The Summer Book

The Summer Book

Author: Tove Jansson

Publisher: Sort of Books

Published: 2022-04-14

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 1908745193

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Celebrating 50 years of Tove Jansson's classic, bestselling novel Featured in the BBC 2 Between the Covers Bookclub Special (Eurovision series 2023) 'Distils the essence of summer' Robert Macfarlane 'Magical, life-affirming' Elizabeth Gilbert The Worldwide Classic about a tiny island and larger love. An elderly artist and her six-year-old grand-daughter while away a summer together on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland. As the two learn to adjust to each other's fears, whims and yearnings, a fierce yet understated love emerges - one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the very island itself. Written in a clear, unsentimental style, full of brusque humour, and wisdom, The Summer Book is a profoundly life-affirming story. Tove Jansson captured much of her own life and spirit in the book, which was her favourite of her adult novels. With a foreword by Esther Freud and an afterword by Sophia Jansson (on whom the child 'Sophia' is based) who returns to the island during the pandemic at the point of becoming a grandmother herself. Includes a 15pp epilogue by Tove's niece Sophia Jansson - the inspiration for 'Sophia' - on a personal and moving return to the island. 'Eccentric, funny, wise, full of joys and small adventures. This is a book for life.' Esther Freud 'Tove Jansson was a genius. This is a marvellous, beautiful, wise novel, which is also very funny.' Philip Pullman


The Adventures of Lily Huckleberry in Scandinavia

The Adventures of Lily Huckleberry in Scandinavia

Author: Jackie Knapp

Publisher:

Published: 2019-05-25

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13: 9781732696112

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In a village where the flowers grow as big as trees, lives a girl named Lily Huckleberry. As a member of the Worldwide Adventure Society, Lily's magic globe takes her on spectacular adventures around the world. In this first book of the series, Lily goes to Scandinavia for a Midsummer party, where she finds herself ker-splat in the middle of a strawberry mystery. As Lily travels around Scandinavia to save Midsummer, she meets a menagerie of friends, explores Nordic culture, and discovers the thrill of being brave enough to take big risks.


A Scandinavian Summer

A Scandinavian Summer

Author: Helga Jensen

Publisher: Hera books Ltd

Published: 2022-06-30

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 1912973995

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‘A charming, funny story... Ideal sunshine reading.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Reader Review It’s the right time for love, but is it the right place? After the tragic, premature death of her husband Anthony, Martha has spent all her time focused on her teenage daughter Rosie in their small Welsh village. But with Rosie leaving the nest, and Martha’s own job on the line, it feels that life is passing her by. Inspired by her love for Scandi-noir dramas, Martha impulsively books a trip to Denmark, determined to push herself out of her comfort zone – even if the thought terrifies her... Her trip to the tiny island of Fano becomes something much more: in the form of handsome stranger, Lars. Can Martha find love under the Scandinavian skies... but more importantly, can she find herself? A romantic, warm and uplifting read, guaranteed to leave you smiling. Fans of Jenny Colgan and Kathryn Freeman will adore this feelgood read! Readers are loving A Scandinavian Summer: ‘I loved every page and still think about the characters... lots of laugh-out-loud moments to be enjoyed’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Reader Review ‘A beautiful story...well worth 5 stars and I recommend this great summer read.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Reader Review ‘What a beautiful story...An absolute gem, I couldn’t put it down.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Reader Review ‘Whilst I’m feeling a bit lost now I’ve finished it, I’m left with a lovely warm feeling... I can’t recommend it highly enough’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Reader Review ‘Quirky, delightful and will whisk you away to a beautiful island in Denmark. The only problem is you'll never want to leave!’ Reader Review ‘A lovely story of a cautious woman learning to embrace life once again...An enjoyable, heartwarming read.’ Reader Review ‘This was a delightful read... Martha’s story was heart-warming’ Reader Review Praise for Helga Jensen: ‘I simply couldn’t put this down. I laughed out loud several times before I’d even finished the first chapter.’ Jules Wake, author of The Spark and The Saturday Morning Park Run ‘A joyous tale of rediscovering your dreams, love and sense of self. Sheer fun and absolute UpLit!’ Pernille Hughes, author of Probably the Best Kiss in the World ‘I love this book so much! All I wanted was for it not to end! It’s right there on my top romcoms list now.’ Natalie Normann, author of Summer Island


Letters from Tove

Letters from Tove

Author: Tove Jansson

Publisher: U of Minnesota Press

Published: 2020-03-10

Total Pages: 639

ISBN-13: 1452963827

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A virtual memoir in letters by the beloved creator of the Moomins Tove Jansson’s works, even her famed Moomin books, fairly teem with letters of one kind or another, from messages bobbing in bottles to whole epistolary novels. Fortunately for her countless readers, her life was no different, unfolding as it did in the letters to family, friends, and lovers that make up this volume, a veritable autobiography over the course of six decades—and the only one Jansson ever wrote. And just as letters carry a weight of significance in Jansson’s writing, those she wrote throughout her life reflect the gravity of her circumstances, the depth of her thoughts and feelings, and the critical moments of humor, sadness, and grace that mark an artist’s days. These letters, penned with characteristic insight and wit, provide an almost seamless commentary on Jansson’s life within Helsinki’s bohemian circles and on her island home. Shifting between hope and despair, yearning and happiness, they describe her immersion in art studies and her ascension to fame with the Moomins. They speak frankly of friendship and love, loneliness and solidarity, and also of politics, art, literature, and society. They summon a particular place and time reflected through a mind finely attuned to her culture, her world, and her own nature—all clearly put into biographical and historical context by the volume’s editors, both longtime friends of Tove Jansson—and, in the end, draw a complex, intimate self-portrait of one of the world’s most beloved authors.


