Sweden Books

The Holme Trilogy is really interesting, because in this Viking saga, the traditional warrior isn't the hero...his slave (thrall) Holme is. The book begins with a woman thrall, Ausi, giving birth to Holme's child after he raped her. (It seems that virtually every sexual relationship begins with/is always by rape.) The Viking chieftan of the settlement orders that the baby be abandoned to die in the woods, but Holme rescues the child (an unheard of act). He, Ausi & the child flee into the woods, living in a cave for a while. They later relocate outside a trading city on an island. The book has virtually no dialogue in it, and is interesting because the book shifts from blind narration to a "stream of consciousness" perspective from the characters even in the midst of a paragraph. The author does a brilliant job of setting the scenes & describing things in great detail. The book is filled with beautiful, haunting & terrifying imagry. Much like many of the works of Knut Hamsun, this is an "unromantic romance." The book grabbed my attention early on & held it fast. It's a wonderful story & a brilliant work of art. I can't wait to start reading part two later tonight. Get this!

The Letters and Dispatches of Raoul Wallenberg provide a glimpse of a man who paid, somewhere and somehow in the Soviet Union, the ultimate price for his efforts to bring others to safety. While much is now debated about the benefits of neutrality to Sweden during the Holocaust, what cannot be debated is the intentionality of this man to provide Hungarian Jews a safe haven in Sweden, saving them from Hitler's death camps. An excellent read, this work provides insight through Raoul's own words and the responses of those he wrote to. Introductions to the letters and dispatches provide an excellent framework, assisting the reader with historical perspective, relational understanding and context.

Couldn't put it down, related to so many things in this book. Falling in love can be like a madness, if you have been there you will know. I enjoyed the journey to Sweden, and across the country. Thank you for such a descriptive visit to beautiful Stockholm!

Voltaire has left us an account of a great general that is never dry, always entertaining, and honest. While Voltaire gives Charles his due as a charismatic leader and great general, he seems to have written this book more as a vehicle to expose the King's dark side. Charles waged war for war's sake and is not glorified here as might be the tendency among other writers. Charles was among the most daring, colorful and skillful military leaders ever to take to the field. He was also a reckless, thoughtless, war monger who inherited one of the most powerful countries on earth at the time and in a few years, lost it. His selfish ambitions also cost the Swedish people dearly in lives.

Altogether, a fine entertaining, informative, and instructional read.

It looks great on my kindle! It is a full color book on Amazon.

Illustrations by Swedish artist Carina Ståhlberg

36 pages

Description:

"Lucia Morning in Sweden" is a new children's book that tells the old story of Sankta Lucia through the eyes of three children in modern-day Sweden.

The book follows the adventures of Sofie, Louise, and Carl as they prepare for Lucia Day, December 13th. On that day, many Swedish people celebrate the legacy of Lucia and the coming of the light with coffee, saffron buns, ginger snaps, and wonderful singing.

One of the most beloved and celebrated traditions of the Swedish people, Lucia Day also signifies that the Christmas holiday is getting close.

In addition to the story of the Svensson children, it includes the Lucia song, recipes for ginger snaps and saffron buns, a summary of the Lucia legend, and two patterns for the Lucia gowns. Although the book is aimed at the 5- to 10-year-old age group, many parents and grandparents may enjoy reading it to younger children.

This story is marvelous. It is about a young boy who feels the magic of his mother's love in a cap that she has made for him. It is one of the best childrens stories I have read.

This fine book uncovers a piece of little-known history of World War Two. During the war in Europe, Sweden remained neutral, and it was an advantage for both sides, since it provided a contact point for diplomats, spies, and all manner of shadowy people. It also was a lifesaver for American, British, and German flyers when their planes were wrecked by enemy action. If you could make it to Sweden, you were interned for the duration of hostilities. You were not a prisoner. You were more like a guest who cannot leave.
This happened to me near Berlin on May 29, 1944, when fierce attacks by German fighter planes knocked out two of my B-17 bomber's engines, wrecked the right wing, and caused fuel to pour from a ruptured tank. The bomber could never reach England, so the plane staggered across Germany and the Baltic to skid on its belly across the grass of the Bulltofta airfield outside of Malmo, Sweden. The Swedes were wonderfully kind, and I lived a quiet, civilian life in a lovely valley at Loka Brunn until released from internment.
At least 162 American planes landed or crashed in Sweden. In a research effort that must have taken years, Bo Widfeldt and Rolph Wegmann have carefully documented the story of each plane and its crew members. Amazingly, they have photos of many of the wounded planes, and some of the crews, as they came to rest on Swedish soil. This is the definitive book about this aspect of World War Two. Every flyer is listed and a special tribute is made to those flyers who died trying to "make it to Sweden."

I think that this was a good book because Mats Sundin IS the BEST! It shows a lot of colorful pictures and a lot of interseting facts!

Medieval Women Mystics: Gertrude the Great, Angela of Foligno, Birgitta of Sweden, Julian of Norwich: Selcted Spiritual Writings

Medieval Women Mystics is a wonderfully inspirational and uplifting book of spiritual writings by women who lived in the medieval era during the radically changing Christian reform. These writings were compiled and edited by a contemplative nun of the Carmelite Order, Sister Elizabeth Ruth Obbard.

In the introduction, Obbard introduces us to the medieval era and explains how the roles of women were changing and how their individual philosophy was mimicking the changes within society. Women were forming new religious orders, such as the beguines, and women saints were suddenly increasing in number. Women were stepping into new religious roles while the men were away on crusades. Many were adopting prophetic roles. As the age of romance and chivalry unfolded, women began to incorporate passion and romance into their Christianity, desiring to be the bride of the Lord. It was an era of widespread upheaval in the belief s of Christians.

Another important change that took place during this period was in education. Previously, education had been reserved for the elite, royalty or the wealthiest of the upper echelons of society. During medieval times, as women were elevated in their position in society, they were given the opportunity to learn to read and write. Many of them began to record their thoughts in written form. But while the men focused their writing on the theological aspect of spirituality, the women utilized all their senses, including their sexuality. This got their writings swept under the carpet and mostly ignored. It is only in the recent years, as the feminist movement has gained widespread support, that these writings are beginning to be taken seriously in the world of Christianity.

Obbard has arranged her book into four sections, one for each of the women included: Gertrude the Great, Angela of Foligno, Birgitta of Sweden, and Julian of Norwich. All four women lived between 1248 and 1420, but their lives were quite different in many respects. Each section begins with an introduction that tells about the woman, when she lived, how she lived, and what she believed. Then, Obbard provides many pages of their writings, covering the widest array of spiritual topics imaginable. My favorite was Gertrude the Great, who maintained that God was, in fact, a woman.

These writings will uplift your soul and warm your heart. They are the testimonies of four women that were thinking and acting ahead of their time. These women had a message to deliver to the world and had a gift for delivering it through the written word. Their writings are beautiful!