Best products from r/sweden

Great book that's both funny and pretty accurate: http://www.amazon.com/Xenophobes-Guide-Swedes-Peter-Berlin/dp/1906042497 !

It's pretty thin, but covers a lot of ground on how social conventions go and why we are as we are!

>The Swedes are an enterprising, fair-minded people who suffer from a mild case of megalomania. For example, they think it entirely appropriate that the cartographer Mercator magnanimously drew Sweden roughly the size of India...

Hehe I love that book :D

> Soulful sadness
A common trait among Swedish people is a deeply felt svårmod, a dark melancholy born out of long winters, high taxes, and a sense of being stuck far out on a geo-political and socio-economic limb. They brood a lot over the meaning of life in a self-absorbed sort of way without ever arriving at satisfactory answers.

>Love all
The Swedes indulge in sport for leisure and sex for pleasure. Some people treat sex as a sport in order to combine leisure with pleasure, and thus save time and energy.

>Nurture nature
The Swedes have a dream: to save Nature from Man. This is more than just a vision—it's as close to a passion as the Swedes ever get.

Hi,

I really enjoy replying to this kind of thread, and I respect the ambition expressed in your post. Also I've been pestering a bunch of American subreddits for my own upcoming trip, so imma give this my best shot. Here goes:

1. To experience Sweden and swedishness, you really need to mix up the urban with the countryside. What I would if I were you do is figure out what kind of outdoorsy or "cross country" kind of activity I most enjoy, and then plan a portion of my trip doing that. For instance, if you like biking, make a tour along Göta kanal or around Lake Vättern. Lots and lots of very Swedish sites to see there. Or if you like hiking, go up north and do The King's Trail or one of the southern hiking routes. Sailing or kayaking would be wonderful too. Or if you're not sporty, do the road-trip thing. Or one of these. This is also a perfect way to meet locals and break through some of the "Swedish reserve" that people will tell you about.
   
   
2. You mentioned reading a lot... Are you American? If so, let me introduce you to The Emigrants Epic by Vilhelm Moberg. If you read at least the first book of that, I would call you honorary Swedish. They are wonderful, wonderful books, that give a detailed and beautiful look into the Swedish/American experience in the 19th century, and really into a lot of what still shapes the country today. There are sites and museums connected to this in southern Sweden -- you could probably plan a whole trip following up your reading of this book.
   
   
3. If you're more modern minded, maybe some of those apparently famous Swedish crime or thriller books? "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and all that. I understand they have wonderful environment descriptions, and they have walking tours in Stockholm that will take you to the sites in the books.
   
   
4. I have a personal quest of seeing all the 15 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Sweden.
   
   
5. Obey the people telling you to get out into the islands.
   
   What part of the country is the wedding in?

Leo Szilard hade ideen och var orolig att Tyskland skulle komma först redan 1933.

~

Allmänt.
En av de bästa böckerna jag någonsin läst:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Making_of_the_Atomic_Bomb

Håller med varje ord i denna recension. Vill tillägga de fantastiska anekdoterna:

1. När Fermi dirigerar världens första kedjereaktion under en squash läktare i Chicago. En stoppstav hänger i ett rep från taket och en gubbe står med en yxa ...Fermi instruerar utdragande av bromsstav millimeter för millimeter, Geiger räknaren stiger och slår i botten, skiftar område, stiger och slår i botten igen, skiftar på nytt område ... Personer lyssnar på tickandet som går över i ett högfrekvent tjut och är osäkra om de ska stå kvar eller springa därifrån. Fermi är cool och deklarerar experimentet lyckat och avstängning.
   
   
2. Det är en fin hög ("pile") det där, säger en hantlangare när uran anländer inför chicagoexperimentet. En vetenskapsman hör det, blir kritvit, sliter fram och arbetar räknestickan några minuter innan han slappnar av och säger: "Nej, det är det inte". Fotnot, en del av uranet kommer från en kapad tysk ubåt på väg till japan med det senaste i tysk teknologi, inklusive Me 262 delar).
   
   
3. Teoretiske kärnfysikern och judinnan Lise Meitner begrundar ett brev i ett kyligt Göteborg (vädermässigt och något antisemitiskt) efter att precis ha funnit det nödvändigt att lämna Tyskland. Brevet kommer från hennes före detta kollegor och vänner, etniskt tyska vetenskapsmän som inte förstår resultatet av ett experiment de precis genomfört och ber (teoretikern) Meitner hjälpa till att förklara det. Flyktingen Meitner blir på så vis ensam i världen att först förstå att kärnvapen och kärnenergi har lämnat sfären av spekulation och nu är reell och trolig verklighet. Tyskarna (Otto Hahn bla) hade klyvt uranatomen utan att ha förstått det.
   
