Review: The Cozy Life

The Cozy Life: Rediscover the Joy of the Simple Things Through the Danish Concept of Hygge by Pia Edberg
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Marketed as "the first ever book written about hygge," I expected something quite a bit more...substantial. I suppose my expectations were a little too high and I probably shouldn't have assumed that just because it is, apparently, the FIRST one written (according to whom? Any evidence?), that it would be that much better compared to the loads of others that have been written since. I had a couple big issues with this book that in the end left me with more questions than answers.

The author is half-Danish, half-Filipino, and was born and raised in Denmark until she was 5 years old when at that time she and her family moved to Vancouver, Canada. One of the main issues I had with this book is that although she spent her first 5 years living in a Scandinavian country before moving to Canada, and was raised by a Danish father, in my opinion it's a little too obvious that she is more or less completely "Canadianized" and is in a way too far removed from her homeland to have a really solid grasp on what hygge means. Now in no way do I mean to imply that she doesn't have any authority at all on the subject of being Danish or of their particular way of life - far be it for me to say that I'm the expert on who is or is not a true Scandinavian (I'm Canadian through and through, so no authority here) - but to me it does come across that her understanding of hygge is secondary and perhaps as more of an idea or as an idealized way of life than anything else. To me, Danes and other Scandinavians just live hygge, they don't have to try, and it's usually hard for them to explain it in such black-and-white terms as she does, almost like checking items off of a grocery list.

The other main issue I had is that the 'secrets' that are revealed throughout really don't feel like secrets at all; in fact, I would dare say that you could replace the word hygge with just about any other buzz word of the moment, (mindfulness, minimalism, slow-living), and you would still find that the book makes sense. Each 'secret' or lesson is superficial and lacking depth so that it really just feels like a book full of common sense - for example, when the author explains the difference between drinking tea or coffee:

"Drinking tea reminds me of slowing down my body, mind and soul ... Coffee, on the other hand, is about speeding up, increasing energy to get you through the day with that quick caffeine hit ... Both beverages are hygge in their own way. Sitting in a coffee shop with a hot latte is just as cozy as sipping on herbal tea before bedtime."

Well yes, this is true, but did it need to be written down in a book? It seems a little like stating the obvious to me. I'm not sure why this sentence in particular irks me as much as it does, but trust me when I say that it represents the overall flow of the entire book, ie. a lot of super obvious blanket statements that don't seem to make sense to specifically living hyggeligt in comparison to any other way of living 'mindfully,' or just living in general.

I'm being quite harsh, I know, and perhaps it's because I've read a handful of other awesome and informative books about hygge and Scandinavian culture, (The Year of Living Danishly and The Little Book of Hygge are my two favourites), but regardless of this fact I know I'd have still felt that this book leaves much to desire even if I hadn't yet read anything on the subject beforehand.

View all my reviews

Review: How to Hygge

How to Hygge by Signe Johansen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars!

This is a lovely cookbook/lifestyle guide on how to live the 'Scandinavian' way, complete with loads of beautiful photos, stories, recipes, and snappy lists at the end of each chapter to really sum up each concept. Scandinavia is all the rage these days, slowly replacing très chic France and the Mediterranean as the new-best-way-to-live-long-and-be-happy. As a self-professed 'Scandophile' I was super excited to delve into this book to learn just how exactly one may bring more hygge, or 'cosiness' into one's life. Though of course, much like the Dutch gezellig, trying to attain hygge almost defeats the point of it entirely, and it really is an overall feeling than an actual event or a 'thing' to accomplish. Want a less convoluted explanation than what I just gave you? Read this book! Need more explanation/inspiration on living hygge after reading this book? Read The Year of Living Danishly: My Twelve Months Unearthing the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country, one that I enjoyed immensely and which also satisfied my Scandi-cravings.

I recommend reading this in actual book form if you can - I read it on my Kindle and although I could see the photos, I can only imagine how gorgeous they'd be in colour and in print. The recipes sound scrumptious and mostly pretty easy to prepare, while the lifestyle and home decor suggestions highlight both the practical and laid back approach one can only expect from some of the coolest (in my humble opinion) countries in the world.

View all my reviews

Review: Bloom: navigating Life and Style

Bloom: navigating life and style by Estée Lalonde
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've been following Estée for years on YouTube (back when she was still called Essie Button!) though mostly her vlog channel over her main channel as I'm not incredibly interested in beauty and fashion, but even still, I'll watch just about anything she posts because I just love her personality so so much. She is a genuinely kind person as well as hilarious, awkward, and self-deprecating, all things I love in a human and can totally relate to myself. I would seriously love to be her friend in real life (doesn't everybody??) so of course when I found out that she was writing a book I had to pre-order it, and I'm so glad I did!