The Little Book of Scandi Living

The Little Book of Scandi Living

Author: Brontë Aurell

Publisher: White Lion Publishing

Published: 2020-02-11

Total Pages: 163

ISBN-13: 178131960X

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Why are Scandinavians the world's happiest people? How do you get more Scandi-style in your life? â??What is lagom and how do you use it? Whether you want your apartment to look like it belongs in Copenhagen, to workout like a Norwegian or to make cinnamon buns like a Swede, this pocket edition of North is the perfect introduction to the world's happiest countries. Full of inspiration and ideas, how-tos and recipes to help you experience the very best of Scandinavian design, philosophy, cookery and culture, this honest behind-the-scenes look at the culture provides an invaluable insight into the wonderful and visually stunning world of Scandinavia. Like her viking ancestors before her, Brontë Aurell left Denmark to explore the world beyond home shores and in her travels has come to understand the fascination with her kinfolk, as well as seeing the idiosyncrasies of the Scandinavian lifestyle that locals take for granted. With a signature wit and a keen eye for detail, she takes you on a journey through fjords and mountains, farmlands and cities to better understand these three nations and what makes each one so unique. So get outdoors, learn the life lesson that there's no such thing as bad weather (only bad clothing) and you may discover your inner Scandi sooner than you think.


The Almost Nearly Perfect People

The Almost Nearly Perfect People

Author: Michael Booth

Publisher: Picador

Published: 2015-01-27

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 1250061970

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The Christian Science Monitor's #1 Best Book of the Year A witty, informative, and popular travelogue about the Scandinavian countries and how they may not be as happy or as perfect as we assume, “The Almost Nearly Perfect People offers up the ideal mixture of intriguing and revealing facts” (Laura Miller, Salon). Journalist Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians for more than ten years, and he has grown increasingly frustrated with the rose-tinted view of this part of the world offered up by the Western media. In this timely book he leaves his adopted home of Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, the secrets of their success, and, most intriguing of all, what they think of one another. Why are the Danes so happy, despite having the highest taxes? Do the Finns really have the best education system? Are the Icelanders as feral as they sometimes appear? How are the Norwegians spending their fantastic oil wealth? And why do all of them hate the Swedes? In The Almost Nearly Perfect People Michael Booth explains who the Scandinavians are, how they differ and why, and what their quirks and foibles are, and he explores why these societies have become so successful and models for the world. Along the way a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of a region plagued by taboos, characterized by suffocating parochialism, and populated by extremists of various shades. They may very well be almost nearly perfect, but it isn’t easy being Scandinavian.


Scandinavians

Scandinavians

Author: Robert Ferguson

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2017-09-20

Total Pages: 429

ISBN-13: 1468314831

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“An engaging, layered look into a culture complex enough both to produce stylish rain gear and to embrace the foul weather that necessitates it.” —The New York Times Book Review We fill our homes with Nordic furniture; we envy their humane social welfare system and healthy outdoor lifestyle; we devour their crime fiction. Even their strangely attractive melancholia seems to express a stoic, commonsensical acceptance of life’s vicissitudes. But how valid is this outsider’s view of Scandinavia, and how accurate is our picture of life in Scandinavia today? Scandinavians follows a chronological progression across the Northern centuries: the Vendel era of Swedish prehistory; the age of the Vikings; the Christian conversions of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland; the unified Scandinavian state of the late Middle Ages; the sea-change of the Reformation; the kingdom of Denmark-Norway; King Gustav Adolphus and the age of Sweden’s greatness; the cultural golden age of Ibsen, Strindberg, and Munch; the impact of the Second World War; Scandinavia’s postwar social democratic nirvana; and the terror attack of Anders Behring Breivik. Scandinavians is also a personal investigation, with award-winning author Robert Ferguson as the ideal companion as he explores not only the region’s society, politics, culture, and temperament, but also wide-ranging topics such as the power and mystique of Scandinavian women, from the Valkyries to the Vikings; from Nora and Hedda to Garbo and Bergman. “A delightful history in which the author truly captures ‘the soul of the North.’ ”—Kirkus Reviews


A Nearly Normal Family

A Nearly Normal Family

Author: M. T. Edvardsson

Publisher: Celadon Books

Published: 2019-06-25

Total Pages: 361

ISBN-13: 1250204429

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Now a Netflix Limited Series "...A compulsively readable tour de force." —The Wall Street Journal New York Times Book Review recommends M.T. Edvardsson’s A Nearly Normal Family and lauds it as a “page-turner” that forces the reader to confront “the compromises we make with ourselves to be the people we believe our beloveds expect.” (NYTimes Book Review Summer Reading Issue) M.T. Edvardsson’s A Nearly Normal Family is a gripping legal thriller that forces the reader to consider: How far would you go to protect the ones you love? In this twisted narrative of love and murder, a horrific crime makes a seemingly normal family question everything they thought they knew about their life—and one another. Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she have to know a shady businessman, let alone to kill him? Stella’s father, a pastor, and mother, a criminal defense attorney, find their moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter, while struggling to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A Nearly Normal Family asks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them?