A review by spcandybars
The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking

informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

2.75

It’s kind of just….fine. I don’t think I should have gone into this expecting anything. Hygge is one of those words that’s hard to translate because it defines a feeling more than anything. More than just cozy or nostalgic, hygge seems to be the culturally prevalent sentiment that ties to the maintained happiness of  the Danes. That’s really the take away of the book. There are some assertions of what can contribute to a feeling of Hygge but it’s primarily about the presence of it in the Danish language and culture and less a practical guide. I think that mainly has to do with Hygge being an atmosphere that shouldn’t be difficult to cultivate. I think the author missed an opportunity in the discussion of Hygge when speaking of it alongside Danish culture. It appears that much of Hygge and Danish happiness seems to be tied to perspective and mindset and I’d love a deep dive on where this perspective is bred and WHY it’s so distinct from the prevailing mindset of neighboring countries. 

I wouldn’t NOT recommend this book but I also think just googling the definition of Hygge and consulting a blog post or two would have the same impact.