The whole world is full of readers who listen

Every now and then there are handful of ads which resonates with me, by delighting or surprising, but mostly it’s more of “not tickling my fancy” -section, must say. I absolutely hate to see terrible ads, the ones that are “almost there” but not quite. Rather I want to see ads that are either purposefully bad or then top-notch.

“Reading is just a short breath in human history. A breath that we only took a moment ago. But listening, and telling stories, that’s something what we’ve always done. Our entire first year of life is listening, because we don’t know anything else yet. The whole world is full of listeners who read, be one of them.”
-Freely translated Finnish advertisement by BookBeat

Came across this ad which I’d definitely categorize top-notch. Such a resonating message. It’s magical how BookBeat’s marketing team drew the story out there by bringing human history in center of everything. And that’s the core; Today all of us are readers who listen and listeners who reads.

This is why I wanted to make this article in order to embrace the importance of listening stories with aiming to shortlist magnificent pieces of literature, my top 10, which has broaden my perspective for various aspects of life. Purposefully left giving reviews to the actual readers (although it does make a difference regarding the atmosphere of the content) as I wanted to focus on the content itself. You don’t judge (or review) book by its cover, nor should you do for audiobooks either.

A mini review

From 2018 I have listened 58 books from which the majority are biographies and memoirs of musicians, actors and other culture influencers – for some reason I prefer facts over fiction.

Here is a list of my all-time favourite audiobooks, from which 4 out of 10 are only available in Finnish. List isn’t on any kind of order, purposefully. Although there is major variety between the books, must say that there is something in common and that’s engagement.

The book I loved to listen and didn’t want it to end

Mato Valtonen: Hullunrohkea monitoimielämä (2021)

Those were the days my friend
We thought they’d never end
We’d sing and dance forever and a day
We’d live the life we chose
We’d fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way
– Those Were the Days, Leningrad Cowboys

A Finnish actor, musician and entrepreneur Markku Juhani ”Mato – meaning a worm in Finnish” Valtonen is mostly known of the Finnish bands Sleepy Sleepers and the Leningrad Cowboys, but he has also been founder / singer in the following bands: Åttopojat, Mulkvist, Four Amigos, Bad Boys Club, Pietarinkadun Oilers Band and Mato Valtonen & Jore Marjaranta Band. Some people seems to have 25 hours in a day and Mato is definitely one of them. The Sleepy Sleepers / Leningrad Cowboys, the most popular humor band in Finland for about twenty years, both in terms of gig popularity and album sales, was founded in 1974, so 50 year anniversary coming up within few years.

In addition he has

crossed the Atlantic ocean a couple of times with Finnish business man and a member of the Finnish Parliament, Hjallis Harkimo and his crew,
imported American cars to Finland
founded number of charity events
been involved in the politics and in restaurant business, and yeah, founded Wapit Oy, the world’s first company offering commercial mobile phone services.
been chosen In 2000, by the Finnish Markku Association as Markku of the Year (the prestigious award no one really needed to know – but now you know)

I have never, ever laughed that much on listening any audiobook in my life than this one. And must say I have laughed a lot while listening. But the book is simply epic and so out of the galaxy. It worked as magic such away that I had to check every now and then how much the book still lasts as I was worried I’ll listen it in during one week (duration is 24h 28min), so needed to minimize the listening in a day so the book will last longer.. I walked tens of kilometers of listening this one. Loved every minutes of him – Mato naturally was the reader of the book.

Hullunrohkea monitoimielämä is an excellent portray of Finnish sisu (persistence), serving at the same a canvas of success story of Mato himself and a story behind the scenes of the epic Leningrad Cowboys band. And all the thinkable and unthinkable rendezvouses, whirlwind storms, general boisterousness the band has digested in with their pompadour hairstyles and pointy shoes.

This is a story about daring, having crazy courage, sisu and being innovative. No spoiling, have a lovely time with his stories.

