Lifestyle trend books

Some of the biggest ideas in books over the past few years have been lifestyle trends like Hygge, Lykke, Lagom, Ikigai, and I’ve become well and truly hooked on this type of book.

These books tend to take a single-word concept from another country, and look at how that idea may be the reason for happiness or long life in that part of the world. And the fact that they are all beautifully designed coffee table books adds to their appeal.

So far I’ve got three books on Hygge, two on Lagom, and one each about Lykke and Ikigai, with more still on my wishlist!

I’ve really enjoyed reading these books and getting ideas of things I could do to improve my life. Generally I’m not a fan of “self-help” books, because I think they can make people feel inadequate. However these books are not in any way dogmatic, but just give some ideas that you can try if you feel like it. Not a “to-do” list for life, but more a “could-do” list as advocated by The Simple Things magazine (one of my favourite magazines). And all the ideas are things that I would find enjoyable rather than unpleasant!