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The Year of the Hare
The Year of the Hare: A Novel | Arto Paasilinna
28 posts | 30 read | 27 to read
Suddenly realizing what's important in life (with the help of a bunny), a man quits his job and heads to the countryside in this internationally bestselling comic novel. "Which of us has not had that wonderfully seditious idea: to play hooky for a while from life as we know it?" With these words from his foreword, Pico Iyer puts his finger on the exhilaratingly anarchic appeal of The Year of the Hare. While out on assignment, a journalist hits a hare with his car. This small incident becomes life-changing: he decides to quit his job, leave his wife, sell his possessions, and spend a year wandering the wilds of Finland-with the bunny as his boon companion.
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Daisey
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Pickpick

This book was a rather odd but delightful journey around Finland. I was by turns baffled by the main character Vatanen‘s choices and amused by the resulting events. Compared to much of my reading it was a generally lighter and entertaining read, although Vatanen does make some choices that get him into a some serious scrapes.

#ReadAroundTheWorld #ReadTheWorld #Finland #1001books #audiobook #translated

BarbaraBB Delightful is the right word! 10mo
batsy I quite liked this one, too! 10mo
46 likes2 comments
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batsy
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#AlphabetGame @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Letter Y

I skipped X because the only books that came to mind were a badly-written mystery & an X-Files novel & no one would benefit from reading either one of those 😂

For Y: a Finnish novel that's full of whimsy & wit, a sequence of adventures, & questions about the meaning of life. As a novel it can on first read come off as lightweight or frivolous, but years later I sometimes still think about it... 🐰

Cathythoughts That cover is really something 👌🏻♥️ 2y
Adventures_of_a_French_Reader I really enjoyed this book too ;) 2y
batsy @Cathythoughts Yes! And captures the energy of the book 🙂 2y
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batsy @Adventures-of-a-French-Reader Glad to hear it ☺️ 2y
AnnR This sounds like a good candidate for the #192025 challenge. Thanks for adding this as your choice for 'Y.' 2y
batsy @Ann_Reads I hope it works for you! 🙂 2y
66 likes5 stack adds6 comments
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Adventures_of_a_French_Reader
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Pickpick

New blog article: https://the-literary-adventures-of-a-french-reader.com/blog/the-year-of-the-hare...

Vatanen is on his way back to Helsinki with a colleague. They hit a hare, stop, and Vatanen walks into the forest looking for the injured animal. Vatanen doesn't answer when his colleague calls for him. Pissed off, his colleague decides to leave him in there. Here begin the extravagant adventures of Vatanen and his hare.

BarbaraBB Such a weird but entertaining book! 3y
Adventures_of_a_French_Reader @BarbaraBB I tend to like "eccentric" books ;) This type of writing seems to me quite common among Nordic authors. 3y
BarbaraBB I‘ve definitely read more eccentric books by Nordic authors 😁 3y
12 likes3 comments
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Legendofcool
Pickpick

One Hare can change everything.... Very comical story of a man that accidentally hits a hare in the road, and the experience totally changes his life outlook. The book was very entertaining, with some comical moments. Reminded me alot of Into The Wild. Amazing how one animal can influence everyone that it comes in contact with.

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Legendofcool

Anyone can live this life he reflected provided they had the sense to give up the other life

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Legendofcool
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Started this one yesterday, found the book in a box at a school I do pest control for. Decided to try out the audio

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Clwojick
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Okay, I might have found my new audiobook “holy grail” thanks to @hes7 ♥️ I was able to find quite a few audiobooks that my library didn‘t have, and they were on sale for $0.99 - $1.99! I‘m also obsessed with the fact that I can alter the speed higher than 2x. That‘s the main thing I miss about hoopla, if I‘m being completely honest. ☺️

If you want to check it out, here is a link for 20% off.

http://fbuy.me/o8LwV

hes7 Yay! I‘m glad you‘ve found some good ones! I‘ve picked up quite a few recently, too. 5y
66 likes1 comment
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Samplergal
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Mehso-so

#readingEurope2020 #Finland. I felt like I was reading part fever dream, part fairy tale and part child‘s book. I‘m not certain I liked it. I‘m not certain I didn‘t.

82 likes2 stack adds
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Samplergal
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Next up. Looking forward to this one. Translated from Finnish.

