Reading Italy and the Faces Behind the Books

When telling stories about a country, we cannot help but learn more about their culture. What are they reading?  Who are their literary greats? Or perhaps, what new things have they been into ?

In Italy, it's always worth a journey and that smells of book pages and a lot of coffee to discover interesting books the Italian way! The most exciting of them will definitely take your breath away until the end ... and we are not just talking about the books.

Here are my personal picks with the help of Goodreads and for a change, see the faces behind the books.

L'uomo del Porto di Cristina Cassar Scalia

The Man from the Port by Cristina Cassar Scalia

Catania. In the cave of an underground river used as a room by a well-known restaurant, the body of a man is found: he was stabbed. An ugly matter on which the deputy commissioner Vanina Guarrasi will have to shed light, who, as if that were not enough, has also been under guard for a few weeks.

Vincenzo La Barbera, professor of philosophy at the classical high school, was a loner, who used an old sailboat moored in the harbor as his home and was much loved by students. No debts, no ties to the underworld. Yet someone killed him, leaving his body in the bed of the Amenano, a stream that centuries ago an eruption of Etna covered with lava and that now flows under the historic water of the city. Vanina Guarrasi - whose existence has become complicated, in case it was needed, due to a death threat from the Palermo mafia - takes over the investigation. Of clues, not even the shadow. The mystery is very complex and perhaps has its roots in the victim's rebellious past. To solve it, however, Vanina will once again be able to count on the help of the incomparable retired commissioner Biagio Patanè

Book rating - 3.94 out of 5 ⭐️

Cristina Cassar Scalia

Photo Credit: mfacebook.com

La stagione del Ragni di Barbara Baraldi

The Season of Spiders by Barbara Baraldi

In 1988, an inexplicable event occurs in Turin: the Vittorio Emanuel [ arch bridge in Rome, Italy ] is completely invaded by colonies of spiders, with very long cobwebs on the parapet leading to the shrine of the Great Mother. Almost a prodigy, which will attract dozens of onlookers. Meanwhile, the deputy prosecutor Francesco Scalviati finds himself near the Pian del Lot, at the scene of a crime: an engaged couple killed in a car in a lonely place. It is the third, ferocious murder that seems to be attributable to the same hand. A crucial and insidious case for the magistrate, in a particularly delicate moment in his life, given that he is about to become a father. Among those present on the scene is Leda De Almeida, an investigative journalist with a traumatic past in Lebanon, whom Scalviati tries to dissuade from undertaking an independent investigation that could prove dangerous. But to give an unexpected turn to events will be the arrival of Isaak Stoner, a young and arrogant FBI analyst, who offers Scalviati the powerful new tools of criminology, such as profiling and the theory of "serial" murders, still unknown in Italy. Although fascinated by these innovative ideas, Scalviati cannot completely trust his American colleague, convinced that he is hiding a secret. In the meantime, the day of birth for her wife is approaching: she will be a child, but the two are unable to decide on her name. Just then, the "monster" strikes again ... On the notes of Simple Minds [ Scottish rock band , 1977 ] , Duran Duran [ an English new wave band , 1978 ] , and the first Litfiba [ Italian rock band ,1980 ], Barbara Baraldi takes us to the most mysterious and esoteric Italian city, in a breathtaking race between fears and obsessions of an era.

Book rating - 4.01 out of 5 ⭐️

Barbara Baraldi

Photo Credit : crimescraps2

La casa nella nebbia di Robert Bryndza

The House in the Fog by Robert Bryndza

Criminology professor Kate Marshall is on a field trip with her son when together they make a shocking discovery: the lifeless body of a teenager, entangled beneath the surface of the Shadow Sands reservoir. The hypothesis of a tragic drowning does not add up, and when Kate begins to investigate she is faced with an even darker truth: the victim is only the latest in a series of deaths linked to the moor. Strange rumors circulate of a ghost hiding in the fog and killing its victims. When an anthropologist disappears without a trace, Kate knows it's only a matter of time before she's killed. A dramatic race against time begins for her and her partner Tristan Harper. What Kate doesn't know is that the elusive serial killer she's chasing isn't the only one that's one step ahead of her. Someone else is making sure that the secrets of Shadow Sands remain buried.

Book rating - 4.27 out of 5⭐️

Robert Bryndza

Photo Credit : Bookaholic Confessions

L'uomo del Bosco di Mirko Zilahy

The Man of the Woods by Mirko Zilahy

World-renowned scientist Professor John Glynn is working on a special geophonic probe, SismoTime, which by listening to the voice of our planet - the movements in the depths of the earth's crust - will be able to predict any type of earthquake in advance, saving millions of human lives. At the moment in which he presents his invention to the press, John Glynn is a star of the academic firmament, but no one knows that the cause of that extraordinary rise has a precise date of birth: 04/19/1990, when, shortly before dawn, his father Liam Glynn - the great geological heretic of the 1980s - disappears in a mine explosion in Belgium along with his team of miners. Thirty years have passed since that tragic day and for John the memory of that time has been pulverized into a hazy oblivion. At least until his family moves into the house overlooking the fairytale Civita di Bagnoregio [ town in Italy ], the dying city. From that moment a series of extraordinary events - the disappearance of a probe in the woods of Civita, the appearance of a policeman with a VHS that belonged to his father, the text messages he receives from old school friends and that voice that inhabits his nightmares night after night - upsets the professor's perfect life. As if with a magical gesture he had opened an abyss from which pieces of a frightening mosaic emerge, John will find himself dealing with a past buried under the layers of an original sin as ancient as the world is. Because the scariest secret is hidden in the woods of his childhood. That's where he awaits us. And that's where we'll find him again.

