Cari lettori, oggi è il primo giorno di un nuovo anno e sono lieta di annunciare, nel primo post del 2022, l’inizio del Matta Italian Book Club!
Dear readers, today is the first day of a new year, and I am pleased to announce, in the first post of 2022, the start of the “Matta” Leggiamo Italian Book Club!
The first book we will read will be “Guida Astrologica per Cuori Infranti” by Silvia Zucca.
Forse è stato scritto nelle stelle…
Maybe it was written in the stars…
L’idea mi è venuta letteralmente l’altra sera mentre camminavo per il mio quartiere ascoltando una presentazione di audiolibro di Silvia Zucca “Guida Astrologica per Cuori Infanti”.
The idea “literally” came to me the other evening as I walked through my neighborhood listening to an audiobook presentation of Silvia Zucca’s novel “Guida Astrologica per Cuori Infanti.” (An Astrological Guide for Broken Hearts.)
Jump down to View Book Club Details and How to Enroll
Why did I pick Silvia Zucca’s novel as the first “Matta” Book Club choice?
Beh, la protagonista principale Alice è un po’ “matta” come me e la storia è divertente, bizzarra e facile da seguire. È disponibile anche su Amazon in formato cartaceo, epub e audiolibro rendendolo facilmente acce accessibile ai lettori fuori dall’Italia.
Well, the main protagonist Alice is a little “matta” like me and the story is funny and quirky and easy to follow. It is also available on Amazon in print, epub, and audiobook making it easily accessible to readers outside of Italy.
Sono stata introdotta per la prima volta alla storia di Zucca attraverso la serie TV italiana originale di Netflix uscita nell’ottobre del 2021, con lo spettacolo interpretato da Claudia Gusmano come Alice, Michele Rosiello come Davide Sardi e Lorenzo Adorni come Tio Falcetti.
I first was introduced to Zucca’s story through the Netflix original Italian TV series that came out in October of 2021, featuring The show stars Claudia Gusmano as Alice, Michele Rosiello as Davide Sardi, and Lorenzo Adorni as Tio Falcetti.
Ecco il plot riassunto/summary for “Guida Astrologica per Cuori Infranti” di Silvia Zucca.
A metà dei trent’anni e ancora single (non certo per scelta), Alice lavora in una piccola rete televisiva di Milano in un lavoro con mobilità limitata verso l’alto, nonostante sia spesso la persona più competente nella stanza. Per aggiungere al danno la beffa, il suo ex fidanzato Carlo si sposa e sta per diventare padre. E come se non bastasse, nella piccola casa di produzione televisiva per cui lavora, arriva un nuovo affascinante e misterioso direttore creativo, Davide, per mettere tutti alla prova. La vita di Alice inizia a cambiare quando incontra Tio, un attore della soap opera di punta della rete. Tio è una sedicente guru astrologica, che presto diventerà la sua personale “guida astrologica per cuori infranti.”
In her mid-thirties and still single (certainly not by choice), Alice is working at a small television network in Milan in a job with limited upward mobility, despite often being the most competent person in the room. To add insult to injury, her ex-boyfriend Carlo is getting married and about to become a father. And as if that weren’t enough, in the small television production company she works for, a new charming and mysterious creative director, Davide, arrives to put everyone to the test. Alice’s life begins to change when she meets Tio, an actor on the network’s flagship soap opera. Tio is a self-professed astrological guru, who will soon become her personal “astrological guide for broken hearts.”
Lo spettacolo di Netflix è adorabile! La storia perfetta per iniziare il nuovo anno. È leggero e stravagante e ha molti riferimenti alla cultura pop, ai film e agli attori. L’unico problema con lo spettacolo è che la prima stagione televisiva è composta da soli 6 episodi che coprono solo la prima parte del romanzo di Zucca. Come puoi immaginare, la stagione si conclude con una suspense che lascia lo spettatore desideroso di sapere come finisce la storia.
The Netflix show is adorable! The perfect feel-good story to begin the new year. It is light and whimsical and has many references to pop culture, movies, and actors. The only problem with the show is that the first TV season consists of just 6 episodes covering only the first part of Zucca’s novel. As you can guess, the season ends with a suspenseful cliffhanger leaving the viewer longing to know how the story ends.
Non volendo aspettare che esca la seconda stagione di “Guida Astrologica per Cuori Infranti”, sono andata a cercare il romanzo di Silvia Zucca su Amazon in Italiano per soddisfare la mia curiosità. Sono stato felice di scoprire la versione italiana in formato cartaceo ed epub (per Kindle) e come audiolibro.
Not willing to wait for Season 2 of “Guida Astrologica per Cuori Infranti to come out, I went looking for Silvia Zucca’s novel in Italian on Amazon to satisfy my curiosity. I was happy to discover the Italian version in print and epub (for Kindle) and as an audiobook.
Ho subito acquistato sia l’epub che l’Audiobook narrato da Carlotta Brentan, e ho iniziato ad ascoltare. Dopo solo un paio di capitoli del libro ho iniziato a pensare: non sarebbe divertente avviare un club del libro con questo libro e aprirlo ai lettori del blog di Matta?
I immediately acquired the epub and the Audiobook narrated by Carlotta Brentan and started listening. After just a couple of chapters into the book, I started thinking: Wouldn’t it be fun to create a book club featuring this book and open it up to readers of the Matta blog?
