Nordic Passport

An inviting exploration of "the new hygge": the Swedish concept of lagom--finding balance in moderation--featuring inspiration and practical advice on how to find a happy medium in life, home, work, and health. Following the cultural phenomena of fika and hygge, the allure of Scandinavian culture and tradition continues in the Swedish concept of lagom. From home design and work-life balance, to personal well-being and environmental sustainability, author Anna Brones presents valuable Swedish-inspired tips and actionable ways to create a more intentional, healthy lifestyle. Instead of thinking about how we can work less, lagom teaches us to think about how we can work better. Lagom at home is about finding balance between aesthetics and function, focusing on simplicity, light, and open spaces. Health and wellness in lagom is a holistic approach for the body and mind, including connecting more in person, caring for self, managing stress, keeping active, and embacing enjoyment in daily routine. Live Lagom inspires us to slow down and find happiness in everyday balance.

Sweden is one of the world's top coffee consuming nations, and the social coffee break known as fika is a cultural institution. A time to take a rest from work and chat with friends or colleagues over a cup and a sweet treat, fika is part of the national identity and a marker of the Swedish ideal of taking time to appreciate life's small joys. Fika can be had alone or in groups, indoors or outdoors, while traveling or while at home, and Fika is full of inspiration to elevate these daily coffee breaks. In this adorable and illustrated cookbook, Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall share more than 45 classic recipes from their motherland--from cinnamon buns and ginger snaps to rhubarb cordial and rye bread--while also examining what fika means to Swedes and how we can all integrate its values into our daily lives.

A Finnish journalist, now a naturalized American citizen, asks Americans to draw on elements of the Nordic way of life to nurture a fairer, happier, more secure, and less stressful society for themselves and their children. Moving to America in 2008, Finnish journalist Anu Partanen quickly went from confident, successful professional to wary, self-doubting mess. She found that navigating the basics of everyday life--from buying a cell phone and filing taxes to education and childcare--was much more complicated and stressful than anything she encountered in her homeland. At first, she attributed her crippling anxiety to the difficulty of adapting to a freewheeling new culture. But as she got to know Americans better, she discovered they shared her deep apprehension. To understand why life is so different in the U.S. and Finland, Partanen began to look closely at both. In The Nordic Theory of Everything, Partanen compares and contrasts life in the United States with life in the Nordic region, focusing on four key relationships--parents and children, men and women, employees and employers, and government and citizens. She debunks criticism that Nordic countries are socialist "nanny states," revealing instead that it is we Americans who are far more enmeshed in unhealthy dependencies than we realize. As Partanen explains step by step, the Nordic approach allows citizens to enjoy more individual freedom and independence than we do. Partanen wants to open Americans' eyes to how much better things can be--to show her beloved new country what it can learn from her homeland to reinvigorate and fulfill the promise of the American dream--to provide the opportunity to live a healthy, safe, economically secure, upwardly mobile life for everyone. Offering insights, advice, and solutions, The Nordic Theory of Everything makes a convincing argument that we can rebuild our society, rekindle our optimism, and restore true freedom to our relationships and lives.

A follow-up to the successful 'The ScandiKitchen', this new book from Brontë Aurell features over 60 recipes for cakes, bakes, and treats from all over Scandinavia. From indulgent cream confections to homely and comforting fruit cakes and traditional breads, sweet buns, and pastries.

Denmark is officially the happiest nation on Earth, so when journalist Helen Russell finds herself spending a year in rural Jutland, she decides she'll do all she can to uncover the secrets of the Danes' happiness. But will the long, dark winters and pickled herring take their toll?

Bringing Up Bébé meets Last Child in the Woods in this lively, insightful memoir about a mother who sets out to discover if the nature-centric parenting philosophy of her native Scandinavia holds the key to healthier, happier lives for her American children. When Swedish-born Linda McGurk moved to small-town Indiana with her American husband to start a family, she quickly realized that her outdoorsy ways were not the norm. In Sweden children play outside all year round, regardless of the weather, and letting young babies nap outside in freezing temperatures is not only common--it is a practice recommended by physicians. In the US, on the other hand, she found that the playgrounds, which she had expected to find teeming with children, were mostly deserted. In preschool, children were getting drilled to learn academic skills, while their Scandinavian counterparts were climbing trees, catching frogs, and learning how to compost. Worse, she realized that giving her daughters the same freedom to play outside that she had enjoyed as a child in Sweden could quickly lead to a visit by Child Protective Services. The brewing culture clash finally came to a head when McGurk was fined for letting her children play in a local creek, setting off an online firestorm when she expressed her anger and confusion on her blog. The rules and parenting philosophies of her native country and her adopted homeland were worlds apart. Struggling to fit in and to decide what was best for her children, McGurk turned to her own childhood for answers. Could the Scandinavian philosophy of "there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes" be the key to better lives for her American children? And how would her children's relationships with nature change by introducing them to Scandinavian concepts like friluftsliv ("open-air living") and hygge (the coziness and the simple pleasures of home)? McGurk embarked on a six-month-long journey to Sweden to find out. There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather is a fascinating personal narrative that highlights the importance of spending time outdoors, and illustrates how the Scandinavian culture could hold the key to raising healthier, resilient, and confident children in America.

