Lets do some reading 2013: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey is one of those books that you just know will completely bewitch you. As such, I decided to put off reading it until I had enough time to spare when I could let it consume me. Two days was all I needed to set aside, I devoured it in it's entirety within just 48 hours. 

I was so glad that I saved this book for my trip to Sweden. Having spent the day wading through thigh deep snow in only the half-light of the afternoon it was an absolute delight to curl up in bed and read this beautiful tale of an elderly couple living in the magical state of Alaska. 

The couple, Jack and Mabel live on an Alaskan farm, where they are building a new life after the tragedy of not being able to conceive a child. One frosty evening the first snow begins to fall. Together, Mabel and her husband, who have been drifting apart, build a little snow girl together. This first snow not only brings them closer together but it also leads to the mysterious appearance of a wild young girl, who we begin to glimpse peeping through the trees and leaving gifts of animal pelts and berries. 

Just moments into the first description of the girl I was reminded of this picture. Her delicate skin, fair hair and bright blue eyes are described with such clarity that even after you've finished the book, you can still conjure her up in your mind at will. 

I'm not going to reveal any more about the storyline because I'd like you to be surprised throughout the entire tale. If you like magical landscapes, endearing and relatable characters, stories of hope, love and determination, then I can whole-heartedly guarantee that you will adore this book. It is so hauntingly beautiful at the same time as being so carefully and delicately written. The only criticism I could possibly make is that it didn't last forever. 

Have you been enchanted recently? Which book do you find it impossible to put down?

Have a beautiful weekend my dearests!

the little nordic cabin

x

Pictures lovingly taken from here, here & here :)

When you forget how technology works

Oh hi! I thought I'd better tell you that I got to Sweden safely and wasn't murdered on my airport sleeping bench or killed in a plane crash or swept up by the snowstorm that hit Stockholm as I arrived. I did, however, have a rather silly moment where I forgot how technology worked, ie that I wouldn't be able to use my phone's internet once I left the UK meaning that I couldn't update anymore! 

Instead I've been doing old fashioned blogging in paper form so I'll have lots of lovely posts for you once I've returned to normality :)

Jojo if you're reading this, Sabrina left a comment on my first travel update post where she explained how she managed to find my posts under the new blog name - maybe that will help you! I love your dedication to finding me under your blog lists! Star reader! 

Ok, I'm meant to be tidying my boyfriends room while he's at university. Housewife alert. 

Happy valentines to you all, huge kisses and snuggles from the little nordic cabin <3 

x

PS thank you for your lovely comments, as always. I'll come and visit you all soon, I pinky promise!

PPS Valentines day Korean Style - my cousin spent the year teaching in Korea recently and has been sharing lots of lovely snapshots of her time there. I love the way that they celebrate Valentines over there! Abi (my cousin) is relatively new here, so please show her some love!

Sweden time! Phase 3

Thank you for your comments, lovelies :) i managed to sleep rather well on a little bench, snuggled up warm and cozy. It wasn't bad at all and it was kind of fun to watch other people build their nests for the night! I met a sweet Brazillian girl who had come to the airport to meet her boyfriend after being apart for quite some time. She told me how excited she was to see the snow and I told her all about Sweden.

Now it's time to get washed. I have babywipes, strawberry soap and a sink in the airport bathroom. Not feeling too fresh or pretty right now! Aren't airport bathroom mirrors and lighting the worst?!

Picture of my little nest - that little stand had pictures of crepes all over it, it made me so hungry!

Sweden time! Phases 1 & 2

Hello my lovelies,
It's been a while! I'm writing from my phone as I wait for my bus to the airport where I'm spending the night before flying to Stockholm tomorrow! When I arrive I'm then spending a night on a bus that will take me all the way north to Umeå. So far I've had dinner at a Japanese restaurant and now I'm sitting in Starbucks with a yummy mug of hot chocolate :)

Do you guys like to travel alone? I'm quite independant and like my own space so am perfectly comfortable spending a couple of days in solitude, but I know some people find it difficult. My eta is in 36 hours, so until then it's just you and me :)

Let's do some reading 2013: The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller

This was a strange one. I feel like I could easily say that I really disliked this book but at the same time it had some really good aspects. I think that sums up the book quite well if I'm honest - I just don't know what to think. It was hovering so close to the brink of being a good read but it just came up short on too many occasions. I didn't know how I felt about any of the characters, I didn't know if I cared what happened and I still don't really know why I didn't give up on it. 

