The Almost Nearly Perfect People

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The Almost Nearly Perfect People

Author : Michael Booth
Publisher : Picador
Page : 400 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2015-01-27
Category : Travel
ISBN : 9781250061973

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The Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth Pdf

NAMED THE #1 BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, A WITTY, INFORMATIVE, AND POPULAR TRAVELOGUE ABOUT THE SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES AND HOW THEY MAY NOT BE AS HAPPY OR AS PERFECT AS WE ASSUME Journalist Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians for more than ten years, and he has grown increasingly frustrated with the rose-tinted view of this part of the world offered up by the Western media. In this timely book he leaves his adopted home of Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, the secrets of their success, and, most intriguing of all, what they think of one another. Why are the Danes so happy, despite having the highest taxes? Do the Finns really have the best education system? Are the Icelanders as feral as they sometimes appear? How are the Norwegians spending their fantastic oil wealth? And why do all of them hate the Swedes? In The Almost Nearly Perfect People Michael Booth explains who the Scandinavians are, how they differ and why, and what their quirks and foibles are, and he explores why these societies have become so successful and models for the world. Along the way a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of a region plagued by taboos, characterized by suffocating parochialism, and populated by extremists of various shades. They may very well be almost nearly perfect, but it isn't easy being Scandinavian.

Three Tigers, One Mountain

Author : Michael Booth
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2020-04-14
Category : Travel
ISBN : 9781250114075

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Three Tigers, One Mountain by Michael Booth Pdf

From the author of The Almost Nearly Perfect People, a lively tour through Japan, Korea, and China, exploring the intertwined cultures and often fraught history of these neighboring countries. There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states, “Two tigers cannot share the same mountain.” However, in East Asia, there are three tigers on that mountain: China, Japan, and Korea, and they have a long history of turmoil and tension with each other. In his latest entertaining and thought provoking narrative travelogue, Michael Booth sets out to discover how deep, really, is the enmity between these three “tiger” nations, and what prevents them from making peace. Currently China’s economic power continues to grow, Japan is becoming more militaristic, and Korea struggles to reconcile its westernized south with the dictatorial Communist north. Booth, long fascinated with the region, travels by car, ferry, train, and foot, experiencing the people and culture of these nations up close. No matter where he goes, the burden of history, and the memory of past atrocities, continues to overshadow present relationships. Ultimately, Booth seeks a way forward for these closely intertwined, neighboring nations. An enlightening, entertaining and sometimes sobering journey through China, Japan, and Korea, Three Tigers, One Mountain is an intimate and in-depth look at some of the world’s most powerful and important countries.

The News

Author : Alain De Botton
Publisher : Signal
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2014-02-11
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780771027697

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The News by Alain De Botton Pdf

From the author of The Architecture of Happiness, a thought-provoking look at the manic and peculiar position that news has achieved in our lives. What does the news do to our brains, our souls and our views of one another? We spend an inordinate amount of time checking on it. It molds how we view reality, we're increasingly addicted to it on our luminous gadgets, we check it every morning when we wake up and every evening before we sleep-and yet the news has rarely been the focus of an accessible, serious, saleable book-length study. Until now. Mixing snippets of current news with philosophical reflections, The News will blend the timeless with the contemporary, and bring the wisdom of thousands of years of culture to bear on our contemporary obsessions and neuroses. The News ranges across news categories-from politics to murders, from economics to celebrities, from the weather to paparazzi shows--in search of answers to the questions: "What do we want from this?" and "Is it doing us any good?" After The News, we'll never look at a celebrity story, the report on a tropical storm, or the sex scandal of a politician in quite the same way again.