A book that made me think my relationship of business and Finnish way of working

Risto Siilasmaa: Transforming Nokia (2018)

“Nokia was heading toward disaster; we know that now. However, it is often very difficult to see that in the boardroom. The higher you ascend in the hierarchy, the more removed you are from the action. The farther you are from the front lines, the more filters the information will go through before it reaches you, and the more likely it is that you will be the last to know what’s really happening.”
– Risto Siilasmaa, Transforming Nokia

Risto Siilasmaa, chairman of Nokia (between 2012 to 2020), and a founder of F-Secure ( an anti-virus software company), was facing mission impossible; to be elected as chairman of Nokia’s board during the era the company was generally considered to be at risk of bankruptcy due to the constantly declining mobile phone business. During the years the company negotiated four major acquisitions with Microsoft, Siemens, Alcatel-Lucent and German car manufacturers, ultimately transforming the business profile for good.

His book about Nokia is controversial to say at least; it’s a masterpiece of portraying the success and failure of Nokia as much as it’s about growing pains, the culture of silence, bureaucracy, egos and sisu.

As I wrote Finland’s sort of isolation and entering the “big world” in my first article, Nokia played a significant role in the 1980s of placing “the country to the map” and due the era majority of Finns (I think) have had a strong emotional connection to the company, It’s been our ticket to world fame.

For really long time I was struggling for keeping the using of my Nokia and not to move to iPhone (or any equivalent) and it had absolutely nothing to do with user experience or technological development, more over of a feeling that I’m supporting something as “our own”. Waited some time if Jolla, whether will break it big and go to mainstream, maybe convincing myself that there will be a new “Nokia”. Later I became more or less of an Apple person, but my roots are in Nokia.

This is a personal book for me. Siilasmaa is excellent of giving concrete examples of the struggles the company had including the resistance of smartphone development, lack of innovation, the Microsoft deal, just to name few.

A story of an young musician who mainstreamed EDM

Måns Mosesson: Tim – The Official Biography of Avicii (2021)

So wake me up when it’s all over
When I’m wiser and I’m older
All this time I was finding myself, and I
Didn’t know I was lost

Avicii, born as Tim Bergling (1989-2018), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. He had a troubled life with the battle of mental health issues, rehabs and addiction of prescription painkillers, and being in a crossroad of the public and private persona. He achieved so much and at such a young age but at what cost.

The book explains of how much he did suffer with the battles and also lifts up the importance of mental health. Swedish investigative journalist Måns Mosesson started to combine extensive material of one decade to draw down the private life of the talented music person; from voice memos, emails to text messages and beyond – showing the raw side of growing up from a shy teenager to stardom, eventually revolutionizing music genre. This was a tough book to listen, must say.

Avicii means the lowest level of Buddhist hell where dead who have sinned will, after enduring punishment, be reborn. Believing or not in rebirth, it’s just an intresting name to choose for someone who was able to reach for the stars but flew too close to the sun.

The Air Raid Siren

Bruce Dickinson: What Does This Button Do? (2018)

“If you dream something, it might happen. If you never dream it, it will never happen.”
– Bruce Dickinson

Bruce Dickinson, born in 1958, is the front-man and lead singer of Iron Maiden and- no doubt – one of the most iconic figure of the world of rock music.

Iron Maiden, as in historical contexts, refers to an medieval-era instrument of torture consisting of a coffin-shaped box lined with iron spikes. Name of the band was given by bassist Steve Harris in 1975, idea originated from a film adaptation of The Man in the Iron Mask from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, the title of which reminded him of the iron maiden torture device.

Dickinson shares the highs and lows of life; starting from childhood to breakthrough of Iron Maiden, of becoming a a Boeing 757s pilot, an award-winning beer brewer and a fencer, to battle with cancer – rollercoaster life in a nutshell. Surprisingly Iron Maiden is left bit behind. This is not a book of Iron Maiden, it’s a story of Bruce Dickinson. This is personal, deep and dark – and from a person who has realized its own mortality still keeping the content vivid without any shades of melancholy.

A book by a comedian who found his own voice of hilarity

Seth Rogen: Yearbook (2021)

“Nudists are weird. My friend went to a nudist colony and came back with a newfound appreciation for clothes.” – Seth Rogen

Comedy is usually considered to be a “light” form of art compared to other genres, drama, for instance, but should it be taken seriously? Is comedy serious?

I personally feel that comedy is definitely the hardest genre as it’s easier to burst a person into tears than make them laugh. At the same time I think people who are having a great sense of humor – people generally, not strictly related to accomplished in the field – are smart. A research secures this as well, stating “Researchers in Austria recently discovered that funny people, particularly those who enjoy dark humor, have higher IQs than their less funny peers”.

