Happy Iceland

How Icelandic Strangers Taught a Miserable American the Secret to Lifelong Happiness

Advance Reader Copy

Genres

Multicultural Nonfiction, Happiness, LGBT Nonfiction, Women's Nonfiction, and Travel Memoir

Type of Ending

Series

Not part of a series

Author Prefers A Review On

Goodreads

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Number of days to read

Publication Date

Jun 27, 2026

Page Length

284 pages

Available Formats

PDF

Happy Iceland

How Icelandic Strangers Taught a Miserable American the Secret to Lifelong Happiness

Advance Reader Copy

Blurb

A great read for anyone interested in happiness, Icelandic culture, and / or LGBTQ protagonists.

A simple question at Iceland's international airport—What are your happiest memories of Iceland?—sets off an unforgettable journey across the Land of Fire and Ice. Abandoning guidebooks and itineraries, a young woman on the precipice of turning thirty spends five weeks backpacking and hitchhiking to find the locations where Icelandic strangers' happiest memories took place. From childhood sports fields and family farms to hidden waterfalls and the remote Highlands, this intimate travel memoir explores Iceland far beyond what can be seen from a sightseeing bus tour. Part adventure, part meditation on connection and joy, Happy Iceland is a reminder that some of the best journeys begin when we shut up and listen.

Details

Genres

Multicultural Nonfiction, Happiness, LGBT Nonfiction, Women's Nonfiction, and Travel Memoir

Type of Ending

Series

Not part of a series

Author Prefers A Review On

Goodreads

Reader Spots Remaining

Number of days to read

Publication Date

Jun 27, 2026

Page Length

284 pages

Available Formats

PDF

Author

Anne Marie Wells is an award-winning poet, playwright, memoirist, and oral storyteller. She is the founder and host of The Joy of Poeting, a weekly Zoom show and emerging brand. Her debut poetry collection, Survived By: A Memoir in Verse + Other Poems, was published by Curious Corvid Publishing in April 2023. Her chapbook Mother, (v) won the 2023 Cinnamon Press Pamphlet Contest and was released in 2024.

Her travel memoir, Happy Iceland: How Icelandic Strangers Taught a Miserable American the Secret to Lifelong Happiness, will be released by Star Belt Press in June 2026. She is a freelance copy editor, proofreader, and writing coach.

Publisher

Star Belt Press