   
4. Den tyska atomklyvningen tillkännages (av Nils Bohr?) på Columbia University. Den hade hemlighållits, inte av militära skäl, det kommer snart, men för att säkerställa vetenskaplig preferens, rätt personer skall få äran av upptäckten. En undergraduate springer ner i Columbias källare och upprepar det tyska experimentet innan föredraget är över.
   
   
5. Nils Bohr smugglas till England från Danmark i ett Mosquito bombrum. Hans huvud är för stort för hjälmen och han svimmar av på vägen av syrebrist.
   
   >The book covers the subect on a number of levels. First is the factual story of the events leading up to the making of the bomb, which in themselves would be fascinating. For example, the fact that in two years the Manhattan Project built an industrial plant larger than the US automobile manufacturing base. That only in December of 1938 was the fission of Uranium first discovered, but the course of events were so rapid as to lead to the Trinity test in July of 1945. As a sometime program manager, but no General Groves, it was a fascinating account of the world's most significant projecct.
   The second level is a very enjoyable history of nuclear physics as the reader is lead through the discovery process from the turn of the century to thermonuclear fusion. That discovery process is the vehicle for the third and fourth levels of the book. The stories and personalities of the scientists, around the world, who added to that knowledge, what shaped and motivated their lives and how they indiviually gained insight, brilliant insight, into the riddle that was physics. I felt I got to know people like Rutherford, Bohr, Oppenheimer, Fermi, Szilard, and Teller. The fourth level was that the insight was not really individual but collaborative. This book is one of the finest descriptions of the scientific process and how this open, collaborative and communicative process works across boundaries.
   
   >http://www.amazon.com/The-Making-Atomic-Bomb-Anniversary/dp/1451677618

Thanks for responding! So far, I'm absolutely floored by how friendly and outgoing the Swedish community has been! Somebody else also mentioned that shoes come off at home, so I'll be sure to do that! The gift thing is something we do in the USA, if the party is formal (and wine or chocolates are pretty common - or a side dish for the meal) so I can handle that. The staring thing will take some getting used to. Where I live in California, if somebody is staring at you it usually means they want to come talk to you or want you to come talk to them. I'll have to get used to that.

I'll look that book up as well. Culture Shock Sweden Does that look like it? At six dollars (roughly 40 Swedish Krona) that's definitely worth it.

Thank you!

Sorry for the response in English; I hope my answer is of some use to you. The concept of the rå could be extremely vague in pre-industrial folk tradition and belief. I will provide an excerpt (which I will probably need to break into more than one part) from my e-publication based in part on Hartmann's work; mine is entitled Trolls: From Scandinavia to Dam Dolls, Tolkien, and Harry Potter

Excerpt #1:

The Swedish rå is a solitary being of nature that the folk frequently mentioned. The term refers to a species of extremely powerful spirits or forces that dominated a specific part of nature. The rå had considerable importance in this context, and the folk conceived of it in two different ways. The entity could be personal or impersonal; that is, people could perceive it as a substantial creature one might encounter or as a vague spirit. The difference between these two concepts is crucial in understanding the nature of the troll. Since the Swedish rå belief formed a bridge between nature beings and numinous powers, a look at this subject illuminates the problem.

It was once common in Sweden to hear that a place had a “strong rå,” which can be translated as strong numen or spirit. The common people did not generally tie a “strong rå,” with a personal being of material substance. At least that is how dictionaries define the term simply. According to this concept, the folk imagined a certain supernatural force as keeping a place, or more properly said, they felt the rule of a more or less indefinite numinous power.

Normally, the common people did not experience this kind of rå in concrete form. The folk rarely told stories about encountering such a rå. While there was a rå in every house, people had little interaction with it.

A “strong rå” could manifest in different ways as suggested by the following examples taken from oral tradition. “At certain places it was so strongly rå that one could hear it knocking and working the whole night.” “In a courtyard it was so strongly rå that the threshing machine worked by itself at night and a light shone through all the cracks of the buildings.”

