Dutched Up! Book Review: Jo Parfitt, She Say Yes!

It's always a bit nerve wracking when you ask someone you respect to review a book. It's always a bit of a gamble when you ask someone who is a bit of a celebrity in the expat writing world to take a look at an expat anthology and then give her honest opinion. But that's what happened recently when Olga of The European Mama asked Jo Parfitt to take a peek at the Dutched Up! book.

And it's a bit like waiting for the man from Del Monte......




Luckily Jo Parfitt, she say yes too!

"I loved it. I devoured every story. They were compelling, well-written and entertaining."

Jo has more than thirty books to her name and is one of the Summertime Publishing team members. She provided me with the springboard I needed to follow my passion to become a writer when I attended one of her workshops in a beautiful farmhouse in Voorschoten many years ago - the rest, as they say, is history. And as it was with Jo that my writing career started, I felt particularly honoured to also get a mention in the review.

"I'm a grumpy and cynical old goat, jaded too, from reviewing too many mediocre books, but this one, I promise you, is a goodie."

Jo Parfitt, Dutched Up! Review

So, if you have not yet got your hands on your own copy of Dutched Up! it's really time you did. Seriously. Don't take my word for it...... read what Jo has to say over on Summertime Publishing.


 

Dutched Up! is also available on Book Depository!

Dutched Up! is Now a Real Live Book

Yes, it's a little like Gepetto waving Pinnochio around but this is more about 'e-book into real live paper hold in your hand book' than it is about 'wooden puppet into a real live boy'.

I am so excited to announce that you can now get your hands on a copy of Dutched Up! as a paperback book. Of course, reading it on your Kindle was fun but in my humble opinion nothing beats holding an actual real book in your hands.

The authors of Dutched Up! have been collectively holding their breath in anticipation over the past few months as the printing process went on behind the scenes. But we are (you'll be glad to know) all breathing once more as the books rolled hot off the presses into our grubby little hands.

And of course you'll all be wondering where on earth you can get your own grubby mitts on a copy of this wonderful book, this collaboration of literary geniuses telling expat life like it is in the Netherlands, this showpiece for expat life, this collection of...... you get the picture. Read on for a list pf places you can get hold of a copy.......

But first - who needs this book? Well, it's a book you need to have on your bookshelf if:

• you are an expat in the Netherlands
• you are soon to be an expat in the Netherlands
• you could at some point in the future be an expat in the Netherlands
• you want to be an expat in the Netherlands
• you dream of becoming an expat in the Netherlands
• you know an expat in the Netherlands
• you have a friend who knows an expat in the Netherlands
• you are Dutch and wonder how female expats experience life in the Netherlands
• you have any kind of tenuous link to the Netherlands and want to read about life in the Netherlands
• you like reading about expat life
• you life reading about the Netherlands
• you love reading funny, poignant, interesting and informational stories
• you like reading
• you like filling your bookshelves with beautiful books
• you have eyes

Convinced? Ok - here's where to head for your very own copy:

• The American Book Center in The Hague or Amsterdam

• Online at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

• Or from Bol.com

• And last but not least - if you are local to Zoetermeer then get in touch as I have a few spare copies to sell! 

Time to Really Get Dutched Up!

Dutched Up! is now available in paperback. It's a real live book! And I couldn't be more chuffed!

Oh wait, I could be more chuffed - if you actually go out and buy it!

Watch this space for more information on where you can get your hands on Dutched Up! or if you can't wait (which I could understand) check out the Expat Life with a Double Buggy Facebook page for buying options.

Live Like A Dutchie - Advice from the Experts

To almost conclude the #LiveLikeaDutchie month on the blog I want to hand you over to other experts on living life in the Netherlands, namely some wonderful expat bloggers here in the land of the Dutch.

What they don't know about trying to live like a Dutchie isn't worth knowing. Here's what they do know.....

Bitterballen Bruid - What makes the Dutch Dutch? These 25 things for a start and you certainly cannot profess to be Dutchlike if the word gezellig doesn't mean anything to you. Furthermore, it's not just you that should exude Dutchness, it's your bathroom too, no matter how odd it may seem. 

Craftie Mum - Want to know why parenting in the Netherlands is so great? Then take a peek at what Tamkara has to say.

Drie Culturen: To get inside the mind of a Dutchman you need to know what they miss when they leave the homeland. Here's the top 10 things Dutch people miss when they live abroad. Here are also 10 great tips for surviving and thriving in the Netherlands.

Dutchified - Here you'll find vlogs on just about everything you could imagine about life in Amsterdam and beyond from cookies to the red light district.

Expat Since Birth - Here's the low down on what Ute likes about living in the Netherlands (pt 2 is here) and if you're planning on living like a local and have children then you'll need to know all about traditional Dutch games. You'll also need to eat whilst living in the Netherlands so knowledge about the local fayre is essential. 

Nerdy Mom is on hand to share what you need to know about ice skating in the Netherlands. To live like a local you at least need to know that Dutch people are born sitting on their bikes with ice skates on their feet.....

Poppies and Ice Cream - You'll need to learn Dutch if you want to live like a Dutchie - that's a given and lucky for you here are some tips to help you learn. King's Day is coming up in April so you have an opportunity to turn orange and become at least a little bit Dutch without even trying. And the Netherlands just wouldn't be the same without Sinterklaas.

Ute's Expat Lounge - Living in the Netherlands means developing a Dutch mentality. Here's everything you need to know, and more, about Dutch etiquette. 

Watch out for the last post of the series tomorrow! And don't forget that today is the last day to get your Stuff Dutch People Like T-shirt giveaway entry in!!

Behind the Scenes of Dutched Up!

