THE CURIOSITY CODE:
Stay Curious or Stay Stuck in a World of Constant Change
cover not final
The Bodley Head (PRH UK) 2026

Reading material:
English book proposal and sample chapters

 The Curiosity Code:

Stay Curious or Stay Stuck in a World of Constant Change

Alexander Puutio

What if the very playbook we’ve been handed for success – grit, passion, specialization – isn’t just incomplete, but entirely counterproductive to a fulfilling life? 

✓ A no-bullshit blueprint for a more meaningful life—by Finland’s most curious export that has taught leaders at Harvard, Columbia and NYU Stern
✓ In 2024, dr. Puutio reached 1,5 million readers with his columns on Forbes, Fast Company and Psychology Today, and speaking invitations from Adobe to Thomson Reuters,
✓ Bold Nordic take on reinvention and permission: you don’t need approval to change paths – you just need curiosity

For decades, we’ve been told that specialization, grit, and mastering a single craft are the keys to success. However, success stories like Warren Buffet, Jack Ma, and Marc Benioff suggest a different formula: breadth over specialization, questions over certainty. And most important of all, an insatiable sense of curiosity that leads from one rabbit hole to another.

In The Curiosity Code, Ph.D. Alexander Puutio draws on his research at Harvard spanning 550+ assessments of global CEOs, a colorful career lived across disciplines (including three PhDs) to uncover what truly drives fulfilling lives. The answer isn’t found in the grind. Instead, it stems from weaponized curiosity: the courage to question, to pivot, and to explore without apology. Blending business insight, behavioral science, and lessons from Finland’s quietly radical “permission culture,” this book redefines success for an age where reinvention is not an exception, but the norm.

This book is a guide for anyone who’s ever been told they are too scattered, too unfocused, or too unconventional to succeed, and is ready for the validation they deserve. And for those who have bought into the cult of grit and the 10,000 hours, this book offers an invitation: to join a more rangeful, curious exploration of life.

HELSINKI BY SAUNA
Siltala, July 2025, 180 pp.

Reading material:
English PDF

Format: 122(W) x 165(L)

Helsinki by Sauna

Katja Pantzar

This richly illustrated guide with full-colour photos offers up a curated list of 30 of Helsinki’s diverse saunas

✓ By the bestselling author of The Finnish Way, sold in 24 territories!
✓ An aspirational travel guide for sauna fans who dream of a sauna journey in Helsinki

The global sauna boom continues to drive interest in the quintessential Finnish cultural experience – the sauna – which is sought after by travellers from around the world. 

Sauna, one of the few Finnish words to make it into the international lexicon, is a source of wellbeing and wisdom (with roots dating back 10,000 years) inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In addition to researched health benefits for mind and body, the Finnish steam bath is one of the few offline spaces in our digital world that also taps into the power of community to foster social connection.

This richly illustrated guide with full-colour photos offers up a curated list of 30 of Helsinki’s diverse saunas. All are accessible to the public, ranging from urban design sauna complexes with bars and restaurants (including one owned by a Hollywood actor), to community saunas, a heritage smoke sauna tucked into the forest, and a cottage sauna on an island complete with a sea castle built by renowned Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen.

Engaging, informative descriptions along with tips, useful resources and Instagram-worthy photographs round out Helsinki by Sauna, which doubles as a travel memento and an aspirational travel guide for sauna fans around the world who dream of a sauna journey to Helsinki.

STOP CHASING HAPPINESS
A Pessimist’s Guide to a Good Life
Allen & Unwin, 2025, 200 pp.

Reading material:
English edition
Finnish edition

Stop Chasing Happiness
A Pessimist’s Guide to a Good Life

Frank Martela

A guide to finding happiness by Finland’s leading happiness expert

✓ English edition published by Allen & Unwin, German edition published by Knesebeck! 
✓ Finnish rights sold at auction to Gummerus! Bestseller – close to 10,000 copies sold!
✓ English and German editions available!
✓ Frank Martela, PhD, is Finland’s #1 internationally bestselling non-fiction author – his previous title, A Wonderful Life, has been sold to 30 countries!
✓ A unique blend of personal stories and quirky anecdotes combined with deep understanding of the latest psychological research on well-being
✓ Finland has been ranked the happiest country 8 times in a row and Frank Martela has explained the secret to Finnish happiness for CNN, BBC, Fox News, New York Times, Scientific American and New Scientist

What if the secret to happiness isn’t finding it — but letting it go?

 Finding happiness is less about learning new tricks and more about unlearning ways of thinking holding you back: Stop chasing happiness, stop obsessing over what others think, stop caring too much about how you feel, stop making sacrifices for personal success.

 In a world obsessed with success and self-improvement, the chase for happiness often leaves us feeling more lost than fulfilled. Instead of anxiously optimizing every aspect of your life, the real path to contentment lies in unlearning the thinking habits holding you back: stop obsessing over what others think, stop being so sensitive about your feelings, stop measuring your value by what you have.

 Here, academic and philosopher Frank Martela unpacks why we value happiness, and why chasing it is actually making you miserable. He reveals the secrets to Finland’s continued top rankings in the global happiness reports by showing that, actually, living with purpose and contentment is much more beneficial that striving to be happy.

 Building on Frank’s personal encounters with people from all walks of life during travels around Finland and abroad, this book blends personal stories and quirky anecdotes with the latest scientific research and ancient traditions to deliver a strong message about how you should approach life: what you should stop doing and what you should start doing instead, to find an enduring sense of contentment and an energizing sense of purpose for your own life.

