We are happy to introduce our Spring 2025 Non-Fiction Catalogue!

Our new titles include By the Seashore: How Writers Discovered the Sea by Sanna Nyqvist, The Happiness Puzzle by Jennifer De Paola and Sacred Trees by Reetta Ranta!

CHECK OUT THE SPRING 2025 NON-FICTION CATALOGUE HERE

 

By the Seashore: How Writers Discovered the Sea by Sanna Nyqvist

Follow Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Tove Jansson and other classic writers to the beach and experience the landscape through the eyes of a writer.

✓ 2024 Finlandia Nominee in Non-fiction
✓ 2024 Lauri Jäntti Prize Honorary Award!
✓ One of the ten best nonfiction books of 2024 – Suomen Kuvalehti
✓ Rights sold to mareverlag in Germany in pre-empt!
✓ The book has inspired readers to take sailing trips to the Stockholm archipelago and other captivating landscapes.
✓ Thematically, combining place and culture, drawing comparisons to the books of Mia Kankimäki, Dorthe Nors and Nina Burton.

By the Seashore is a fascinating journey through salt-scented cultural history and to the authors’ favourite beaches. Jane Austen adventured along the south coast of England, Marcel Proust returned year after year to the shimmering light of Normandy, and Tove Jansson created her own paradise on an island in the Gulf of Finland. The magic of the beaches is part of our shared experience and our relationship with nature. But how long will we be able to experience our beloved beaches as they are now? This was already being pondered by August Strindberg in the late 19th century, when industry and tourism were shaping the Stockholm archipelago.

By the Seashore is a gripping and surprising account of why beaches have become landscapes of emotion, safe havens as well as  islands of adventure.

The Happiness Puzzle by Jennifer De Paola

This book takes you on a journey through real stories and the author’s own academic research to explore how ordinary people understand happiness, revealing that the key to a happier life lies in embracing the complexity of happiness with flexibility and compassion, rather than relying on simplistic, one-size-fits-all solutions.

✓ English book proposal with chapter samples available!
✓ An innovative and unique take on the happiness paradox by researcher, PhD. Jennifer De Paola

Finns are known for their quiet, reserved nature and their tendency to keep emotions in check, don’t exactly fit the traditional image of a “happy” nation. They don’t smile on command or express emotions as openly as people in other countries might. And yet, Finland continues to top the happiness rankings year after year.

This paradox is where the story begins. Building on Finland’s paradoxical position in the World Happiness Report, this book reveals the limitations of defining happiness purely as life satisfaction (contentment). Adopting a fresh perspective, it suggests a fuller, more nuanced understanding of happiness — one that begins with how ordinary people define and experience it. By exploring how ordinary people in Finland describe their own happiness, the book paints a picture that goes beyond the simple contentment, highlighting the skills needed to navigate three essential dimensions of happiness: emotions, contentment and meaning.

Think of happiness as a kaleidoscope. When you shake it, the small colorful pieces get all mixed up, and the three mirrors inside it create beautiful patterns through multiple reflections. Now think of Emotions, Contentment and Meaning as those three mirrors.

Just like in a kaleidoscope, these three parts reflect off each other, creating a mesmerizing masterpiece. When one of the parts shifts — you experience a powerful emotion, notice your contentment or engage in a meaningful activity — the whole picture transforms.

Through a blend of cutting-edge happiness studies, personal anecdotes, and actionable advice drawn from reliable, science-backed therapeutic practices, Happiness is this is both a framework and a practical guide. It challenges the narrow, one-dimensional views of happiness that often suggest it’s about finding grand, life-altering purpose, revealing instead that embracing contradictions may be the key to a richer, more resilient sense of well-being. The book also tackles the common idea in happiness research that chasing small pleasures is misguided, showing how emotions play a crucial role and why seeking happiness is not always wrong. This book introduces a simple yet profound framework for understanding happiness based on three aspects:

· Emotions: signal what brings joy into our lives and alert us to what may harm our well-being

· Contentment: provides a sense of calm and satisfaction with what we have, helping us appreciate the present moment

· Meaning: gives our lives purpose and direction

Happiness isn’t a goal or destination — it’s a skill. It’s about developing the flexibility to remain open and compassionate to your thoughts and feelings, even when they’re tough, and to adjust your actions when needed. It means being able to cope with challenges, bounce back from setbacks, and live in a way that reflects what’s truly important to you, leading to a happier life. Through De Paola’s journey in Finland, and with a blend of psychology research and cultural insights drawn from interviews with 70 ordinary Finns, Happiness is this seeks to challenge the conventional wisdom on happiness. It’s not about a one-size-fits-all formula. Rather, happiness is this: embracing the complexity and contradictions that exist in all of us with compassion — and learning to adapt across three key dimensions: emotions, contentment and meaning.

Sacred Trees by Reetta Ranta

Sacred Trees invites readers on a journey to discover the stories, rituals, and wisdom entwined with trees in Finnish history and mythology.

✓ Aimed at readers interested in folklore, Nordic and Scandi mythology, and nature’s spiritual aspects
✓ Appeals to those seeking to connect with their roots and find inspiration in diverse and global ancient wisdom, as well as modern audiences drawn to the growing movement of forest therapy, mindfulness, and ecological spirituality

Sacred Trees is a deeply personal and culturally rich exploration of a people’s ancient connection with trees and the spiritual significance they held in Finnish and Karelian traditions. The book uncovers the vibrant traditions of tree worship, many of which persisted into the 20th century; the relationships people held with sacred groves, and offering trees (pitämyspuu), which were woven into daily life. Women played a central role in these practices, tending sacred trees through rituals that fostered the spiritual connection between nature and humanity, making such offerings as tastes of the first harvest, bounty from foraging and hunting, or a mother’s breast milk.

The book also delves into the significance of memorial trees (karsikkopuu) and bear skull pines (karhunkallohonka), which held a central role in hunting magic and honoring the deceased. Readers will learn how these traditions honored nature spirits, ancestors, and life cycles through rituals, offerings, and festivals such as Kekri, the Finnish harvest celebration.

In addition to exploring historical and mythological aspects, Sacred Trees highlights the enduring magic of trees in modern life. Drawing from primary sources from the Finnish Literature Society archives (1700s to 1960s), modern science and wellbeing research, and first-person interviews of people’s current-day relationship with trees, the book is a multidimensional invitation to readers to reconnect with nature.