Thursday, November 7, 2013

What to read in Finnish?

If you want to know what the Finns are reading right now, here's a list of the most popular books, at least according to the biggest bookstores and supermarkets. Some libraries also publish lists of books that have the most reservations at the moment.

When my students ask me what to read in Finnish, I always recommend  a detective novel, because the plot is usually quite catchy, or an autobiography, because the true story should be easy to follow. It might also be fun to read a non-Finnish novel that has been translated into Finnish, and then compare it to the original version. I'm not too picky about books. Whichever book I want to finish is good for its purpose.

Here are some Finnish books that you might find interesting to read.

Books by immigrants:


Finnish authors writing about immigrants in Finland:

Which books have you read in Finnish? Please help me to complete this post by leaving a message in the comment box. Kiitos!

10 comments:

omid said...

I've read ensimmainen murhani in simple finnish and it was very helpful finnish learning wise.
A trip to the simple finnish (selkokieli osa) section of local library is very useful.

Cíes said...

I also read detective novels in easy Finnish, I think is a great way of learning new vocabulary! The books by Leena Lehtolainen are very good, and I'm now reading "Kirjailijan murha", by Saraleena Aarnitaival. (https://www.booky.fi/tuote/saraleena_aarnitaival/kirjailijan_murha_selkokielinen_/9789515804815). There are some other dekkarit by Henning Mankell in easy Finnish, but he is Swedish. I enjoyed "Mies rannalla" and "Valokuvaajan kuolema" :)

Random Finnish Lesson / Hanna Männikkölahti said...

Kiitos lukuvinkeistä! Lisäsin ne tuohon ylös.

Janna said...

I read Harry Potter novels in Finnish. They are great for several reasons. The language is just the right level. It is easy to keep up with the plot because I already know it; but at the same time it captivates me time and time again. :) And lastly, it's easy to find the matching audiobooks to read while cooking or painting.

Nick O. said...

can you also make a post on what to see in Finnish?

Anonymous said...

Can these be ordered abroad?

Hanna said...

http://randomfinnishlesson.blogspot.fi/2014/03/what-to-watch-right-now.html

http://randomfinnishlesson.blogspot.fi/2014/01/whats-funny-in-finland.html

http://randomfinnishlesson.blogspot.fi/2012/08/finnish-subtitles.html

Nick O. said...

Kiitos :)

Mohammed, Suomalainen on hyvä lukemaan mielestäni.

Hanna said...

Kiitti, Omid, :)
Mä lisäsin tuon Mohammed, suomalaisen tuohon listaan.

MBLAH_op said...

I also recommend some Tove Jansson books. Yes, it's translated from swedish. She wrote some short stories that have been gathered and edited on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of her birth. I recommend the Viesti volume : a collection of letters and short stories, some of them based on her life. See : http://www.adlibris.com/fi/product.aspx?isbn=9510404322