English Translations of Scandinavian/Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

Well I've smelled it alot, being a sailor, but have never seen it forsale, ugh.

Oh yes, definitely UGH!

I saw that you guys found out about surströmming and started laughing. It's rotted herring. You know it's ready when forming gasses make the can puff out. NEVER EVER GET NEAR IT. And I think anyone who will eat it must be deranged.

My gag reflex would stop me, you don't have to worry there.

I saw the surstromming stuff in a Bizarre Foods episode (I think this summer?), in an episode where Zimmern visits all the embassies in Washington. And they offered him that stuff in the Swedish embassy. On the roof terrace, since it stinks so bad it should not be eaten indoors. And they "forgot" to tell him that it's not eaten as itself but as a small dose with something else. (I tried to search for a video clip to show him eat that, but couldn't find a decent one. Only someone's recording of their TV screen in youtube, with awful audio and video).
(a bit more on that rotten food - I especially like the hearsay history of it, heh).
And best of luck, James.

Anna wrote: "I especially like the hearsay history of it, heh.."

The only thing wrong with that story is that no real Finn will touch the stinky stuff. When I was living in Sweden the Swedes always tried to get us Finns to try it. One whiff was enough though. We do have some strange foods in Finland but rotten fish is NOT one of them.

It's kind of hard to come up with a list of bizarre foods in Finland that you couldn't find in other countries. (sill/herring and lutefisk - all northern Europe plus the Jewish versions are all close to those; borscht - idem, except perhaps more eastern Europe + the Jewish versions), but let me try for the sake of itself to make a small list of trying-to-be-as-gross Finnish foods as sustromming:
- maksalaatikko, aka liver (more) pudding (than a casserole). a milk and rice pudding that has liver, and raisins too.
- mämmi. just look at it. rye soup cooked for days until it looks like... well, mämmi. supposedly sweet, an Easter treat...

And to rinse the icky (even if just mental) flavor left by those "delicacies", visit your local IKEA and pick some delicious Nordic marmalades; cloudberry, blueberry, cranberry... and enjoy as themselves or process as a delicious liquor (even better). :)

Starting Arctic Chill tonight.

A favorite of mine is salmiakki, a candy. Although it comes in many forms, the classic kind is called turkish pepper. A hard, salty candy with a filling containing amonia in the middle. The first time I had one and got to the middle, I thought someone was playing a trick on me and spit it out. Later, I was addicted to them and ate a bag a day. Often dissolved in Koskenkorva--a Finnish vodka--to make a thick black booze drunk in shots. It was outlawed for a time because of the ingredients and because it was believed that too many teens were ODing on the booze version.

Aww, Salmiakki Kossu... that's a treacherous drink! I still remember my first contact with it! Err... I'll have to rephrase that. I DON'T remember my first contact with it.

Salt liquorice candy is terribly addictive. I always missed it when living abroad. You could buy it in Sweden, but in other countries you had to depend on your friends in Finland to send you some. Salmiakki and sour rye bread were the things expat Finns missed the most.

Just starting by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

have read Last Rituals so decided to read Detective Inspector Huss by Tursten

The Danes have their own version (you'd think they'd invented the Turkish Pepper candy vodka since I thought that whole candy was invented in Denmark? Nooo, they invented...) - Fisherman's Friend vodka. Some buddies bought some over to Ireland - it's perfect for shots (but icky enough that I'd never use that as a primary method for intoxication) or for trying to kick away a cold. I think I might have seen turkish pepper candy in IKEA foods, I'll definitely have to have a look for those for making some booze with (but I'll settle for the cloudberry jam as an alternative - there's a Finnish potluck picnic in a few weeks, so I figured I'll make some larb and some booze that they don't import. Mmm, cloudberry liquor - and it tastes better than the store bought booze).
The Danish on, Fisherman's Friends vodka is super easy to make. Walgreens sells those candies, so melt them in hot water, let cool down, make the math for %, make a small test patch (like a shot, to test the sugar content - if you want it more sweet, add more plain sugar syrup), add booze. Enjoy with Nordic moderation :)

The Snowman is perfect wintery read for those kinds of drinks and for hot chocolate etc.

Well I'm in France right now or rather reading of France in, "Bruno: Chief of Police". It interesting to say the least.

Reading "Postcard Killers", by James Patterson and Liza Marklund to see how much of the American rubs off on Liza. Hope not much.

Just saw Anne Holt's Book Punishment on Amazon for 0.99 pence. Anyone who's read it and would recommend it?

I already have another of her book Fear Not on Kindle, but have not had a chance to read any of her stuff yet.

Recommendations will be most helpful. Thanks!

Been reading, 'The Postcard Killers" by James Patterson and Liza Marklund. Can really see James Patterson's influence, it's hard to recognize Liza's. Patterson has the 3 paragraph chapter down to a science.

Finished Jar City last night. Reviewing a nonfiction book on the economy for a friend today, then on to Last Rituals. Maybe The White Lioness after that.

Susan, how did you find Jar City? I bought it recently so it's on my to-read list, which I know is getting longer by the day :)

Thanks! Enjoy Last Rituals. I did!

I am not Susan but did love Jar City and all the other Indriasson's books except Draining Lake. Also liked Anne Holt's books and am picking up Bruno: Chief of Police at the library today.

Junying wrote: "Just saw Anne Holt's Book Punishment on Amazon for 0.99 pence. Anyone who's read it and would recommend it?

I already have another of her book Fear Not on Kindle, but have not had a chance to rea..."

Hi Junying
I read Punishment this summer. Would recommend it.

