Reading in the Garden

The Secret of Hygge.    I blew right through this book. It’s a highly interesting and entertaining insight to a foreigner in Denmark learning what gives it the designation as the happiest country despite having one of the highest taxes.  I learned so much.  -The Danes pay the highest taxes in exchange for a social welfare system that provides security in jobs, schooling, healthcare and general peace of mind.  -In a country where winters are looong and dark, the Danes get cozy in their minimalistic homes, light candles, and embrace hygge (which you’ll learn all about in the book.) -This country of 406 island embraces hobbies/clubs, porn on public TV, shorter work weeks, and a lack of political corruption.  I could go on and on, but Helen Russell tells it best with her wry humor intermixed with statistics and personal impressions, both good and bad.  Find out what a “Princess Stick” is and how bee stings can help during labor!   Other non-fiction books about e

The Art of Navigating Relationships and Indian Customs. I  loved  this story that made me feel like I just stepped off the train right into the heart of the Pink City of Jaipur, India. An enthralling tale of sisters navigating their relationship with each other and Indian customs in the 1950s. I got absorbed in this foreign country set in a vibrant background of rich colors, foods, a culture of traditions, superstitions and the caste system, and of course beautiful henna patterns!    I was also excited about the extras in this book—the list of characters at the beginning, the glossary of terms, a few paragraphs about henna and the caste system as well as a couple of recipes at the end.  It’s like a total India immersion kit—makes it all the more satisfying and unforgettable.  Happy Reading! Annette

An Exceptional Memoir This book exceeded all my expectations—an exceptional memoir!  A woman cobbles together her father’s enigmatic past to build a clear picture of the progression of restrictions and brutality against Jews in WWII.   The author never even knew her father was Jewish when she began digging into his past after his death.  What she discovered was bone-chilling.  After years and years of research she learned the fate of her family members, the systematic oppression and obscure laws, and the extermination of loved ones. “…the process of separation and dehumanization emerges. In dizzying increments, the rules become devastating in their absurdity, in their horror…They had to surrender their driving licenses—and, eventually, their cars and bicycles. Their radios. Their cameras. Their stamp collections. Their sewing machines. Their umbrellas. Their pets.” (Ariana Neumann,  When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father’s War and What Remains  (Scribner, New Yo