Whenever I go on trip I like to find books written about or by authors from that country.  So I thought I would share the books I am taking on this trip and will read while visiting these countries. Our family, all seven of us, are going on this trip, including our 14 month old grandson, so we will not be doing a lot of heavy sight seeing, but will still want to see what we can in the time we have.

We will be spending four days in Helsinki, Finland. Our son-in-law is half Finnish and still has relatives there which is why we are going on this trip in the first place! So I thought it would be important to learn a bit more about Finland and Finnish culture.

The Finnish Way: Finding Courage Wellness and Happiness Through the Power of Sisu by Kate Pantzar seems like the perfect book to begin my exploration and understanding of Finland. Interestingly, Finns consistently report that they are one of the happiest people in the world. Pantzar, a journalist, decided to find out why after she moved to Finland. She found that they embrace some simple and sensible daily practices that nurture the mind, body and spirit. I am expecting a lot from this book!

My second book for Finland is called The Year of the Hare  by Arto Paasillinna and translated by Herbert Lomas. First published in 1975, it is a novel about a journalist who, while on assignment, hits a hare. This small incident becomes the catalyst for him to quit his job, end his marriage, sell all his possessions and wander the wilds of Finland for a year. However instead of having the peaceful and enlightening experience he anticipated, mayhem ensues everywhere they go! Described as “inventive”, “picaresque”, “sentimental” and “humorous,” I decided it would be a fun read for a vacation!

My husband and I will be taking a four day side trip to Norway while part of our family goes to visit family north of Helsinki and our older daughter and son-in-law return home through Iceland. Going to Norway is one of those bucket list trips for me. In fourth grade I did a report on Norway and I have never forgotten the mystery and grandeur of the fjords! We have several boat trips planned from Bergen and I’m really looking forward to that!

One of Norway’s most famous authors is Maja Lunde and she recently published a book called The History of Bees. Although not set in Norway this is a book about three generations of beekeepers: England in 1852, The Unites States in 2007 and China in 2098, and traces the decline of bees and the consequences that has on humanity and our earth.

I feel that you learn a lot about a culture by reading their detective novels. A detective novel set in Japan will be vastly different from one set in India or Argentina, because the way a country deals with crime reflects their values, culture and understanding of the law. So I chose The Snowman by Jo Nesbø and translated by Don Bartlett.

Nesbø is a well known novelist and I have read several of his books, but The Snowman is, according to some, one of his finest books. A young boy wakes up to find his mother gone. The scarf the boy gave to his mother at Christmas is found on a snowman that mysteriously appeared in the yard. Harry Hole, detective, soon realizes that he is dealing with a serial killer who kills when the first snow falls.

Let me know what books you have enjoyed while traveling abroad!

I will let you know what I chose for Iceland next week!