Being Danish

This book offers a comprehensive, up-to-date look at modern Danish culture.

Part reportage, part travelogue, this is a fascinating introduction to contemporary Danish culture for anyone who wants to know more about the world's happiest nation. Denmark is the country of the moment. Recently named the happiest nation in the world, it's the home of The Killing and Noma, the world's best (and most eccentric) restaurant. We wear their sweaters, watch their thrillers, and covet their cool modern design, but how much do we really know about the Danes themselves? Part reportage, part travelogue, How to Be Danish fills in the gaps--an introduction to contemporary Danish culture that spans politics, television, food, architecture, and design.

International bestseller As seen in The Wall Street Journal--from free play to cozy together time, discover the parenting secrets of the happiest people in the world What makes Denmark the happiest country in the world--and how do Danish parents raise happy, confident, successful kids, year after year? This upbeat and practical book presents six essential principles, which spell out P-A-R-E-N-T: Play is essential for development and well-being. Authenticity fosters trust and an "inner compass." Reframing helps kids cope with setbacks and look on the bright side. Empathy allows us to act with kindness toward others. No ultimatums means no power struggles, lines in the sand, or resentment. Togetherness is a way to celebrate family time, on special occasions and every day. The Danes call this hygge--and it's a fun, cozy way to foster closeness. Preparing meals together, playing favorite games, and sharing other family traditions are all hygge. (Cell phones, bickering, and complaining are not!) With illuminating examples and simple yet powerful advice, The Danish Way of Parenting will help parents from all walks of life raise the happiest, most well-adjusted kids in the world.

* NOW WITH A NEW CHAPTER * 'A hugely enjoyable romp through the pleasures and pitfalls of setting up home in a foreign land.'- Guardian Given the opportunity of a new life in rural Jutland, Helen Russell discovered a startling statistic: Denmark, land of long dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries, was the happiest place on earth. Keen to know their secrets, Helen gave herself a year to uncover the formula for Danish happiness. From childcare, education, food and interior design to SAD and taxes, The Year of Living Danishly records a funny, poignant journey, showing us what the Danes get right, what they get wrong, and how we might all live a little more Danishly ourselves. In this new edition, six years on Helen reveals how her life and family have changed, and explores how Denmark, too – or her understanding of it – has shifted. It's a messy and flawed place, she concludes – but can still be a model for a better way of living.

One little word is the secret reminder of what really matters in life: Hygge. CHRISTMAS is the perfect time to embrace it and THIS BOOK will show you how. ------------------------------ To me, hygge is: - Meeting my sister for a walk in the park, chatting, laughing and clowning around, as if we were children again. - Listening to the rain on the roof with a cup of tea and my boyfriend next to me. - Drinking wine in my mum's garden - Enjoying a cup of coffee with good friends, that becomes a dinner, that becomes a late-night drink, because no one wants the evening to end. ------------------------------ Though we all know the feeling of hygge instinctively few of us ever manage to capture it for more than a moment. Now Danish actress and hygge aficionado Marie Tourell Søderberg - star of BBC 4's 1864 - has travelled the length and breadth of her home country to create the perfect guide to cooking, decorating, entertaining and being inspired the hygge way. Full of beautiful photographs and simple, practical steps and ideas to make your home and life both comfortable and cheering all year round, this book is the easy way to introduce hygge into your life. 'Pretty, homey and intimate, scattered with reflections from ordinary Danes' Guardian

New York Times Bestseller Embrace Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) and become happier with this definitive guide to the Danish philosophy of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. Why are Danes the happiest people in the world? The answer, says Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, is Hygge. Loosely translated, Hygge—pronounced Hoo-ga—is a sense of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. "Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience," Wiking explains. "It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe." Hygge is the sensation you get when you’re cuddled up on a sofa, in cozy socks under a soft throw, during a storm. It’s that feeling when you’re sharing comfort food and easy conversation with loved ones at a candlelit table. It is the warmth of morning light shining just right on a crisp blue-sky day. The Little Book of Hygge introduces you to this cornerstone of Danish life, and offers advice and ideas on incorporating it into your own life, such as: Get comfy. Take a break. Be here now. Turn off the phones. Turn down the lights. Bring out the candles. Build relationships. Spend time with your tribe. Give yourself a break from the demands of healthy living. Cake is most definitely Hygge. Live life today, like there is no coffee tomorrow. From picking the right lighting to organizing a Hygge get-together to dressing hygge, Wiking shows you how to experience more joy and contentment the Danish way.

A practical guide to what makes us happy, from the CEO of the Happiness Research Instititue in Copenhagen and bestselling author of The Little Book of Hygge. We all know Denmark is the happiest country in the world—but this doesn't make it perfect. Happiness isn't exclusively Danish. Nor is it just eating pastries, lighting candles, and practising hygge. Happiness is something available to all, wherever you are, and whatever your means. Starting from the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Meik Wiking, probably the happiest man in the world, travels across the globe on a quest to uncover the secrets of the very happiest people from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro, taking back to his native country their tips, tricks, and unique approaches to a fulfilled life. Exploring the happiness gap for parents, how much money you really need to buy happiness, and why—luckily for us—the expectation of kissing Rachel Weiss is better than the real thing, Meik brings together a global roadmap for happiness with his trademark wit. Weaving together original research and personal anecdotes, The Little Book of Lykke gives us a new approach to achieving everyday happiness.