DutchNews.nl - Books Archive

Jo Parfitt

The life of an expat wife in a far-flung destination has all the classic ingredients for a jolly good chick-lit novel and who better to pen the story than someone who’s lived the life and turned it into an art form? Sunshine Soup: Nourishing the Global Soul, is the first foray into fiction for renowned author, publisher and Expat Entrepreneur Jo Parfitt, and tells the story of a group of friends (and trailing spouses) living in Dubai in 2008. Maya... More >

Complete Dutch

Gerdi Quist and Dennis Strik

If you can master a combination of some basic English, German and a guttural noise akin to clearing your throat, then you’ve taken your first steps to learning Dutch. With this in mind, you will also need some patient tuition, but in the absence of that, you could do a lot worse than Complete Dutch and the two accompanying CDs. It covers a range of topics that most people new to these shores will find useful and chapters are set... More >

The Anatomy Lesson

Nina Siegal

In 1632 serial thief, Adriaen Adriaenszoon (known as Aris Kindt), was sentenced to death by hanging in Amsterdam. The Anatomy Lesson is based on the events that take place on the day of his death and dissection as depicted in Rembrandt’s famous painting, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp, an artwork commissioned by the Amsterdam Surgeons’ Guild. This second novel from American writer, Nina Siegal, is contrived from historical records and coloured by prose. The narrative chronicles Kindt_s life,... More >

The Dutch and their Delta: Living below sea level

Jacob Vossestein

Jacob Vossestein XPat Media: €24.95 Buy this book It’s a little known fact outside of the Netherlands that one third of this tiny country – if it weren’t for a couple of great big hulking dijks - would be submerged under rather a lot of water. Left to Mother Nature, Schipol Airport would in fact be a lake (it’s 3 meters below sea level), and rural North Holland – where I used to live – should actually be reclaimed by... More >

The Dutch and their Bikes

Shirley Agudo

Books about Dutch biking culture continue to grow in popularity, with more titles appearing on the bookshelves each year. Four years ago, American photojournalist and long-term resident in the Netherlands, Shirley Agudo, published Bicycle Mania, receiving rave reviews from international readers. Continuing on this same theme, Agudo has recently released a new extended version of her first book, titled The Dutch and Their Bikes: Scenes from a Nation of Cyclists. This new coffee table book exhibits about 700 photographs of Dutch... More >

Dutch for Dummies

Margreet Kwakernaak

Joining the growing number of Dutch language books is the 2nd Edition of Dutch for Dummies by Margreet Kwakernaak. Adhering to the Dummies format, this four-part book with supplementary cd is both a Dutch language and culture guide. Part One covers the basics including ‘de’ or ‘het’, spelling rules, numbers, adjectives, propositions, past/present/perfect tense, and basic sentence construction. Language skill training is enhanced by snippets of cultural wisdom like – knowing what time you should visit your neighbors for coffee, and... More >

Dutch Delight

Sylvia Pessireron

Learn what they eat and drink, graze through their eating habits and recipes, and when you’re done, try them. Enjoy Dutch delights like haring (herring), snert (pea soup), stamppot (mashed potatoes and kale) and pannenkoeken (pancakes). Sample a typical Dutch breakfast or dessert. Taste famous Dutch sweets like drop (liquorice) or biscuits such as stroopwafels (thin treacle waffles). And finish up with a golden beer or a shot of jenever (Dutch gin). Easy to digest and with more than 25... More >

Expat Women: Confessions

Andrea Martins & Victoria Hepworth

Expatriating to a new country is exciting, but it can also be daunting. If you are about to embark on your first trip as a ‘trailing spouse’, then you could probably do with some reassurance from someone who knows the ropes. In case you don’t meet that ‘someone’ immediately, a copy of Expat Women: Confessions, will make an excellent first companion. Expat Women: Confessions, 50 Answers to your Real-Life Questions about Living Abroad, is the brainchild of Andrea Martins &... More >

Quiet Amsterdam

Siobhan Wall and Frances Lincoln

Now here’s an idea. Why not write a book about quiet, reflective little nooks in one of Europe’s most vibrant and bustling little cities? What might sound like a dull excuse for a tourist guide, is actually an understated stroke of genius from an expat resident just looking for a spot of tranquility, in a tiny city with a reported four million visitors a year. Siobhan Wall, author of Quiet Amsterdam, has penned an elegant little Baedeker inviting readers to... More >

