Book therapy, book recommendations for vacation reading: mysteries, romance novels, and how-to books. Because reading is healing.

BOOK THERAPY

Are you leaving for vacation? Before closing the suitcaseDon't forget to bring a good book. And if you're spending July and August in the city, books are excellent companions for pleasantly filling the idle moments that summer offers.

Not just company: books healA well-stocked bookcase is like a full medicine cabinet, without any drawbacks.

Paper or digital, the company of a good book under the umbrella or lying on the grass helps defeat stress caused by daily and work routine and relaxes the mind keeping it, at the same time, in training.

BENEFITS OF BOOK THERAPY

In short, reading is good for you, not only because it is a form of escape that teaches us resilience ed empathy (what would we do in the place of the protagonist? Where would we find the strength to overcome the obstacles of the story?) through identification with the characters of the pages we are reading, but also and above all as anti-anxiety and anti-worry treatmentTaking time to read, in fact, allows us to divert our attention from negative thoughts and shift our mind to "nourishing" thoughts other than the source of the stress.Furthermore, the linear development of the story, from beginning to end, leaves no room for anxiety about uncertainty: what happens is written on the pages and we don't have to worry about as many variables as in real life.

ALSO READ: Rosario Esposito La Rossa, a drug dealer in the Vele neighborhood of Scampia. Not drugs, but books.

HOW TO HEAL YOURSELF WITH BOOKS

Whatever you want to call it "Book therapy" or "Book therapy"In England, it's even recognized by the National Health Service as a form of self-therapy. The National Health Service database already lists more than 100 prescribed books. One of the titles? Harry Potter, which helps defeat xenophobia and racism, combating the fear of diversity and reflecting on inclusion.
And if abroad healing with books is already an important therapeutic reality, the scientific community of Italian psychologists and psychotherapists is dedicating more and more attention to this form of therapy: it is applied with ever greater frequency in the treatment of mood and eating disorders, as well as for mild forms of addiction to alcohol, drugs and gioco d’azzardo.

TO KNOW MORE: No more video poker at Gianni's bar: instead, a flood of books has arrived.

BENEFITS OF READING IN SUMMER

Summer holidays, as we all know, are the best time to pick up reading again for pleasure, bringing with you all the books we never manage to read during the year.
And, in fact, it seems that reading is one of our favorite pastimes during moments of relaxation, as if it were one of the main ways to unwind.

BOOKS TO READ ON HOLIDAY

While it's true that choosing books is a matter of personal taste, some genres certainly favor escape and relaxation more than others. To unleash our imagination, we should focus our choices on titles that explore fantastic experiences, mystery, or adventure, mystery, thriller, fantasy or science fiction novels.
Even romance literature promotes theoptimism and the disengagement, as well as the adventure novels.

Between the genres Anti-stress par excellence, finally, also the essays related to the well-being and popular history and philosophy books. The immediate effect, when you choose the genre that best suits your literary tastes, is a boost in your mood. Below are some essential titles for summer bibliotherapy.

MYSTERY, FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION

Among the most recommended genres to let the mind wander into other worlds and completely distance ourselves from reality, there are the mystery, fantasy, and sci-fi novels.
Among the fundamental titles it is worth mentioning, in addition to the already mentioned Harry Potter saga, by the English J.K. Rowling, the famous trilogy of Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin, from which the television series was based The Throne of Swords. But also Coraline, the dark tale of Neil Galman for kids, but very suitable for those who want to discover what's behind a door that's always closed. Let's not forget the ever-present Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carrol, and The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

As for science fiction, timeless masterpieces are the titles of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451Another must-have for living in a dystopian world? 1984 by George Orwell, more relevant than ever.

