Midsummer’s review round-up

It’s Midsummer: we Finns are preparing for the celebration of the longest day of the year. Bonfires are lit, feasts are prepared and of course, sauna is a staple part of Midsummer.

In addition to The Finnish Sauna Book by Carita Harju, you can read more about the health benefits of a hot sauna in Finding Sisu. Katja Pantzar’s book about finding courage, wellness, and happiness through the power of sisu has been recently published in UK and Germany, and in many other countries the printers are already running hot.

The US publication of Finding Sisu is due next week, and Vogue reviewed the book very favorably: read the piece yourself to see how you can practice your sisu anywhere in the world, even in NYC.

Another nonfiction highlight of the spring is The Peace Machine by Professor Timo Honkela, who is now visiting Japan and the Finnish Institute in Japan to discuss his “Peace Machine Concept” of designing artificial intelligence and machine learning to serve humanity, in practice to help people to live in peace with each other.

On the fiction side, The Bystander by Saara Turunen has stirred conversation in Finland about writing as a profession and the role of literary criticism. Readers and reviewers have enjoyed the book:

“The novel is harrowing, emotional, fresh, original, fun and thought-provoking. Oh boy it’s good!” – Ilta-Sanomat newspaper, Finland

Katja Törmänen’s prize-winning fantasy novel The Bear’s Bride has also been well received: ”Myth and history mix in Katja Törmänen’s unique narrative art”, wrote Kalevanewspaper.

The Angry Widow by Minna Lindgren – now sold to German, Italian, Czech and Slovak – keeps getting great reviews: “Lindgren finds comic details in our lives and tells them quickly and amusingly,” said Suomen kuvalehti magazine.

Get in touch with us for reading materials – and have a happy Midsummer!

About author


Carita Harju

Carita Harju is a Finnish sauna experience expert and marketing professional whose mission is to share the Finnish sauna’s positive health and wellness benefits with the world. She is the founder and executive director of Sauna from Finland, which represents an international network of more than 200 sauna industry companies. The organization’s mission is to create the world’s best sauna experiences, and Harju loves her work, because it allows her to advance an idea that she is personally so passionate about. Carita Harju has always enjoyed saunas, goes to sauna with her family nearly every day and gives talks all over the world.

Her first illustrated guide, Sauna - The Way of Finnish Life (2016), has been published in four languages, including German and Chinese. Her second book, Soul of the Sauna, was released in Japanese and Hungarian, while her newest title Saunafulness (Hyvää oloa saunomalla, 2021) has been sold to 4 territories.

About author


Katja Pantzar

Katja Pantzar –  Katja Pantzar is a Helsinki-based writer and journalist who swims in the Baltic Sea year round. Raised in Canada, with stints in New Zealand and England, she is the author of The Finnish Way (Penguin Random House/2018), a bestselling non-fiction book about Nordic well-being, winter swimming and sisu (resilience) that has been translated into 24 languages. Her second book on sisu, Everyday Sisu: Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life (Penguin Random House/2022) explores through expert interviews and research-based information how we can better support our mental and physical health while taking care of each other and our planet. Everyday Sisu has also been published in Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian. Pantzar’s work has been widely covered around the world in media ranging from Le Figaro, Le Monde, and El Paísto Vogue the Washington Post and the New York Review of Books. . She is also the author of three mini-guides to the Finnish capital, including 100 things to do in Helsinki (Siltala/2024).

About author


Katja Törmänen

KATJA TÖRMÄNEN is a history teacher by training and a writer by profession. She has also studied and taught creative writing. She lives in Oulu, Northern Finland.

About author


Minna Lindgren

Minna Lindgren (b. 1963) is a freelance journalist and columnist known for her whimsical writing style and fearless approach to topics as strange as opera and death. In addition to novels, she has authored nonfiction books on classical music. In 2009, Lindgren won the Bonnier Journalism Prize for her article entitled “Father’s Death” (“Isän kuolema”).

Lindgren is best known for the Sunset Grove trilogy, which has been sold to 18 territories, and the final part, The End of Sunset Grove, was nominated for the International Dublin Literature Award in 2019. She has also written four standalone novels and a non-fiction book about the history of opera.

Minna Lindgren’s books have been critical and commercial successes, in Finland and internationally.

About author


Saara Turunen

Saara Turunen is an internationally acclaimed award-winning author, playwright and director. Much of her work examines the themes of art, identity and social norms. Turunen is known for her four highly acclaimed novels -Hyena Days (2024) - Irrational Things (2021), The Bystander (2018) and Love/Monster (2015), but also for her work in theatre. Her works have been translated into 16 languages and performed all around the world. Turunen has received the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize in 2015, the Finland Prize in 2016, the City of Helsinki’s The Artist of the Year Award in 2018 and the Lea-Prize in 2020, all high-profile awards given in Finland.

About author


Timo Honkela

Timo Honkela researched artificial intelligence and machine learning for over 30 years, and served as a professor in three universities, including his post as Professor of Digital Information Research in Helsinki University. The Peace Machine is his testament, in which he talks about his life work in hopes of inspiring other people to continue the important work.