Emotional Resilience and the Expat Child

Julia Simens

Guilt inevitably afflicts all expat parents when they relocate their families around the world. Despite the enormous advantages and privileges growing up as a global nomad, it’s sometimes hard to reconcile this with an unhappy child, distraught at the prospect of leaving friends behind and moving country yet again. Emotional Resilience and the Expat Child seeks to help parents prepare children for their adventures abroad and ensure they can express and articulate the complex emotions at work when relocating. Julia... More >

Dutch Ditz – Manners in the Netherlands

Reinildis van Ditzhuyzen

If you’re planning a move to the Netherlands or you’ve recently arrived then this compact little Dutch Ditz is just for you. A swift and entertaining read, it cuts straight to the chase with everything you need to know about the Dutch family living next door and their weird and wonderful language, habits and customs. If you think they can’t be that different to your old neighbours at home, then think again. Who is Sinterklaas? What is a frikandel (just... More >

Here’s Holland

Sheila Gazaleh-Weevers

Here’s Holland provides visitors of all ages and interests with a unique insight into Holland’s treasures and pleasures, it’s culture and customs. Families and international business people transferring to, or already living in Holland, will also find invaluable tips and advice regarding life in this tiny but fascinating country. website More >

Hidden like Anne Frank

Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis

The story of Anne Frank and her diary is one of he most enduring of World War II. There can be few people who do not know about the Jewish girl who hid with her family in an Amsterdam building, before being betrayed and captured by German soldiers and transported to a concentration camp. Yet Anne is not the only child who was forced to go into hiding. Recently released by Arthur A. Levine Books, Hidden like Anne Frank is... More >

I am Amsterdam

Thomas Schlijper

The ones who would like to have a daily confirmation that Amsterdam is beautiful should loyally follow the weblog of the photographer Thomas Schlijper. He posts a new photo of the every-day Amsterdam: of a window washer on an insanely high ladder, of a homeless person with a flower pot on his head, of the canals in the evening light, of a comical traffic situation or simply of nice people. The light is especially extraordinary in his photos. He manages... More >

In My Father’s Garden (novel)

Jan Siebelink

This successful novel from Dutch author Jan Siebelink, In My Father’s Garden, is now available in English. The book, which won the 2005 Literatuurprijs, follows Hans, a father and gardener who becomes more and more obsessed with Calvinism as the story progresses. The book starts with Hans Sievez as a child and follows him to adulthood, where he marries his childhood sweetheart and they develop a flower nursery together. However, a man from Hans past brings him into devout Calvinism which... More >

Living With the Dutch: An American Family in the Hague

Norean Sharpe

Before going to The Hague, Sharpe and her American family actually planned to move to Paris, but her husband Peter was offered a position in the Netherlands. They find typical expatriate problems on their path, learn a lot about how to tackle them and in the mean time discover a completely new country. Buy this book Review this book. Contact books@dutchnews.nl More >

Logbook of the Low Countries

Wout van der Toorn

You could be forgiven for thinking this is probably not something you’d buy on impulse. After all, it sounds like the sort of dusty old title you might stumble across in a secondhand bookshop. But for any history buffs out there, don’t stop reading just yet! Because Dutch economist and history connoisseur Wout van der Toorn, has poured his heart and soul into Logbook of the Low Countries, and appears to have compiled almost every single historical episode afflicting the Lowlands,... More >

Holland Handbook

Stephanie Dijkstra

Now in its 19th year, this richly illustrated handbook offers 256 full-color pages of essential information for the expatriate on all aspects of living and working in the Netherlands such as: career, fiscal issues, health care, housing, insurance, international education, registration and telecommunications. Buy this book More >

How to Survive Holland

Martijn de Rooi

Published in 2007, Martijn de Rooi’s How to Survive Holland aims to explain Dutch culture to readers unfamiliar with the Netherlands , including the history and population. The book is written from the perspective of a highly educated man who clearly loves his homeland, and hopes to educate the reader – identified as working on such misconceptions as the need to request a life buoy on arrival in the Netherlands as a safety measure against the rising waters. How to... More >

How to be Orange

Greg Shapiro

How to be Orange, offers an insightful look at Dutch culture by social commentator and comedian, Greg Shapiro. Shapiro’s extensive knowledge of Dutch culture and politics has been accrued over twenty years of living and working in the Netherlands. His cultural immersion has involved marriage to a Dutch woman and parenting first generation Dutch children, while living in Amsterdam and forging a durable career within the local art scene. In the Netherlands, Shapiro is the immigrant people laugh at. He... More >

Sunshine Soup