On the other hand, some memorates actually told of observing a numinous ra. “The little houses were so strongly rå that one could distinctly see creatures passing in front of the windows outside.” “As a boy, my uncle used to enjoy playing on a swing hung from the rafters. Whenever he had been gone for a long time, one often heard the swing going again. ‘It is the rå that swings,’ said my grandparents.” “Near Tureberg there was a strong rå. At this place a soldier received a box on the ears so that his cap flew from his head and for days thereafter he had to run after it to catch it.”

> I would be interested in reading a good history of Sweden (in English) if you have any recommendations. Websites or movies would be great too.

You got some replies about food, but I thought I'd give some tips on this one!

A History of Sweden by Hernan Lindqvist
A Journey through Swedish History by Herman Lindqvist
A history of Sweden by Lars O Lagerqvist

These are more general books about the history of Sweden, by Swedish historians. Herman Lindqvist in particular is fairly well known here as an author of popular history books. This page has a list of books about Swedish history, though I don't know the authors.

Hope you find it interesting!

Wow that is pretty awesome! Here in the US even your 1 year warranty claims through the manufacturer could take well over a month to resolve. A lot of the time they will tell you to fuck off even if you are within your 1 year warranty because they will claim some BS reason that you voided your warranty. Consumer rights in the US are a fucking complete joke, the consumer doesn't mean jack shit here.

I look forward to purchasing some electronics then in Sweden! Just wish some of the things I need (like Dell Ultrasharp monitors) weren't so expensive :(. Dell P2715Q 4K monitor is 7000 SEK in Sweden versus 3400 SEK (390 USD) in the US.

Thank you for showing interest!

Here's a book concerning the battle of Poltava which was well received when it came out in Sweden.

The Battle that Shook Europe: Poltava and the Birth of the Russian Empire by Peter Englund

Myself I haven't read it but I am reading another book by Peter called Ofredsår and I love the book, but I couldn't find the English translation online...

Anyhow, good luck!

A Marxist Sociologist's opinion on Capitalism is not a reliable source for principals of Capitalism; you're playing to your own presuppositions again. In fact, its hard to even argue that Capitalism is an "ism" at all, rather; its the environment resultant from free interaction between free people. Economists have spent the better part of three and a half centuries studying the organization of economic systems; both in the presence of central planning in the absence thereof.

EDIT: Capitalist Markets are democratic by nature; resource allocation being predicted upon billions of simultaneous transactions occurring between producers and consumers. Can corruption, and Regulatory Capture influence these artificially (ex: subsides for special interests)? Sure, but once again; this brings the role of Rule of Law into play. It is the responsibility of Governments to act as referee, but not an active participant. And yet again, where do you suppose there has been an example of a Socialist economy which has been at all immune to such behavior?A tangible difference between Capitalism and Socialism, is Capitalist economies are significantly more resilient to bad actors seeking to tilt things to their favor because of the decentralized nature of markets.

Want to read something about economic organization from someone who's actually spent their life studying the phenomena - not some would be philosopher with a predetermined outcome in mind? Someone who has received a Nobel Prize for their measurable contributions to the understanding of economies?

Try Paul Krugman's Self-Organizing Economy:

https://www.amazon.com/Self-Organizing-Economy-Paul-Krugman/dp/1557866988

Fakta om IQ, eller g (generell intelligensfaktor)

• Hög ärftlighet (r = 0.5-0.8)
  
• Korrelerar med hjärn- och skallstorlek (r = 0.2-0.4 beroende på mätmetod)
  
• Har prediktiv validitet (skolbetyg, lön, utbildning, arbetseffektivitet, succesivt bättre förmåga att lösa kognitiva problem för varje percentil etc.)
  
• Hög reliabilitet (r > 0.9) för återtest av samma individ senare i livet
  
• Validitet och reliabilitet är densamma för samtliga folkslag.
  
• Svarta i USA erhåller i genomsnitt en standardavvikelse (1 σ) lägre resultat än vita européer som i sin tur erhåller ungefär en halv standardavikelse lägre resultat än östasiater.
  
  Detta är konsensus i forskningen. Även forskare som exempelvis Richard Nisbett eller James Flynn, som tror att gruppskillnaderna är helt och hållet miljömässiga instämmer i det som skrivs ovan. Ingen insatt i forskningen tror på det typiska "IQ mäter ingenting", "IQ gynnar västerlänningar", "IQ mäter en minimal del av intelligens". Sådana påståenden visar att man ej läst litteraturen, exempelvis Nisbett, Murray och Herrnstein eller Mackintosh.
  