First of all, the book is aesthetically beautiful, with it's pastel colour scheme and that gorgeous cover photo! It's full of photos from her personal life that correspond to the content of each of the eight chapters - everything from beauty and fashion to food, home decor, travel, life, work, and my personal favourite, "People," specifically her relationship with her boyfriend Aslan. The letter he wrote to her is super sweet and you can just tell that they have an incredibly strong bond and love for each other. She writes about the people in her life with both honesty and pure love and admiration - you can tell that she is genuinely inspired by the special people in her life. I also really enjoyed the 'letters' that she wrote to specific people in her life, like her brother and childhood best friend. These sweet touches add to the overall appeal of the book and make it feel that much more personal and heartfelt - quite a lot like watching one of her many, many YouTube videos, which are always a joy to me.

Estée also spends some time talking about the more difficult moments in her life, for example her strained relationship with her father, growing up as more of an outcast among her peers, and her own battle with depression and anxiety later in life. These stories are not particularly heavy nor do they bring the overall feeling of the book down, rather they add to its depth and make for a more rounded look into her life and who she is as a person. Everyone has gone through hard moments in their life and I feel like these stories are great for younger people, perhaps pre-teens and teenagers, who are experiencing those awkward and trying moments firsthand. It's comforting to see where she was in life and where she is now, and definitely easy to relate to for me.

Estée has put a lot of effort and love into her work outside of this book, building her career from the ground up while never compromising on her own personal style, and in saying that it's clear that this book is a labour of love as well. As someone who has gone through many similar ups and downs in my own life, Estée is an inspiration to me, and in watching her own life unfold on screen I strive to be as genuine, kind, and determined in my own life as well. She definitely lives a charmed life now, but she's worked for it, and I admire her gumption.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars because although I absolutely love her and her message (and again the book is just so dang BEAUTIFUL), I had expected a bit more as far as content goes. I would have liked more of the actual writing, more about her stance on gender equality and feminism and more stories from her life; though then again I may have just expected the wrong thing out of the book overall. I also can't ignore that she is much better on camera than as a writer, so for that reason alone I just can't give this book a higher rating. That said, it's a lovely 'coffee table' book and one I know I'll return to when I need a little pick-me-up or inspiration. I will continue to support her and I'm excited to see where she'll take her career next.

View all my reviews

Review: Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic: Lessons in Everyday Elegance

Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic: Lessons in Everyday Elegance by Jennifer L. Scott
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

*1.5 Stars*

It's a good thing that I only borrowed this from the library, as I would have been quite disappointed had I bought it instead! I've read Scott's previous two books and enjoyed both, however this one fell flat for me.

Lessons from Madame Chic, Scott's first book, is part-memoir-part-how-to-guide centered around her time living abroad with a host family in Paris, France when she was young and the "lessons" that her host mother, "Madame Chic," taught her about being a confident, self-actualized, and poised young lady 'the French way.' In her second book At Home with Madame Chic, Scott expands upon her first book and demonstrates how she uses the lessons she learned while in Paris in her now Californian home as a wife and new mother, with plenty more 'how-to's' on running a smooth home while remaining always 'chic'. While not at all revolutionary in content and a bit on the preachy side, both are an easy, light read and her stories about living in Paris are entertaining if you can look past the 1950's house-wife aspect that appears in each. I am by no means a supporter of such clearly gendered roles in the home, nor do I consider myself 'chic' or 'posh' in any way, but she means well and I've kept on with her books due to my love of all things French.

However in reading her third book, I may just have to call it quits on Scott. Her material is already stretched pretty thin in her second book, and now with the third, I feel like I just re-read books one and two. Not only that, but it reads like an early 19th-century etiquette book for girls - complete with lists of "DO's" and "DON'TS" at the dinner table or while entertaining friends, how to eat particularly difficult foods like artichokes and spaghetti, and (perhaps most adamantly) to NEVER wear lounge-wear when at home. I get it - wearing pj's in public is lazy, but if I want to change into my comfy pants when I get home...I'm going to do it!

So, like I said, Scott means well in her quest to "elevate the arts" and rid the world of the slovenly-dressed, poorly-mannered heathens (which is how I believe she'd say it, not me), but I also couldn't help but think while reading this last book in particular that although we could all use a little reminder in how to be polite humans, there are far more pressing matters in the world that actually need our attention, non?

