How I Rediscovered My Love for Reading On A Little Italian Island

In autumn 2024, I came back to my love for reading. And I mean reading as a recharging passion - the kind where you can’t put the book down in the evening because you’re so sucked into the story.

Having been a student, an academic, and at that point, a doctoral student and lab researcher for over a decade, reading - for studying and work - has been an integral part of my everyday life. So much so, that I was just tired of reading anything else besides science articles and lab protocols.

So I didn’t.

Until that one day.

We - my husband, my dog (yes, I’m including him because he’s family), and I - were taking a break before the final rough patch of completing my doctorate. We were staying in a wonderful, cute Airbnb in Elba, a little Italian island on the south coast (see photos below). From the balcony, you were close enough to overlook the ocean, listen to the crashing waves, and watch breathtaking sunsets.

I’ve always got my e-reader with me, just in case I might get the itch to pick it up again. For that vacation, we promised ourselves to just take things slow. Rest and recharge. This is a real challenge for us since we usually prefer being on the road with a fully packed schedule.

One of my comfort YouTubers was raving about the Chestnut Springs series by Elsie Silver, so I brought the first book - Flawless - with me.

Again - just in case.

And indeed, one sunny morning where we’d made ourselves comfortable on the balcony, I decided to just have a quick peek into the book.

Just a few pages.

And then some more.

And some more.

Without realizing it, I basically said goodbye to my husband and entered the honeymoon phase with my e-reader. We could not let go of each other. I was so absorbed that I literally read the whole story within two days. And the beautiful thing about having an e-reader and Wi-Fi at my fingertips? I just downloaded the next book in the series and finished it, too.

I was getting that “reader’s high” and completely falling in love with these characters. Their stories taught me something unexpected that I was about to forget in that academic setting without even realizing: the wonderful bonds strong women can build.

They inspired me with the way they lifted each other up. They reminded me of the beautiful blend of femininity and power. Most of all, they left me with a deep admiration for the empowering force of those kinds of wonderful female friendships.

And that’s the wonderful thing about reading: it can have a surprising impact on you. It shifts perspectives and asks for reflection, even if it’s not a self-help book or a work article. Stories can call for something in you that you didn’t even realize you were ready to receive.

(Fun fact: We also decided right then and there to travel Canada for a longer time — actually inspired by the story being set there — but that’s a story for another time.)

I truly wish everyone could experience the enormous impact reading can have. That feeling of being completely absorbed by a story—the way it calls out a part of you that you weren’t aware of. It’s a feeling that lets you discover more of yourself and helps you know yourself better.

Because books can be your escape, your friend, your companion, and your teacher, too. ♡