LSummer for many is the perfect time to catch up on reading. And more and more readers are being inspired by social networks; the latest data confirm an increase in users who let themselves be inspired by book influencers, but there are also those who do not give up the classic visit to the bookstore, the important thing is to find the right “companion”, travel is the ideal time to devote yourself to reading. And, in addition to the beaches and the trains, even planes are among the favorite places for an immersion in the books of summer 2023.
Books summer 2023, when inspiration comes from social networks
Italians love social networks and the combination of social media and books. According to the Italian Publishers Association, 14% of readers choose their next reading via social media: specifically, it is mainly women16%, to be influenced by book influencers before the classic trip to the bookstore. A figure that involves both the new generations and people over 60: over 13% up to 64 years of age take a leap on social media to find out what’s new. The most followed platform? Instagram appreciated by 54%, followed by Facebook, 53%, and TikTok for 26%.
«The role of social network in the promotion of the publishing offer is assuming particular importance on the trend of book sales bringing a new audience to bookstores, a phenomenon that research has been detecting for some time. If, on the one hand, the role of social networks is, like word of mouth, difficult to manage, on the other, publishers need to be on social networks, understand their operating mechanisms, their evolution» explains the director of the Italian Publishers Association Fabio Del Giudice.
“Tell me how you travel and I’ll tell you… which book to read”, Libraccio’s project on TikTok
Data not to be underestimated. That’s how the Libraccio, the largest chain of independent bookstores in Italy, has thought of the initiative for the summer “Tell me how you travel and I’ll tell you… what book to read”, the first TikTok filter that helps you choose the books to read based on your holidays. The purpose? Not only finding your paper travel companion but above all bringing everyone closer to the pleasure of reading.
«With over 2.4 billion views in Italy and 151 billion globally, the #BookTok phenomenon is a well-established trend for the publishing sector, capable not only of bringing younger people closer to reading, but also of physically bringing more people to the bookstore. For Libraccio, who immediately invested in this channel realizing the potential linked to the diffusion of reading, the impact on bookshops is evident» he explains Carlotta Sanzogni, social and PR manager of the Libraccio bookstores.
“Gamifying” the search, Libraccio has made available over sixty possible combinations between traveler and reading, so you don’t pack the wrong novel.
Talking about books on social media, why not?
Anyone who finds the combination of social media and books risky should therefore change his mind. Data in hand, and not only, there are more and more reading-themed chats born on the net. As many users but also book bloggers say, the big advantage is that this way allowed reading and literature to be cleared through customs.
No more guilt feelings if you don’t finish a novel or essay, goodbye to feeling intimidated if a friend reads more or if you don’t like a best seller. In short, no delays, on social networks you can easily chat about any type of book, from the latest news to the great classics.
Holidays and books: book influencers’ advice on what to read in flight
And the flight, but also a long train journey, are the right opportunities to discover forgotten or shelved readings. As recommended to iodonna.it by three book influencers highly appreciated on social networks:
Emanuela Sorrentino by @manumomelibri and creator of #domenicaadelphi recommends:
«If you are headed to Korea, a very long flight, the right reading to start learning about the many nuances of the country’s culture is Crying in H.Mart by Michelle Zauner. Through rituals and recipes winds a memoir on family ties and the search for one’s roots which, even before landing in Seoul, will make you hungry for kimchi and teokbokki».
“If you fly to India Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie is perfect. The book tells the story of a thousand children born on August 15, 1947, at the stroke of midnight: the moment, that is, when India proclaimed its independence from the British Empire. All of them possess extraordinary gifts: herculean strength, the ability to become invisible and travel through time, supernatural beauty. A novel steeped in magical realism and history, a pastiche brilliant that will make you forget you are in the clouds».
