As a part of my goal for better living in 2026, I resolved to begin reading in Italian. I’ve made some progress, but not as many books read as I would like.

The first accomplishment was reading this children’s book. I would say it is written for early teens and my Italian teacher recommended it to me as a good place to start. It’s pretty simple and straightforward, which is not to say reading it was easy. It took perseverance and dedication, but eventually I finished it. And it was SO worth the trouble. It is a many-layered story, filled with suffering and beauty and, like all the good books, it is so much better than the film that was later made from it.

I went back to my teacher for another recommendation and she suggested Novecento. She was correct. Another excellent read and not at all conventional.

Since those two early 2026 succsses, I am attempting to read this Agatha Christie style novel written by an Italian author. It is so complicated with so many characters who often have multiple names (Julian Lenox is also Lord Worthmore, etc.) that it has been slow going.

But I am resolved to continue my reading in Italian!