Not remotely Scandinavian..but very much enjoying Sophie Hannah 's " The Hurting Distance " at the moment. Have been galloping through it this weekend..always a good sign!

Junying wrote: "Susan, how did you find Jar City? I bought it recently so it's on my to-read list, which I know is getting longer by the day :)

Thanks! Enjoy Last Rituals. I did!"

Jar City was quite a change from what I've read before and I did enjoy it. I especially liked Erlunder and look forward to getting to know him better. I wish I knew more about the culture of Iceland and how accurate the stuff about the population being ideally suited for genetic testing. I need to read more about it and see what the country is like. I had come to feel somewhat at home in Sweden and Norway, with the names of people and places becoming somewhat familiar. Iceland was totally different and seemed much more foreign to me. But I gave it four stars for potential and overall plot/character.

Reading Unseen right now. It gotten off to a pretty good start.

Many thanks for the recommendations above, Susan, Rachel and Elizabeth. Will start Jar City shortly and will get Punishment too :)

Rachel, I went to a lecture by Sophie Hannah a few months ago, and she was so funny! I have one of her books to read in the future.

Art, Let us know when you finish Unseen and if it's worth adding to our list :)

Happy reading, everyone!

I'm reading "The leopard" by Nesbø¨. I love Harry Hole serie. I think Harry is very bitter in this book. I would comfort him.
Sorry, I'm spanish and my english is poor. I try to improve.

Nieves - don't worry about your English. Seems pretty good to me.

Started on Hypothermia tonight.

Elizabeth wrote: "Fleshmarket Close by Rankin is fantastic. I am all out of order but decided I had it on the shelf and to go for it.

Anyone read Watchman?"

There is a nice group for Ian Rankin fans ...I just discovered it and you may enjoy too.
The Rankin-phile...

Just started The One From The Other by Philip Kerr - noir set in post Nazi Germany

Ian wrote: "Just started The One From The Other by Philip Kerr - noir set in post Nazi Germany"

I've only read the first 3 Bernie Gunther books, but definitely enjoyed.

November threw me back a bit since the family and holiday distracted me from my reading, although in a good way. So I never got to Last Rituals and I've yet to finish the White Lioness. Yet tomorrow I begin Cutting for Stone. Just joined the Pulitzer group on Goodreads and will be participating in their December read, Gilead, at some point!

Hakan Nesser's The Inspector and Silence. Though I haven't finished it yet, I know I'll be reading everything possible by this author. No one who has read this book could claim that Nordic crime fiction is a grim and dour business. The banter among the police and the interior thoughts of Inspector Van Veeteren (sp.) are relentlessly funny--smart, cynical and sometimes downright silly (in a good way). The characterizations are also extremely funny. You get the sense that the author had a helluva lot of fun writing this and unleashing his wonderful sense of humor on an interesting, racy plot. He gets in a lot of intelligent and satisfying digs at cults, in particular the cult of personality that is usually at their heart. Recommended! Very intelligent writing.

Reading Unspoken now after a bunch of other non-Nordic books.

Dave wrote: "Ian wrote: "Just started The One From The Other by Philip Kerr - noir set in post Nazi Germany"

I've only read the first 3 Bernie Gunther books, but definitely enjoyed."

Not quite on a par with the first 3 but still worth a read Dave

I'm going to have to put Philip Kerr on the reread list, it's been a long time since I've read the first couple of them.

Starting Bad Intentions tonight.

1222 is now my world. Do love Anne Holt.

Reading Jar City and enjoying getting into a new author.

I just finished reading The Cockroaches (Kakerlakkene) by Jo Nesbo and I have to say - wow it's really good. I think it's even better than The BatMan (Flaggermusmannen).
Today I started reading Death of The Demon (Demonens død) by Anne Holt.

Caise wrote: "I just finished reading The Cockroaches (Kakerlakkene) by Jo Nesbo and I have to say - wow it's really good. I think it's even better than The BatMan (Flaggermusmannen).
Today I started reading Dea..."

Envy you....wish I could track down the two in English....shame they left them untranslated as I am curious what a less flawed Harry Hole would have been like.

Sharon wrote: "Caise wrote: "I just finished reading The Cockroaches (Kakerlakkene) by Jo Nesbo and I have to say - wow it's really good. I think it's even better than The BatMan (Flaggermusmannen).
Today I start..."

I've heard they will be published in English in 2012

My guess is, from observing publishers, is that his publisher felt his earlier books were weaker and so didn't begin releasing the series from the beginning. Now that he's sold 11,000,000 books worldwide, they've decided they like his earlier work a whole lot better :-)

actually same here
I've been waiting for The Cockroaches and The BatMan for a while (I had bought "newer books" earlier ;-)) for a while because I really wanted to read them in a proper order

Well I'm reading Headhunters by Jo Nesbo. I find his book a rerun of other books. It's been done before. He should stick to Harry Hole.

Kenneth wrote: "Well I'm reading Headhunters by Jo Nesbo. I find his book a rerun of other books. It's been done before."

Interesting comments Kenneth....when you think Nesbo is thinking of disposing of Harry Hole, hopefully he is not doing so in favor of this type of book IMO.

I took a wide detour from Nordic Noir to read Gilead (I've decided to follow the group reading the Pulitzer prize winners, and it was the Dec read). I began Nesbo's Snowman last night and look forward to seeing where he takes Harry this time.

I've gotten some great suggestions from this group! :)
Right now I'm reading Helsinki Homicide: Against the Wall by Jarkko Sipila.

I just finished reading The Death Of Damon by Anne Holt
It was really good.

now it's time for The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo

I've just started She's Never Coming Back by Hans Koppel translated by Kari Dickson (though her name's not inside the book).