty-six years old and convinced that no one she loves can stay close to her: her father died the night she was born, her beloved nanny left when she was young, and her mother has always been more like a cold governess. Growing up during the Fascist era and the war in a Sicily where everything changes to remain unchanged, Carlotta has learned that the only way not to suffer is to endure boredom with patience. So, after studying law, instead of fighting to become a lawyer, she shut herself away working in the Notarial Archive. Destiny follows us even when we hide: it's precisely one of the dusty documents in the Archive that reveals to her the terrible accusation made by her paternal grandmother against her mother of not having given birth to her but bought her. Carlotta begins an investigation that will lead her to discover the roots of the anger and thirst she has tried to silence for so many years.