I have periods when I read a lot and other times less, but especially during summer, I usually get to read many books. I have studied literature and have read many, many heavy classics, but what I prefer to read are books that are well written but entertaining at the same time. I love a good page-turner. I read mostly in English, but also in French and Danish. All of the books I have mentioned here are translated in many different languages.

Alberto Moravia “The woman of Rome” (1947)

I had never read anything by the Italian writer Moravia before and discovered this book by coincidence. It tells the story of a roman prostitute Adriana during the 1940’s, a simple girl with no fortune but her beauty.  She dreams of a traditional marriage with kids, but finds herself disappointed by the outcome of her destiny. She meets many different men, the young university student Gicaomo, Astarita, the Secret Police officer and Sonzogno, the brutal criminal.

A book easy to read but with many layers that describes the tragedy of human nature with cynicism in the amazin city that is Rome under Mussolini.

Anne Sebra « Les Parisiennes : How the women of Paris lived, loved, and died under Nazi occupation » (2016)

This book is a little bit different from the other in the way that it is an historic book that follows different female destinies during the war, this looks at the years 1939 – 1949 with the focus firmly on the female citizens of Paris. Sebba’s examination of the lives of French women (mostly focused around Parisians) gives you a fascinating close-up into the horrifying challenges they faced during the war. It is an excellent book for anyone who wants to know more about a side of the Second World War that is not often spoken about.

Its very well written, but it’s also a book with many, many information’s at the same time, and all the different stories can be a little bit hard to follow.

Leila Slimani “Lullaby” (2016)

I have read this book in the original language (French), but I am sure that the translations are just as good. This tragic thriller opens op with the ending: the nanny killed the two kids. The rest of the book tells the story of Myriam, a mother and brilliant French-Moroccan lawyer, that decides to return to work, and she and her husband are forced to look for a caretaker for their two young children. They are thrilled to find Louise: the perfect nanny right from the start.

An excellent book that won the biggest literary price in France and not without reason.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/01/the-killer-nanny-novel-that-conquered-france