I consider Seth Rogen as one of the most hilarious personas of comedy alongside with Sacha Baron Cohen, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell and Ricky Gervais. That’s pretty much my top 5.

Rogen, a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker born in 1982, got into my radar with movie Superbad (2007) 15 years back and starting then I’ve quite much consumed his movies.

Yearbook is a collection of stories Rogen experienced and growth up with. From family life to adventures in Los Angeles, of meeting with his wife Lauren and sharing few crazy stories every now and then. It’s light, fun and remarkable book I enjoyed a lot while listening.

Well look at me, I’m a-comin’ back again

Elton John: Me (2019)

“That was just the mindset of the times: that happiness was somehow less important than keeping up appearances.”
– Sir Elton John, Me

Sir Elton John, Born as Reginald Kenneth Dwight in 1947 to a London suburb had a humble background with a strict mother (who he was scared of) and strained, violent father (again, who he was scared of). Living a rollercoaster life with drug, alcohol and food addictions, depression, suicide attempt, tabloids and stardom issues. There has been much of demons he had battled with.

I have never been a fan of him, but I have always respected him of having own style and “balls” to do what ever wants. Let’s say the artist wasn’t the stranger to me as a good friend of mine has been decades of decades a fan of him and my living room has witnessed many great discussions of the artist. Knowers knows.

The autobiography opens up the curtains of the private life of a music legend and all the thinkable and unthinkable tragedies he has faced but also the fairy-tale success, stardom and an extraordinary life shaped him to bring joy and hope to millions of people.

But here is a silver lining too; beating cancer, being an active AIDS advocate – and a founder of Elton John AIDS foundation and according to their website, the foundation have contributed of saving 5M lives and raising 525M dollars worldwide in their 3000 projects. His book reveals some of the heart-breaking stories of individuals who were stigmatized due the disease to losing his love ones eventually contributing of saving lives of millions.

During the 1970s and 1980s he established a love-hate friendship with Rod Steward, another acclaimed artist – and a music rival. The book include several allusions to up’s and down’s they have had during the somewhat 50 years’ of friendship. Lots of bantering has been there – for instance Elton did hire a person to shoot down Steward’s ad promoting of upcoming tour – this article explains bit further (with quotes).

“So I called my management and they hired someone to shoot it down: apparently it landed on top of a double-decker bus and was last seen heading toward Putney. About an hour later, the phone went. It was Rod, spluttering about the disappearance.”

A year later, Stewart got his own back when a banner advertising John’s Olympia concert was mysteriously cut down.
– Elton John

Being among the all-time best selling artists of all time and selling hundreds of millions of records, Elton is a super star. Finding an everlasting love with his spouse David Furnish and becoming a father has definitely balanced him. Owning his football club, Watford FC, playing in EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, he has contributed to football his another passion besides music.

This book is touching all the possible emotions of a human. If cats have nine life, Elton must have had hundreds.

Book by the “no niin” man to become the funniest comedian in the world in 2014

Ismo Leikola: Suo, Kuokka ja Hollywood (2021)

A Finnish stand-up comedian, Ismo Leikola, was selected in 2014 as funniest person competition, finds humor from the most ordinary things in everyday life. He inhales and exhales Finnishness, and is, at least I think so, among a handful of people being epitome of Finnishness (together with Vesa-Matti Loiri, Matti Nykänen and few others). When you see him from a 100m distant, you just know where he comes from.

It’s a story of family of three, Leikola, then-wife Angelika and their dog, of emerging into LA culture. The book depicts the culture shocks and surprising events of living there between 2015-2020 – in the dream city where doctors drive Lambourginis, competition is fierce, nothing seems to be working and days are filled of just surviving. Organizing basic things of life takes forever; VISA policies and working rights, bureaucracy of renting a house (and paying a separate rental guarantee of the dog), voting practices, and beyond. He also shares a story of the pressures of how is it feel to work within the hardest core of entertainment and how was it when COVID hit to the entertainment industry.

No one can tell the story of Ismo if not him. He is just one of “them” whose personality doesn’t really fit for the voice of everyone else – as author and reader – his voice as a cherry top of the cake was naturally delightful to the book experience.