Discover the Swedish ethos of balanced living with this little book of Lagom. The Swedish concept of Lagom (pronounced "lah-gom") roughly translates to "not too little, not too much, just right." This charming book introduces readers to a new way of balanced living that promises happiness and sustainability in work and in life. Lagom provides simple solutions to juggle everyday priorities, reduce stress, eat well, and save money, with lessons on the importance of downtime, being outdoors, and Sweden's coffee break culture. Tips on removing clutter and creating a capsule wardrobe help readers achieve Sweden's famously clean and functional design aesthetic, while advice on going green and growing food gets their hands dirty. With seemingly endless financial, emotional, and environmental benefits, Lagom presents an accessible and all-encompassing lifestyle that is sure to inspire mindfulness, wellbeing, and contentment.

While the Danish concept of hygge as caught on around the globe, so has lagom--its Swedish counterpart. An essential part of the lagom lifestyle, fika is the simple art of taking a break--sometimes twice a day--to enjoy a warm beverage and sweet treat with friends. This delightful gift book offers an introduction to the tradition along with recipes to help you establish your own fika practice.

New York Times Bestseller Embrace Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) and become happier with this definitive guide to the Danish philosophy of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. Why are Danes the happiest people in the world? The answer, says Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, is Hygge. Loosely translated, Hygge is a sense of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. The Little Book of Hygge introduces you to this cornerstone of Danish life, and offers advice and ideas on incorporating it into your own life.

Join the happiness revolution! The author of the New York Times bestseller The Little Book of Hygge offers more inspiration and suggestions for achieving greater happiness, by practicing Lykke (LOO-ka)--pursuing and finding the good that exists in the world around us every day. While the Danes are the happiest people on the planet, happiness isn't exclusively Danish; cultures around the world have their own unique approaches to leading a contented, fulfilled life. For his work at the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Meik Wiking travels the globe from Dubai to Finland, Rio de Janeiro to Bhutan, South Korea to the United States, to discover the secrets of the very happiest people.

In a fast-paced world, wouldn't it be wonderful if you could slow down and enjoy a life with less pressure, less stress, and more time for the things you love?  Sweden is ranked in the top three of the world's happiest places to live, and lagom, which means "not too much and not too little--just right," is the Swedish philosophy for enjoying balance in every aspect of life--from work and leisure to family and food, and everything in between. Experienced bakers know by touch when the dough they are kneading is lagom--not too moist and not too dry. At the office, professionals who work hard--but not to the detriment of other parts of their lives--are following the lagom ideal. Lagom is moderation, balance, and equality. By using the Swedish lifestyle as an example, Niki Brantmark offers insightful suggestions and bite-sized actions to help you make subtle changes to your life, so you too can make time for the things that matter most and find greater happiness.

From coffee breads and cakes to cookies and tarts, this gorgeous cookbook offers forty-three recipes, along with photographs, history, musings, and stories. These classic Scandinavian baking recipes are knockouts for the eye and the taste buds.

This is the perfect little gift for Scandi fans who want to bring some Nordic charm into their kitchen. With over 60 sweet and savoury recipes for all sorts of snacks, treats, fingerfood, bakes and pastries, it will provide plenty of inspiration for every occasion throughout the year. Doyenne of Danish baking, Trine Hahnemann, shares all her favourite treats in this cute cookbook so that you can make your own delicious cardamom buns, almond cookies, honey bombs, coconut macaroons and smoked salmon open sandwiches, among many others.

The Scandinavians excel at comfort-- family, friends, a good atmosphere, long meals, relaxation, and an emphasis on the simple pleasures. They even have a word for this kind of coziness that comes with spending quality time in hearth and home when the days are short: "hygge". Trine Hahnemann is the doyenne of Scandinavian cooking, and loves nothing more than spending time in her kitchen cooking up comforting food in good company. This is her collection of recipes that will warm youup and teach you to embrace the art of hygge, no matter where you live.

A world of steamed-up kitchen windows against a frosty backdrop, delicious Danish pastries, crusty dense breads and creamy layer cakes is summoned up in Trine Hahnemann's spectacularly beautiful new book, Scandinavian Baking. Cakes abound, with every kind of Danish pastry you could ever wish for, a cookie for every occasion, mouthwatering layer cakes, coffee cakes, cream buns plus snippets of baking history, so you can learn all you need to know about Scandinavian baking. Divided into two main sections on cakes and breads, sandwiched between features on Midsummer and Christmas, this is the ultimate compendium on authentic Scandinavian baking with a modern twist.