Posts tagged with "books in Swedish"

Win a Swedish book – again!

Posted by jennie 32 Comments
Apr 28 2010

Anyone up for some Swedish readning? Since last month’s book contest was such a great success, I think it’s time for a favorit i repris ( “to rerun a favourite”)  But this time I’m going to make it a little bit harder for you – but only a little bit. All you need to do is to to drop a comment – in Swedish – on what kind of books you like to read most. Love, crime, biographies… whatever style you prefer! You don’t have to write loads, it can be one word even, the most important thing is that it’s in Swedish.

I will pick the winner on May 13 at 8 pm, so you got two weeks to work on that winning Swedish line!  Of course, I will do my very best to grant your book wish and send you the type of book you prefer (believe me, charity shops and community book swaps are not terribly keen on Swedish books…) and I am happy to post it anywhere in the world, just make sure to leave your email address in provided field as well (for my eyes only).

By the way, got a good tip from a  friend living in Mexico the other day. Sweden Bookshop, a bookshop specialized in books about Sweden and Swedish literature in translation and they ship overseas and everywhere. I know, the shipping cost can be a bit of a nightmare, but it might be worth it if you find a real bargain book.

Unless you don’t win one, that is! Good luck (lycka till) once again!

Win a book!

Posted by jennie 60 Comments
Mar 19 2010

I went back to Sweden last weekend and as usual, coming back from one of those visits, my bag contains a very weird mix av things. This time I brought back fifteen kilos of toothbrushes (the Swedish ones are much softer than the UK ones) salty liquorice (but of course!) Polly-chocolate (can’t live without it part I) Falukorv (can’t live without it part II), snus (can live without it but… well, enough said)  Snabbmakaroner (Sweden are famous for its pasta) and lots and lots of books. Swedish books by Swedish authors. Many of the Swedish authors today are worldly recognized and translated into several languages – especially in the crime genre (which we will dedicate a post to in the very near future). But most of the Swedish books will probably never make it across the border.

Yesterday, I read one of those. It’s called “Skynda att älska” (“Hurry to love”) and is written by my favourite journalist and blogger, Alex Schulman. I have never been a great fan of book reviews and I never write them either. I rather just happily accept book tips from friends and in return, force them to read the masterpieces I’ve come across.  Today, I’m on a mission to make everyone I know read “Skynda att älska”.  Even you people! 

“Skynda att älska”  is the very honest and true story about the relationship between Alex and his his father Allan, a Swedish television producer who died  in 2003. Alex was 27 back then, Allan was 84. It is about growing up with a father old enough to be your grandfather and what effect that has on your life as a kid – and as an adult, when your time together slowly is running out.

You see, this is exactly why I don’t like reviews. It’s impossible to make a great book justice and therefore, I’m stopping right here. But I would really like to share this wonderful book with one of you out there. Not only because it’s a great book, but also because it gives a beautiful description of so much that is typical Swedish. And the language, boy, is it amazing! So, if you would like something fairly easy but very gripping (tissues is a must) to read or to save for the day when your Swedish is fluent, just drop a comment here. Make sure to leave your e-mail address in the required field as well (it will be for my eyes only). I’m happy to post it anywhere in the world and if you’re really lucky, I might even slip some salty liquorice in the package as well.

I’ll randomly pick a winner on the March 31.

Have a great weekend!

We Have a Winner!!!

Posted by Transparent Language 3 Comments
Jul 12 2009

Ladies and gentlemen!!! We have a winner!!! In a totally random drawing, conducted by my mother in law, because I couldn’t find a suitably cute kid named Per or Karin to pull names out of the hat, Kristina became the lucky winner of “Populärmusik från Vittula” – a novel by Mikael Niemi.

Grattis Kristina!!!

Kristina says she’s a tough woman who drives a SAAB. That explains the part about her being tough – someone once told me that SAAB stands for “Swedish Automobiles Always Broken”. As a former SAAB owner myself, I take pity on those who drive SAABs and that fact alone should make her a deserving winner. Yes, I admit it, I’m not a SAAB fan, OK?

I hope that Kristina will like the book. And I think we all should quiz her on it when she’s done reading it.

But guess what? Even if you didn’t win this time, you can still follow the story. And guess what the good news is? You can do it without actually reading the book! Luckily for the rest of us, this splendid novel has been turned into a movie.

I know that some movies totally butcher the original stories their screenplays are based on. But not this one. The director, Reza Bagher, took his time, read the book and did it right.

So I have an idea. While Kristina is busy reading the book this summer, why don’t we try to look up the film version and watch it as our first joint blog project? If finding the film proves too difficult, then (and only as the last resort) there’s the English translation – “Popular Music from Vittula” available in many libraries or from Amazon.

And in September, we can all compare our notes and discuss what we thought of either the film or the book. Or both. So, who’s in?

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