Summer reading in 2022
Are you a bookworm too? ‘Bookworm’ is a general name for any insect that is said to bore through books. Colloquially speaking, a bookworm is someone who reads lots of books and passionately indulges in this hobby. The term is also used for people who hold a book so close to their face that they look as though they want to gobble it up. Another slang term for people who enjoy reading a lot is ‘avid reader’. This term has been coined since the late 19th century.
Since the summer holidays have now begun, there’s nothing better than spending summer at the beach with a few good books. Reading is a great way of educating yourself. That’s a fact. However, many people are unaware of the various benefits that reading books has on our brains and health.
The hobby can even increase life expectancy. A good book is like medicine. Multiple studies have shown that mental stimulation keeps you in check and delays or even stops the onset of Alzheimer’s or dementia. People who keep their brain active by reading can prevent or slow down the loss of mental skills.
From classic fiction to mystery thrillers: the constantly increasing popularity of books means that readers can always dive into a gripping page-turner. But where do the biggest bookworms live?
The best cities for bookworms
This is precisely what TheKnowledgeAcadademy wanted to find out by identifying the number of libraries and bookshops in the most populated capital cities around the world to discover the best cities for bookworms.
Berlin is the best capital city in the world for booklovers with an overall score of 9.21/10. Achieving top marks for bookshops (10/10) and a high score for libraries (8.42/10), this result is sure to make avid German readers proud.
Tokyo secured second place with an impressive overall score of 8.69/10. Known as the birthplace of Manga, Tokyo ranked third for its libraries (8.95/10) and fourth for its bookshops (8.42/10).
Buenos Aires came in third overall with an outstanding score of 8.68/10. The Argentinian capital received the highest score for its bookshops (9.47/10) and 7.89/10 for its libraries.
Buenos Aires shares third place with Rome, which also received 8.68/10 points. Rome scored the most points for its libraries – securing second place in this category with 9.47/10 points – and also achieved a noteworthy 7.89/10 points for its bookshops.
Here is an overview of the rankings
1. Berlin
2. Tokyo
3. Buenos Aires
4. Rome
5. Madrid
6. London
7. Seoul
8. Singapore
9. Mexico City
10. Lima
The five worst capital cities for bookworms:
Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the worst capital city in the world for booklovers. It scored zero points both in the library and bookshop categories with just 0.40 libraries and 0.46 bookshops per capita.
According to the study, the Indonesian city of Jakarta is the second-worst capital city for booklovers with a total score of just 0.53/10.
1 Kinshasa – Democratic Republic of the Congo
2 Jakarta, Indonesia
3 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
4 Amman, Jordan
5 Hong Kong
A few more impressive figures from 2021: In 2021, total German bookshop sales amounted to around 9.3 billion euros. Media Control counted the total number of books sold in 2021 at 273 million books. At 700,000 copies, the highest selling book in this country was the novel ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ by American author Delia Owens. The top-selling book of all time in Germany is ‘The Neverending Story’ by Michael Ende.
The best-selling novel of all time worldwide is ‘Don Quixote’ with around 500 million copies sold. In 1605, the author Miguel de Cervantes published the novel under the title ‘El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha’.
William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie remain the undisputed bestselling authors. Both have achieved sales of four billion euros to date. That’s quite astounding when you consider that William Shakespeare has been dead for over 500 years.
Summer book recommendations
He never wanted to be a vegan; meat was always part of the deal. Today, Philipp Steuer impresses more than 200,000 people with vegan recipes and tips on YouTube. He explains what drove him from enjoying a steak to taking a relaxed vegan approach in ‘I never wanted to be a vegan’ (ET 19/07/2022, hardback edition).
In his guide, he describes how to become a vegan in five steps and gives tips on changing to a vegan diet, coupled with a good dose of humour, personal experiences and all without a moralising undertone. Together with well-founded knowledge and various guest contributions from other renowned vegans, Philipp Steuer refutes myths and half-truths. Those in the know, says the author, can act and inspire change. He invites you to get started with a 7-day vegan challenge. Meanwhile, he remains casually undogmatic – eating fewer animal products is already a start.
Philipp Steuer, born in 1990, is an entrepreneur and influencer. With more than 200,000 subscribers, he runs the largest vegan YouTube cooking channel in Germany and launched the vegan cosmetic company ‘Moni Cosmetics’ together with his wife. Two cookery books appeared in 2020: ‘Einfach vegantastisch kochen’ and ‘Einfach vegantastisch! Vegane Rezepte für deinen Alltag’. The author lives with his family and many animals near Cologne.
Thriller: ‘Nobody But Us’ by Laure van Rensburg. It was supposed to be the perfect romantic weekend getaway. But only one of them will escape alive. Laure von Rensburg tells the story of a toxic relationship. Well-respected literature professor Steven and young, timid college student Ellie are both head over heels in love and taking their first trip together. They’re looking forward to three days in an isolated cabin on Long Island. Gradually it is revealed where this love story is headed. Walks on the beach, long evenings in front of the fireplace, rampant sex. It sounds like paradise. When a snowstorm strands them in the house, it doesn’t bother them at first. However, it soon becomes clear that both of them are harbouring a secret – and that one of them won’t escape the weekend alive…
“Fierce, frightening, bold and beautiful. Clear your schedule for this one!” Chris Whitaker
Poppy. Your child disappears. And the whole world is watching. A breathtaking thriller with exciting twists by Kristine Getz. Nothing is too personal to be shared on Instagram. Not even the abduction of your child. Four hours after popular influencer Lotte Wiig posts a picture of her two-year-old daughter Poppy, the child disappears. The kidnapping shocks all of Norway as millions of people follow the life of this adorable little girl day by day.
Shortly afterwards, another child is abducted but reappears twelve hours later. Is it the same perpetrator? Commissioner Emer Murphy learns of the kidnapping via the media but is currently on leave from work due to her mental health. Emer wants to find this child at all costs since Poppy stirs up something deep within her. Something she wanted to forget about a long time ago.
‘Clockwork Angel’, an exciting novel by Cassandra Clare that takes place in London’s underworld.
After a long journey across the Atlantic, sixteen-year-old Tess Gray lands in Victorian London. She is hoping to find her missing brother. However, instead of a family reunion, danger and darkness await her in the narrow streets. Vampires, warlocks and worse wreak havoc here and the Shadowhunters are her only hope of fending off the demons of the underworld.
They save Tessa’s life. When the young woman finds out that she, too, is a being between shadow and light with great powers, she has to make a choice: between good and evil, between loyalty and love. Magical, mystical and secretive. An absolute must for all fans of The Mortal Instruments series!
‘Conspiracy’ by Petros Markaris.
A new case for Costas Haritos. Lockdown in Athens. Like all families, the Haritos family is also breaking under the strain. Many people are living on the brink of poverty, all the shops are shut. Even the police haven’t got much going on during the pandemic. Murderers are all staying at home, it seems. So it’s hardly surprising that even the elderly are taking their own lives. Yet when Costas Haritos hears that a ninety-year-old has written ‘Long live the suicide movement’ in his suicide note, his ears prick up. As other similar notes appear, one thing becomes clear: it’s not just COVID putting people at risk.
We hope that you enjoy reading!
