Just Finished Reading: The Little Book of Hygge – The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking (FP: 2016) [285pp]
To be honest, as I usually am, I picked this up because it looked just so damned cute! The actual contents, text and photographs, came second. Thankfully they were both very good indeed.
I’ve long been interested in different ideas of well-being from around the world and across time, so this looked like an idea light read. The Danes regularly score highly as the happiest people on Earth. Indeed, they get a little miffed (though not for long I imagine) when they periodically and very temporarily get knocked off the top slot. This being the case there’s little surprise that the Happiness Research Institute (who published this book) is based in Copenhagen. The question of WHY the Danes are just so damned happy is what the author attempts to answer.
A huge part of that answer is, apparently, the concept of Hygge – pronounced hoo-ga which can be VERY roughly translated as ‘cosiness’. Imagine standing in your home (or the home of a dear friend) looking out the window as a snow storm is passing, dressed in a warm, cozy thick jumper, cup of hot chocolate, tea or coffee in hand, with a log fire burning and the sound of friends laughing behind you as they prepare food together, calling over to you to finish the pie everyone wants to taste – oh, and the room has numerous candles burning and there’s soft music playing, something classical or light jazz... That’s Hygge.
Heavily illustrated throughout, with some quite excellent photographs scattered through the book, the book contains ideas for hygge events, food (complete with recipes), drinks (ditto), home decor ideas, places to visit (mostly in Copenhagen), places to eat (ditto) and a special chapter on a hygge Christmas. Well written (I found myself smiling throughout the entire read) and lavishly illustrated (I was most impressed as you might be able to tell!) this was a delightful read from cover to cover. Cute in itself as an object and full of good ideas. Highly recommended.
8 comments:
This book may have kicked off an obsession with "make your life better with [Scandinavian word]" books, as there are quite a few of them these days!
Quite possibly! [grin] I did notice a few when I was searching for a cover piccy...
I would have been attracted to that cover too - I'm glad the contents are good as well! I've heard of Hygge but haven't read much about it.
The whole book is actually as attractive. It's got a great 'heft' to it - being old-style paperback size but as a hardback, plus the contents are really well designed and laid out. A lot of thought went into the layout of this book.
I have a friend from India who is striving to incorporate more "slow living" into her very busy life. It seems the desire for warmth, cosy times, and friendship is almost universal. :) I do think some cultures have managed to tap into it better than others.
I’m familiar with hygge and strive to achieve that whenever I can. I succeed around the holidays, but fall short in the heat of summer. I’m constantly reworking rooms in our house to evoke this feeling.
I can't help but think that a lot of people have 'busy lives' by choice. It's almost as if its a badge of honour sometimes. We actually have a lot of control over what we do - more than most people think. But I do agree that 'slow living' is a much better way to live. It's certainly a LOT less stressful than fast living!
Excellent. The book mentioned that Hygge was a bit easier when it was cold outside [grin]. Reading through the book I found myself checking off the list: burning candles - especially in the winter [check], thick cozy jumpers [check], hot drinks - green tea for me [check], relaxing music [check], cake [check!] I'm half way to Hygge already!!
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