 Stop the anxious chase. You have already arrived. Start living your own life through accepting the past, enjoying the present, and working towards a better future – it all starts here.

THE POWER OF HOT AND COLD
From Sauna to Sea: The Finnish Way to a Happy, Healthy Life
Yellow Kite / Hodder & Stoughton, November 2024, 192 pp.

Reading material:
English edition

The Power of Hot and Cold

From Sauna to Sea: The Finnish Way to a Happy, Healthy Life

Katja Pantzar and Carita Harju

Find out how hot and cold contrast therapy can change your outlook, your wellbeing and your life!

✓ The secret to how the world’s happiest nation keeps calm and carries on – no matter what life throws at them!
✓ Yellow Kite / Hodder & Stoughton published the book in 2024 in the UK, and early 2025 in the US!
✓ German rights sold to Penguin Random House Verlag’s imprint Heyne!
✓ The world’s first international title on Finnish contrast therapy written from an inclusive perspective!
✓ Inspiration and practical tools for creating a wellness retreat using the Nordic contrast bathing philosophy, wherever you are in the world
✓ Unique collaboration by Carita Harju, a Finnish sauna experience expert, and Katja Pantzar, author of The Finnish Way, sold to 24 languages!

The sauna was recently ranked as the no.1 global wellness trend by the Global Wellness Summit. Cold-water swimming is a growing trend and is being proposed as a cure for all manner of things, from improving mental health to boosting immunity. But what exactly is hot and cold therapy & why is it important for physical and mental health?

Dive into the unique world of hot and cold via Finland, where a good steam and an icy dip in a lake or the sea are the foundations of wellbeing for mind, body and soul.

This definitive guide by two experts takes readers on a journey into the transformative powers of hot and cold by pairing the sauna, that quintessential hot Finnish steam bath, with a cold-water dip. Along the way, it serves up the inspiration and practical tools for creating a wellness retreat at home using the Nordic contrast bathing philosophy wherever you are in the world.

The Finnish method of alternating hot and cold boosts happiness by increasing wellbeing and connecting with nature. It’s the secret to how the world’s happiest nation keeps calm and carries on – no matter what life throws at them.

THE HAPPINESS PUZZLE

Reading material:
English book proposal & sample chapters

The Happiness Puzzle

Jennifer De Paola

8th year in the row – Finland is the happiest country in the world! Think of happiness as a kaleidoscope. When you shake it, the small colorful pieces get all mixed up, and the three mirrors inside it create beautiful patterns through multiple reflections. Now think of Emotions, Contentment and Meaning as those three mirrors.

✓ English book proposal with new sample chapters available! Original edition will be in English
✓ An innovative and unique take on the happiness paradox by researcher Jennifer De Paola, PhD!

Finns are known for their quiet, reserved nature and their tendency to keep emotions in check, don’t exactly fit the traditional image of a “happy” nation. They don’t smile on command or express emotions as openly as people in other countries might. And yet, Finland continues to top the happiness rankings year after year.

This paradox is where the story begins. Building on Finland’s paradoxical position in the World Happiness Report, this book reveals the limitations of defining happiness purely as life satisfaction (contentment). Adopting a fresh perspective, it suggests a fuller, more nuanced understanding of happiness — one that begins with how ordinary people define and experience it. By exploring how ordinary people in Finland describe their own happiness, the book paints a picture that goes beyond the simple contentment, highlighting the skills needed to navigate three essential dimensions of happiness: emotions, contentment and meaning.

Through a blend of cutting-edge happiness studies, personal anecdotes, and actionable advice drawn from reliable, science-backed therapeutic practices, The Happiness Puzzle is both a framework and a practical guide. This book introduces a simple yet profound framework for understanding happiness based on three aspects:

• Emotions: signal what brings joy into our lives and alert us to what may harm our well-being
• Contentment: provides a sense of calm and satisfaction with what we have, helping us appreciate the present moment
• Meaning: gives our lives purpose and direction

Happiness isn’t a goal or destination — it’s a skill. It’s about developing the flexibility to remain open and compassionate to your thoughts and feelings, even when they’re tough, and to adjust your actions when needed. Through De Paola’s journey in Finland, and with a blend of psychology research and cultural insights drawn from interviews with 70 ordinary Finns, The Happiness Puzzle challenges the conventional wisdom on happiness.

PYHÄT PUUT
SKS Kirjat, March 2025, 160 pp.

Reading material:
Full English ms & synopsis
Finnish edition

Sacred Trees

Reetta Ranta

Sacred Trees invites readers on a journey to discover the stories, rituals, and wisdom entwined with trees in Finnish history and mythology

✓ Aimed at readers interested in folklore, Nordic and Scandi mythology, and nature’s spiritual aspects
✓ Appeals to those seeking to connect with their roots and find inspiration in diverse and global ancient wisdom, as well as modern audiences drawn to the growing movement of forest therapy, mindfulness, and ecological spirituality

Sacred Trees is a deeply personal and culturally rich exploration of a people’s ancient connection with trees and the spiritual significance they held in Finnish and Karelian traditions. The book uncovers the vibrant traditions of tree worship, many of which persisted into the 20th century; the relationships people held with sacred groves, and offering trees (pitämyspuu), which were woven into daily life. Women played a central role in these practices, tending sacred trees through rituals that fostered the spiritual connection between nature and humanity, making such offerings as tastes of the first harvest, bounty from foraging and hunting, or a mother’s breast milk.

The book also delves into the significance of memorial trees (karsikkopuu) and bear skull pines (karhunkallohonka), which held a central role in hunting magic and honoring the deceased. Readers will learn how these traditions honored nature spirits, ancestors, and life cycles through rituals, offerings, and festivals such as Kekri, the Finnish harvest celebration.