Scandinavia since 1500

Author : Byron J. Nordstrom
Publisher : U of Minnesota Press
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2023-06-27
Category : History
ISBN : 9781452968933

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Scandinavia since 1500 by Byron J. Nordstrom Pdf

An updated edition of the definitive history of Scandinavia over the past five centuries Despite certain distinctions and differences, the lands of Scandinavia, or Norden—Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, and the Faroe Islands—are united by bonds of culture, language, and geography, and by a shared history that comes richly to life in this landmark work. Now in an expanded, updated edition, this authoritative chronicle of five centuries of Scandinavian history incorporates the geopolitical developments and momentous events that have marked the Nordic world in recent decades. Scandinavia since 1500 situates the region’s political history within the traditional European chronology—in which the long “modern” period is subdivided into the Renaissance, early modern, modern, and contemporary. Within this framework, Byron J. Nordstrom traces the various ways in which economic, social, and cultural ideas and practices have come to Scandinavia from abroad, only to be modified and recast in a uniquely Nordic character. Long-unquestioned national mythologies come under Nordstrom's scrutiny, along with historical blind spots and erasures, as he ranges from canonical figures like Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and Christian IV of Denmark to the constitutions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the resistance movements in World War II, and the Scandinavian welfare states, literary culture, and modern design. Expanded to include the nature and realities of the increasingly postindustrial economies of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries—including environmental concerns, integration with Europe, globalization, and immigration—Scandinavia since 1500 offers a comprehensive yet nuanced portrait of this unique region in all its political, diplomatic, social, economic, and cultural complexity. Cover alt text: Bold white title and author name across breathtaking snowy landscape of sun-touched cliffs beside a waterway and scattering of homes.

Super Sushi Ramen Express

Author : Michael Booth
Publisher : Picador
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2016-09-06
Category : Cooking
ISBN : 9781250099792

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Super Sushi Ramen Express by Michael Booth Pdf

From the author of The Almost Nearly Perfect People comes Super Sushi Ramen Express, a fascinating and funny culinary journey through Japan Japan is arguably the preeminent food nation on earth; it’s a mecca for the world’s greatest chefs and has more Michelin stars than any other country. The Japanese go to extraordinary lengths and expense to eat food that is marked both by its exquisite preparation and exotic content. Their creativity, dedication, and courage in the face of dishes such as cod sperm and octopus ice cream are only now beginning to be fully appreciated in the sushi and ramen-saturated West, as are the remarkable health benefits of the traditional Japanese diet. Food and travel writer Michael Booth takes the culinary pulse of contemporary Japan, learning fascinating tips and recipes that few westerners have been privy to before. Accompanied by two fussy eaters under the age of six, he and his wife travel the length of the country, from bear-infested, beer-loving Hokkaido to snake-infested, seaweed-loving Okinawa. Along the way, they dine with—and score a surprising victory over—sumo wrestlers, pamper the world’s most expensive cows with massage and beer, share a seaside lunch with free-diving female abalone hunters, and meet the greatest chefs working in Japan today. Less happily, they witness a mass fugu slaughter, are traumatized by an encounter with giant crabs, and attempt a calamitous cooking demonstration for the lunching ladies of Kyoto.

The Nordic Theory of Everything

Author : Anu Partanen
Publisher : HarperCollins
Page : 448 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2016-06-28
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780062316561

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The Nordic Theory of Everything by Anu Partanen Pdf

A Finnish journalist, now a naturalized American citizen, asks Americans to draw on elements of the Nordic way of life to nurture a fairer, happier, more secure, and less stressful society for themselves and their children Moving to America in 2008, Finnish journalist Anu Partanen quickly went from confident, successful professional to wary, self-doubting mess. She found that navigating the basics of everyday life—from buying a cell phone and filing taxes to education and childcare—was much more complicated and stressful than anything she encountered in her homeland. At first, she attributed her crippling anxiety to the difficulty of adapting to a freewheeling new culture. But as she got to know Americans better, she discovered they shared her deep apprehension. To understand why life is so different in the U.S. and Finland, Partanen began to look closely at both. In The Nordic Theory of Everything, Partanen compares and contrasts life in the United States with life in the Nordic region, focusing on four key relationships—parents and children, men and women, employees and employers, and government and citizens. She debunks criticism that Nordic countries are socialist “nanny states,” revealing instead that it is we Americans who are far more enmeshed in unhealthy dependencies than we realize. As Partanen explains step by step, the Nordic approach allows citizens to enjoy more individual freedom and independence than we do. Partanen wants to open Americans’ eyes to how much better things can be—to show her beloved new country what it can learn from her homeland to reinvigorate and fulfill the promise of the American dream—to provide the opportunity to live a healthy, safe, economically secure, upwardly mobile life for everyone. Offering insights, advice, and solutions, The Nordic Theory of Everything makes a convincing argument that we can rebuild our society, rekindle our optimism, and restore true freedom to our relationships and lives.

