We Are Not Paying Taxes, We Are Investing In Society
A Review of "The Little Book Of Hygge" by Meik Wiking
Introduction
When I bought this book, I saw it as something to dip into for ideas about how to make life a little more enjoyable. I am on a hiatus in my reading, waiting for a book to be delivered, having finished Spike Milligan's excellent short book of poetry, "Small Dreams Of A Scorpion"
So I picked up "The Little Book Of Hygge" and started reading it from the beginning and I loved the quote about taxes and the introductory scenario which I have included below.
The Book
This is a lovely introductory story about "Hygge":
One December just before Christmas, I was spending the weekend with some friends at an old cabin. The shortest day of the year was brightened by the blanket of snow covering the surrounding landscape. When the sun set, around four in the afternoon, we would not see it again for seventeen hours, and we headed inside to get the fire going.
We were all tired after hiking and were half asleep, sitting in a semicircle around the fireplace in the cabin, wearing big jumpers and woollen socks. The only sounds you could hear were the stew boiling, the sparks from the fireplace and someone having a sip of their mulled wine. Then one of my friends broke the silence.
'Could this be any more hygge? He asked rhetorically.
'Yes' one of the girls said after a moment. 'If there was a storm raging outside'
We all nodded.
The book gives lots of ideas of how to feel hygge, Meik's favourite being "hot chocolate by candlelight"
The first two chapters talk about lights and candles, but the emphasis is on cosiness, comfort and happiness.
Not everything will be right for everyone, but there are a lot of ideas to pick and mix from, including furniture, food, company, and travel. There are comparisons between Denmark and other nations.
It is full of pictures and charts as well as words on each subject, which makes it quite easy and interesting to read. A picture paints a thousand words and all that.
Conclusion
This is the first time I have read it as a start-to-end book, and it is a remarkably easy read. I think it is a book that every home should have, something that should be lying around to be easily picked up and dipped into for ideas to make you a little more hygge.
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Comments (5)
Your title is precisely the attitude my father-in-law took (& my wife endeavors to emulate, though she does worry sometimes how we're going to manage to pay them--not because we're poor & unable but because numbers aren't her thing). Sounds like a marvelous little book.
I love that you read it but I don't need the book as Hyyge is part of my DNA, from candle-lit evenings when winter darkness came early in Sweden, to the 2 cozy rooms in which my family lived. A simpler cozy life. I love it all!
I have this book at home.
Ooh! I love this book review. I may give this a read. Thanks for the recommendation
Thanks for the review!