Dutched Up!: Rocking the Clogs Expat Style is the first published book I have been a part of, but I have of course read other expat anthologies (Tales from the Expat Harem: Foreign Women in Modern Turkey (Seal Women's Travel) being one of the most memorable). What I had never thought about whilst reading these anthologies was how they came to be. Until I was involved in contributing to such a book. And then I got to thinking about what happened behind the scenes when these women came together to tell their stories. Were they written in isolation? Did they remain strangers? Or did the book create a group of women who were bound by what they had written? Did they stay in touch during the years following the book's publication?

In any case, I do know a little of what happened behind the scenes when 27 expat women bloggers in the Netherlands came together to write a book. And that's the basis of my latest article for expatsHaarlem:

"In April 2013, I received an email from a stranger. The gist of the message was whether I wanted to be part of a book about expat life in the Netherlands. I, of course, said yes.

That stranger turned out to be Olga Mecking, who you may also know as The European Mama – and she was – in all seriousness, together with Lynn Morrison (aka The Nomad Mom Diary and also the brainchild behind the project), putting an expat anthology together. 

What did I want to write about? they asked. Marriage, babies and friendship, as it turned out. And coincidentally, those three themes have run through the creation of this book over the last eighteen months."

You can read the rest over at expatsHaarlem.

Dutched Up! Rocking the Clogs Expat Style

It's here! It's available! Dutched Up! Isn't it beautiful?

What is Dutched Up!? I hear you cry. Dutched Up! is the next book you should read. It's a beautifully written, heartfelt, honest anthology written by women expat bloggers in the Netherlands who have been through the ups and the downs of expat life - and lived to tell their tales. 

I'm one of those women. And I'm so excited I could burst. But I'm trying to be very British and modest about it all. I would like to fling open a window here and scream, "I'm an author. I'm in a book." But I won't because that's really not very British at all. But believe me, I am VERY excited. 

Anyway, as I was saying. This book is about expat life in the Netherlands. From giving birth to doing the shopping, from doctors to marriage, the ins and outs of expat life in the land of the Dutch are covered by those that live here, who have married here, given birth Dutch style, grown to love their kraamzorg here, made wonderful friends here and who have come to know everything there is to know about bitterballen and paracetamol.

If you're an expat in the Netherlands, you need this book. If you are thinking about becoming an expat in the Netherlands, you need this book. If you have any vague Dutch connection at all, you need this book. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb and say, if you read books, you need this book.

At the moment it is available for Kindle on Amazon, and you can get your mitts on by clicking on the  lovely link below: 

 Amazon.co.uk

  Amazon.com

Watch this space for more ways to get your hands on this book in the near future - including a "hold in your hands real book". 

An Expat Blogger's Reality: My Untypical Expat Life

 I was struck recently how one expat blogger's sense of reality differs so starkly from another and it reinforced for myself that I cannot write posts or show you photos and pass them off as 'typical of expat life here in the Netherlands'.

Love, A Police Trailer and A Dream Career: Life as an Expat

Fancy reading an interview to learn more about expat life in the Netherlands? Well then today is your lucky day because there just happens to be an interview with me on Expats Blog.

If you want to read about borrowed police trailers, falling in love with a Dutchman, making the switch to a dream career and the difficulty of leaving family behind then head over to the interview now.

And whilst you are there please take a second or two to leave a kind word about this blog or my A Letter from the Netherlands blog to help me win an Expats Blog Netherlands blog award. It takes a minute tops and sharing the love is certainly appreciated!

ExpatsBlog.com: An Expat Blog Awards Nomination

I'm thrilled to say that hot on the heels of the Expatica blog award nomination comes another award nomination. This time it's from ExpatsBlog.com.

To help my blog earn an award you simply follow the link through to the listing of Expat Life With a Double Buggy on the ExpatsBlog.com site and leave a rating and a comment. So if you're a regular reader and like what you read head on over and comment away. And whilst you're over at ExpatsBlog.com......

ExpatsBlog.com provides a list of expat blogs by country to help expats find relevant posts to read. A great place to start if you're looking for bloggers and information in your host country.

Amsterdam Mamas Feature

Following my nomination for the Expatica Expat Blog Competition, Amsterdam Mamas ran a mini-interview with me about why I started blogging, my favourite post and what surprises me about blogging.

If you want to know the answers to those questions then head on over to Amsterdam Mamas. and whilst you are there read the interviews with the other family related competition entrants, including two of my favourite expat blogs in the Netherlands, Adventures in Integration and Invading Holland.

Expat Blog Competition Nomination!

I am delighted and flabbergasted to announce that this blog has been nominated for Expatica's "i am not a tourist" Expat Blog Competition. The fact that I am sitting in a list with the most amazing expat bloggers that the Netherlands has to offer is an honour in itself. Added to the fact that this blog is a new venture that I started at the beginning of this year, I am truly delighted that "Expat Life with a Double Buggy" is already striking a chord with other expat parents out there. This blog is still in its infancy, and I'm still finding my feet with it so I'm chuffed to bits.

Writing a blog (let alone two) whilst being a full time mum to three small children is a challenge. But this kind of recognition certainly makes it all worth while.

As part of the competition I had to nominate my favourite post, and I found it tough. I eventually chose What If My Kids Had Been Born in England? A recent holiday (spurred on by my own childhood vacations) to Cornwall got us thinking about a move there in a few years. Which in turn got me to thinking about how different life would be had I not moved to the Netherlands; if my kids had been born in England. It's fascinating how a birth country can mould the formative years of a child. So that's why I wrote the post, and why I chose it as my favourite.

Voting for the Expat Blog Competition is open until 9am on the 1st October, and the three winners will be invited to the Expat Fair on Sunday 7th October. Want to cast your vote for an expat blogger in the Netherlands? You can submit your vote by visiting http://www.expatica.com/iamnotatourist/blog_vote.php