In addition to exploring historical and mythological aspects, Sacred Trees highlights the enduring magic of trees in modern life. Drawing from primary sources from the Finnish Literature Society archives (1700s to 1960s), modern science and wellbeing research, and first-person interviews of people’s current-day relationship with trees, the book is a multidimensional invitation to readers to reconnect with nature.

RITUAALIKIRJA – ETSIJÄN OPAS 
SKS Kirjat, August 2023, 348 pp.

Reading material:
English manuscript
Finnish edition

Timeless Nordic Rituals
Bringing Purpose and Joy to Modern Life

Reetta Ranta

Rediscover your lost connection to nature by applying Nordic rituals in your own everyday life.

✓ World English rights sold to Schiffer! German rights sold to Goldmann Verlag (PRH)!
✓ Full English manuscript available!
✓ Ancient and modern Nordic rituals as medicine for our hectic, disconnected, and urban lives
✓ A guide connecting with yourself, nature, and ancient roots
✓  What can we learn from the ancestors of the “happiest people on Earth”?

Can people who live their lives in cities, often more connected to technology than the world around us, benefit from ancient rituals and discover a life in rhythm with nature? What can we learn from the ancestors of the “happiest people on Earth”, the Finns?

Timeless Nordic Rituals is a book that invites us to take inspiration from long-forgotten and living traditions of the Finno-Ugric people, and to create rituals that strengthen our connection with nature, the cycle of life, and with our inner selves.

Rituals create a connection with the past, the present moment, and the future. Ancient cultures and indigenous peoples created songs, poems, rituals, and celebrations to bring presence and deeper meaning to life. In Finland we lived in harmony with the rhythm of nature, and offerings and chores were planned according to the seasons and cycles. With our urbanized and secular lifestyle, we have forgotten or abandoned many of the rituals and customs that have traditionally helped people transition from one season and life stage to the next.

Reetta Ranta’s work is rooted in research and study of Finno-Ugric mythologies, mostly unpublished in English. Her writing style is practical, playful, and the book serves as a joyful invitation for international audiences to learn, explore, and practise a little bit of ancient wisdom and ritual from the North.

PUTININ USA
Näin Venäjä hajottaa ja hallitsee Yhdysvalloissa
Johnny Kniga, October 2025, 400 pp. 

Reading material:
English content plan
Finnish edition

Putin’s USA

Jessikka Aro

It is worse than the Cold War!

✓ Jessikka Aro is the winner of the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage of Journalism Award
✓ Her first book, Putin’s Trolls, has been sold to 16 territories and will be turned into a TV series! Putin’s Trolls has sold more than 40 000 copies in Finland
✓ Putin’s USA is a page-turner you wish wasn’t true

The Kremlin attacks the United States with weapons copied from scifi movies as if the Cold War never ended. Attacks in the cyber realm, information space and the physical world against US legislators, intelligence agencies, the voters and election systems are causing endless destruction.

Non-fiction author Jessikka Aro describes the operations of Russian intelligence services in the United States at a breathtaking pace. Patriotic hackers, honey traps infiltrating the Republican Party and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign team’s close links to Putin’s spies and acoustic weapons – the existence of which the Kremlin denies – are under the magnifying glass in Jessikka Aro’s new book.

The book describes, from close-up and from numerous sources, how systematically the Kremlin’s military and intelligence leadership have prepared the Russian society for a major war not only against the United States, but against the entire rule-based world order. Jessikka’s interviewees, young Russians having escaped the Russian military service and totalitarianism tell how the Kremlin turned even universities into weapons to breed young people into Putinism spreading agents.

The information in this book should arouse the Western decision-makers to take serious countermeasures to protect Western democracies from Russia’s hybrid war.

PUTININ MAAILMANSOTA – VENÄJÄN SALAISET OPERAATIOT LÄNNEN TUHOAMISEKSI
JOHNNY KNIGA, May 2024, 352 pp. 

Reading material:
English sample, table of contents, summary
German edition
Finnish edition

Putin’s World War

Russia’s Covert Operations to Destroy the West

Jessikka Aro

A highly topical book featuring horrifying true stories about the secret operations of Putin’s intelligence services

✓ Putin’s World War will be published in 7 territories! Latest sales in Italy and Lithuania!
✓ Jessikka Aro is the winner of the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage of Journalism Award and her previous book, Putin’s Trolls, has been sold to 16 territories and will be turned into a TV series!
✓ Bloomsbury USA acquired the World English rights

Russia is threatening the West with World War III, even though it has been waging it for years. As its weapons, the Kremlin uses agents of chaos, covert ops, fake priests spreading hate speech, hackers recruited from prison, and people’s gullibility.

Jessikka Aro’s new non-fiction about the Kremlin’s world war presents the secret operations of Putin’s intelligence services in detail.

The book takes the reader on a breathtaking journey from the lobby of the Helsinki Courts of Appeal to the controversial Bronze Soldier statue in Tallinn, from the media center run by the Russian military intelligence in Berlin to the Russian troll factory that operated in Ghana.

Read if you dare.  

Voice of America, the largest US international broadcaster, wrote an article about the Woman of Courage award and a deeper dive into Jessikka Aro’s work against Vladmir Putin’s terrorism. We invite everyone to read it here.

Reading material:
English manuscript

The Finnish Front Line
Kekkonen, Kennedy, and Krushchev’s Cold War Showdown

Gordon F. Sander

With the fate of his country and relations between superpowers in the balance, what is the President of Finland to do?

