A Frog in the Fjord: One Year in Norway

by Lorelou Desjardins

Lorelou Desjardins ("the frog in the fjord") was born in the South of France and has been living in Oslo since 2010. The book is an account of her struggles and triumphs in navigating the Norwegian culture, learning the language, making friends, and much more, created with humor and heartfelt observations. It is a must-read for anyone curious about Norwegian life.

Lorelou also created the blog “about all these new realities foreigners like me face when trying to adapt to a new culture, language, country and most of all to new people. In this case, trying to understand the Norwegian culture and blending in (or trying hard).”

She was the virtual guest of the lodhe at our Chrtimas party in 2021. Please, visit the book's website and watch the video of her lodge visit!

A Frog in the Fjord Website

Lorelou at Washington Lodge Christmas Party

The Bell in the Lake: An Epic Nordic Historical Novel of Myth, Faith, and Fate

by Lars Mytting (Author), Deborah Dawkin (Translator)

As long as people could remember, the stave church’s bells had rung over the isolated village of Butangen, Norway. Cast in memory of conjoined twins, the bells are said to ring on their own in times of danger. In 1879, young pastor Kai Schweigaard moves to the village, where young Astrid Hekne yearns for a modern life. She sees a way out on the arm of the new pastor, who needs a tie to the community to cull favor for his plan for the old stave church, with its pagan deity effigies and supernatural bells. When the pastor makes a deal that brings an outsider, a sophisticated German architect, into their world, the village and Astrid are caught between past and future, as dark forces come into play.

Lars Mytting, bestselling author of Norwegian Wood, brings his deep knowledge of history, carpentry, fishing, and stave churches to this compelling historical novel, an international bestseller sold in 12 countries. With its broad-canvas narrative about the intersection of religion, superstition, and duty, The Bell in the Lake is an irresistible story of ancient times and modern challenges, by a powerful international voice.

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