This summer to Italy

Reading a book set in Siberia while you are in the oven called Southern Italy is not really a good match. That's why I present to you my favorite reading list (not all read by myself, but recommended by people with the best taste when it comes to books) for when you are sitting with your feet in the Italian sand this summer. Here they come.

Closed due to vacation – Jarl van der Ploeg
We have simply started it for the second time this year. A wonderfully light, entertaining book about the behavior of Italians. Recognizable, surprising, sometimes shocking, and intensely funny. Written by Volkskrant journalist Jarl van der Ploeg. With a guarantee of hearty laughter.

Why it is so attractive to be happy – Lorenzo Marone
This book, about an old, somewhat rebellious man in Naples, was recommended to me by Adeline because she felt that I would enjoy it. She was right, because I devoured it in one go and then ordered five copies to give to people I love and thought would also appreciate it. That turned out to be true, as my father read it twice in a row. Such a book. What I loved most was that it was written by a guy in his late thirties. Genius how he can crawl into the mind of an eighty-year-old grump.

The Hummingbird – Sandro Veronesi
Declared book of the year in Italy and recommended to me by Esther Goedegebuure, editor-in-chief of JAN and my personal book whisperer. It tells the life of an Italian boy who has a growth disorder and is therefore called the hummingbird. The hummingbird is the smallest bird that exists (the party association of my first-year class was also called ‘Hummingbird’, so we wouldn't delude ourselves and always knew we were still small creatures). It also turns out he is a hummingbird because a hummingbird is intensely flexible and can move with life. It is praised by everyone, so this one is on top of my reading pile.

And oh yes, oh yes.
What is also delightful reading (literally) is:

Fratello & Sorella – Karin and Frans van Munster
You read a delightful and entertaining correspondence between Karin and her brother Frans, who lives in Puglia. Their love for cooking is central, and each email exchange ends with a recipe. Wonderful to read a chapter at the end of the day with a glass of wine.