Discovering Norwegian stories

Norway novelsI love the idea of learning about new authors and new novels while traveling.

On a recent trip to Norway, a visit to a bookshop and a chat with the women working there left me the new owner of Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology. It’s been years since I’ve read the Norse legends. To be precise, it was a junior high class on Myths, Mysteries and Legends and I loved the tales of hammer wielding Thor and the gods and goddesses of Norse legend. It seems Gaiman was a big fan of those legends as a child, too.

The Norwegian women in the bookshop recommended this recently released novel, and Gaiman has already impressed me with his wide range of stories and his impressive imagination, so I look forward to reading how he’s tackled these ancient Norse myths.

The other novel recommended to me was by Hans Olav Lahlum – The Human Flies – touted as an Agatha Christie-style mystery set in Oslo in 1968. I’d just seen the growing Oslo of today, and I was curious to read story set in the same city in the late 60s.

So I am extremely pleased to have these new ‘Norwegian’  books on my shelves – though sadly, not in Norwegian. As if I needed one, I have yet another good reason to travel! Happy reading and traveling!

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