I discovered this book, thanks to our neighbor in the Catskills. We were hanging out at her place wrangling a couple of dead trees in her driveway when she offered to let us borrow this very on-topic piece of literature. I didn’t actually dig into it until several weeks later, but once I did, I had a hard time putting it down.

Norwegian Wood (the rest of the title is a mouthful, but see above photo for reference), by Lars Mytting. Mytting is a Norwegian author who has published a myriad of novels in Norway. Apparently this piece of non-fiction is his best seller and has been translated into several languages. After reading it, I can understand why.

The book is equal parts history, science, how-to and folk tale. As a nerd and an outdoorsman, I found it both fascinating and entertaining. There are a couple of sections that get a little bit technical, which maybe isn’t for everyone. But generally speaking I would recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate the smell of fresh cut wood or warming their hands by the fire.