Fishing In Utopia

Author : Andrew Brown
Publisher : Granta Books
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2011-08-04
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781847085672

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Fishing In Utopia by Andrew Brown Pdf

From the 1960s to the 1980s, Sweden was an affluent, egalitarian country envied around the world. Refugees were welcomed, even misfit young Englishmen could find a place there. Andrew Brown spent part of his childhood in Sweden during the 1960s. In the 1970s he married a Swedish woman and worked in a timber mill while helping to raise their small son. Fishing became his passion and his escape. In the mid-1980s his marriage and the country fell apart. The Prime Minister was assassinated. The welfare system crumbled along with the industries that had supported it. Twenty years later, Andrew Brown travelled the length of Sweden in search of the country he had loved, and then hated, and now found he loved again.

Almost Perfect

Author : Brian Katcher
Publisher : Delacorte Press
Page : 370 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2010-11-09
Category : Young Adult Fiction
ISBN : 9780385736657

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Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher Pdf

This winner of the first Stonewall Award for Children’s & Young Adult Literature will make you marvel at the beauty of human connection and the irrepressible nature of love. Everyone has that one line they swear they’ll never cross, the one thing they say they’ll never do. We draw the line. Maybe we even believe it. Sage Hendricks was my line. Logan Witherspoon befriends Sage Hendricks at a time when he no longer trusts or believes in people. He's drawn to Sage, with her constant smile and sexy voice, and his feelings for her grow so strong that he can’t resist kissing her. Sage finally discloses a big secret: she was born a boy. Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at her–a reaction he soon desperately wishes he could take back. Once his anger cools, Logan is filled with incredible regret, and all he wants is to repair his friendship with Sage. But it’s hard to replace something that’s been broken—and it’s even harder to find your way back to friendship when you began with love. *** “Tackles issues of homophobia, hate crimes and stereotyping with humor and grace in an accessible tone that will resonate with teens.” –Kirkus Reviews “It is Sage's story that is truly important.” –SLJ “Teens—both those familiar with transgender issues and those who are not—will welcome the honest take on a rarely explored subject.” –Booklist “A sensitive examination of the seldom treated subject of transgender teens.” –VOYA

Rick & Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage

Author : Rick Burgess,Bill "Bubba" Bussey,Martha Bolton
Publisher : HarperChristian + ORM
Page : 241 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2009-06-01
Category : Humor
ISBN : 9781418576295

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Rick & Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage by Rick Burgess,Bill "Bubba" Bussey,Martha Bolton Pdf

The popular radio hosts and bestselling authors share the kind of insight into matrimony you’re not likely to get anywhere else—and that’s a guarantee! Rick and Bubba are at it again, and this time it is all about marriage. Addressing such topics as apologizing (The Ten Worst Ways to Say I’m Sorry), communication (Grunting Is Not a Language), date nights (Worst Date Nights in History), finances (I Thought You Paid the Gas Bill), and playing sports together (I Did Too Let You Win), the two “sexiest fat men alive” will have couples everywhere tied in knots. With stories, top ten lists, and even a bonus addendum of their oft mentioned, “The Book of Blame,” this humorous look at marriage is long overdue. This book will revolutionize your way of looking at married life. And it might just remind you all over again why you fell in love in the first place.

Almost Perfekt

Author : David Crouch
Publisher : Kings Road Publishing
Page : 261 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2018-08-23
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781788701556

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Almost Perfekt by David Crouch Pdf

