Before reviewing the best books for learning English, here are some pointers for learning any language. First and foremost, I suggest you work on learning the basics of pronunciation and oral comprehension. Developing a solid foundation before diving into reading can help you avoid forming bad speaking habits. For more details, check out our articles on learning by watching helpful TV series, listening to music and accessing online dictionaries. Once you’ve covered the basics, reading can be one of the most effective ways to continue practicing a new language. Now, let’s take a look at some of the best books to read to learn English.
The Best Books to Read to Learn English Vocabulary, Grammar and More
As we said already, working on only reading and writing can leave you with poor pronunciation that you’ll need to be understood verbally. In fact, in countries where the school system emphasizes teaching writing, students may have stronger accents. This problem was discussed in a previous post on the importance of taking risks to improve speaking abilities.
But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t read. On the contrary, it can be an effective and fun way to make great progress. Reading functions to expand your vocabulary and to passively learn proper sentence structure. Plus, it’s a great feeling to have finished your first book in English (or in any other foreign language). Those feel-good vibes can be a major motivator for you to move on to the next great book.
How Do I Know What the Best Books to Read to Learn English Are?
At MosaLingua, we’ve taken the time to create a list of books categorized by language and level.
If you’d like to branch out from this list, then one tried-and-true method is choosing a book you’ve already read in your native language. One thing to keep in mind is making sure that the book is appropriate for your level (not to hard, not too easy).
The Harry Potter series has helped millions of people around the world learn English. The advantage of Harry Potter is that the level of writing gradually becomes more difficult. The author, J.K. Rowling, clearly had practice refining her style with each additional book, so the progression is perfect. Once you start, you won’t be able to stop. You’ll find a good amount of specialized vocabulary dealing with magic and sorcery. Keep a dictionary handy in the beginning, and you’ll know the new vocabulary by heart by the end.
If you use our iPhone/Android MosaLingua app, don’t forget to take advantage of our search function and dictionary as well as creating new cards to help you learn new words in no time.
Here are some authors that I would personally recommend for learning English that both kids and adults can enjoy:
- Roald Dahl (Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, are a few of my favorites, but he also wrote short story collections that are worth checking out)
- E.B. White (Charlotte’s Web)
Novels
Reading novels are great, but let’s face it: they can be the hardest to understand and are best for advanced English learners.
There are both short stories and novels in English, where a basic level of language is used especially for beginners. Detective and true crime stories are good for maintaining your interest. The suspense and mystery tend to make you want to keep reading. Here are a few authors who write crime books specifically for beginners:
Personal Development
These are typically known as self-help books or self-development books, these books tend to use a smaller range of words than other novels. They tend to have short sentences compared to classic English literature, and give instructions that are concrete and easy to understand. You can also look for self-help books that focus on specific topics to be improved if you want to target a certain subject. And if you pick a topic that really speaks to you, you’ll naturally have an easier time understanding and be more inclined to finish the book. You’re basically killing two birds with one stone by learning English and a new subject.
Another option is to look at self-help or self-development books that focus on a specific topic. In general, these books will use a smaller range of words than a novel. The disadvantage is that if you don’t like it, you probably won’t want to finish reading it. And for some recommendations, here are 5 of our favorites from the self-help book genre that you can use to learn a language.
Other topics that could look for within personal development books include:
- Motivation
- Communication
- Meditation / Yoga
- Child Education
- Finance
- Relationships
Other Specialized Subjects
- Marketing
- Computers, Information Technology
- Business
- Science
- Economics
- Geography
What Device Should I Read On?
You can get an old fashioned paper copy of a book if you like to write in the margins. Another option is to get an electronic book that is compatible with your e-book reader, tablet, or computer. With electronic versions, you often have access to an integrated dictionary that lets you click a word to see its definition. You can typically also highlight and make virtual notes on these devices.
I personally own a Kindle tablet (worth around $100) which has been very practical for me because it has the advantages of a book with more functionalities and convenience. It’s portable and lightweight enough to be taken anywhere. With the integrated dictionary and the ability to have an entire library in one place, it’s invaluable. Your local library might even offer free electronic books that you can check out.
What Should I Do If I Have Trouble Understanding?
Not only is it totally normal to not understand every word, but it’s not even necessary. Context is everything. You don’t need to comprehend every word as long as you get the main gist from the surrounding words. If you understand everything, then the reading level of your book is probably too easy. Aim to find a book where you understand roughly 70% of the words. Of course, when you see a word 10 times in a story and don’t know the meaning, check it out on a dictionary. The important thing is to find a great book at the right level; one that challenges you without leaving you discouraged and ready to quit.
Expand Your Vocabulary
If you’re feeling like you need to review more words before reading, take a look at some of the MosaLingua courses we offer to jump-start your language learning and to learn vocabulary at lightning speed.
Pay Close Attention to Pronunciation
Reading makes us consider meaning, but we should also think about pronunciation. While it may seem strange, reading out loud has been proven to be effective in getting both your ears and your mouth used to sounds that are made in another language. You can also try saying them in your head to get used to hearing the sound of your target language. In any case, working on your pronunciation inside and outside of reading is invaluable for creating a strong based. If pronunciation isn’t a part of your focus, then bad habits may become “fossilized” in your head and will be very hard to unlearn.
Listen to an Audiobook While Reading
Reading along to an audiobook will allow you to learn the fundamentals of pronunciation while making sure that you understood what’s being read to you. It’s especially great for languages like English where there are more than 1000 ways to write the same sound! One option that might work for you is Amazon’s WhisperSync for Voice, which automatically synchronizes with a text copy from this list of books.
If that option doesn’t work, you could also use something like text-to-speech to have the words read out to you. The second option works, but doesn’t provide the same natural sound as a human voice would.
Why Should I Read in a Foreign Language?
If you’re still not convinced that you should read books to master the English language, listen to what Luca has to say about it:
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We hope that this article on the best books to read to learn English has been helpful to your learning endeavors. If you wish to become an English learner, it’s important to stay active within a learning community. What about you all, have you already read your first book in English? Let us know in the comments section below which books you’ve conquered. Or what’s holding you back from starting to read a book?
I always recommend my English students to start with short stories and build up their confidence. One of the best books to learn English is “Famous Quotes for Life and Happiness”. It’s a collection of famous phrases said by Napoleon, Einstein, Caesar, Plato, etc. It becomes easier to read little by little than to dive into huge novels.
Thanks a lot for your input!
Yes. It’s always best to start with easy things.
Likewise, we have a product called MosaSeries, which is an audio series. It starts off slowly with easy words, and becomes increasingly harder and faster.
All the best!
My english level allows me to understand the most of a book and I really want to improve so that I can feel bilingual, this blog is a good tool to help me and was interesting, the part where it says about the audiobooks was the most helpfull I apreciate your suggestions.
By the way, I already red my first complete book in english and it was a novel by Carly Phillips “Cross my heart”
Well done for reading your first book in English!
I remember reading many newspapers in Spanish when I first arrived in Spain, or my first book in Romanian… Reading is great for vocabulary and helping you build sentences when you talk/write.
Happy learning 🙂
I want more suitable novel books and speaking fluency English.
Please named of good book for me.
I am in Myanmar and graduated.
Thanks,
The blog is helpful for all those who want to improve their English language as it tells about the various ways you can choose the best books for yourself. Recently, I have come across the English books provided by Cambridge University Press India. Apart from books, they also provide advanced learning tools to study the English language. The language used in the books is easy to understand which helps you to get all your doubts cleared.