Reviewed by annieb123 on
The Little Book of Scandi Living is a cute tongue-in-cheek ode to all things Scandinavian. Due out 11th Feb 2020 from Quarto on their White Lion imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in hardcover format.
This is a cute gift type book for the Scandi fans or maybe someone planning a trip to the Nordic countries. It's not extremely fact heavy, it's funny, and it does manage to hit some of the high notes. There's a lot of light-hearted competition and sibling rivalry between Norway, Denmark, and Sweden and this book includes a lot of the highlights.
It's very generalised (Norwegians do X, Danes do Y, and Swedes do Zed). I don't think the author meant for it to be taken literally, but I have noticed some stereotypes are stereotypes because they have some real life correlations.
The chapters are arranged thematically: style, food culture and etiquette, outdoor and family life, culture, and celebration. The book is liberally peppered with cheerful illustrations and photos.
All in all it's a cheerful and sweet book which will appeal to world travelers, dreamers, and folks who are proud of their Scandinavian heritage.
Three and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 17 January, 2020: Reviewed