Hi everyone,
I love reading books in English, which is my second language. So far, I’ve read 20 books in English, and I’ve noticed that some are really hard to read while others are quite easy. Is this a common experience? Could it be that I’m choosing the wrong books, or is it more about the writer’s style or the language barrier?
My favorite books so far are Negative Space, A Short Stay in Hell, Flowers for Algernon, 1984, The Catcher in the Rye, The Giver, and Lord of the Flies. I can vividly remember the stories from these books and picture everything in my mind. However, with some other books, I struggle to remember anything or relate to the characters, and sometimes I just feel lost while reading. Like Fever Dream, The hitch hiker guide, pride and prejudice I literally gave up .
Can anyone give me tips to enjoy and appreciate more books without feeling like I’m forcing myself to read it ?
by Funny-Possibility347
3 Comments
Maybe just read books you like? Maybe you found those books hard because of the plot not the language.
I am not a native English speaker either, and although I loved lord of the flies, boy, was it hard to read.
I personally have difficulty finishing English books that are old, have old vocabulary that I don’t know the meaning of, and have long, complicated sentences. Contemporary English books I find easier to read
I do struggle with a lot of pre-Victorian literature, because writing styles are so different; I think maybe we’ve become so used to standard types of novels, with dialogue and descriptions. Like I do love Jane Austen, but it took me awhile to get used to how she wrote.
But works by HG Wells or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were stylistically easier for me, and you really start to see more modern writing after WWI. I usually end up suggesting Daphne Du Maurier’s books a lot as recommendations, because they are classics, but her writing style feels more contemporary.
Reading middle grade fiction is a good way to pick up vocabulary without the frustration of missing important plot points. Another trick is to choose books that both adults and teens appreciate.
“His Dark Materials” by Philip Pullman would be on my list because it’s loved by both adults and kids.
And “Ender’s game” by Orson Scott Card sounds like it could be right up your alley.