✓ A gripping and lucid account of one of the lesser-known crises of the Cold War 
✓ The latest title from the Pulitzer Prize-nominated reporter, historian, author and Nordic specialist
✓ Cornell University Press will publish English edition in 2025!
✓ Updated English edition available!

In the fall of 1961, Soviet and American tanks faced off at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin in an explosive confrontation known as the Berlin Crisis, which many feared might lead to World War III. At the same time, 1500 kilometers to the northeast, in Finland, the USSR and the US were squaring off for another potentially explosive confrontation over the Kremlin’s desire to maintain its sphere of influence over that country. This has become known as the Note Crisis.

The Note Crisis, the events leading up to it, and the three figures who were at the center of it—Urho Kekkonen, the Machiavellian president of Finland, fighting for his political life; Nikita Khrushchev, the feisty Soviet premier and Kekkonen’s sponsor; and John F. Kennedy, the US president, who sent a top secret message of support to Kekkonen—comprise the climax of Gordon Sander’s groundbreaking book.

Sander’s biography is based on three years of research and includes exclusive interviews with Khrushchev’s late son Sergey, and the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö.

The Note Crisis is intended for general audiences and scholarly ones. It would be of interest to anyone who:
–is interested in reading and learning about one of the great “forgotten” crises of the Cold War
–is interested in Russian/Soviet history and/or Nikita Khrushchev
–is interested in the Kennedy administration

SANNA MARIN: POIKKEUKSELLINEN PÄÄMINISTERI
WSOY, October 2024, 468 pp. 

Reading material:
English sample & summary of International Edition (300 pp.)
Finnish edition

Sanna Marin: Finland’s Young Prime Minister

Salla Vuorikoski

Sanna Marin through the eyes of her inner circle: how did she become an international superstar with 1 million followers on Instagram

✓ The first book about Sanna Marin was published in Finland by WSOY in November 2024!
✓ Nominated for the 2024 Finlandia Prize for Non-Fiction Literature!
✓ Over 25,000 copies sold! Estonian rights sold at auction!
✓ Written by the award-winning Finnish journalist Salla Vuorikoski, this book reveals what kind of leader Sanna Marin truly was!

In December 2019, a dramatic government crisis catapulted Sanna Marin to become the youngest Prime Minister in the world. Soon she was to lead a country whose inner and outer security would be threatened by a serious pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine. 

The outspoken Prime Minister garnered both admiration and spite. For some, Marin’s unconventional stance towards the ministerial institution was too much to bear. At the end of her term, the young social democrat from Tampere had grown to become an international superstar for whom Finland was too small and stifling. 

This biography details how Marin became a liberal symbol, an opponent of right-wing populism, and a role model for the world’s young women. Readers learn in-depth about her passionate support of Ukraine, along with a dive into the history of Finland’s former prime minister who joined a group of former leading politicians turned global consultants and speakers as part of an international network of leadership.

Salla Vuorikoski, a team lead of the investigative journalism unit at Finland’s largest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, has amassed an extensive amount of information and interviewed dozens of political insiders and individuals close to Marin. 

This book tells the story of what happened behind closed doors. What kind of leader was Sanna Marin? How did she change during her tumultuous ministerial years, and how did she become an international superstar?

IKUISEN ELÄMÄN LYHYT HISTORIA
Otava/Like, August 2024, 318 pp.

Reading material:
Finnish edition
English sample and synopsis

A Short History of Eternal Life

Tiina Raevaara

The secret to longevity – why do we seek it?

✓ Rights sold to 7 territories!
✓ A narrative non-fiction title by the award-winning popular science author
✓ Won the 2024 Helsinki Book Fair Nonfiction Jury Award
✓ For readers of Yuval Noah Harari and Rutger Bregman

Science is developing at an even faster pace, and people are living longer and longer. With what methods has humanity over time fought against aging and death, and what methods will be used in the future? 

Tiina Raevaara’s book weaves together the beginnings of scientific history, vampire stories, as well as the discoveries of stem cell treatment and gene editing. It dives into the cryotank and asks whether the vision of a lengthy life is still worth pursuing. If humanity accepted that they are part of all things organic – both living and dead – could we finally get rid of all the exhaustion, anxiety and need to rush?

Reading material:
Finnish edition
English sample
English summary
Author’s vision

By the Seashore: How Writers Discovered the Sea

Sanna Nyqvist

Follow Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Tove Jansson and other classic writers to the beach and experience the landscape through the eyes of a writer

✓ Nominated for the 2024 Finlandia Prize for Non-Fiction Literature! Winner of the 2024 Lauri Jäntti Prize Honorary Award!
✓ One of the ten best nonfiction books of 2024 – Suomen Kuvalehti magazine
✓ Rights sold to 4 territories!
✓ The book has inspired readers to take sailing trips to the Stockholm archipelago and other captivating landscapes
✓ Thematically, combining place and culture, drawing comparisons to the books of Mia Kankimäki, Dorthe Nors and Nina Burton

By the Seashore is a fascinating journey through salt-scented cultural history and to the authors’ favourite beaches. Jane Austen adventured along the south coast of England, Marcel Proust returned year after year to the shimmering light of Normandy, and Tove Jansson created her own paradise on an island in the Gulf of Finland. The magic of the beaches is part of our shared experience and our relationship with nature. But how long will we be able to experience our beloved beaches as they are now? This was already being pondered by August Strindberg in the late 19th century, when industry and tourism were shaping the Stockholm archipelago.

