Finland has been much in the news in recent weeks, both for receiving its final approval to join NATO and for a tensely-fought election which saw Sanna Marin ousted as prime minister.  Our writers past have made surprising—and sometimes tenuous—Finnish connections.

From Dog River to Helsinki.  Then-editor Sandra Livingston muses on the worldwide appeal of the Canadian sitcom, Corner Gas.  “In a different age, knowing when to leave probably wouldn’t seem so remarkable.  But overload is the order of the day, and in the stampede of excess, all too often quality is trampled and left to choke on the dust of quantity.”  Editorial –A Graceful Exit, April 11, 2008.

From Beowulf to Hemingway.  Erik Ditz provides summaries of several recently-read books.   “On page one we learn that this white guy goes to Spain to join some revolution and instead he gets drunk with Spaniards and plans to blow up a bridge and then the next 503 pages say the exact same thing.  And this is supposed to be his best book?  Yeesh.  ”  The Milk-Crate Bandit – Books are Carrots for Your Eyes, February 1, 2008.