But what should I read, you might ask, if my English isn’t fluent? There are two possibilities which work best (in my opinion):
1.) Read an English version of a book you have already read in your native language, for example “Harry Potter” “Game of Thrones” etc.
The advantage is, that you already know what will happen, which will help you to understand new vocabulary.
The disadvantage is, that you might have to stop reading every so often to look up new vocabulary.
2.) You could read ‘easy / graded readers’. These are either simplified versions of classics like for example ‘Jane Eyre’ or ‘Lord of the Flies’ or original fiction tailored to language learner’s needs.
The advantage is, that you can select a book according to your language level, as most publishers will tell you about the different language levels on the back of the graded reader.
One disadvantage is, that in order to be simplified, the stories are almost always abridged, especially if it’s a retelling of a classic!
But you could always read the easy version first, and the original afterwards. That way you can kill two birds with one stone! 😉
Which level is best for me? Language level guidance on the back of an easy reader:
If you would like to try this, have a look at the links below:
Cambridge: Cambridge English
Macmillan Readers: www.macmillanreaders.com (go to the ‘title resources’ tab and choose your level)
Oxford Bookworms: OUP Graded Readers
Penguin Readers: Penguin Graded Readers
Vocabulary (in order of appearance):
- Avid reader: a person who reads a lot
- Language skills: your ability to listen, write, speak and read in a (foreign) language
- Fluent: (here) to have really good language skills (see above)
- Native language: the language you grew up with
- Every so often: occasionally, from time to time
- Fiction: (here) a book telling a story
- Tailored to language learner’s needs: (here) specifically written for a group of language learners; beginners, intermediate etc.
- To select: to choose
- Publisher: most authors work for a publisher, a company which will sell and market their books
- Abridged: (here) made shorter by leaving out unimportant parts
- To kill two birds with one stone: (idiom) to solve two problems at once
Have you already read an English book? If so, which one? Did you find it easy? Leave me a comment below 🙂
And last but not least, I’m always happy to discuss books in lessons as well!
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