View all my reviews

Review: The Year of Living Danishly

The Year of Living Danishly: My Twelve Months Unearthing the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country by Helen Russell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"'Hvor hedder du?' A skinny woman with too-long hair barks at us.
'Oh, hi! Sorry, we're here for the beginner's Danish class?'
'Hvor hedder du?!' She's insistent now.
'Sorry, we haven't started learning Danish yet, I just wanted to check - are we in the right room?'
'HVOR HEDDER DU?!' the strange woman is now screaming at us.
'I'm sorry,' I bleat feebly, 'I don't know what that means ... is it ... Danish?' Well done, genius "

What a fun book! Truly! I had such a great time romping around the Danish countryside with Helen Russell, learning alongside her all the quirks and idiosyncrasies of the Danes, that I'm actually quite sad to say goodbye to "Sticksville-on-Sea," snegels, Lego Man, The Mr Beards and Friendly Neighbour, The Viking, and all the snuggly, hygge descriptions of wintertime in Denmark.

Written in my favourite hysterical, self-deprecating style of the British as part-travel memoir, part-cultural investigation, Russell and her husband, affectionately known as "Lego Man" trade rainy and smoggy London, England for the wild and majestic landscape of Denmark. Having acquired a job placement with none other than Lego (hence the name), Russell's husband, already a "Scando-phile" convinces her that a year abroad would not only be a welcome change of pace to their busy and hectic lives in London, but that it may even be fun! (Shock!). As an already established journalist/editor for publications like Marie Claire, Russell decides to use her year abroad to dive head-first into uncovering what exactly makes Denmark and its people the so-called "Happiest Country on Earth." Hilariousness ensues as Russell learns the in's and out's of uprooting one's entire life to a brand new country while committing numerous cultural faux pas' along the way.

Having myself recently returned from living abroad in Amsterdam this past year, this book could not have come at a better time in my life! (Well, it might have been more fun to read DURING my year abroad, so I wouldn't have felt so crazy and like SUCH a foreigner, but I digress). Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly if you know a thing or two about Northern European cultures, I found that Russell's descriptions and anecdotes about the Danish to be near exact to how I perceived the Dutch, despite the fact that the Netherlands is not even technically Scandinavian. For example, until my Dutch was more proficient (and even then, let's be honest, I still sound like a two-year-old), I had on many occasions the exact conversation as Russell has above, complete with shouting (on the Dutch person's part) and bleating apologetically (on my part) for not speaking their language properly, be it in a bakery, a grocer, the bank, a government building, etc etc.

Of course I couldn't help but compare Denmark's near-Utopic society to ours back in Canada. Even though I am both fortunate and grateful to be a Canadian citizen, me oh my could we learn a few things from the Danish! I wouldn't say I was exactly a "Scando-phile" before reading this book, maybe more of an appreciator of their minimalist design and free society, but I'm a happy convert as of finishing it and I'm now plotting my next adventure across the Atlantic!

I'd recommend this fascinating, hilariously written memoir to anyone who has ever packed up their lives, said goodbye to loved ones, and moved abroad. Heck, I'd recommend it to anyone who is even thinking of doing so! Not only is this book informative and chalk-full of interesting interviews from Danes of all walks of life giving their own accounts of Danish living, but Russell's writing-style is incredibly relatable AND entertaining to boot. She is genuinely funny, (I'd love to meet her), and her experiences as she learns her way around Danish society are as cringe-worthy as they are heart-warming.

For lists-making sake, here are a few of the craziest, interesting, and/or surprising things I learned about Denmark:
1. They have rules as to when, why, which ones and how flags are to be flown in Denmark - the rules are long and convoluted but basically don't try to fly any flag other the the Danish, and if you do fly it, keep it between 7am and 10pm (8am on Sundays), how generous!
2. They regularly hold public autopsies of zoo animals if and when an animal has died. Children learn from a young age that death is a part of life, and by getting a chance to watch the zoologists do their thing, future scientists, biologists, zoologists and the like get to see the inner workings of animals.
3. Hygge is a completely Danish thing. It can be used as a verb, an adjective, even a noun if you feel like it. Basically it means the overall cozy, pleasant, and happy feeling one gets when surrounded by good people, in a comfortable setting, with all the right trimmings like candles and tea and soothing music and maybe even a roaring fire. There is no equivalent word in English, a fact of which Danes (and the Dutch as I found out!) are very proud.
4. New fathers are entitled to and must take paternity leave! GET OUT. That's so cool.
5. Denmark is not only known to be the happiest country in the world, but also the most trusting. They have the least corrupt government and are known for their short working-weeks (normally 32-34 hours), free medical, amazing social programs, plus FREE SCHOOL! (Yes also high taxes, but come on, look at the benefit! They're the happiest country on EARTH!).
6. It is custom to leave a wooden stork outside the house of a family with a newborn baby - one of the reasons is to apparently let the postperson and any other visitors know that there is a possibly sleeping baby inside!
7. Another baby-related fact: new mother and fathers regularly leave their newborns in their prams OUTSIDE of cafes and restaurants because they believe the cold is 'good for their lungs.' (I saw this in Iceland too). They're so trusting of each other that baby-stealing doesn't even cross their minds. And it never happens.