  Huruvida intelligensskillnaderna mellan grupperna (svarta-vita-asiater) beror på arv, miljö eller en kombination är mer spekulativt och här får man bilda sig en egen uppfattning genom att tillgodogöra sig argumenten från båda sidor. Här (kort och lättläst) är en bra sammanfattning av argument för och emot en ärftlig komponent till gruppskillnaderna skriven av Rushton & Jensen som tror på en 50-50-modell (observera att ingen tror på en 100% ärftlig modell, striden står mellan de som tror på 100% miljö mot de som tror på ungefär 50% miljö/50% arv).
  
  Data att fundera över (diagram):
  
  
• Minnesota Transracial Adoption Study
  
  
• Koreanska och icke-koreanska adoptivbarn mot infödd befolkning i Sverige
  
  
• Amerikanska högskoleprovet SAT, efter inkomst och ras
  
  
• Piffer (2015):
  
  > Published Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS), reporting the presence of alleles exhibiting significant and replicable associations with IQ, are reviewed. The average between-population frequency (polygenic score) of nine alleles positively and significantly associated with intelligence is strongly correlated to country-level IQ (r = .91). Factor analysis of allele frequencies furthermore identified a metagene with a similar correlation to country IQ (r = .86). The majority of the alleles (seven out of nine) loaded positively on this metagene. Allele frequencies varied by continent in a way that corresponds with observed population differences in average phenotypic intelligence. Average allele frequencies for intelligence GWAS hits exhibited higher inter-population variability than random SNPs matched to the GWAS hits or GWAS hits for height. This indicates stronger directional polygenic selection for intelligence relative to height. Random sets of SNPs and Fst distances were employed to deal with the issue of autocorrelation due to population structure. GWAS hits were much stronger predictors of IQ than random SNPs. Regressing IQ on Fst distances did not significantly alter the results nonetheless it demonstrated that, whilst population structure due to genetic drift and migrations is indeed related to IQ differences between populations, the GWAS hit frequencies are independent predictors of aggregate IQ differences.

https://www.amazon.com/Sweden-Football-Fans-Scarf/dp/B0022U7JTQ

Thats basically the only one I found. Thank you for supporting our team, Canada is like our big brother. Hugs and love to you guys <3

> Ord har betydelser.

Lyft näsan från ordboken nu.

> Om ord tillskrivs vilken betydelse som helst av vem som helst blir konversation, meningsutbyte och utveckling i det närmaste omöjligt.

Reductio ad absurdum, sluta larva dig

> Jag vet att du inte vet vad planekonomin innebar eller att planekonomi och den långa raden av politiska utrensningar som skakade hela det ryska samhället inte är samma sak men än en gång, ord betyder saker. Planekonomin handlade i första hand om produktionsmål för tackjärn, järnmalm och kol, kritiskt viktiga resurser för industrialisering och sedermera kriget mot Tyskland. För det ändamålet var planekonomin effektiv.

Är du på riktigt?

Det är trivialt: Planekonomin i sig var slaveri, repression och massmord. Du kan inte stoppa dom sakerna i olika små fack och låtsas som att dom inte hör ihop även om det står på olika ställen i ordboken.

Det är skillnad på vad ordboken säger och vad utfallet blev.

Saxat rakt från wikipedia sidan om din fina femårsplan:

> the collectivization created a large-scale famine in the Soviet Union in which many millions died.

Vi pratar alltså om miljoner människor som helt enkelt dog som en del av planekonomin.

Men visst, "planekonomi" är ett ord som du kan rabbla fram. Grattis.

Här har du alltså egentligen diskvalificerat dig ur en seriös diskussion eftersom du inte har koll på grundläggande fakta i det du skriver och dessutom förringar du folkmord.

Nu är vi dock lustigt nog tillbaka till mitt ursprungliga inlägg där du har bevisat mig rätt på fler än ett sätt:

Det är precis samma mekanism bakom svälten i Ukraina 1932/1933, miljoner döda som försäkringskassans slöseri med skattepengar i dagens Sverige:

Folk tar helt enkelt dåliga beslut i kollektivistiska system. Dessutom leder det troligtvis till passiv och självgod dumhet ...

