Would you like to improve your level through reading? These English books deserve a spot on your shelf.
On numerous occasions we have heard that reading helps us improve our skills in our own language: we expand our knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and spelling, we develop a great ability to deduce meanings from context and it helps us to understand the world in a better way as We see it and how other people perceive it.
But how do we read in a foreign language?
David Marín, a language expert at Babbel, tells us that “all the benefits mentioned are also part of the reading processes in the language we learn. As a skill, reading is the first component that we can master For two reasons: the only requirement to read is information processing and, secondly, you do not need to strain to create a speech, or form complex structures with correct grammar or adequate vocabulary. It is about consuming information ”.
Despite being one of the easiest activities, it is worth mentioning that it is not without its setbacks. “The biggest is, without a doubt, the lack of vocabulary. Especially at beginning levels it is well known that reading is slow and full of frustrations ”, explains David. “To EVITED these problems, We recommend you orient yourself in appropriate literature for the level at which you are: reading children’s books at low levels is a good strategy that will surely remind you of your childhood when you started learning Spanish. Not for nothing is it the most affordable type of literature in the world, since it is the most widely translated. As you continue to learn the language and make reading a good habit, you will be able to increase your vocabulary, understand more complex grammatical structures, process longer and more difficult texts, and all this without noticing it. “
Another great strategy is to reread books that you already know, but in the original version. For this reason, we bring you a compilation of 5 books (which you surely read at some point in Spanish) so that you can rediscover them in English.
5 books in English:
Published in 1985 and adapted to the screen in 2017 with the homonymous series, The maid’s tale is one of the most famous novels of the Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The novel presents a dystopian future in which a democracy becomes a dictatorship. In Gilead there are no newspapers, universities have been closed and women have lost all their rights. As the property of men, women are obligated to bring offspring to powerful marriages that cannot bear children. The most disturbing thing about this story is that it is inspired by some real events and that, despite having been written more than 30 years ago, it is still a current story. If you’ve already read the book or seen the series, it’s time to repeat in English!
1984 George Orwell’s was first published in 1949 and it must be admitted that this book continues to surprise by the validity of its political prophecies. In fact, it could be treated as a newly published work that shows a vision of the world yet to be discovered. This dystopian novel introduces us to the life of Winston Smith, who works for the Ministry of Truth. The constant vigilance and attempts to manipulate society by the One Party tire Smith so much that he decides to rebel against the system he was once a part of. The political and social history leaves no room for doubt, 1984 is a warning to humanity.
The catcher in the rye It is a novel that generated much controversy when it was published in 1951. Its author, JD Salinger, did not refrain from using vulgar language, sexual scenes or violent descriptions. Holden Caulfield, the protagonist, is a rebellious and sarcastic young man who struggles to find his place in the world, so it is not surprising that he became the icon of teenagers of that time. Holden moves between two worlds: the one that adults occupy and the one that belongs to him and his peers. Salinger’s book is a fascinating, clever and humorous story.
The bell jar is the semi-autobiographical novel by the American Sylvia Plath published in 1963. This book tells the story of Esther Greenwood, a young woman who received a scholarship to work as an editor in a New York fashion magazine in the 1950s. Between cocktails, parties and people she hates, Esther’s life begins to unravel. Despite the fact that Plath did not live to enjoy the success of her work, this iconic book became a classic of feminism for fighting against the roles imposed on women.
Like Sylvia Plath, the story of John Kennedy Toole is tragic to say the least, as he died in 1969 at the age of 31 and was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The conjuing of the ceciuos it has not ceased to fascinate its readers since its publication in 1980. The protagonist of this novel, Ignatius J. Reilly, is a lazy and obnoxious thirty-something. His mother, with whom he lives in New Orleans, causes a traffic accident when she is driving drunk, causing Ignatius to be forced to work to pay for the damages. The succession of jobs pushes him to relate to the society that provokes so much repulsion. This story is clever and extremely funny.
–