Book rating - 3.35 out of 5 ⭐️

Mirko Zilahy

Photo Credit: babelio.com

Una vita da salvare di Steve Cavanagh

A Life to Save by Steve Cavanagh

It's the murder trial of the century. The eyes of the whole world are on the man who continues to plead innocent before the New York courthouse: Bobby Solomon. Hugely successful actor, who with his beautiful wife formed one of the most beloved couples in Hollywood, is accused of the murder of his wife and her head of security.

All the evidence is against him. And if the defense wants to have even a remote chance to exonerate Solomon, they need a man on their side: former con man, now a lawyer, Eddie Flynn. A redeemed rogue who, thanks to his frequentation of the slums, could have access to news that circulates only in certain circles. Because from the beginning there was something very unclear about this trial and a series of strange incidents that took place in court increase Flynn's doubts ...

What if the accused weren't the only actor in the courtroom?

What if the real killer wasn't in the dock?

Book rating - 4.22 out of 5⭐️

Steve Cavanagh

Photo Credit : irishtimes.com

Indipendenza di Javier Cercas

Independence by Javier Cercas

How to expose those who exercise power in the shadows? How to take revenge on those who have inflicted on you the bloodiest and most humiliating wounds? In this new novel, we find Melchor Marín, the policeman fond of books and protagonist of Terra Alta. A few years after the death of his beloved wife Olga, he returns with his daughter Cosette to his Barcelona, where he will have to face the most thorny and difficult investigation: in fact, someone is keeping the mayor of the city under blackmail, using a hard video dating back to a long time ago. Still marked by deep sorrow for not having found his mother's killers, but always guided by his rigorous moral integrity, Melchor will have to understand if the blackmail is part of a more articulated project of political destabilization. And this will force him to enter the halls of power, where cynicism, unbridled ambition and corruption reign. Javier Cercas tells our present through a tense thriller, populated by emblematic characters, outlining a merciless portrait of the political-economic elites who rule the world. And above all, it brings to a conclusion the personal story of a just man, who unwittingly won the fame of a hero, and who tries to re-establish a perhaps impossible justice, moving along the thin ridge between law and revenge.

Book rating - 3.80 out of 5 ⭐️

Javier Cercas

Photo Credit: Vivir Extramadura

Il mondo dietro di te di Rumaan Alam

The World Behind You by Rumaan Alam

A magnetic novel about two families that could not be more different, forced to face together a world where certainties no longer exist.

Amanda and Clay have chosen a remote corner of Long Island to spend a few days off with their two teenage children. A break from the hectic life of New York, a week all for them in an elegant vacation home. The days go by happily, but the spell is broken when an elderly couple knocks on the door in the middle of the night: George and Ruth, very frightened, claim to be the owners of the villa. A sudden blackout in New York forced them to return to the house they had rented. In this isolated area, where cell phones do not take, without TV and internet, it is impossible to check their version. Can Amanda and Clay trust the two strangers? Is that house really a safe place for their family? While nature seems to rebel around the protagonists, a mysterious evil haunts them and undermines the trust they have in each other: now they are prey who must fight to save themselves.

An editorial case being translated in 22 countries, finalist for the National Book Award, best seller for "The New York Times" and book of the year for "Time", "The Washington Post", "The New Yorker".

Book rating - 3.24 out of 5⭐️

Rumaan Alam

Photo Credit: Vanity Fair

Il dilemma di B. A. Paris

The Dilemma by B. A. Paris

Finally, Livia's big day has arrived. Today she, for her forty years of hers, she will have the magnificent party she dreams of since she, very young and pregnant, she had to give up the wedding reception, contenting herself with a hasty ceremony. Today nothing should spoil her joy. Therefore she has decided that she will wait until the next day to reveal to her husband Adam a secret involving her daughter Marnie about her. Thankfully, Marnie is studying in Hong Kong and there is no way she will reach them. Better let Adam enjoy the night before sharing that weight with him. Adam has been preparing his wife's birthday surprise for weeks: getting Marnie there in time for the party. However, after confirming her departure from her daughter, Adam learns some disconcerting news about her that could destroy their family forever. Adam knows that he should inform Livia right away, but then he would deprive her of her perfect day again. Better to give her a few hours of happiness before unloading that painful burden on her. As much as Adam and Livia try to control the situation, it is difficult to lie to family and friends, especially if you want to appear calm while the storm is raging inside. And, over the course of the evening, the truth will eventually come out ... In this suspenseful novel, B.A. Paris lays bare the weaknesses of the human soul, confronting us with an uncomfortable question: are there really good lies? Should we hide the truth to protect our loved ones?