Sen vill du ha en separat diskussion huruvida den svenska utjämningspolitiken har skapat ekonomisk tillväxt. Det är nog en diskussion som är lite för komplex för dig med tanke på att du spyr ur dig kommunistisk propaganda från 1930-talet.

> jag kanske har en bakgrund inom ekonomisk historia?

Argument from authority, mera trams från självgode dig

Det är ju extra lustigt eftersom du dels inte kan din historia ordentligt och dels inte förstår grundläggande koncept som korrelation/kausalitet eller statistisk analys eftersom du skriver:

> Det jag däremot hittar är att de stater i USA som har högst andel människor med skandinaviskt ursprung är lite mer välbeställda än genomsnittet, dock har de fortfarande en genomsnittligt lägre hushållsinkomst än den i Sverige.

Jag pratade om en grupp (svenska invandrare i USA), då kan du inte börja jämföra hela stater.

Det här är ju pinsamt eftersom det var en av få konkreta saker som du har sagt men dessutom har du fel i sak eftersom enbart delstaten Minnesota (där flest svenskättlingar finns enligt denna karta) har en högre BNP/capita än Sverige. Dom andra relevanta staterna har ännu högre BNP/capita (North Dakota, Delaware, osv) ....

Här är en annan ganska bra artikel som också jämför just inkomster mellan Sverige och olika amerikanska stater som visar samma sak.

Hur var det med faktan nu? ; )

Det här är faktiskt ganska grundläggande saker ...

Jag orkar inte lista alla fel som du rabblar upp ...

> [Citation needed] - Jag tror du hittade på det här rakt av

Återigen bevisar du mitt första inlägg om tillit i samhället: "En tjuv tror att alla andra är tjuvar. En lögnare tror att alla andra är lögnare. Och agerar därefter."

För en djupare analys av just svensk tillväxt i relation till ekonomisk utjämning kan du läsa en bok (inte en ordbok alltså utan en bok som faktiskt har med ämnet att göra).

(Jag hittade också en förenklad online resurs här)
[https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Sweden%20Paper.pdf]

[Citat]:(https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Sweden%20Paper.pdf)

> If Americans with Swedish ancestry were to form their own country, their per capita GDP would be $56,900, more than $10,000 above the income of the average American. This is also far above Swedish GDP per capita, at $36,600. Swedes living in the USA are thus approximately 53 per cent more wealthy than Swedes (excluding immigrants) in their native country (OECD, 2009; US Census database).

[Citat]:(https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Sweden%20Paper.pdf)

> Rather than being the cause of Sweden’s social strengths, the high-tax welfare state might instead have been made possible by the hard-won Swedish stock of social capital. It was well before the welfare state, when hard work paid off, that a culture with a strong work ethic and strong trust and social cohesion developed. As discussed above, the modern system has eroded some of these norms.

Jag tänker inte ta upp upp allt här men i princip hela boken går ut på att bevisa att ditt påstående är kategoriskt felaktigt:

> Traditionellt har vår ekonomiska utjämningspolitik varit den enskilt största faktorn till Sveriges ekonomiska styrka.

Nej, det är helt enkelt inte sant.

Citat igen:

> Another popular notion is that Sweden´s phenomenal growth rate is closely tied to a period dominated by Social Democratic party rule and high taxes. In fact, between 1870 and 1936, the start of the social democratic era, Sweden had the highest growth rate in the industrialised world. Between 1936 and 2008, however, the growth rate was only ranked 18th out of 28 industrialised nations (Maddison, 2010).

Citat:

> The rapid growth of the state in the late 1960s and 1970s led to a large decline in Sweden’s relative economic performance. In 1975, Sweden was the 4th richest industrialised country in terms of GDP per head. By 1993, it had fallen to 14th.

Citat:

> Sweden developed state welfare provision during the first half of the 20th century, but the welfare institutions were financed by relatively low taxes. As noted previously, tax revenues were still only around 21 per cent of GDP in 1950 (Ekonomifakta, n. d.). Interestingly enough, the impressive social outcomes of Swedish society were evident already during this period. For example, in 1950, long before the high-tax welfare state, Swedes lived 2.6 years longer than Americans. Today the difference is 2.7 years (SCB database; US Department of Health and Human Services, 2009). It is also interesting that the relatively even income distribution in Sweden pre-dates the expansion of the welfare state.

