If you see something that increases the happiness of you, your community or the world as a whole, talk about it, write about it, film it, photograph it - and pass it on.
Rating: 4/5
Trigger Warnings: None
Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t read the book, this review will contain spoilers so it’s up to you if you continue…
I love both these books so much! Not only are the absolutely stunning hardbacks, the interior also has beautiful illustrations, great advice, and interesting facts. Meik Wiking works at The Happiness Institute in Copenhagen, researching what makes people happy - and especially what makes the Danish he happiest people in the world. These Little Books are easily accessible, and a simple mix of facts and advice. They’re education, wrapped up in a bit of fun.
I’m reviewing the two together because they’re both a short 300 pages, surrounding the same topics and by the same author, but I still wanted to talk about them separately as well…
The Little Book of Hygge
Hygge seems to be entirely untranslatable. The book spends just over 300 pages explaining how it can be achieved and I still can’t quite explain to you what it is you’re achieving. A sense of cosy, togetherness is how I understood it.
The book itself is pretty hygge, but maybe that’s because I read it over Christmas break, usually in front of a fire, and curled up in an armchair. The narration felt like a friend chatting to me, Wiking makes it feel as if you known him and the two of you are catching up with each other as he explains a little of his culture to you. There are a couple of recipes, some tips on how to make your house, holiday, and life a little more hygge, and some stories about the times Wiking’s gone skiing with his friends. So basically a really interesting look at Danish culture, from the point of view of someone who wants to spread a little happiness.
Mostly the book made me want to move to Denmark, and I don’t really have any complaints about it. It’s a really good book on a very simple premise, and if you’ve got a couple of hours to kill, I definitely recommend reading Hygge and picking up a few tips on how to improve your life in small ways.
The Little Book of Lykke
Happiness! How could you not enjoy a book about happiness. Meik Wiking possibly has one of the best jobs I’ve ever heard of. The Little Book of Lykke is split into 9 chapters; an introduction to the book, a discussion on how to measure happiness, chapters 3-8 are derived from the World Happiness Report,and then a final chapter about putting it all together. I enjoyed the way that each chapter was dedicated to the six factors (togetherness, money, healthy, freedom, trust, and kindness) that the World Happiness Report claims explain the gap between the happiest and unhappiest countries. Pausing on each helps you separate them out, and think about what it is that makes you happy, and how you it is maybe just one thing in your life that you need to work on to be happier overall.
I’ll admit, after reading Hygge, The Little Book of Lykke did feel a little repetitive. Wiking definitely draws on the same ideas, and occasionally the same facts, in both books. This doesn’t make it any more or less enjoyable, it just means that if you read them back to back (there was about 3 months between my readings of them) I’m sure you’ll pick up on it.
Lykke is also a little internally repetitive. The book is presenting a sort of recipe for happiness, maybe not the road to get you there, but the service stations and stops along the way that add to your journey. However, in order to do this, the same phrases are used a couple of times, and the summary pages for each chapter go over the exact same ideas as if you haven’t just read a chapter on the subject. Just a little frustrating to be honest.
I enjoyed both, and they make beautiful additions to any bookcase. Feel free to chat to me about them, set up a staircase library (Wiking advises this a lot), and share what makes you happy with the hashtag #Look4Lykke
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