By the Seashore is a gripping and surprising account of why beaches have become landscapes of emotion, safe havens as well as islands of adventure.

“Seaside is the landscape I feel most deeply connected to. My childhood home was surrounded by what was once an ancient seabed, now fields dotted with rocky islets, but during the spring and autumn the seasonal floods reclaimed these territories, transforming the scenery into a magical, liquid expanse that echoed its primordial past. Summers spent in the archipelago of the Gulf of Finland deepened my connection to this liminal world, the borderland where the mainland meets the open sea.

As a literary scholar, I’m aware that many things and emotions that seem natural to us are in fact culturally constructed. Could our perpetual yearning for the seaside also stem from such origins? This question drove my desire to delve into the fascinating history of humanity’s attraction to the shore and its profound influence on literary imagination.”
–  Author’s vision of the book

TOVE JANSSON
Tee työtä ja rakasta
Tammi, November 2013, 300 pp.

Reading material:
Finnish edition
Swedish edition
English edition
German sample

Tove Jansson:
Work and Love

Tuula Karjalainen

The definitive biography of one of the most unique children’s authors of the 20th century, the creator of the much-loved Moomins

✓ Rights sold to 15 territories and a new edition published in Japan
✓ Moomins celebrate their 80 year anniversary in 2025!
✓ The Summer Book, a film starring Glenn Close and based on a novel by the same name by Tove Jansson premiered in 2025! International distribution to follow

The definitive biography of one of the most unique and beloved children’s authors of the 20th century, the creator of the Moomins. Tove Jansson (1914-2001) led a long, colourful and productive life, impacting significantly the political, social and cultural history of 20th-century Finland. And while millions of children have grown up with Little My, Snufkin, Moomintroll and the many creatures of Moominvalley, the life of Jansson – daughter, friend and companion – is more touching still. This book weaves together the myriad qualities of a painter, author, illustrator, scriptwriter and lyricist from fraught beginnings through fame, war and heartbreak and ultimately to a peaceful end.

Dr. Tuula Karjalainen, is an art historian and nonfiction writer who has worked as director of the Helsinki Art Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in Helsinki. As the author of Tove Jansson’s biography, Tuula Karjalainen has become an expert not only on Jansson’s works but also on her several decades of personal correspondence and journals. The book has been awarded the 2014 Lauri Jäntti Prize, given annually to the author of an outstanding work of Finnish nonfiction, and been named one of 2013’s most beautiful books by the Finnish Book Art Committee.

RAKASTAN SINUSSA IHMISTÄ
Aino ja Alvar Aallon tarina
Otava, September 2021, 450 pp.
Approx. 50-80 photographs & drawings

Reading material:
Finnish edition
English & French editions
Italian edition

The Story of Aino and Alvar Aalto

Heikki Aalto-Alanen

The love story of the world-famous, pioneering design couple Aino and Alvar Aalto, written by the Aaltos’ grandson

✓ Rights sold in China! Solar Films is planning a feature film inspired by the book!
✓ World’s most prestigious art publisher Phaidon Press published the book in October 2023 for the English and French-speaking world to celebrate Alvar Aalto’s 125th anniversary
✓ Rights sold to 9 territories, including Japan and Italy!
✓ Based on Aino and Alvar Aalto’s previously unpublished correspondence, photography, and drawings from 1921 to 1949
✓ English edition published by Phaidon!

Alvar and Aino Aalto are internationally celebrated for their architecture, furniture, glassware, and other interior design, but their personal lives have been relatively unknown – until now. This book, written by the Aaltos’ grandson, stands apart from countless other works on the Aalto’s lives and careers. It contains photos, sketches, and personal letters between Aino and Alvar, beautifully illustrating how inseparable this couple was both in work and love, and bringing a deeply human element to their story.

“Countless books have been written about Alvar Aalto’s architecture and other works. Recently, Aino Marsio-Aalto has also received the recognition she deserves in her own right as well as in her role as the partner of Alvar Aalto in his rise as one of the leading architects of the 20th century,” says Heikki Aalto-Alanen. “The voice in this book is personal. I want to tell the story of Aino’s and Alvar’s unique partnership, relationship, and their joint life work from the perspective of a family member. I also want their own voices to be heard.”

In addition to the photographs from the family archive, the book is illustrated with Aino’s and Alvar’s drawings of each other and of their children, along with architectural drawings and photographs.

A WONDERFUL LIFE
Insights on Finding a Meaningful Existence
HarperCollins, March 2020, 200 pp.

Reading material:
English edition

A Wonderful Life
Insights on Finding a Meaningful Existence 

Frank Martela

Is happiness a worthy goal? What is the foundation for meaning in a secular society? Is life an existential void?

✓ An international bestseller with the rights sold to 30 countries and counting!
✓ The book to address our turbulent times, by the eminent Finnish happiness researcher Frank Martela, from the happiest country in the world!

In a relaxed, conversational tone, Frank Martela answers these questions and more with a wry sense of humor, placing some of life’s greatest philosophical quandaries into a modern-day context. Martela quickly and concisely gets to the heart of the matter – your place in the world and how to find meaning in life – yet the emphasis here is on what we do with the life we have and how we can make it more meaningful.

The search for life’s meaning is perhaps the most important quest we can undertake. And for any quest, it’s essential to have a guide. Philosophically probing yet eminently readable, A Wonderful Life is a book you can refer to again and again on your journey toward purpose.

EVERYDAY SISU
Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life
Penguin Random House/TarcherPerigee, March 2022, 250 pp.

Reading material:
English edition

Everyday Sisu
Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life

Katja Pantzar

Discover how the happiest people on earth survive — and thrive — through tough times!

