Finland is a unique and beautiful country with a great deal to offer the visitor.
The American girl : a novel
Monika Fagerholm ; translated by Katarina E. Tucker.
New York : Other Press, 2010.
Crime mystery and gothic saga, social study and chronicle of the late 1960s and early 1970s, a portrait of the psyche of young girls on the cusp of sexual awakening, "The American Girl" is a bewitching glimpse of the human capacity for survival and for self-inflicted wounds.
Snow angels
James Thompson.
New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2010.
The first thriller in a new series, "Snow Angels" features Inspector Kari Vaara, the haunted, hardened detective who must delve into Finland's dark, violent underbelly.
Simply Scandinavian : travelling in time with Finnish cuisine and nature
Tero Kallio, Kimmo Saira.
Helsinki, Finland : Raikas Publishing, 2009.
Simply Scandinavian presents modern takes on traditional Scandinavian recipes, combining time-tested Finnish food preparation with twenty-first century taste. The recipes are organized by time of year - appetizers, main courses, and desserts for Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. The authors have arranged the book to take the reader through a year of Scandinavian recipes, pairing gorgeous four-color photographs of Finland's landscape from the archipelago in the south to the harsh wilderness of Lapland with mouthwatering food photography.
The Winter War : Russia's invasion of Finland, 1939-1940
Robert Edwards.
New York : Pegasus Books, 2008.
"In his new interpretation of the little-understood Russian invasion of Finland, Robert Edwards describes one of the most valiant but doomed defenses since Thermopylae. Indeed, the geopolitical consequences of the conflict were far reaching, as Nazi Germany observed the Soviet embarrassment from the sidelines and immediately began their plans for Operation Barbarossa."--BOOK JACKET.
It's the seventh-largest country in Europe, but has a small population, so much of the country is untouched nature, with large pine forests and over 180,000 lakes.
Part of Finland lies above the Arctic Circle and winter provides unlimited opportunities for skiing, snowmobiling, and even reindeer trekking. Northern Finland is also an ideal spot to see the midnight sun in summer, or the Aurora Borealis in winter.
The south has its own attractions, including medieval castles and a beautiful capital, Helsinki.
Finland is known for other things, from Finlandia vodka and Nokia cell phones, to being the official home of Santa Claus' Main Post Office, which receives almost a million letters a year from children around the world.
Finland has produced artists in many fields, including the composer Jean Sibelius, and the architect Eero Saarinen, who designed the Gateway Arch.
But Finland may be best known for the sauna, which has existed since prehistoric times. So popular are saunas that a Finnish proverb says, "First you build the sauna and then the house." America may have adopted the sauna, but in Finland you can still have the real experience, which includes rubbing your skin with birch twigs to increase circulation, and then cooling off in a nearby lake.
With nature, culture, and a range of unique experiences, Finland is a wonderful spot for tourists wanting to explore something new. It is a place you will not soon forget.
Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff
