How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life ~ Book Review







How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life by Signe Johansen is a true "how to" book about the Danish and Norwegian lifestyle that has received more attention lately in North America. 





Signe, the author of How to Hygge, explains through her family experiences and her personal knowledge of the Nordic culture. As you can see in the photo above, the contents walk us through nature, food, drink, home, sports and active lifestyle, connection with friends and family, and home design. I personally really enjoyed reading about the way of thinking of the Nordic people. related to enjoying an active lifestyle in all seasons, including the winter. It is preferred to be outdoors instead of inside a gym. I completely agree with it! Living in Canada, we experience all seasons and we should all embrace outdoor activities in all weather, besides the most extremes. 




How to Hygge also includes a section with recipes! There are delicious recipes for "fika" which is a Swedish tradition of a simple break with coffee and cake. There are several recipes for meat and fish dishes, salads, desserts, and a section on beverages too. 

I tested two recipes and both were delicious. I chose two vegan recipes but there are many non-vegan ones as well. I am fairly certain these two recipes and probably more will become regular meals in our house. 



The Nordic Winter Salad has kale and roasted sweet potatoes. I could not find any more pomegranates at the grocery store but I did add one avocado, a mix of raw sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and feta cheese. It was amazingly simple and full of flavour. 



I also made the Coconut Oatmeal Porridge. I love coconut and recently I have been really enjoying warm oatmeal for breakfast. This was recipe won first place at the London Porridge Championships and I can now understand why. It is amazing, full of yummy coconut and adding fresh blueberries, a little more shredded unsweetened coconut, raw pumpkin and sunflower seeds made it a perfect breakfast. 

The Nordics are well known for their beautiful simple home design. The section on home is inspiring me to continue keeping it simple and choose quality with details I love. 

This book is very enjoyable to read and will be useful to anyone that is interested in bringing some "hygge" influence in their lifestyle. Each chapter ends with a recap, bullet points to review and have a quick "at a glance" summary of that particular chapter. 

How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life by Signe Johansen can be found at:
Indigo.ca 
Amazon.ca 

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review from Raincoast Books. All opinions expressed are completely honest and my own, based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ. 




Comments

  1. Happy to find this review, putting this book on my Amazon wish list.

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