«If the destinations are the Greek islands, for a holiday dedicated to the sea and unspoiled nature, then flying is perfect My family and other animals by Gerard Durrell: an adventure comedy, the account of five years Durrell and his family spent in Corfu between extravagant characters and hilarious experiences. Durrell gives laughter, it will be impossible to hold you while you are on the plane»
«For the Milan-Palermo route, and for all short journeys, I recommend the story The God of Slaughter by Yasmina Reza where in the space of a bourgeois living room two couples meet to resolve a dispute between their respective children. A meeting that would not portend anything strange, but what comes out is a home space transformed into a ring: words that hurt, couples that shatter and all the neuroses of modern man. A few pages, a subtle humor for a story of judgments and prejudices»
«For those who will fly to France instead I recommend The opponent by Emmanuelle Carrère: the story of Claude Romand, an unsuspecting doctor who led a life of lies and who upon discovering his castle of lies decides to kill his wife, children and parents. A perfect turning pagewhere the reader is called to listen, judge and even question himself».
Filippo Taddia, bookstagrammer, founder of the @leggoecammino community recommends:
«The day I set my house on fire by Francesca Mattei is perfect for those who love to be distracted by everything in flight, even if only a bizarrely shaped cloud. It’s a collection of short stories, dry and intoxicating facts of women who get naked between cheap beers, alleys and getaways is ideal for reading without ever losing rhythm»
«It is perhaps the most viewed, discussed, abused book of the whole of 2023: Spare- The minor of Prince Harry with the Pulitzer Prize JR Moehringer are 416 pages stuck like a knife in the heart of the British monarchy signed by one of the most reliable and compelling pens in the world. Ideal for an intercontinental flight”.
«The condemnation of the living by Marco de Franchi is the first case of Valentina Medici, the youngest commissioner of the Central Operations Service, and begins with a child found in the night and a secret that hides and ties it to other disappearances. A deep cesspool in which to dive and from which, up to the last page, not even the most annoying of your seatmates will be able to force you to re-emerge»
«To adapt by Clare Dupont-Monod is short but very dense. Sweet, like those fast flights that take you back to the village where you grew up in the summer. The story of this disabled child, born into a family in the French mountains, is a luminous ode to love, loss and finding. It will be finished in the time of a flight but it will remain within the time of a lifetime»
«Ideal for those who love to fly even with their feet on the ground but even more perfect to be enjoyed in the middle of the infinite sky Every time I see you bloom by Alda Merini is the collection of poems, images, verses and aphorisms every Saturday, every week, from 1992 to 2009 the poet dictated to her friend Alberto Casiraghy».
Giuseppe Quattrocchi from @gatsby_books, which will soon become an independent bookstore instead recommends:
«Gooseberry by Monica Acito is a bewitched Naples, between magical realism and popular beliefs and becomes the scenario of the indissoluble bond between two brothers, whose lives are intertwined in a single destiny of love and jealousy. A story that devours, full of bad, disappointed, angry, fragile and broken characters from their own dreams. To be read during a flight of several hours, perhaps between Milan and New York, to better assimilate the poignant and wonderful ending»
«For flights of very long duration The Orchard by David Hopen. Deep, moving and tragic, David Hopen’s debut novel is a perfect read for those who loved him God of illusions by Donna Tartt. A prestigious academy and a charismatic professor who will lead a group of students beyond knowledgemorality, madness up to tragedy»
«Julie by Ida Amlesù is one of my best readings in recent years. A story of love, death and revenge in 17th century France. Inspired by the real-life figure of Julie d’Aubigny, opera diva and skilled swordswoman, the novel by Ida Amlesù stages the life of one of the most charismatic characters never read. It will be like watching a play while in flight, perhaps on a long journey such as Rome-Tokyo. Thirteen hours will be enough to reveal the two faces of a heroine that is hard to forget»
“For a short flight, Thin rain by Luis Landero is a novel about family ties revolving around the unspoken words. A poetic prose that manages to enchant the reader in a game of mirrors where each character states his own version of the facts until revealing terrible truths long kept silent»
«For a long journey that exceeds thirteen hours, the companion of a great master of mystery and a timeless classic is necessary. The almost eight hundred pages of The woman in white by Wilkie Collins will be able to entertain for the duration of the flight, immersing the reader in smoky 19th century London to reveal the identity of a mysterious woman. The succession of testimonies of the various characters and the continuous revelations, as well as the numerous twists and turns have made Wilkie Collins the undisputed master of the “sensational novel”.
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