16 Jan 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Would Recommend to Readers Who Normally Don't Read Scandinavian Authors!

Wow that's a long title! So this week the topic is as stated in the title - books I would recommend to readers who don't normally read books by Scandinavian authors. Head over to The Broke and the Bookish to see what other bloggers have come up with - here we go:



10) "The Dinosaur Feather" by Sissel-Jo Gazan
A young mother and student at University of Copenhagen is writing her thesis on dinosaurs when she becomes embroiled in a mystery. A professor has died under strange circumstances and now everyone at the faculty are under suspicion.

9) "Otto is a Rhino" by Ole Lund Kirkegaard
One of the cutest children's book ever about a boy who draws a rhino that then comes to life. A classic.



8) "Ronia, The Robber's Daughter" by Astrid Lindgren
Lindgren is the original mother of girlpower. You probably know her famous "daughter" Pippe Longstocking who is so strong that she can lift a horse? Ronia is made of the same stuff and runs away from home to live in the forest, such a cool girl!

7) "The Exception" by Christian Jungersen
A nerve-rackingly mystery thriller about adult bullying. Very difficult to summarize but very easy to read in one go out of pure excitement.



6) "The Boys from St. Petri" by Bjarne Reuter
This is dark YA at its best! A group of young men take a stance during WWII and decide to fight the Germans by sabotaging the German war effort. Gripping. A classic history YA read and a must-read in most Danish schools.



5) "Popular Music from Vittula" by Mikael Niemi
This Sweden is so incredibly different from the Sweden that Stieg Larsson describes. This is a Sweden of folk tales, of magic, of saunas and drinking competitions, of midsummer nights and becoming a man. Give it a try, you won't regret it.



4) "The Half Brother" by Lars Saabye Christensen
I read this one right when it came out about ten years ago and really enjoyed it. It is about half brothers growing up in Oslo in the 1960's. It really touched me, I remember.

3) "Doghead" by Morten Ramsland
This one I haven't actually read myself but it was recommended so many times that I am going to include it anyway :-)



2) "Exile" by Jakob Ejersbo
This author died way to young. His writings have so much promise and the Tanzania trilogy of which "Exile" is the first have become huge successes in his native Denmark.



1) "Seven Gothic Tales" by Karen Blixen
A classic, a must read from one of the greatest Scandinavian authors ever.

So which books are you recommending this week?

8 comments:

  1. This is a very interesting list. I never heard of these books or authors before, but still awesome picks. :)

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  2. I love your list. I wish all of these books were available in English here in my country. Why aren't they? Why isn't there more availability of books written by authors from other parts of the world?

    I hope publishers here in my country see your list!

    Here is my Top Ten. I hope you will stop by!

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  3. I am woefully underread in Scandinavian literature, so thanks for such a great list. I've decided to highlight short stories at my own blog this week.

    Looking back over your list from last week, I was also very taken with your recommendations!!!

    Glad to have found your blog! I'll be back. :)

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  4. What an interesting list, I know nothing about Scandinavian authors. I like the look of 'Exile'.

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  5. I normally don't read Scandanavian authors so this is good to know!

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  6. Thanks for all of your comments people :-) I will pop by your blogs and have a look at your top tens, it is such great inspiration.

    @ Deb: I know, way too few books are translated. It is such a shame.

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  7. Popular Music from Vittula sounds beautiful! I haven't read any (to my knowledge) Scandinavian literature, but I think I'll definitely have to change that soon!

    Thanks for stopping by! :)

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    1. Hollie, it is a really gorgeous book. Absolutely worth a read :-)

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