There were parts that I liked, Speller has a lovely way of recreating the world as it was left after the devastation of the first world war and I loved learning about things that I hadn't known had happened during the war, however I still feel like I don't quite know what the book was about.

First of all, something that is very important to me as a literature student is for a book to read fluently with no grammar/spelling or punctuation mistakes. When you're living with your characters in a world outside of your own, mistakes or difficulties in the text bring you violently back into the real world. Whilst there were no major errors, the use of ''he should of'' instead of ''should have'' got on my nerves increasingly throughout the novel. Although this was in speech, so could be put down to the accent of the character, it wasn't consistent, with ''of'' and ''have'' being used interchangeably.

Second of all, the way that some sentences were worded meant that I repeatedly had to re-read parts before understanding what they said. I know that in English our use of ''his'' is rather ambiguous, with ''he kissed his wife'' implying two very different scenarios for example, but the text just wasn't clear enough about certain things to the extent that I often wasn't sure who it was that was talking until something was said that linked back to the character. Additionally, although  I loved learning things about the war, there was a certain degree of assumption that the reader would be familiar with certain terminology or recall certain events, which were mentioned all too often with no explanation of what they meant or what significance they held.

Finally, I just didn't feel gripped by the story. I wasn't on the edge of my seat. I expected a huge twist, for the murder mystery to turn out not be a murder after all (explaining the 'return' part of the title), or for the least expected character to emerge as the villain. However, it was rather disappointing when the antagonist was finally revealed. It didn't come as a shock. Granted, it wasn't someone that I had suspected, but it was such a weak part of the story that I was happy to get to the end and didn't even bother to read the epilogue or afterword.

I think it was nicely written, but not feeling any connection to any of the characters held me back from really getting involved in the story. Having read a crime novel immediately after that had me turning pages in anticipation and excitement, I can now say quite confidently that this book was not my cup of tea in the slightest. 

the little nordic cabin
x

Graze Boxes

Hey everyone, have you noticed the new ads on my blog? I'm very happy to say that I'm now advertising for a company that I really care about - Graze. I have been interested in nutrition since I was in school, but sadly couldn't study it at a higher level due to not having the required science qualifications, however I always dreamed about setting up a company that would encourage healthy eating with minimal effort involved. I believe that healthy eating goes far beyond dieting heavily in order to lose weight - it's about making healthier choices and picking foods that will actively improve your overall health, supplying your body with all the helpful nutrients it needs to be strong and healthy. Graze has done just that.

Have you guys heard of this? It's an amazing website where you can order little boxes of snacks to be delivered right to your door. It costs less than £4 per box and there is so much to choose from. All you do is select the items you'd like to try, bin ones you don't like the sound of, and then a box will arrive once a week with different heathy items for you to try. 

My box arrived this morning, with these yummy products. They taste really good and are teeny enough to fit in your handbag. 

Of course I just had to try the Scandinavian selection just for you guys ;) There were blueberries, lingonberries, cherry infused raisins and apple pieces. Very Nordic indeed!

Have you tried this? I highly recommend it. I probably won't be ordering a box every week since I'm a poor student, but I doubt I'll be able to resist treating myself every now and then!

I'm so excited to help Graze out in this way, and I hope you'll try it someday. Hint: you can get cake!

the little nordic cabin

x

Sunday Recipe - Condensed Milk Cake

Have you seen Dr Ola's blog? It's full of the most amazing recipes, including German biscuits and wonderful Egyptian traditional foods! I found this recipe for a condensed milk cake and decided to try it this afternoon. 

It was so delicious and super quick and easy to make. Dr Ola is one clever lady! 

All you need is 4 eggs, 150g plain flour, 400g condensed milk, 1/2tsp baking powder and 50g melted butter. You whisk them all together with an electric mixer until smooth, before pouring into a round cake tin and baking at 175c for up to 40 minutes. (mine only took 25 minutes) Easy peasy!

Once my cake had cooled, I dusted it with icing sugar and served with a dollop of lingonberry jam to add a little touch of Scandinavia! The flavours went perfectly together. I recommend serving the cake just like this, with a little glass of Bailey's or a cup of tea and a cozy episode of Call the Midwife!

the little nordic cabin

x

@nordiccabin