✓ Explores simple practices that makes Finnish life healthy for body and mind
✓ Published in Japanese, Thai and Indonesian!
✓ By the bestselling author of The Finnish Way, sold in 24 territories!

Sisu is a powerful mindset that makes Finland one of the happiest countries in the world, despite long winters, social isolation, and a history of challenging times.

In Everyday Sisu, journalist Katja Pantzar explores the simple practices that make Finnish life so stable, sustainable, and healthy for body and mind, even when life doesn’t go as planned. You’ll discover ways to boost your mental and physical resilience to face life’s challenges head-on, including:

• connecting with nature
• strengthening community
• using what you have
• reframing what you can’t control
• adopting a solutions mindset
• finding strength in the struggle
• dealing with stress, anxiety, depression and burnout

Featuring insights from Finnish experts in mental health, wellness, sustainability, social justice, and more, this practical and empowering guide presents a roadmap for overcoming what you thought you couldn’t — and finding hope and tools to create a brighter way forward.

SAISINKO HUOMIOSI?
Kirja, joka jokaisen somenkäyttäjän pitäisi lukea
Otava, December 2023, 200 pp.

Reading material:
English sample
Finnish edition

TULEVAISUUDEN LUKUJÄRJESTYS
Otava, December 2019, 192 pp.

Reading material:
English edition
Finnish edition

The Digital Spell
The Hidden Power of Persuasive Technology

and

Future Skills

Perttu Pölönen

✓The Digital Spell was nominated for the Finlandia Prize 2024 in Non-Fiction!
✓ Perttu Pölönen has studied future technologies at Singularity University think tank, based at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, co-founded an edtech company in Myanmar and won EU’s biggest science competition for youth. In 2018, MIT Tech Review honored him among the 35 Innovators Under 35 in Europe.
✓ Rights to Perttu Pölönen’s books have been sold in 8 territories!

More about The Digital Spell :

The book that every social media user should read! The third book by popular speaker and sales success Perttu Pölönen!

Only a few dozen social media executives ultimately decide where the attention of billions of people will be directed. At the same time, a large part of the population is unable to explain how the internet works, even at a basic level. We have embarked on a massive human experiment with an alarmingly inadequate understanding.

In his latest book, Perttu Pölönen asks what kind of technology we wish to use, who we want to develop it, whose interests it should serve, and what we use technology for. In the era of ChatGPT and generative AI, discussing design, values and ethics has become more crucial than ever. Billions of people are already “plugged into the system”—now we need to find answers to how that system should ideally work.

More about Future Skills :

The future is no longer awaited, it is feared. Development is not driven by enthusiasm, but by worry. We talk about challenges, not dreams. How can fears, worries, and challenges be turned into anticipation, enthusiasm, and dreams?

Future Skills challenges assumptions about the future and provides insightful and thought-provoking observations. It has become an instant bestseller in Finland, reportedly inspiring readers to change their career paths, and helped them find meaning in their current jobs. Pölönen is a bright young mind whose personal experiences make the book lively and engaging.

TUNNEROHKEUS
Suoraan puhumisen ja vastarinnan kohtaamisen taito
Otava, April 2024, 250 pp.

Reading material:
English sample + synopsis
Full Finnish edition

Emotional Courage
How to Face Resistance and Strong Emotions

Helena Åhman

Inspiring, practical guide by the acclaimed public speaker and non-fiction author!

✓ Latest title from the acclaimed public speaker and non-fiction author!
✓ Åhman is a professor of practice focusing on conversational intelligence – demanding discussions, negotiations, and conflicts, and understanding the human mind!
✓ Åhman is the only three-time prize winner for best business book in Finland and has been recognized as one of Finland’s best speakers four times!

In this book, Finland’s leading business writer Helena Åhman, PhD, shares her fascinating journey and discovery of a crucial ingredient to succeed in challenging interactions. From New York City to Dubai’s deserts and around the world, she describes her encounters with NASA’s astronauts and Ivy League professors as well as with captivating Finnish leaders from the dark north who have succeeded. The stories span from Virgin Atlantic’s executive team to Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s wisdom, and from excelling in the world-renowned Finnish school system to heading the Finnish Air Force.

Each story shares the same themes – emotional courage, the ability to encounter emotions and speak directly even when met with opposition.

Combine this wellspring of wisdom with striking anecdotes – including the author’s own – and the latest research, and you’ll get answers to three questions that define emotional courage:

• What kind of counterintuitive thinking is useful when you meet resistance and opposing views, and how to overcome the worst mistakes?
• Why is it useful to speak boldly, and most importantly, how? It might not be what you think.
• How do you get rid of disturbing emotions, and when should you absolutely not let them go?

This book will guide you through the sandstorms of emotion – yours or others’- to talk about anything you need to. The book will help you to use its knowledge in your daily life, whether in the boardroom or the bedroom, and is served with the addition of Finnish rock lyrics on emotional courage.

CupOfTherapy – TILKKANEN TERAPIAA
Otava, 2017, 226 pp.

CupOfTherapy – TUNTI TUNNILTA TUNTIEN
Gummerus, 2020, 223 pp.

CupOfTherapy – YKSI NÄISTÄ HETKISTÄ
Gummerus, 2021,  223 pp.

