Hello and welcome to Episode Thirty Two of Page Turn: the Largo Public Library Podcast. I'm your host, Hannah!
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The English Language Transcript can be found below
But as always we start with Reader's Advisory!
The Reader's Advisory for Episode Thirty Two is Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang. If you like Dragon Hoops you should also check out: Spinning by Tillie Walden, Almost American Girl by Robin Ha, and Attucks! by Phillip Hoose.
My personal favorite Goodreads list Dragon Hoops is on is Tales from the Hardwood.
Happy Reading Everyone
Today’s Library Tidbit is about Nordic comfort and relaxation. I know, we live in Florida so the comfort rituals of societies living in freezing lands is possibly a little out of touch with reality here, but I think we could all use some comforting this holiday season in particular.
Let’s start with the concept everyone has probably heard of hygge. Hygge is a Danish word that we tend to translate to coziness. However, the concept is a lot bigger than that. Hygge is a way of life in Denmark. It is a combination of coziness, with the correct lighting, food, drink, and togetherness.
The closest other cultural practice to hygge is koselig. I don’t want to angry any Norwegians listening but really from the outside they appear to be the same thing, just hygge is Danish and koselig is Norwegian. Koselig also includes natural light, fire candles, etc, cozy clothing and blankets, warm drinks or booze without the intent of getting drunk, and comfort foods. Both hygge and koselig have the same connotations of intimacy and togetherness mixed with the coziness.
On the other side of staying sane during a long and frozen winter we have the Fins and kalsarikännit. (You try saying that.) Päntsdrunk is less about coziness and intimacy and more about unwinding and letting go of the day’s stress. And while drinking alcohol is part of the practice the purpose is not to get drunk. Proper päntsdrunk includes snack items, especially candy, while both hygge and koselig are more about the pastry and cake life, päntsdrunk is about the candy and chips life. Päntsdrunk is mostly done alone and at home. If you do päntsdrunk with friends you are very close. Aside from the drinking and the snacks the other aspect of päntsdrunk is to strip down to your underwear, pajamas at the most.
You must be at least 21 years of age to practice päntsdrunk.
The last cultural practice I’m going to talk over today is lagom. Lagom is a Swedish concept that roughly translates to the perfect amount or in moderation. It is not about achieving perfection, but rather in recognizing when the right amount or fit comes along, stopping there, and being happy and content.
I’m trying to think what the Florida equivalent for these practices are since most of them seem to require fire and bulky warm clothing. What comes to mind for me is the perfect day at a beach empty of everyone but your party, with a breeze coming off the shore, sitting under a shade shelter reading a good book, eating salty snacks and drinking a cold drink. But I don’t know I avoid the beach and the sun so what do I know. Come in let me know what the Florida equivalent is.
And now it's time for Book Traveler, with Victor:
Intro: Hi! Welcome to Book Traveler. My name is Victor and I am the Community Access Librarian at the Largo Public Library. Today I'm going to talk to you about the book The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris.
Synopsis: "As the first African American woman with roots in South Asia to become California's attorney general, as well as the second black woman in history elected to the United States Senate, Kamala Harris is breaking new ground on her route to the national stage. But how did she achieve her goals? What values and influences guided and inspired her along the way? In this edition of her memoir,