'Engaging' Money Week 'A sharp-eyed account of what makes Sweden modern, resilient and rather different' Professor Jonas Hinnfors SWEDEN A country that defies the laws of economic gravity. A land with high wages, strong unions and generous welfare. A dream location for business and a bastion of social responsibility, coming out on top for childcare, equality and quality of life. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM IT? Having lived in Sweden for six years, journalist David Crouch has a unique perspective as an outsider looking in on one of the world's most successful yet divided countries. Based on more than 70 interviews with leading figures in Swedish industry and politics, Almost Perfekt is a journey through Swedish society and what sets it apart from the world today. Why is Sweden so good for businesses like IKEA, Spotify and Skype? How will the country become zero carbon by 2045? And what can we learn about immigration from its ambitious policies? With political and economic upheaval threatening to pull Europe apart, discover the truth of how Sweden really works. 'If you want to know how Sweden works, this is the book for you' Andrew Brown, Guardian journalist and author 'A great guide to the much-cited but little examined Swedish model and the challenges it now faces' Richard Milne, Financial Times

The Year of Living Danishly

Author : Helen Russell
Publisher : Icon Books Ltd
Page : 365 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2015-01-08
Category : Travel
ISBN : 9781848318137

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The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell Pdf

* 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.

Scandinavian Unexceptionalism

Author : Nima Sanandaji
Publisher : London Publishing Partnership
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2015-06-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780255367059

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Scandinavian Unexceptionalism by Nima Sanandaji Pdf

This book is important to help an international audience understand the cultural peculiarities behind the Scandinavian “success story”. It is also vital that Scandinavians themselves read this book to help them understand the market reforms that are essential for a successful future.

A Nearly Normal Family

Author : M. T. Edvardsson
Publisher : Celadon Books
Page : 361 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2019-06-25
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781250204424

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A Nearly Normal Family by M. T. Edvardsson Pdf

Now a Netflix Limited Series "...A compulsively readable tour de force." —The Wall Street Journal New York Times Book Review recommends M.T. Edvardsson’s A Nearly Normal Family and lauds it as a “page-turner” that forces the reader to confront “the compromises we make with ourselves to be the people we believe our beloveds expect.” (NYTimes Book Review Summer Reading Issue) M.T. Edvardsson’s A Nearly Normal Family is a gripping legal thriller that forces the reader to consider: How far would you go to protect the ones you love? In this twisted narrative of love and murder, a horrific crime makes a seemingly normal family question everything they thought they knew about their life—and one another. Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she have to know a shady businessman, let alone to kill him? Stella’s father, a pastor, and mother, a criminal defense attorney, find their moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter, while struggling to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A Nearly Normal Family asks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them?

Just As Well I'm Leaving

Author : Michael Booth
Publisher : Random House
Page : 368 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2016-09-08
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781446485798

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Just As Well I'm Leaving by Michael Booth Pdf

'The next Bill Bryson.’ New York Times Having been dragged against his will to live in Denmark, Michael Booth discovered one of the great secrets of travel literature - Andersen's A Poet's Bazaar - a fascinating travelogue through a Europe on the cusp of revolution, by an author who invented children's literature. He discovered, too, his chance to escape Denmark. In 1840 Andersen was also desperate to flee, writing as he sailed: 'It is just as well I am leaving, my soul is unwell!' In Germany he was enraptured both by steam travel and the fiery Franz Liszt. In sultry Naples this latent bisexual wrestled with his erotic demons before travelling to Athens (little more than a village), seeing the dervishes dance in Istanbul, and sailing home up the Danube. Booth follows him every step of the way, reflecting on Andersen's life, work and pathological self-obsession, encountering his own cast of characters, from an accommodating Hamburg prostitute to a bemused Danish Ambassador to the first ever female dervish, who whisks him off to meet her guru.

Scandinavian Politics Today

Author : David Arter
Publisher : Manchester University Press
Page : 390 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 1999-02-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0719051339

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Scandinavian Politics Today by David Arter Pdf

This volume represents a unique study of contemporary politics and policy-making in the five nation-states and three Home Rule territories of the Nordic region. Written in a lively and readable style by an expert in the field, its approach is systematically thematic and comparative. Chapters deal with current political science issues such as nation-building and state-building, party system change, semi-presidentialism and post-corporatism, as well as addressing intrinsically important regional questions such as whether or not there is a Nordic model of government, a distinctively Scandinavian form of parliamentarianism and a superior welfare system. There is also detailed discussion of the Nordic states in their strategic external environment, focusing on the post-war security configuration in northern Europe and the impact of European integration on Scandinavia.