Citat:

> A comparison of historical rates of income inequality in Sweden, the USA, Canada, France and Netherlands shows interesting results. Already by 1920, well before the existence of a welfare state, Sweden had amongst the lowest levels of inequality within this group of countries. Roine and Waldenström (2008)

Du försöker förenkla saker genom att säga:

> När socialismen rotade sig på allvar i Sverige (dvs senare hälften av 1800-talet [...]

Du kan inte bara rabbla saker ur ordboken om när arbetarepartiet grundades (1881) utan du måste jämföra deras faktiska politik (staten/skatterna/"utjämningen" växte rejält först efter WW2 och var som störst på 1970-talet) med vad utfallet blev vid det tillfället, dvs. det gick gradvis åt helvete ekonomiskt ju mer staten växte, såpass att sossarna runt 1980-1990 själva började montera ned stora delar. I början (1800-talet) var sossarna ute efter andra saker som allmän rösträtt och kunde inte påverka ekonomin i stort. Dessutom påvisar jag tillväxt innan partiet ens grundades!

Till och med socialdemokraterna övergav själva sin egen socialistiska ideologi (dvs. dom gav slutligen upp sin lilla dröm om att äga produktionsmedlen) på 1980-talet( Kanslihushögern) eftersom statens svällande storlek med höga skatter och omfördelningspolitik dämpade just ekonomisk tillväxt. Så hur kan det vara den största faktorn till "ekonomisk styrka"? Trams!

Svensk kultur och hårt arbete byggde Sverige! Folkhemmet var en acceptabel kostnad (fram tills nu när andra ska åka snålskjuts).

När man nu ska förstöra den svenska demografin och kulturen som gjorde Sverige framgångsrikt så kommer det gå som det går helt enkelt.

Dom andra sakerna som du tar upp (bostadsmarkad, "klyftor", osv) är småpotatis jämfört med det. Precis som tackjärn är småpotatis i relation till folkmord.

Till skillnad från postmoderna historieförfalskare så förstod socialdemokraterna själva precis vad det handlade om:

Citat, Tage Erlander i Valfrihetens samhälle (Tiden 1962), s. 82

> Därför kan vi angripa arbetslöshetsproblemen på ett helt annat sätt, i medvetande om att det vi gör är en sak som i varje fall inte influeras av skiljaktigheter i hudfärg eller religion utan att våra insatser får sin motivering uteslutande med tanke på arbetslöshetsfrågan själv. Därför bör vi måhända vara litet mera ödmjuka när vi nalkas det här problemet än vad vi många gånger kanske är.

Ödmjukhet ... kanske vore något för självgode dig som silar mygg och sväljer kameler?

Ridå.

This book (well, in swedish called Sju sorters kakor) is very popular in swedish homes and got many/most of the common recipies. One of my best books.

I dont think theres any real good tricks to the desserts you mention. For kladdkaka most people got their own preference on how sticky it should be and cooking time depends on the oven.

For Lussekatter many recipes calls for kvarg (english: quark) and it has been discussions regarding if the kvarg actually does anything to the lussekatter. My stance is that it doesnt, and that recipes without kvarg works just as well. Instead I like to add extra chopped raisins (which has been soaked in water 30mins or so before mixing into the dough), but Im also a fan of dried fruits in bread :)

I would need to be able power a laptop, PS3, and a TV... although the TV will likely be something obtained locally. The PS3 is essential, as it relates to the reason I will be moving.

My research suggests that I will need one of these to run the PS3, right? Sorry for so many questions, but I have a harder time trusting a random website I stumble across. Thanks for the help so far!

Edit: That link is crap. The PS3 power cord has a ground pin. I would need something more like this.

http://www.bokus.com/bok/9789113014555/a-history-of-sweden-from-ice-age-to-our-age/


These are books by Herman Lindquist, a journalists who has written several books about Swedish history. I actually haven't read them myself (I am a bit of a history nerd, so I am more likely to read something more "heavy") but they are supposed to be a good, general introduction. I am sure historians can point at mistakes (given that he is a journalist) but have spoken to a lot of people who have read them (feeling that they didn't know a lot of Swedish history) and they have really liked them.

Here is a book about Gustav Adolf, our king who died in 1632.



Amazon has quite a few books actually. Good luck.

Ok cool, hey by the way if she likes to read I suggest The Emigrants, it's considered a classic over here and deals with this topic:
http://www.amazon.com/Emigrants-Emigrant-Novels-Vilhelm-Moberg/dp/0873513193