MYSTERY AND THRILLERS

A very popular genre, bookstores are constantly stocked with excellent crime novels and thrillers, depending on your taste. Our must-reads are: Very loud, incredibly close, of Jonathan Safran Foer, the Scandinavian cycle of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson, the classics like Ten Little Indians or Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue or Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles. In more recent years any title of the adventures of detective Kay Scarpetta of Patricia cornwell or the most famous contemporary thriller, IT by Stephen King, really creepy.
Italian books? I Kill, literary consecration of Giorgio Faletti e Crime Novel by Giancarlo De Cataldo.

Romance Novels

Long considered B-list literature, they're actually excellent for combating anxiety and everyday worries by dreaming of thwarted, adventurous love affairs with a happy ending. Masterpieces to have with you on the beach or in the park. Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, respectively by the sisters Charlotte and Emily Bronte, Pride and Prejudice and Emma, ​​both by the English writer Jane Austen, Madame Bovary by Gustave FlaubertContemporary romance novels? Definitely recommended.  Eat, pray, love, by Elizabeth Gilbert, which was adapted into a blockbuster film starring Julia Roberts.

ADVENTURE NOVELS

Adventure and travel novels: what better way to travel the world without leaving your beach towel? In addition to the great classics of the genre (Gulliver's Travels, Moby Dick, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days), definitely deserve a mention On the Road, by Jack Kerouac, psychedelic journey in the America of the 50s or the very recent Wild – a wild story of adventure and rebirth, by Cheryl StrayedA journey within oneself before traveling along the Pacific Crest Trail.

ESSAYS AND BOOKS ON WELL-BEING

For the health conscious, lovers of both physical and psychological well-beingBeing able to spend time with our thoughts and accompany relaxation with a good read is good for both the body and the mind. The titles, in this case too, are abundant, but we want to remember the very famous When you are happy, pay attention to it, a collection of all the speeches of Kurt vonnegut to university graduates, Moments of negligible happiness by Francesco Piccolo, a book to learn to enjoy the little joys of everyday life. And again, The Happy Life of Lucius Annaeus Seneca, or Epicurus' Letter on HappinessWisdom and philosophy from the ancient world are still very relevant today. Last but not least, The Art of Being Happy by Arthur Schopenhauer, a true manual for happiness. Isn't that enough for you? Here are the Instructions for making yourself unhappy,volume with the sarcastic title of Paul Watzlawick.

HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL NOVELS

Special mention for Ragazza with the Leica, Strega Award 2018, a poignant biography of Gerda Taro, lover and companion of Robert Capa, written by HElena Janeczek, which transports us to a fascinating and eventful historical period such as the one between the First and Second World War . Changing historical era completely we mention the trilogy of Alexandros by Valerio Massimo Manfredi on Alexander the Great. To reflect and use time in a more 'light' way, we also recommend The Mandarins of Simone de Beauvoir.

BOOKS TO RELAX

For those who, however, would like to use the rest and relaxation time of the summer holidays to learn new skills or improve those they already possess, manuals and practical volumes are also excellent.

The best cookbooks and gastronomy to have on hand in your suitcase, in addition to the famous Pellegrino Artusi's Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well, I am The Grammar of Flavors, by Niki Segnit (a true philosophical treatise on food and wine) and The Great Book of Chefs, by Michelin-starred chef Gualtiero MarchesiDessert? No problem, with Italian Pastry Manual, co-written by Fulvio Scolari and Teresio Busnelli, a must-have in the art of pastry making.

enthusiasts gardening and do-it-yourself? The titles to have in your suitcase are definitely these: Joanna K. Harrison's Complete Guide to Container Gardening, Patrizia Sarcletti's ABC of Organic Gardening, and the Complete DIY Manual published by Giunti Demetra. 

Finally, how can we not mention, for those who are passionate about green issues, recycling, reusing and not wasting, the books of Antonio Galdo which allowed the birth of Don't Waste: from the homonym Don't Waste, a vademecum on not wasting resources in all respects, but also and above all a manifesto of intent and a new awareness, passing through It doesn't take much, a fundamental title for understanding the times we live in and "changing the world", to get to the latest release, last, a true portrait of the Italian situation but full of optimism and indications on the path to return to being first.

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