Powercouple

Michelle Obama: Becoming (2018)

“If you don’t get out there and define yourself, you’ll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.”
– Michelle Obama, Becoming

Becoming Michelle Robinson or Michelle Obama? The journey of becoming her is miraculous. The book is divided into thee sections; Becoming Me, Becoming Us, and Becoming More, which guides through from growing up in the South Side of Chicago of getting into Princeton University, meeting a summer associate, Barack Obama at a high-end law firm in Chicago and ultimately becoming a wife, mother and first-ever African-American to serve the role as First Lady of the United States of the America.

Becoming is well-organized, logical and chronologic. A book written by her can’t be anything else. It’s a personal story and relatable story of balancing motherhood and work, falling in love, losing a friend over cancer and struggling in a marriage. It’s as much as a story of Michelle Robinson as for Michelle Obama. Her grit and power to pursuit towards something one could say impossible, is exceptional. When someone said she can’t go get into Princeton, she showed the world of what she is made of.

I find memoirs of First Ladies fascinating, looking forward of hearing stories in next decades of women Michelle Obama has inspired to pursuit towards their dreams.

The modern explorer

Ville Haapasalo: Et kuitenkaan usko (2017)

Ville Haapasalo (1972) is a stage and film actor, who has made massive career in our eastern neighbor, basically

I’ve listened the whole series of Haapasalo books (Et kuitenkaan usko 2017, Et muuten tätäkään usko 2019, Ville maailman markkinoilla 2021) and watched majority of the episodes from his travel series:

I’m definitely a Ville Haapasalo fan. Always have had appreciation towards his curious explorer mindset and passion towards continues learning – water glass is half-full. In addition I’ve been influenced by his contributions of mainstreaming Georgian cuisine to Finland (founded i.e. Purpur Georgian restaurant and Haapasalon Hatsapuri) – by starting to cook dishes i.e. Khachapuri and Ajika, which I didn’t even know before existed.

First book of the series, Et kuitenkaan usko (“You don’t believe it though”) is interesting portray of his experiences from the 1990s and 2000s from finishing high school getting admission to the Moscow Theater Academy (in the former Soviet Union) becoming the first foreigner to start the studies there. Not knowing anyone there nor speaking the language he started to climb the ladder to fame.

The book explains all the possible ways he was robbed and beaten, of living in shady apartments and of how much he got acquainted with the country and people while navigating to the society without a map. It’s a story of an extroverted Ville who found ways to co-op when life gave him lemons and invent himself again.

One of the most iconic Finns of all time

Jari Tervo: LOIRI. (2019)

Vesa-Matti “Vesku” Loiri (1945-2022) was besides an actor, comedian and musician, also a beloved and well-respected person. As an interpreter of emotions Loiri was a significant contributor to the Finnish society in many ways in his career extensive career of 60 years, of being strongly divided into two dimensions; the comedian and the serious artist.

For many he is mostly known for Uuno Turhapuro -character, which is definitely part of some kind of cultural untranslatability which has no equivalent outside of Finland nor be found if translated into another language.

Raise your hand if you were born in Finland somewhere in the 1980s and were a bit scared of a caricature of a bad TV children’s show host, Nasse-Setä (“Uncle Nasse”). I was. From his work Uuno Turhapuro and Nasse-Setä are the closest to me. Lots of childhood-related memories.

Wikipedia explains the caricature so well, I couldn’t explain this better:

When hosting his children’s hour, Nasse-setä tried to, often through gritted teeth, present an image of a child-loving jovial uncle, but often failed to conceal the disgust he felt towards children and sometimes even flat-out verbally insulted his young audience.

LOIRI. is extensive book. It’s a portray of the public and private life he lived – and is a dedication his passion towards art and life. It’s also a survival story of losing his wife Mona (1977) and two of his sons of Jan (1974-1994) and Joonas (1982-2019), but praise towards Lapland, great relationships, mystiques, art circles and bohemian lifestyle.

Very ambition book of someone who had such a lively but exhausting life as an artist. At the same time he was entertaining Finns but always had certain melancholy, especially in his music work.

Lapin kesä (Summer in Lapland) is among one of the most recognized song from his extensive career, and good way end the mini review.

Closing remarks

If I could have read these books, would it have made me great impact? Difficult to say, as the stories of these influencers came to life when listened. Maybe that’s the power of listening, instead of reading.

Jackinna of all Trades

The whole world is full of readers who listen