Now for some delicious snegels!

View all my reviews

Review: Picnic in Provence: A Memoir with Recipes

Picnic in Provence: A Memoir with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"The plums gave way, exchanging their springiness for a comforting sag. The wine bubbled into a spiced burgundy syrup, thick and glossy. I served it with faisselle, a mild spoon-able cheese, though I sense that sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mascarpone wouldn't go amiss."

I read Elizabeth Bard's first book Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes probably over a year ago now, but I remember absolutely falling in love with the way in which she paints a scene with her words; I felt like I was walking down the Paris streets with Bard, a New York native, tasting the crisp, buttery and chewy croissants, and discovering my own self as she discovers hers. The same worldly fears and anxieties that follow me as I grow closer to the 'big 30' seem to plague Bard as well in her similar age, and so not only did I connect with her in her first book on a foodie level, but on a personal one as well.

When we last saw Bard at the end of her previous book, she had finally settled in Paris with her French lover-turned-husband and was beginning to feel more comfortable in her expat skin. In this second memoir of hers, we are once again treated to an excellent collection of delicious French recipes that I cannot wait to try out (I've made a handful from her first book and let me just say, they are damn good!), as well as yet another intimate look into her personal journey as she now navigates her life not only as a new resident in a tiny village in Provence but as a new mother to their now toddler son.

Bard has a way of really bringing the reader into the scene, as if they themselves were right there in the room with her. She is funny, self-deprecating, and easily able to point out her own flaws, adding a healthy dose of humour to many of her stories. Yet there is also depth and a quiet sensitivity that she brings as well, especially when writing about her relationship with her son. At first, the so-called natural mother-child bond does not come easily to Bard, and once their son leaves babyhood and enters toddler-hood she finds that she no longer knows her 'place' within the family unit and has a very difficult time believing in herself and her capabilities as a mother, shrugging off such parental 'duties' like story-time and playtime to her more naturally-suited husband. This is definitely both a difficult and sensitive topic and one that many mothers would not easily admit to, though I'm sure many do feel inadequate at least one time or another during motherhood, as becoming a parent truly is a life-altering event in one's life.

This among many others is just one of the reasons why I so enjoyed reading these two books because Bard does not shy away from the 'hard stuff,' nor does she try to put a sunny spin on otherwise difficult moments for the sake of the reader or offending anyone. She is an open and heartfelt writer who obviously lives with her heart on her sleeve, and I appreciate her honesty about life's ups and downs all the more for it. Not to mention that I absolutely adored escaping into the French countryside and reading about all the funny idiosyncrasies about village life in Provence, from nosy yet aloof neighbours, to picking Saffron by the pound by hand and making your own cheese and milk (okay, obviously not everyone does that!), and of course imagining just exactly how amazing those lavender fields really smell like in real life!

"I stood across the street and watched the sun glinting off the giant bubbles as they wobbled into the air. Alexandre ran with his arms lifted to the sky, the sun shining through his blond hair. He won't remember this part of his childhood, but I will. His pants are too short; he's grown so much over the summer."

I had a hard time rating this book, going back and forth between 3.5 and 4 out of 5 stars, simply because I found that the last 5 or so chapters did drag on and I began to lose interest - the latter part of the book focuses mostly on how Bard and her husband open their own ice cream shop, called Scaramouche, in their village of Céreste, and for me it just wasn't that compelling. The book is also quite lengthy at just shy of 400 pages, and unfortunately I found I really had to push through to the end even though I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of it. Despite this, I do still recommend it and will definitely read anything else Bard writes.

If you enjoy decadent, French Cuisine-inspired recipes coupled with intelligent, humorous and thoughtful reflections on life as an expat (and life in general), then give this lovely memoir a go. Not only is it an easy, flowing kind of read that seems to mirror the romanticized, gently-paced life of the south of France, but it is also brimming with sensitive and touching moments that anchor the book in reality.

View all my reviews