Allora, lettori del blog Matta, vorreste unirvi al “Matta” Leggiamo! Book Club?
So, readers of the Matta blog, would you like
to join the “Matta” Leggiamo! Book Club?
Vi interessa? Volete saperne di più? Bene! Ecco cosa ho preparato per voi.
Curious? Want to learn more? Okay! Here is what I’ve cooked up for you.
“Matta” Leggiamo! Italian Book Club Details
Goal / Obiettivo
Improve your Italian reading comprehension, auditory listening skills, and conversation abilities.
To have fun, laugh, and learn together!
What book will we read first?
“Guida Astrologica per Cuori Infranti” by Silvia Zucca
How many Book Club members will there be?
I will be offering TWO book club
participation options
Option 1:
Group Book Club
Up to 5 People
Cost for Eight 1-hr. Group Meetings
$200
Our first Book Club Meeting will start on February 2 and end on March 23, 2022. There will be eight 1-hour weekly meetings.
We will meet on Wednesday afternoons from 5:00-6:00 Central time. (Once group is formed there is some flexibility to change day and time based on group consensus. Please write to me and let me know your preferences.)
(This option allows you to meet other language learners & participate in a group conversations).
To enroll in the GROUP Book Club click the sign up button to register & pay.
Cost to purchase book is extra —
participants purchase their own book.
Option 2:
One-on-One Book Club
1 Person
Cost for Eight 1-hr. Private Meetings
$400
Ongoing option. You can sign up whenever you like, choose any month you like. Just pick a day on my calendar by clicking on the sign up button below.
The timing of our meetings will be determined by you and continue for 8 consecutive weeks. If you have a specific day & time you’d like to meet, but aren’t seeing it on the calendar write me and I will add it to the schedule
(This option gives you organizational flexibility and personalized attention).
To enroll in the Private Book Club click the sign up button to register & pay.
Cost to purchase book is extra —
participants purchase their own book.
If you have questions and would like more information contact: Melissa@StudentessaMatt.com
What is the recommended language level for participation in the “Matta” Book Club?
- Advanced Beginner (with good grasp of Italian grammar and strong vocabulary)
- Intermediate and up
Where will the “Matta” Book Club meetings be held? How long will they last and how many meetings will there be?
- 8-Week Book Club Seminar
- 1-hour weekly Meetings
- Meetings will occur on Zoom or Skype depending on participant preferences
How to acquire the book selection.
All participants will be required to purchase an Epub version of “Guida Astrologica per Cuori Infranti” by Silvia Zucca. (This will be an extra cost in addition to the signup fee.)
To enhance the book club experience, I encourage you to purchase the Audiobook.
I also recommend you watch the Netflix series.
If you watch the Netflix series, I request that you view it in Italian (no subtitles) or in Italian with Italian closed-caption subtitles. Do not watch the English dubbed version.
How will the “Matta” Book Club
Meetings be organized?
Each week’s seminar will be guided by me in Italian.
You don’t have to read the entire book before our first seminar.
Together, each week, we will read sections of the book. (There are 12 sections based on each zodiacal sign) and 46 chapters. The chapters are not long, and you can easily complete the reading the week before each meeting.
What will be covered in Book Club Meeting?
During our hour meeting, there will be a general discussion of the story as it unfolds.
We will discuss plot points, talk about the characters, offer opinions and summarize what we’ve just read and what we think will happen next.
We will talk about vocabulary, grammar, and expressions found in the chapters we read each week.
We will also discuss “gergo” or the Italian slang used in the book.
We will also explore cultural curiosities and compare and contrast the Italian lifestyle with our own.
From me, your book club hostess, each week prior to our meeting you will receive:
- Study guide for the chapters we will cover that week.
- Vocabulary list and link to Quizlet website to practice new vocabulary (I will create flashcards with interactive games to help you learn the new words)
- A short topic/paragraph to prepare, read, or speak about to facilitate participation. This will allow you to write down and organize your thoughts and practice the new vocabulary you will learn while reading that week’s chapters.
When do we start and what will
be the cost of the Book Club?
Group Book Club will start the first week of February and run for 8 weeks.
February 2 – March 23, 2022
Individual Membership Book Club
8 Week Seminar (1 Student)
Start Date: Open all year, and you can sign up at your convenience and select the day and time you’d like our meetings to occur.
Let’s start the New Year off with a good book and a fun learning experience!
Who knows, maybe we will have a guest appearance by the author Silvia Zucca at one of our Book Club meetings? You never know!
Non dire mai!
I hope you join me! If you have questions and want to learn more Write me at: Melissa@StudentessaMatt.com
Enjoy the Netflix Trailer for Guida Astrologica per Cuori Infranti” di Silvia Zucca
I like the idea of a book club in Italian, but when I checked out the Audible selection it was read in English. Is this the only possibility or is there some other Amazon that has books read aloud in Italian?
Ciao Julie! Thanks for dropping me a note! YES! the book is available in Italian in all formats. I accidently posted the links to the English version the books… but have just updated the site with the correct links to get the Italian versions. I’m listening to and reading the book in Italian right now. So, they are definitely available and the reason I decided to start the book club! Hope you join. Let me know if you have any questions! A presto!