Book rating - 3.54 out of 5 ⭐️

B. A. Paris

Photo Credit : Wikipedia

Delitto d’inverno di John Banville

Winter murder By John Banville

1957, County Wexford, Ireland. On a cold winter night, in the library of Ballyglass House, the elegant residence of the Osborne family - a very prominent Protestant family - the body of a Catholic priest killed by a stab in the throat is discovered. Who could have struck Father Thomas Lawless, a man well liked by all? Inspector Strafford arrives from the capital to investigate, also from a Protestant family, an exception in the police. In Dublin, Superintendent Hackett is very worried; Archbishop McQuaid in fact exerts pressure that is not too veiled to cover up the case: Irish priests do not die a violent death. As the snow continues to fall relentlessly, Strafford finds himself alone investigating a hostile environment, where everyone seems to have something to hide and perhaps, more than others, the victim himself ...

Book rating - 3.57 out of 5 ⭐️

John Banville

Photo Credit: johnbanville.eu

Luce della notte di Ilaria Tuti

Light of the night by Ilaria Tuti

Chiara had a dream. And she was so scared. She sings and counts, she said to herself in her dream, but the darkness did not want to go away. Thus, Chiara relied on the invisible light of the night to take her steps in the woods. But what she found while digging at the roots of the tree shocked her. Because maybe it wasn't really a dream. Maybe it was a frightening reality. It is close to Christmas, the day when Chiara will turn nine. Indeed, the night: because the child does not see the sunlight from her, she no longer knows how long. It takes a big heart for her to help her little heart stop shaking. This is why, a few days after the closure of a very tiring and dangerous case and the discovery of something that she will have to keep for herself, Teresa Battaglia does not hesitate to get involved. Perhaps because, despite everything, a child's heart still beats in her.

The same that palpitates, despite her, in the young Inspector Marini, given that despite a thousand doubts and perplexities, she decides to join Commissioner Battaglia in what seems to be a crazy and senseless investigation.

Yes, because how can you even think of investigating a dream? But Teresa knows, indeed, she feels within herself that that fragile, frightened and very courageous child has sunk her hands in something true, authentic ... And terrible.

Book rating - 3.61 out of 5 ⭐️

Ilaria Tuti

Photo Credit: Beatrice Mancini

L’ultima a morire di Cesar Pérez Gellida

The Last to Die by Cesar Pérez Gellida

Is there a perfect crime? Inspector Sara Robles also wonders as she investigates the murders following the sensational theft of a work of art from the National Sculpture Museum of Valladolid. On the trail of an improvised gang of robbers - a ruthless Russian mafia hitman, a vengeful gypsy clan, and above all a brilliant martial arts forger behind whom a mysterious gray eminence looms - the woman must also extricate herself from the sentimental complications caused by an incoercible sexual addiction and from the ghost of an ex who does not take long to reappear ...

From one twist to the next, César Pérez Gellida proves to be a master of suspense in this thriller, confirming that he fully deserves the status of cult author he has earned in the scene of the new Spanish thriller. Violence and realism, meticulous construction of the plot and masterful narrative skill, memorable characters to whom it is impossible not to become attached, starting with the rude, unfortunate and very human protagonist: all this seasoned with an irony that spares neither the characters nor pop culture in which they are immersed, nor the author himself, that bald writer with a goatee, a little obsessive, there, in a corner of the bar ...

The last to die, who introduces Gellida to Italy, nails the reader as only the great thrillers can. Who knows if he doesn't bring us the "gellidism", contagious passion of hundreds of thousands of Spaniards

Book rating - 4.02 out of 5 ⭐️

Cesar Pérez Gellida

Photo Credit : Diario de Valladolid

La figlia del presidente di Bill Clinton e James Patterson

The Daughter of President Bill Clinton by James Patterson

An explosive thriller, the new success announced by the «dream team» Bill Clinton and James Patterson ". [Quoted by Lee Child]

All presidents have nightmares. This is about to come true.

The precision of detail guaranteed by former President Bill Clinton, the pace and action of James Patterson.

Matthew Keating is a former Navy Seal, but above all he is the former president of the United States, a man who has always defended his country with the same tenacity with which he has protected his loved ones. But now it's him, under attack.

A psychopathic criminal has kidnapped Keating's teenage daughter, Melanie, turning every parent's deepest fear into a matter of national security. As the world follows the story in real time, Keating embarks on a special mission in which his training as a Seal may prove more essential than all the power, friendships and political acumen he has acquired as president. A very high-risk action that will test his strengths as a leader, as a warrior and as a father.

The authors' first four-handed novel, The President Is Missing, topped the New York Times charts as well as a 2018 bestseller, with rave reviews.

Book rating - 4.32 out of 5 ⭐️

James Patterson

Photo Credit : Reuter

About the writer

Sara AB is our Creative Associate and a certified book lover! She has a passion for the art of Language. With a Bachelor's Degree in Languages and Translation from Najran University, she also has a background in Entrepreneurship.