Tove_Reads I still wonder why he‘s one of the most popular authors from my country 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y
BarbaraBB It is really good I thought. 5y
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hilded
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Pickpick

This book became my first #beachread here on vacation. It was a sweet and funny little book. Like his other books, this one was also a bit surrealistic. A man leaves his life behind when he saves a hare they accidently run over, and leaves his job and wife behind to seek the calming welfare of the nature. Soon the protagonist and the hare finds themselves in many bisarre situations. An entertaining and quick read. 3.6 ⭐️

#Reading1001
#1001books

BarbaraBB I really enjoyed this one. A surprising read! 6y
hilded Glad you liked it as well @BarbaraBB :) It was unique! 6y
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hilded
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Summer mode reading 🏝☀️😍 Really needed a vacation, and it‘s just lovely here:)

#Paradise
#Vacationtime
#Thailand
#Reading1001
#1001books

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Pippitypip
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The Sibelius memorial in Helsinki, the charming capital of Finland. #backpackEurope @JenP @BookwormM

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Astroneman
L'anno della lepre | Arto Paasilinna
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Pickpick

Ironic, sympathetic and surreal. Up and down in Finland, taking a hare for a walk.

#book #leggere #libro #books #booklover #booklovers #litsylove #readingchallenge #artopaadilinna #hare

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Astroneman

"Come back home immediately!
Vatanen replied: I really thought I would not come back!"

#litsybook #litsylove #book #books #booklover #booklovers #toread #leggere #artopaasilinna #hare #readingchallenge

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SandyW
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Panpan

This sounded like it would be a great romp. Who can't relate to the idea of dropping out of society for a while.
Billed as an international bestseller, my expectations were high. Unfortunately, it was more ridiculous than philosophical. There was a lot of senseless cruelty; I would have dropped it at the halfway mark, but it was so short I finished it just to see what happened to the hare.
Clearly, I missed the point.

AmyG Well, thank you! I almost picked this up. 7y
callunakeep I really enjoyed this little book, but that having been said I can TOTALLY understand how it wouldn‘t be everyone‘s cup of tea!🤓 7y
SandyW @AmyG I'm always second guessing myself when I scare someone away from a highly touted book... (But I really did not enjoy this one.) 7y
SandyW @callunakeep I had high expectations going in, which always handicaps a book, IMO. But I really had a hard time with his treatment of the raven, and I did not enjoy most of the ancillary characters. Since its a best seller, clearly I'm in the minority. 7y
callunakeep @SandyW I can relate, it is a RARE thing for me to like a “best seller” ...I am usually the odd man out going “yeah but...” 🤣😂 7y
36 likes5 comments
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Booksnchill
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Pickpick

Very fun story about Vatanen, a journalist who is in a car rushing to a story and dissatisfied with his life. The car hits a young hare breaking its leg. Vatanen goes into the woods to rescue the hare, his companion drives off and this starts his one year journey traveling Finland with his hare and their odd adventures - forest fires, bears, politics, always with the companionship of the hare- published in 1975 in Finland and a classic. 4⭐️

ReadingRover I just recently came across this book. I need it in my life! 7y
Booksnchill @ReadingRover it is really great- the narration on Libby by Simon Vance was perfect! 7y
ReadingRover @Booksnchill I love Simon Vance! 7y
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Booksnchill @ReadingRover he is my favorite! 7y
ReadingRover @Booksnchill Even though I already have 3 books waiting on hoopla I just downloaded it! I couldn‘t wait. It‘s a short one. I‘m excited. Bunnies and Finland. It doesn‘t get better than that! 🐰 🇫🇮 7y
Booksnchill @ReadingRover i listened at 1.25 speed- I do hope you like it! 7y
SandyW I just picked it up too. 🐰 7y
Booksnchill @sandyW 👍👏👏 7y
ReadingRover @Booksnchill it‘s funny that you say that! I listen to all my audios at 1.25 when I use Audible or hoopla. The. When I‘m in the car and listen on CD I feel like they‘re drawn out 😆 7y
ReadingRover I never got back to you. This took me only like two days to listen to. It was super entertaining. A little ridiculous but I enjoyed it. 7y
Booksnchill @ReadingRover sounds right! It is on the list for the 1001 books to read so you have crossed one off and had a laugh!😊🐰 (edited) 7y
72 likes1 stack add12 comments
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Booksnchill
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My next commute listen from Libby app - only 4 1/2 hours and I love listening to Simon Vance narrate anything

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BarbaraBB
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Pickpick

The frustrated journalist Vatanen nearly kills a hare with his car. The animal hides wounded in the forest, Vatanen runs after him. The moment he takes the hare in his arms, he decides not to return to his car or life. He leaves the city life and his wife behind and starts a journey through the wilderness of Finland - a country I really want to visit now.
Great story, great ending.

