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Advice on what to read for a beginner!


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Hi everyone, I'm really a beginner when it comes to reading books. I'm from Morocco and only recently picked up reading. English is of course not my mother tongue but I'm majoring in English Studies and thought it would greatly help to read books other than those assigned to us in class. So please, what kind of books do you think I should read first? And any advice on HOW to read would also be of great help if any of you has any working methods to improve their reading. I have just finished reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky and am currently reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and War and Peace by Leo Toltsoy.
Thank you :)

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What kind of stories do you like to read? Or, what kind of TV shows or movies do you like to watch? Then we know which genre to look into.

 

To me, those heavy classics don't sound very suitable for a beginner (but maybe that's me, I find it hard to read them and they're not my favourite genre). It's hard to know where to start without knowing a specific genre. For me, I started reading English when my English classes started. It was difficult at first, but as I read more and had more classes it got easier and easier. And now it's become quite easy for me to read English (I'm from the Netherlands). I would say as a beginner, to start with an easier-to-red book, maybe a short children's book. What kind of things do you like to read about?

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Thank you Athena. Well I like thriller and action movies (The Jasoun Bourne series-Saving Private Ryan-Gladiator...) something with twisted plots or just action packed. I also like to watch some mystery and detective movies (Love the Lord of the Rings-Sherlock Holmes...). Something with a GOOD story that would keep me hooked will basically do it. Concerning TV shows I love Game of Thrones, so any books of the same type I would really like to read.

I also enjoyed Dubai by Robin Moore so anything similar would be great. I hope this helps.

What I actually meant by beginner is that I haven't been reading books for years, although I have been speaking the language for a long while now and am quite fluent in it. So when I'm reading those classics now I'm not struggling much with them, and if I am, then it is also beneficial for me as it allows me to learn new vocabulary.

Thank you :)

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I don't really know any action books but I guess Tom Clancy should be a safe read? If you want to improve your English, I am not sure how much classics will help in the long run. Many are quite hard to read, with a very different vocabulary and writing. You said you like Game of Thrones, have you read the books? 

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To be honest I find classics interesting. The different style and the difficult vocabulary and writing definitely help me improve my English. But I don't want to focus only on them, I would appreciate it if you could maybe just recommend some modern books that you have read and think are not to be missed. I haven't read Game of Thrones yet, It is hard to find books here in Morocco and the Game of Thrones books are quite expensive, that's the main reason why I haven't gotten to reading them yet. Thank you :)

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If you want to read things that will help with your English studies but want to avoid some of the old fashions language used in the classics then you could try some of the 'modern classics'. The list is absolutely huge but a decent starting point can be found on Goodreads here.

 

From a personal point of view I have really enjoyed the work of George Orwell.

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Thank you very much. I found myself owning some of the books on the list and I also read some. I love George Orwell's books as well. The list will be very helpful and it should keep me busy for some time.

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  • 5 months later...

I agree with the above post - have you tried the Harry Potter books?  They may seem a bit childish at first, but I think a lot of people who don't have English as their first language read them - they start off fairly simply and the first 2 are quite short, then they get longer and more complex as the series goes on.

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Since you like the show, give the first part of A Song Of Ice And Fire a try. I understand it might be expensive. It's a rather big book. I'm just suggesting it for you to keep it in mind.

 

And if you like Noir-Fiction, try any of the Marlowe novels by Raymond Chandler.

 

Last, but not least, The Lord Of The Rings. If you have watched the movies, but your main aim is to expand your vocabulary you will not be disappointed. There is much to learn from Tolkien!

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