Compared to January and February 2026 when I could read about twenty books in a month, March was a slower reading month for me. Fortunately, it was not because I burned out from all the books I read in the previous two months. The main reason was most of my spare time was swallowed up by learning Finnish.
Learning Finnish Took Over Most of My Reading Time
Since December 2025, I had already set a certain goal for my Finnish learning journey. But this March, it escalated into a full-blown obsession. Almost every spare minute I had, including my reading time, went straight into learning Finnish: vocabulary drills, grammar rules, listening to words I couldn’t yet untangle. I was in a hype, ambitious, and consumed by it. So, my reading activity automatically took a back seat this time.
Finishing Suomen Mestari 1: My Most Unexpected Reading Win This Month
Therefore, I was not reading a lot of the regular fiction and nonfiction books that usually belong on my shelf. And as a direct consequence of my Finnish obsession, obviously I was still reading, though just a different kind of book, which is a popular Finnish learning book, Suomen Mestari 1. I finally finished it after previously working through Colloquial Finnish and From Start to Finnish (read more about my book review and recommendation for beginner Finnish learners here.). The moment I did, I went ahead and bought Suomen Mestari 2 right away and and I am currently working through it (and almost at the end of the book, too).
For someone who usually lives inside fiction and nonfiction, dedicating this much time and energy to a textbook that sat completely outside my comfort zone was like its own kind of achievement.
Why I Read Less When I Don’t Find a Great Book Early
The other reason this month felt slower was harder to pin down at first, but I think I found one of the possible root causes (besides the time I was pouring into Finnish).
In January and February, I stumbled onto great books early, right at the start of each month. That early discovery made me greedy. I knew great books were out there, I found them, I wanted more, and I just kept reading more books. This month, that discovery came really late. It wasn’t until the end of the month that I finally landed on something that tipped my interest and invested my emotions.
The Book of March 2026: Broken Country
In the last few days of March 2026, I had almost given up. I was at the point where I had already concluded there was no outstanding book that could leave me with that lingering feeling, the kind I experienced back in January and February. I thought I had simply run out of luck.
Then I found Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall.
At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary love story. Turns out, it is anything but. It is touching, full of twists, and written in a style that hooked me from the first page. I didn’t realize how much I had underestimated the book until the plot twists and drama kept me so gripped that I finished it in a single sitting. When I closed the book, I was impressed by the story. I felt whole, like every twist had finally settled into place, every loose thread tied. And above all, I felt relieved because I had finally found my book of the month.
Moving Forward: What April Might Look Like
Finnish was worth every minute I gave it, and finishing Suomen Mestari 1 was a real milestone. But I also missed that greedy, can’t-put-it-down feeling that January and February handed me so early on.
April, I’m coming in with that hunger back. The Finnish studies are not going anywhere, but I know now how to balance the obsession a little better. And somewhere in the stack of books waiting on my shelf, I’m hoping the next great one is already there I just haven’t cracked it open yet.
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