10 essential books to spend the summer

BarcelonaSummer—and especially vacation—is the ideal time for a good read. We asked 10 booksellers from across Catalonia to recommend a recently published title they think is a must-read.

When the bookstore La Caselles in Lleida arrived The life of bookseller AJ Fikry, immediately caught Montse Betriu's attention. "At the time, I was reading another book and put it on hold. When I went back to look for it, it was already out of stock," explains the bookseller, who finally got around to reading it after receiving the new edition. Although she says she's not particularly fond of reading novels about bookstores, this one surprised her and pleased her. "It talks about the publishing world and how bookstores work. It's a sweet, love story, with some sad aspects, and yet it's quite optimistic. It could appeal to more or less everyone," says Betriu. The life of bookseller AJ Fikry is prior to Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, the book that gave Gabrielle Zevin international success, but Until this year it was not available in Catalan..

At the outset, the Mediterranean Breviary by Predrag Matvejevic is the perfect book for anyone spending their holidays near the sea, whether in Catalonia or any other coast along the Mediterranean. "It escapes the typical novel. It's a cultural journey, an intimate experience, and at the same time a historical and geographical essay with a significant literary influence," says Joan Roure about this rather unclassifiable book. Matvejevic combines "erudition and a poetic perspective" through fragmentary texts that seek complicity with the Mediterranean peoples, focusing on their history and culture. "They are short stories written in a reflective and lyrical style, which fill us with knowledge," Roure emphasizes. At a time of significant geopolitical tensions, the bookseller emphasizes that this title "is committed to peace, culture, and dialogue among peoples and helps us understand the complexity of the region."

Donatella Di Pietrantonio (Arsita, 1962) is an Italian writer with a long-established literary career. However, until now none of her books had been translated into Catalan. "A The fragile age, the author recalls a femicide and exposes the violence and changes from one generation to another," explains Meritxell Ral. The book – winner of the 2024 Strega Award in both the adult and young adult categories – accompanies the protagonist, Amanda, on her return to the village after interrupting her studies. "It's a return. She has given up on her dreams, dependent on her father and with the sad and tragic memory of an episode in the mountains," says the Rals bookseller, who adds that this is a "fast-paced and suspenseful read, marked by silence and the fear of expressing oneself, of living."

"You will finish the book and all you will want to do is walk through Leonard Cohen's Hydra and Marianne, sit in the stands of the Epidaurus theatre or cook some good food. kolokitokheftedes", promises Marta Simon about Metamorphosis, by Míriam Cano. Between a memoir and a travel book, the writer and translator recounts her experiences on two occasions in Greece, accompanied by friends just after the coronavirus pandemic. Through the author's words, it appears spectacular. But beyond the physical journey, we also accompany the protagonist on a life journey that offers us reflections on themes such as family, love and death, culture, literature, and the need to write," says the Montaña de Libros bookseller, who defines this Metamorphosis as "a fantastic and pleasant book, like a long summer meal in front of the sea."

The announcement of the last Bookseller award for Montse Alberts It didn't surprise David Becerra of the Isop bookstore at all. "I expected it to win. It's a book I've recommended a lot and we've sold a lot. I was really hooked," says Becerra. This "tough, but at the same time very tender" novel about dealing with grief and loss is the debut by Albets, who is a former colleague in the trade: before making her debut in literature, She worked as a bookseller, editorial consultant and proofreader"It speaks of loneliness, the need for connection with other people, and returning to one's roots. It's a very good sign that a first book is so well written," the bookseller emphasizes. Since the award was announced, the Isop bookstore has already noticed its impact. "We've set up a corner in the bookstore with the awards and we're selling them. This summer there will be quite a lot of sales," Becerra predicts.

For three years, La Temeraria has been honoring a book that has gone unnoticed between Sant Jordi Day and Sant Jordi Day. This year, the Terrassa bookstore has chosen The Ring of the Nibelung, by Amadeu Fabregat, and it is also this title that Àlvar Masllorens recommends for the summer.Fabregat only had one first novel, published in the 1970s."Now he's written a book about Wagner's tetralogy, starring a retired university professor who loves the composer," Masllorens explains. The Ring of the Nibelung "It combines the protagonist's life with Wagner's story," says the bookseller, adding that this professor "will return to his city and reconnect with his past." Fabregat's novel "is written with very long subordinate clauses, but they don't become tiresome," Masllorens emphasizes. "The book is a delight and has gone far too unnoticed," he concludes.

"I want to recommend what I'm recommending these days at the bookstore," says Judith J. Cantavella of Documenta. The book chosen is Smell, a title that straddles the essay and the memoirs of the actor Ernesto Collado, who lost her sense of smell for two and a half years due to a neurological condition, "one of those Oliver Sacks loved so much and called phantosmia," explains Cantavella. The book recounts the experience and how, "once she knew what she had and then recovered her sense of smell, she dedicated herself to researching this sense, which we all have a strong, if not totally forgotten, quality," notes the bookseller. ThroughSmellCollado emphasizes the importance of a sense we often take for granted and invites the reader to pay attention to all the fragrances they pass by every day. Fantosmia has decided to dedicate herself to aromas. "I also recommend it because at the end of the book she suggests exercises and invites us to smell our surroundings. I add: 'Do you like the smell of her sunscreen?'" the bookseller asks.

"A bookstore is not just another store: it is a declaration of principles, it is the defense of values, it is part of the soul of a people," the writer stated. Flavia Company in an article in Fourteen, where he defined bookstores as "spaces of resistance." Guided by this maxim, the La 2 de Viladrich bookstore recommends Someday everyone will have always been against you., by Omar El Akkad, a harrowing book that denounces the atrocities of the Gaza war and the complicit silence of the media. "It's a question of humanity. We must support the lives of all human beings equally. The author denounces that this is not the case and exposes it," Galindo emphasizes. El Akkad "believed that the West was a space of freedom and justice, and he has proven himself wrong," the bookseller notes, adding that, in the case of the inhabitants of Gaza, "there is always a 'but' when it comes to seeking consensus on the seriousness of attempting to take their lives."

Summer is the time of year when aesthetic pressures become most evident. That's why La Capona bookseller Nerea Villacreces recommends this book, which is a critique of the perfect bodies society imposes on us. "How far would you go to achieve what society dictates is the perfect body? Would you have part of one of your organs cut off? Would you be willing to live with constant nausea, hair and tooth loss, vomiting, and chronic discomfort to achieve what is considered the ideal weight?" asks Villacreces. In this essay, Lara Gil draws on her experience and recounts how she ended up undergoing surgery after suffering from fat phobia. "It's a harrowing story that helps you rethink a lot about the society we live in," says the bookseller.

For the little ones, Sendak bookseller Aitor Martos has chosen two very different books. On the one hand, he recommends the illustrated album The band never seen before, by Nadia Budde, a quirky and fun story designed for family reading and aimed at children between two and five years old. "It's a cumulative story, which introduces the members on one side and is very laughable. The illustrations are very unique, with thick black lines and contrasting colors. And the text is rhyming, ideal for little ones, because it reminds them that they've read it, they know what's coming next, and they want to read it again." On the other hand, for more independent readers (ages 9 and up), the bookseller suggests the novel A, B, C and Mrs. Smith, by Núria Parera (Babulinka Books), nominated for the Atrapallibres award. Children will find "a heartwarming story about a seemingly impossible friendship between a lonely woman and some crazy-moving children."