The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlöf
One of our readers who described himself as "a Swedish descendent living in Minnesota" recommended this book, which goes by the title Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige in Swedish.
"It's about a boy who becomes very small and travels the country on the back of a bird revealing Sweden's geography," the reader said, while saying he liked it because it was "enjoyable and educational."
The book is over 100 years old and was originally written in two parts, published between 1906 and 1907, as a way for children to learn more about Swedish geography. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils is technically the first part, while the second is called The Further Adventures of Nils, although the two are in practice usually published together as one book.
Author Selma Lagerlöf was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she was awarded in 1909.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The second book on our list is A Man Called Ove, or En man som heter Ove in Swedish, recommended by Steve, based in Bristol in the UK.
"Ove has recently lost his wife. He wants to commit suicide so he can join her. This is a comedy, but with serious issues along the way," Steve wrote.
"The story tells of Ove's life before his wife, meeting his wife and getting married. Planning their life together and their hopes for children. A tragic accident stops all of their dreams and causes Ove's wife's eventual death. They have love so strong, he doesn't want to continue on his own. But each time Ove attempts suicide, external events stop him."
"It made me laugh. It made me cry," he wrote, adding that the book has been the subject of film adaptations in Sweden and in the US.
The English-language film is called A Man Called Otto, starring Tom Hanks as Otto, and takes place in Pittsburgh.
City of My Dreams by Per Anders Fogelström
This book, written in 1960, was recommended by two of our survey respondents. It's known as Mina drömmars stad in Swedish and is the first book the a five-part Stad series.
Victor Arellano, an American working in tech in Stockholm, is working his way through the full series.
"I’ve now read 2 of the 5 books in the Stad series and will soon start the 3rd book," he said. "I think they do an excellent job of showing the evolution of Sweden’s politics, worker’s rights (including the right to create an association), and how Stockholm has evolved."
Yulia, a finance manager also living in the capital described the book as "quite captivating".
"It’s a story about poor Swedes who build a family during the industrial revolution in Sweden," she wrote. "It has vivid characters that help to better understand Swedish culture and history."
Vem har sagt något om kärlek? by Elaf Ali
Swedish journalist Elaf Ali's debut book is the first on our list which isn't available in English (although, aside from the standard edition there is a version available in more simple Swedish). The title of her book, which is based on her own life, translates roughly into English as Who Said Anything About Love?
It was recommended by Matthew, who said it was "about a girl who moved to Sweden with her parents when she was four years old and it describes her life in Stockholm."
Ali came to Sweden from Iraq and her book covers her childhood in Sweden and how it was shaped by honour-based oppression, for example how she had less freedom than her brothers and how her life changed drastically when she hit puberty and had her first period.
"I love the way it is written," Matthew said, describing it as "sad but good".
Dark Music by David Lagercrantz
This murder mystery, originally titled Obscuritas in Swedish, was recommended by retired diplomat Randall, based in Nacka.
"It's essentially a Sherlock Holmes and Watson type of story, with the troubled 'rich guy' genius and down-to-earth sidekick, a woman, trying to find out who did it," Randall wrote.
"I could picture the places and feel the characters come to life," he added.
The author, David Lagercrantz, is perhaps best known internationally for The Girl in the Spider's Web, the fourth instalment of the Millennium series, which he continued after author Stieg Larsson's death, and for co-writing footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović's autobiography, Jag är Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Dark Music is the first book in Lagercrantz's new crime series, the Rekke-Vargas series, named after the two main characters, Professor Hans Rekke and Micaela Vargas.
The second book in the series is Fatal Gambit, or Memoria in Swedish.
Do you have a favourite Swedish book you think should be included on this list? Tell us about it in the comments below this article!
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