When you can hear the waves in the background and the breeze cools your face, books are savored much better.
And although the heat suffocates, or perhaps precisely because the heat suffocates, tasting a good story without the rush of alarms is one of those intangible treasures that summer gives.
For this reason, within the IslaVurma team, we have done an exhaustive survey of the best specimens to take to the beach or the pool in your Kenyan bag.
Books with which to fantasize for a while and take a nap; books to highlight and remember; books with which to seal the month of August and continue extending the beautiful summer lethargy once September begins.
Here they go:
Nothing is opposed to the night, by Delphine de Vigan
De Vigan investigates the memories of his own family to tell us some secrets and many truths. Following the death of her mother in mysterious circumstances, the author dives and dives through family shame, along paths of memory that are difficult to travel and thus x-rays her family, but also each and every one of the families, all with their secrets and anguish.
I Don't Like My Neck by Nora Ephron
If you are having a bad day you should read Nora Ephron almost by prescription. In 'I don't like my neck, and other reflections on being a woman' the author analyzes different topics (the price of rent in New York, motherhood, the pressure of aesthetics, divorces or even tells us what her time as an intern was like). in the White House during the time of JF Kennedy) but always with humor, irony and absolute wit.
He tells us things like this:
"I can't stand my neck. I don't like it at all. If you saw it, you wouldn't like it either, but you probably wouldn't say anything to me out of politeness. And if I said something to you, something like 'I just can't stand it, I can't stand it.' ', you would no doubt respond politely: 'I don't know what you're talking about'. You would lie, of course, but I would forgive you. I tell lies like that all the time, especially to friends who confess to me that they are worried because they have small bags under them. of the eyes, or double chin, or wrinkles, or love handles on the waist, and they ask me if they should have eye surgery, a facelift, or liposuction, or get Botox. My experience tells me that 'I don't know what you're talking about.' It's a code that means 'I understand you very well, but if you think you're going to ask me to give you advice, you're crazy.' It's very dangerous to get into those things, as we all know."
"(...) I was the only young woman whom President Kennedy did not throw at. Maybe it was because I had a perm, which honestly had been a regrettable mistake. Maybe it was because of my way of dressing, almost always with acrylic dresses of many colors that seemed to be made of melted cheese."
Almost nothing to wear, by Lucía Litjmaer
Knowing a little more about Buenos Aires in 1970 is possible thanks to this book, which reconstructs the history of the city and its protagonists based on fragments and stories. It is the story of Jorge and Simón, a couple who, thanks to their ruffianship, become leaders in the world of fashion and luxury.
"Suddenly, I feel the overwhelming desire to buy a fur coat, for which I take a look at my purse. I have a hundred pesos. 'Maybe I can have enough for a coat,' I think. As I walk forward, I only see cigarette kiosks and alfajores and low-cost hairdressers. I think that women go to the hairdresser much more here than in Spain; here they all get brushing, manicures, go to the cosmetologist, live on a diet. Argentina is a country that makes me constantly feel less feminine, so I want to buy a fur coat, get my nails done and wear heels to be on par with all of them. I've decided. I want to be like them, go unnoticed, death to the flat shoe, long live Japanese hair straightening. ".
You and I, by Niccolò Ammaniti
A teenager pretends to his parents that he is going on a trip with his high school friends and locks himself in his basement. There, trying to escape from real life, he meets his stepsister, a woman who will fascinate him and change his vision of the world forever. A short and easy-to-read book that will remind us of what is truly important.
"I remembered that another thing I hate is goodbyes, so I'd rather leave before you wake up. Thank you for helping me. I'm glad I discovered a brother hiding in a basement."
A graphic novel that narrates first love, fears, the discovery of identity, the desire to be happy and, above all, the immeasurable value of living surrounded by family and friends who love and support you. The success of the Netflix series does not tarnish this wonderful and simple work.
"Sometimes people need more support than one person can provide."