Reading material:
English pdfs of books 1-3
English preview of book 4

CupOfTherapy series

Antti Ervasti and Matti Pikkujämsä

Internationally bestselling and easily approachable and comforting selfcare with a visual approach – created by an experienced Finnish psychotherapist and an award-winning illustrator

✓ Relatable and comforting illustrations of the human experience with all its struggles and wonders!
✓ Selfcare for the Instagram generation, with expert advice from a psychotherapist on how to deal with common struggles and experiences
✓ More than 75,000 copies sold! Rights sold to 20+ countries! Bestseller in the MUJI stores in Japan! Bestseller in the Netherlands!

The CupOfTherapy books are the results of Antti’s and Matti’s cooperation combining psychotherapeutic expertise and the artist’s talent to capture human experience and put it on paper. They discuss daily events, topical phenomena and their own experiences together and Matti sketches animal figures simultaneously. The topics and the reflection of their discussions are interactively and lovingly refined into CupOfTherapy illustrations.

Book #1: CupOfTherapy

Encouragement, comfort and humor as suitable bites for different moments of life. A small big book from the creators of the hugely popular Finnish phenomenon CupOfTherapy.

Book #2: Self-Care Everyday (Together Through the Hours)

CupOfTherapy – Self-Care Everyday addresses a current and important matter: work–life balance. The book is like a strong bear hug with a great message: It is normal to face obstacles and problems, and we are important the way we are, with all our fur and everything . The book offers fiercely sweet encouragement amid all the challenges in our everyday life and work.

Book #3: Moments by Myself

Moments by Myself is an emphatically written and illustrated book from the creators of the internationally renowned brand CupOfTherapy, tackling a touching and important topic: loneliness and being alone. It makes visible a phenomenon that easily goes unnoticed but at the same time is something all of us experience at some point through our lives. This book is the perfect friend to have at hand when feeling lonely and also inspires us to reach out to the people around us and invites us to think about how we could reduce the stigma often associated with loneliness.

Upcoming books in the CupOfTherapy series:

Book #4: Earn, Lose & Learn

”Even a small reflection on our financial habits helps tackle the feeling of being lost”

Money has an impact on our lives, whether we wish it or not. Our relationship to money is individual, it is linked with our past, present and future. This book looks like its creators and tackles a touching and important topic: the relationship with money and mental well-being. It makes visible a phenomenon that easily goes unnoticed, and inspires us all to think about how we could reduce the stigma and how to face challenging feelings often associated with money and finances. Earn, Lose & Learn is an aptly written and illustrated, warm compassion book from the creators of the internationally renowned brand CupOfTherapy.

PUTININ TROLLIT
Johnny Kniga, November 2019, 453 pp.

Reading material:
English edition
Finnish edition

Putin’s Trolls

Jessikka Aro

A journalistic nonfiction book that reads like a real-life spy thriller and reveals the methods of the Kremlin’s modern information warfare

✓ Rights sold to 16 territories!
✓ Published in Spring 2022 in the US by Ig Publishing and Blackstone (audio) to excellent reviews! Followed by publication in Germany by Goldmann and Norway by Mangshou!
✓ An international TV Series is being developed as an European co-production, inspired by Jessikka Aro’s international bestseller Putin’s Trolls. Producers are Kathrin Lohmann (Germany), Gudny Hummelvoll (Norway) and Tanja Rusi (Finland)
✓ Jessikka Aro won the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage of Journalism Award for her investigation!

Putin’s Trolls is a first-hand memoir/reportage account by award-winning Finnish journalist Jessikka Aro who was bullied out of her country by Putin’s internet trolls, revealing the true face of an invisible threat that is only growing in power. Russia wages war against civilians online. Every critical voice is an enemy. 

Putin’s Trolls presents the criminal smearing campaign, launched and approved by the Kremlin against private individuals around Western countries. It is a chilling account of Russia’s modern tools of information warfare, shedding light on the individuals and organizations behind the Kremlin’s coordinated, military-style social media psy-ops.

STALIN JA SUOMEN KOHTALO
Otava, October 2016, 240 pp.
Cover: Yale University Press, New Haven and London

Reading material:
English edition
Finnish edition

How Finland Survived Stalin
From Winter War to Cold War, 1939–1950

Kimmo Rentola

A meticulously-researched insight into critical points in the history of relations between Finland and the Soviet Union

✓  Winner of the Lauri Jäntti Prize for non-fiction literature!
✓ Bestseller in Poland!
✓ A title with huge resonance at the present time, with Finland joining NATO and the parallels between the Winter War and the Russian invasion of Ukraine
✓ Updated English edition available, published by Yale University Press in November 2023!
✓ Rights sold to 6 territories!

Professor Kimmo Rentola explores Stalin’s invasion of Finland in the Winter War, and the decade of fraught Soviet-Finnish relations that followed, including Finland’s exit from World War Two and a possible coup in 1948. This is a dramatic reconstruction of the Nordic republic’s unlikely survival, at a time when its very existence was at stake.

How did Finland evade Joseph Stalin’s crosshairs three times? Did Stalin have a special relationship with Finland and the Finns? Why didn’t he continue the Soviet onslaught on Finland during the Winter War in 1940? Why did the dictator back down from his aspirations and demands towards Finland during the peace negotiations in 1944? Why did 1948 remain the year of an unfulfilled coup in Finland? The answer lies in the relations between Finland and Russia which remain highly timely to this day.

Joseph Stalin has been one of the individuals with the most influence on the history of independent Finland. There are few who have made so many far-reaching decisions as Stalin: he decreed the beginning and the end of the Winter War, the Moscow Armistice of 1944 that ended the Continuation War was signed with his authorization, and when, in 1948, it was time to decide whether Finland would become a ‘people’s republic’ or not, he initially pushed forward but eventually backed down. All of these decisions can be seen as pivotal to the fate of Finland, its society, its independence, the life and death of the Finnish people.

