Back in 2016, one of my New Year’s Resolutions was to complete a reading list (I chose this one, despite not being a man and still having a few years to go before hitting 30). I completed my last book with only hours to spare on December 31, and since then I always seem to have a stack of books next to my bed.
My bedtime reading ritual has become sacred, and I like to devour books on a wide range of topics; lately, minimalism, mindfulness, hand-lettering, and sewing have been common themes among my library checkouts. Without fail, though, travel and cultural books are always on my reading list.
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Here are a few travel-related books I’ve just finished reading:
A TRAVEL-INSPIRED READING LIST
A book about modern-day Paris
Michael and I visited Paris in 2014 and 2016, and even in two years I noticed a change in the city. The cover of The New Paris: The People, Places & Ideas Fueling a Movement caught my eye, as the bright blue doorway is not traditionally “Parisian” but could likely be found in just about any city these days. This book focused quite a bit on food and drink, and included lots of interviews with the city’s new guard, but also included a section on clothing. Before I visit the city again, I plan to re-check out this book and utilize its shopping directory.
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An “I’m so glad it’s not happening to me” book about buying an apartment in Paris
I’ve been reading David Lebovitz’s blog for many years now, and often consult it when I’m in the mood to bake something yet have no idea what. I’ve read My Paris Kitchen and my copy of his ice cream recipe book The Perfect Scoop is well-worn and covered in custard splashes.
Thus, I anxiously anticipated the arrival of L’Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home, and it did not disappoint. In the book, Mr. Lebovitz writes of the struggles he experienced purchasing and renovating his apartment in Paris. His writing style is both sharp and friendly, and naturally, there are recipes throughout.
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A delightful book on wandering
This is the book I read most recently – in fact, I just closed the back cover on this book two days ago. The title of the book is a bastardization of the French word flâneur, meaning, “to idly stroll,” by changing the masculine word into a nonexistent feminine one.
Flâneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice, and London details both the author’s time wandering each city, as well as the lives of other women before her who had done the same (primarily authors and artists).
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A welcome reminder to slow down
The Scandi-fever is still going strong, as evidenced by my reading list. The Hygge Life: Embracing the Nordic Art of Coziness Through Recipes, Entertaining, Decorating, Simple Rituals, and Family Traditions is a good introduction to the Danish concept of hygge, which you have likely heard of by now.
This book provides somewhat of a how-to list of ways to bring hygge into your home. We don’t necessarily live our lives in such a scripted way, but the book contains quite a few recipes, and I’m always happy to have a reminder to slow down.
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A book of savory Swedish bakes
I love and cook recipes from Johanna Kindvall and Anna Brones’ Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break All. The. Time. I anxiously awaited the arrival of Smörgåsbord: The Art of Swedish Breads and Savory Treats, by Johanna Kindvall, whose illustrations I absolutely love, and placed the book on the purchase request list at my library.
It finally arrived and I poured over every recipe. I’ve not been able to incorporate them into my daily lunch routine, but I’ve found some new sandwich ingredients to use, like the Swedish kaviar.
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A book about balance
The librarian and I both did a double-take when checking out this book and the following one. They both look very similar, don’t they? Lagom: Not Too Little, Not Too Much: The Swedish Art of Living a Balanced, Happy Life, by blogger Niki Brantmark seemed a lot more focus-driven, particularly on the aspect of lagom (having enough) in the home. If you have to pick one book on lagom, I’d say go for this one.
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(Are we balanced yet?)
Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living, by Linnea Dunne, also focuses on the concept of balance and having enough, but on a broader scale. I think the section on work-life balance is one all Americans should read.
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A new favorite travel motto
I actually just started this book last night, so I can’t give a true synopsis yet, but There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom’s Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids (from Friluftsliv to Hygge) is off to a great start. Though Michael and I do not have children, I suspect we will still be able to apply some of this to our own lives. The first chapter was about getting out in nature no matter the weather, and as the saying goes, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”
NEXT ON MY LIST
After finishing my current book, I already have a stack of others accumulating, waiting for me to read them (and maybe a couple are overdue, shhh). Here’s what’s next in my stack:
- The Little Book of Lagom: How to Balance Your Life the Swedish Way by Jonny Jackson and Elias Larsen
- Home Sweet Maison: The French Art of Making a Home by Danielle Postel-Vinay
- Parisian Charm School: French Secrets for Cultivating Love, Joy, and That Certain je ne sais quois by Jamie Cat Callan
- Nørth: How to Live Scandinavian by Aurell Brontë
- The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World’s Happiest People by Meik Wiking
- Live Lagom: Balanced Living, the Swedish Way by Anna Brones
- Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day by Ken Mogi
- The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson
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Have you read any good travel or social/cultural books lately? What’s next on your reading list?
