Norwegian Wood: Non-fiction Book of the Year 2016

I really enjoyed reading this, gave me insights and Ideas on how to handle my firewood better. and I'm convinced that this kind of renewable biomass used for heat, along with new style clean burning stoves is a big part of our energy future.

Highly recommend this book. I was looking for a book about firewood and this was spot on. I learned more than I hoped about logging, coping stabling and burning firewood. I've recommended this book to a number of people and they have all enjoyed it. The author is an excellent writer and keeps you engaged throughout.

Transport yourself into Scandinavian wood burning culture. Did not appreciate the deep meaning that firewood holds for those in the treed cold. Learned a little about a lot of the dimensions of cutting and burning. Perhaps a bit nerdy content but still well done.

Just rehashed information with pretty illustrations from Norwegian Wood (which was excellent). For ages Age 4-10. Not what I was expecting at all. Basically a coloring book with some mazes in it. Not what I was expecting at all but my kids liked it and the illustrations were nice.

We are so glad the book wast translated into English and we very much enjoyed reading it and learning more about Norway.
We enjoyed it so much that we have bought 2 more copies for friends who are now enjoying it as well.

Anyone who uses and makes firewood would enjoy this read. Full of good information. I have been making firewood for more than 5 decades and I learned a bunch. Even if you produce no firewood, there is enough interesting asides to make the book amusing. Did give a few copies to friends.

A close relative recently purchased a piece of land where we've enjoyed cutting down old trees and chopping wood. I enjoyed the process of chopping wood so much that I ordered the #1 rated axe on the store. The axe is a beast. The book was purchased as a bit of a gag but it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable things I've read in a long time.

This is a beautifully written book. I was equally surprised to learn that my axe is talked about in the book. Amongst all the traditional values of the Scandinavians when it comes chopping, stacking, and drying wood - even they couldnt deny the Fiskars X27 and it's raw power. Buy the book, you won't be disappointed​.

Yes, this is a serious, well-researched, deeply detailed book about firewood. Selecting it, cutting it, drying it, stacking it, burning it, enjoying it, the Scandinavian way. If you have a wood stove, a fireplace, fire pit or even enjoy camping and sitting around a fire then you will get something out of this book. I realized I've been stacking wood wrong my whole life, improperly drying it and shortchanging myself on the simple pleasure of a really good fire from your own well stacked and properly dried wood. I am actually looking forward to going out and re-stacking all the wood at my cabin.

The author includes many excellent pictures of some truly first rate wood piles from around Norway. That sentence may read as a joke, but it is not, some are shaped like a fish! If you own a cabin or use a wood stove/fireplace at home you really should read this or at least own it to flip through it. It's surprisingly great.

I bought this book without reading the reviews first. Now that I am rereading it, I've gone back to study the reviews - I agree with them wholeheartedly! This book is hard to define - it touches on so many levels. It is easy reading, relaxing, fun; it captures folk history, giving snapshots of Nordic traditions; it is nostalgic, yet current; practical, while being whimsical; it brings poetry and beauty, and speaks to you - or, better, sings to you. Maybe being part Norwegian helps. Lars Mytting has a gift for words and crafting mental pictures. I now enjoy chopping and stacking firewood - it is no longer a chore. And I treasure my axes, and mauls, and wedges - even more, I treasure my woods and trees. Lars, may your fire never go out.

My son gave me this book for Christmas, right before he and I traveled to Norway to see the Aurora and do a little winter tourism. It's an extraordinary read. Very informative, very entertaining, moving, and filled with humanity. It gives a great connection to ancient history through the common thread of the use of fire for heating. It served as a great introduction to Norwegian culture as well. Highly recommended. Made me want to go out and sharpen up my wood-splitting ax.

This was a Christmas present from my wife. Very fun to read, but there were a number of misplaced words in the translation, specifically the substitution of "Kilowatts" for kilowatt-hours". The first is the rate of energy flow, the second is an amount of energy. Saying that one wood has twice the amount of kilowatts as another is silly, because it leaves the time unspecified. This is a really picky criticism though - on the whole it was fun to read and the pictures are wonderful!

I have the Norwegian version (Hel ved). Can't buy that through the store. (Use bokkilden if you're interested.) The book's style is informal, friendly, occasionally humorous. It seems to me, though, that the author fails to address the environmental and social consequences of burning wood. He could be more concerned, for instance, about the unhealthy particulates that result from burning wood. And what about the impact on global temperature of cutting and burning trees? Mytting does discuss clean-burning stoves in a late chapter. Still, is it even necessary in Norway to cut trees for fuel? 99% of Norway's power is hydropower. Most Norwegians can heat their homes using electricity from clean hydro. These concerns dampen my enthusiasm for a book that is well written and pleasant enough. I was curious about this international publishing phenomenon, and now I can make my own judgement. I'm not on fire for this book. It's probably going to end up in my recycle bin. For those concerned about cutting trees for paper, the English version, at least, is available as an ebook.