(Click on pictures to enlarge).

An article 100% dedicated to one of the richest, most useful and interesting activities... reading.
LB compiled the most page-turning, attention-capturing books we've loved so far this year — and we're just getting started (February)!


There is nothing official in this selection of 7 "bouquins" (familiar name of the book in French ^^) which have already good sales scores internationally.
Each to his own, as they say, but these first 2 months of 2023 have been very studious for the team of our Edito who has been going through, sometimes very briefly, sometimes without missing a crumb, the literary releases of January.
And for the record, did you know that the Belgians are in the middle of the pack in the race to be the world's biggest readers?
The world champions are the Indians (+10 hours of reading per week), the last are the Koreans (+/- 3 hours).
We read about 6h30 per week, it's an average, I can already see some of you screaming about false information, but you should also know that by looking at the various media consumption studies in the world, we realize that some countries with the lowest scores in terms of weekly reading, end up being the biggest consumers of TV, radio and internet.
Moral: where the big media go, reading goes!


It is also an article that gives a wonderful opportunity, that of inciting you to forget to watch this awful machine of fake news, the TV, to devote more time to read and to plunge into invented stories, or real ones, short stories, novels, whatever the nature of the story, reading does good and it is excellent for our health.
Here are 7 books that we suggest to fill hours with words and imagination... so go to your good bookstore, there are many in Brussels and buy books!
Have a good read!

> Screaming on the inside - Jessica Grose



Pitch : Moms were over-worked and under-appreciated even before the pandemic laid bare the need to reevaluate family life. Journalist Grose weaves together history, memoir and interviews with hundreds of women to persuasively propose a saner future for all.

> The Villa - Rachel Hawkins


Pitch: After her marriage collapses, Emily and her "bestie" decide to vacation in an Italian villa known for a gruesome 1974 murder. Flashing between past and present, Hawkins weaves an engrossing tale about betrayal, sisterhood and the power of telling your own story. Captivating!

> The survivalists - Kashana Cauley


Pitch: Aretha's built a great life as a high-profile lawyer when she meets Aaron, an entrepreneur with potential. As their relationship deepens, his preparation-obsessed housemates push Aretha down a darker path. Cauley's sharp wit tracks Aretha's descent into survival mode.

> The Circus train - Amita Parikh


Pitch: Young, disabled Lena, the daughter of haunted illusionist Theo, falls in love with another outsider, tortured Jewish refugee Alexandre. As the Nazis encroach, the performers struggle to survive betrayals and heartbreaking loss, all leading to a spinning-plates grand finale with an irresistible message: Finding your true self (and true love) is the greatest wonder of all.

> Really good, actually - Monica Heisey


Pitch: This savvy TV writer's debut novel is a cringe-filled, funny—and surprisingly poignant—look at one woman's self-discovery after heartbreak.

> SAM - Allegra Goodman


Pitch: A profound and gorgeously written gem about the tough, tender route Sam must navigate—grappling with friendships, love, insecurities and burgeoning womanhood—to chart her own course.

> Exiles - Jane Harper


Pitch: Investigator Aaron Falk arrives in Australian wine country for his godson's christening, post-poned from last year when the community was rocked by a young woman's disappearance.

Photos covers: Flatiron books / The Dial Press / Soft Skull / HarperCollins / St-Martin's press / Putnam's sons / Mariner Books.