As someone who has never been outside her home country I've developed a taste for travel novels, and foreign living novels. I've always wanted to travel but have yet to make that a reality. Life is funny that way. Make a plan, and the universe laughs at you and goes, "Yeah, that's what you think..." but I digress.
The Year of Living Danishly, by Helen Russell, was a fun read. It is about her and her husband's time living in Denmark after her husband, lovingly called Lego Man, lands a job with Lego.
Ms. Russell and her husband are originally from the UK, and apparently, Denmark was quite the culture shock.
The book is based on Ms. Russell's mission to find out why Danes are always so happy.
It chronicles her sleuthing around a country, discovering the pros and cons.
Con: Ridiculously high taxes.
Pro: Taxes go where they can do the best for the people (weird, wild, wacky stuff, I know).
Con: Cold enough penguins leave come winter
Pro: Pastries, or snegls.
Turns out the pros are enough to make the cons worth dealing with. The winters are colder than Hell frozen over, but staying indoors and living a Hygge lifestyle keeps them from losing their minds completely.
It's a funny clash of cultures between what the Danish do and what the rest of the world should maybe look into trying.