Dealing with the Dutch

Jacob Vossestein

If you’Ž“re moving to the Netherlands then be warned, Lowlanders can be a bit blunt. In fact it’Ž“s fair to say that in business, as in daily life, brutal honesty and constructive criticism are dished out liberally as par for the course – which can be a bit of a shock to the system if you haven’t lived or worked alongside them before. The Dutch are a self-confident, pragmatic, and exceedingly efficient race and these qualities combined with their shrewd... More >

Ready, Steady, Go Dutch

DutchNews.nl and ACCESS

The Netherlands sells itself as a country of tulips, windmills, cheese and clogs, but that is not how international workers see it. In Ready, Steady, Go Dutch, a new book by DutchNews.nl and volunteer organisation ACCESS showed clogs don’Ž“t merit a mention. Nor do tulips and windmills. But mention bikes, doctors and the lack of sunshine and you will find international workers have plenty to say. Divided into 10 short chapters and with a list of extra information resources, Ready,... More >

Sammy’s Next Move

Helen Maffini

Sammy the snail is none too chuffed when his parents announce they are moving to Japan. He’Ž“s only just got used to living in Italy and he’Ž“s really going to miss his playmates, so the prospect of having to make new friends in yet another country is distressing and upsetting. But thankfully young Sammy iŽ“s an accomplished traveller and when his mum reminds him about their previous postings and how much he’Ž“s enjoyed living in different countries, he warms to... More >

Stuff Dutch People Like

Colleen Geske

Based on the successful blog of the same name, Stuff Dutch People Like is a very funny look at ‘all things orange’. Without the slightly sour taste of some books which poke fun at the Dutch, SDPL explores the world of white leggings, the way Dutch men (including the king) pick their noses in public and the strange world of fries and liquorice. Author Colleen Geske, a Canadian national, has lived in Europe since 2004. A communications and social media... More >

Sunshine Soup

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’Ž“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 >

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’Ž“s famous painting, Ž•The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes TulpŽ“, 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_Ž“s life,... More >

The Dutch and their Delta: Living below sea level

Jacob Vossestein

Jacob Vossestein XPat Media: €24.95 Buy this book It’Ž“s a little known fact outside of the Netherlands that one third of this tiny country – if it weren’Ž“t for a couple of great big hulking dijks -Ž would be submerged under rather a lot of water. Left to Mother Nature, Schipol Airport would in fact be a lake (it’Ž“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 >

The Art of Living in Amsterdam

Melanie van Ogtrop

Amsterdam’s historic network of concentric canals earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2010. The impressive architecture and facades of this elegant town centre are mirrored by the luxury and chic of the building’s interiors. Italian photographer Listri and author Van Ogtrop take the reader on an indulgent photographic tour of this refined environment, where the Dutch Golden Age past meets with contemporary interior design and technologies in the homes of artists, collectors and antique dealers. Buy this book   More >

Native English for Nederlanders

Ron van de Krol

Native English for Nederlanders is a collection of newspaper columns by the Financieele Dagblad’s deputy editor Ron van de Krol. The book shows international business men and women how to use the English language like a native, with a sprinkling of cultural insider information on top. website More >

New Explorers Guide to Dutch Digital Culture

The New Explorers Guide to Dutch Digital Culture is a combination phonebook and wiki for all things digital art and culture in the Netherlands. Virtueel Platform, a Dutch e-culture knowledge institute, has put together this comprehensive guide to the companies, institutes, and other organisations involved in the digital art and culture industry. Organised into three sections (Media Labs, Game Companies, and Media Festivals) the book compiles all the relevant information (contact details, dates, scope of work) into a hand guide.... 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 >

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 >

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 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 >

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 >