Reading material:
English sample and summary
Finnish edition

The 50 Most Dangerous Companies in the World

Juha-Pekka Raeste and Hannu Sokala

How could a few dozen business giants challenge the foundations of democracy, destabilize institutions, and determine the state of the environment?

✓ A Spiegel bestseller in Germany!
✓ Rights sold to 8 territories!
✓ Now a fresh, updated manuscript available!

Large multinational corporations influence how we think, what we eat, who we meet, how we spend our time, and even who we vote for. As those businesses grow, their influence and power over people and governments also grow. To make sure the future is not dictated by people rather than corporations we need to know more about them.

This exciting nonfiction title by expert financial journalists Hannu Sokala and Juha-Pekka Raeste covers 50 companies that comprise a large part of global market forces. They determine what kind of world we all live in. Some of the companies in the book are relatively unknown (The China National Tobacco Corporation and BlackRock), some are predictable (Google, Amazon), some may seem surprising (Ikea and Disney), and some are inevitable (Gazprom and Chevron).

Some of the companies benefit from our everyday needs (Cargill, Coca-Cola), some from our vanity (ByteDance, Facebook), and some from our greed (Goldman Sachs, Berkshire Hathaway). This is non-fiction that reads like a thriller. It offers a comprehensive and often startling perspective on the most important – and dangerous – companies in the world.

MINÄ, KOIRA JA IHMISKUNTA
Lajien välisen yhteiselon historia
Otava/Like, February 2022, 317 pp.

Reading material:
Long English sample and synopsis
Finnish edition

Me, My Dog, and Humanity
A History of Coexistence Between Species

Tiina Raevaara

Has humanity become so powerful through its own merits alone? Or do other species deserve a thanks as well?

✓ An entertaining and narrative deep dive into the shared history of humans and animals
✓ The Finnish answer to Yuval Noah Harari and Rutger Bregman!
✓ Publisher in Germany and the Netherlands!

In the Autumn of 2018, biologist and award-winning author Tiina Raevaara found herself exhausted and anguished, with her mind dark like a Finland November. She did, however, find comfort in the company of her dog, Igor. She started pondering the reasons for her exhaustion and, simultaneously, the evolution of the human species and its relation to other animals.

The current ascendancy of mankind is, according to Raevaara, not a result of humanity’s innate superiority, but, in fact, a result of its connections and relationships to other species. Ours is not a story of a purpose-driven humankind achieving its predominance in grand solitude, but of a humanity which has striven for connections with other animals.

In her book Me, My Dog and Humanity, Raevaara compellingly describes the coexistence between humans and animals, both personally and from the perspective of humankind, and seeks answers to a number of questions:

• Why does an exhausted person prefer to spend time with their dog than other people? 
• Why do animals arouse such strong empathy in us?
• What does the human-animal connection mean from the perspective of evolution and humanity?

The domesticated dog is a much older creation of humankind than agriculture, religion or even writing. Mapping out the mutual journey between humans and dogs, Raevaara sheds light on the most fundamental essences of humanity and its relationship with nature.

Reading material:
English edition
Finnish edition
French edition
German edition

The Women I Think About at Night

Mia Kankimäki

What can a 40-something childless woman do with her life? Hop on a plane and follow the footsteps of the historical female heroes of their time! 

✓ Over 60,000 copies sold in Finland and over 28,000 copies sold in Sweden!
✓ An international hit sold to 21 territories! Film & TV rights sold!
✓ A TV series based on the book in development by napafilms

Have you heard about Artemisia Gentileschi, Lavinia Fontana or Nellie Bly? What about Karen Blixen? The Women I Think About at Night follows in the footsteps of 10 historical women, who did what was impossible for women to do in their own times: travel the world or create a career as an artist. And these women were quite successful – some of them actually became celebrities of their own time! So why have they been forgotten by the history books?

Finnish writer Mia Kankimäki sold her house, packed her suitcase and traveled the world to find out. Part biography, part travelogue, this book takes you from Karen Blixen’s farm in Kenya to Renaissance artists’ Florence and modern-day Japan.

Warning: May cause strong case of wanderlust!

A publishing sensation in Finland with over tens of thousands of copies sold, The Women I Think About at Night solidifies Kankimäki’s standing as one of Finland’s leading new authors. Her book was translated by Douglas Robinson and published by Simon & Schuster, one of the four largest English-language publishers in the world. Her book has received positive reviews in Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, Travel & Leisure, and Kirkus Reviews, along with Fortune magazine.

Reading material:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish edition
German edition
Italian edition

Things That Make One’s Heart Beat Faster

Mia Kankimäki

A nonfiction narrative about a Finnish writer’s trip to Japan to look for her soulmate — who lived more than 1000 years ago

✓ More than 47,000 copies sold in Finland!
✓ Rights sold to 6 territories!

Mia Kankimäki quits her job and embarks on an adventure. She travels to Kyoto to research Sei Shonagon, a Japanese writer and lady-in-waiting who wrote about her life in the court of Heian era Japan. Mia doesn’t speak a word of Japanese, and isn’t quite accustomed to scientific research, but her endeavor produces the most wonderful book about Japan, Sei Shonagon, and a middle-aged woman’s solo travels.

Despite her struggles and initial culture shock, Mia finds herself mesmerized by temples, cherry blossoms, kabuki theater, Zen meditation and tearooms. She reads ‘The Pillow Book‘ of Sei Shonagon and finds a soul sister – a modern woman who loves making lists of all things charming, annoying, elegant and things that make one’s heart beat faster.