#1001books #192019challenge 1975

batsy Great review! The book makes me want to visit Finland too 🙂 7y
Tove_Reads Let me know if you‘ll be coming here! WTF - Welcome to Finland! 7y
JaclynW Wow! What a decision to make. I'm now curious to read. 7y
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BarbaraBB @Tove_Reads Have you read it? Is it realistic? Finland seems fantastic! 7y
bedandabook I bought this one ages ago, but have never got round to reading it. What a great review! 7y
BarbaraBB @bedandabook Thank you! It is a short and easy read, I hope you‘ll get to it eventually! 7y
Tove_Reads @BarbaraBB Nope, haven‘t read this one, but some others of his. Maybe I should read it! 7y
54 likes3 stack adds7 comments
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callunakeep
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I really enjoyed this book; a short, easy, and fun read. I could relate to Vatanen, Having often dreamt of taking my leave from Society, just as he did! Despite the light hearted, laid back, often hilarious nature of the story, it leaves open a million questions about the nature of humanity, the structure of society & exactly what it means to be a “good” person & it does this without ever actually asking or hinting at its true depths.

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batsy
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Pickpick

This was a gift from a Finnish former boss & I finally got around to it thanks to #LitsyAtoZ. It's a Finnish classic that was published in the 70s. A chance encounter with a wild hare leads a man to adopt it & relinquish his former life. It's a modern pastoral, except man & hare are never free from absurd people or situations. Wry, deadpan Nordic humour that I enjoyed, but not much depth. Still, I found certain scenes very memorable. Unique. 🐇

Cathythoughts Unique is the word 👍 7y
batsy Have you read it @Cathythoughts ? 7y
Cathythoughts I haven‘t. But “unique “seems to fit so perfectly 7y
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batsy @Cathythoughts Yes :) It did make me see the world differently🐰 7y
BarbaraBB Great review. I just bought it and am eager to read it after your review. 7y
batsy @BarbaraBB Thank you. I look forward to hearing what you think about it :) 7y
81 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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callunakeep
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Up next on Audio!

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Hobbinol
Year of the Hare | Arto Paasilinna
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#AnimalLove #17BookLove

When I read this book a few years back, I was looking for a change of pace, and I found it in this charming Scandinavian book, Year of the Hare.

The 1956 photo I'm reposting from Tumblr (because I left home in such haste, I didn't have the chance to take a photo of my book).

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batsy
Year of the Hare | Arto Paasilinna
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Finally got my #LitsyAtoZ books down. Thanks to @BookishMarginalia; a challenge that feels doable and quite exciting, because most of these books are from my shelves.

6 likes1 stack add
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LibrarianToujours
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Pickpick

#awardwinner A best seller in Finland and winner of three international awards. What happens when you leave the standard life (job, possessions, wife) and just live life. "...you have to take some things less seriously than you did, even as you take other things-kindness, possibility, free time-a lot more seriously. All you can do is fix what you can-" -WSJ review. #octphotochallenge #booktober

Martta How did you end up with this book? I've read Arto Paasilinna as well but I didn't think this is is one of his most international books. 8y
LibrarianToujours @Martta I used to work as a cataloger at a large university. So this book came across my desk then and I ended up buying my own copy. 8y
20 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Kitta
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Having a lovely afternoon in Central Park! Reading about Finnish adventures in the forest and the setting feels perfect. 🐇

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Nebklvr
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Pickpick

Gifts from my Finnish friend! Great short story.

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Helene
Le livre de Vatanen | Arto Paasilinna
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Pickpick

Rapide et cocasse lecture contant le voyage de Vatanen et de son lièvre à travers les forêts finlandaises. Roman aux allures picaresques dépeignant le retour à la nature, la simplicité et la liberté.
Une réserve cependant sur le traitement assez vieillottement sexiste des personnages féminins...