Book Blogging Around The World (1) : Oulu, Finland

I am really excited to share with you this first Book Blogging Around the World post.

Today we'll be traveling to Finland !

Let's give a warm welcome to our first participant !

Name : Milka

Blog : Read. Read. Read.

City/Country : Oulu, Finland

Welcome Milka !

Tell us a little bit about you.

My name is Milka. I am 18 years old and I live in the 5th biggest city of Finland. I currently study at IB high school here at Oulu and I will graduate from there spring 2011.

Tell us a little bit about your blog.

I blog about books I read. I love to talk about books and that is why I decided to start blogging about them. I think my blog has now something like 40 followers, which is amazing. It might seem like a small number, but for me it is an honour, since I never believed that people would actually want to read my reviews.

Have you ever lived anywhere else in the world ?

I’ve lived in Virginia, United States. I was there as an exchange student for 10 months. Those 10 months must have been the best 10 months of my life, I had so much fun!

What countries have you visited ?

Greece, Germany, UK, Sweden, United States.

What countries would you like to visit ?

At least Australia, Italy, France and Spain. There are so many places I would love to visit so I am not going to list them all here. :D

According to you, what are the positive and negative aspects of being a Finnish book blogger ?

Well, I think that the biggest negative aspect is the fact that most of the publishing houses/authors do not send review copies outside US/UK. It is also hard to get some of the books I would love to read from Finland. One of the positive aspects is that some people have actually been interested about Finland and they have asked me questions about my country. I have gotten new friends from different countries from the blogging community, which has been amazing.

What Finnish authors and books would you recommend ?

I read Finnish literature quite rarely. Tove Jansson, a finnish-swedish author is one of my favourites. She is the creator of the Moomintrolls which is probably one of the most famous families in Finland. Books like Moominvalley in November and Comet in Moominland are great! They are intended to both children and adults. There is even a cartoon show of the moomins (made in Japan) which is a favourite of most Finnish Children. I must admit I still watch it when it comes from the TV because it is so great. From the moomintrolley books adults can find all the philosophical thoughts when children are just amused by the stories.

 

How many languages do you speak ?

Finnish is my mother tongue but I speak English almost as well as Finnish. I study in English and sometimes I feel like after a long school day speaking English it is hard to switch back to Finnish. I speak some Spanish and Swedish as well. I studied German for 5 years but I must admit I remember nothing from that language.

Do you read more in English or in Finnish ?

English.

Where do you usually buy your books ?

From the local bookstores.

Is getting your hands on foreign books tricky or easy (not mentionning online stores) ?

Quite tricky. I always feel like I never find the books I would like to read from the local bookstores. Especially getting Young Adult titles in English is pretty hard.

Every country has its clichés. What cliché about Finland do you consider disproportionate ?

Well, when I lived in US people tend to ask me do we have any technology in Finland or do we have polar bears as pets etc. Some people think that Finland is just this country where people live in forests etc. Actually, Finland is technologically advanced country and for example Nokia (mobile phone manufacturer) is from Finland.

In the Finnish mythology, Lintukoto is a paradise-like place where birds migrate every winter. Do you feel close to wildlife in general ? Are you a nature person ?

I am not very close to nature. My family has a summer cottage in middle of nowhere (in a forest) but I can’t remember when was the last time I actually went there. I like to stay in city with everything close to me. During the summer it is nice to spend some time at the nature but during the winter I just like to stay inside.

Picture from my backyard from last summer.

Quick Q&A : Answer in one word !

Favorite thing about Finland : Summer

Least favorite thing about Finland : Coldness

Favorite typically Finnish food : nakkikastike

Favorite place in Oulu : home

Favorite bookshop : Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

Favorite Finnish author : Tove Jansson

Favorite Finnish singer/band : I don’t listen to Finnish music.

Favorite book to read while travelling : Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Plane or train : Plane

Boat or bus : Bus

Bike or feet : Bike

Winters are horrible.

I dislike swimming.

Thank you Milka ! It was a pleasure having you up on the hill !

Don't hesitate visiting Milka's blog !

Next week we'll be taking a plane to Mexico.

Question of the Week :
In YA books, do you feel closer to stories happening in big cities or in small towns ?

If you'd like to be featured, hop off to this post !