More than two weeks ago, I presented Tove Jansson to my classmates and teacher. This was one of the assignments one must complete in the Swedish komvux: a 10-minute presentation about a Swedish author. While this is usually the last assignment one attempts in class, I decided to plunge right into the deep end because no. 1) I love reading, and no. 2) I love playing with PowerPoint. […]

Thank you, James Clear, for the inspiration and wise words today.

For today’s reading, I have chosen a very well-loved story about a super strong girl called Pippi Långstrump (English: Pippi Longstocking). The red-haired, freckled girl is a special character created by Astrid Lingren and named by Lingren’s daughter, Karin. Pippi is playful, unpredictable, and unconventional.

I bought the book in Stockholm during a business trip in Sweden in 2015. Happy listening!

TAIPEI, TAIWAN (2019)

For today’s reading, I have chosen a barnbok (children’s book) from McDonald’s Happy Meal Readers (HMR). I only have this one for the Swedish market but I understand that the McDonalds Tiny Detectives HMR (total: 12 books) were also available at McDonalds Singapore and Malaysia. I don’t know what possessed me to order a Happy Meal but I suspect the word “book” has something to do with it—that’s how I ended up with this little gem.

This book is the Swedish edition of Cressida Cowell’s De små detektiverna: Finns det liv på havets djupaste botten? (In English: The Tiny Detectives: Is there Life at the Bottom of the Deepest Ocean?) Happy listening!