Audiobooks on the rise, slow Sundays and summer holidays at the center of reading habits. Thriller, cozy mystery and great returns: the photograph of a country that reads when it can, but does not give up stories
In the vortex of increasingly busy days and dwindling free time, reading in Italy does not disappear: it changes shape. The Reading Wrapped 2025 by Rakuten Kobo it restores the image of a public that continues to seek refuge in books, but does so by adapting reading to the rhythms of contemporary life. A chapter under the umbrella, a voice in your headphones while walking or preparing dinner: reading remains a passion, but it becomes more and more fluid.
Reading time: Sundays, holidays and spaces stolen from the frenzy
The most symbolic data of 2025 concerns When it reads. The lack of time during the week pushes many readers to concentrate on reading during breaks. There Sunday confirms itself as the favorite day for dedicating oneself to novels, thrillers and love stories, while the absolute peak of the year was recorded on August 17thin the heart of traditional summer holidays, with over 80 thousand hours of reading in a single day.
A concentration that tells a lot about the contemporary relationship with cultural time: selective, protected, experienced as a regenerating space to be defended.
Listening conquers space: boom in audiobooks
Alongside traditional reading, a new habit grows: listening. The audiobooks recorded an increase of +37% compared to 2024marking a structural change in the way we consume stories. More and more people are choosing to “have a book told” while carrying out other activities, transforming narration into a daily, mobile, adaptable companion.
This is not a replacement, but an expansion: reading becomes multitasking, without losing its emotional value.
Most read genres: escape, mystery and alternative worlds
The preferences of Italian readers in 2025 paint a clear panorama: desire for emotional involvement and stories capable of offering a break from reality.
THE thriller are confirmed as the most read genre, followed by contemporary fiction and historical novels. They resist classics and the love storiesbut what is surprising is the exploit of the cozy mysterywhich recorded a growth of +62% compared to the previous year. A success that tells of the need for reassuring mysteries, refined settings and measured tensions.
The rise of also continues fantasy and science fiction (+13%), confirming the interest in increasingly complex alternative and imaginary universes.
The 10 most read titles on Kobo in 2025
Over the course of the year, some stories succeeded more than others in entering the homes – and habits – of Italian readers. This is the top ten most read titles on Kobo in 2025:
- A murderous mind by Angela Marsons
A dark and tense mystery with detective Kim Stone dealing with a disturbing community that exploits human frailties. - The catastrophic visit to the zoo by Joel Dicker
A tense and choral novel that addresses issues such as democracy, inclusion and educational dynamics. - The last secret by Dan Brown
An international thriller between Prague and New York, between mysteries, disappearances and global conspiracies. - Miss Bee and the Winter Prince by Alessia Gazzola
A historical mystery with British charm, set in the evocative Alconbury Hall. - Tata by Valerie Perrin
An intense novel that weaves together family secrets and hidden destinies with great delicacy. - Welcome crime by Cristina Cassar Scalia
Mystery set in Sicily in the 1960s, which introduces Commissioner Scipione Macchiavelli. - The midwife by Bibbiana Cau
A social novel about the strength of women, between solidarity and rebellion in a rural community. - All the life that remains by Roberta Recchia
A family story that explores grief and connections after a tragic loss. - Like bitter orange by Milena Palminteri
Three women go through Fascism, war and reconstruction, struggling to assert identity and freedom. - The anniversary by Andrea Bajani
An introspective novel about escaping an oppressive family and seeking rebirth.
What Italians will read in 2026
If 2025 marked the year of new habits, the 2026 it promises to be a season of rediscovered. The upcoming major film adaptations promise to bring the classicswith titles like Wuthering Heights, Reason and feeling And Pride and prejudice ready to conquer new generations of readers.
Attention towards the world of fan fictionincreasingly intercepted by large publishers. Titles like Alchemised or How not to fall in love with the enemyborn as a story “Dramione” starring Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy from the universe of Harry Pottertalk about the growing influence of online communities and open up new questions about copyright and the transformation of digital fiction into bestsellers.
Finally, a surprise for 2026 comes from sport. The global success of the series Heated Rivalrybased on the novel by Rachel Reidis ready to transform thehockey romance in the next publishing phenomenon: stories where sporting rivalries and feelings intertwine on the ice, giving life to new fan communities.
Stories that change shape, but don’t disappear
While the way we read – and listen – continues to evolve, one certainty remains. Stories always find new ways to surprise, unite and inspire. Even when time seems to be lacking, books continue to carve out their space. And to tell, perhaps better than any data, who we are and what we need.
