8 Novels That Will Help You Improve English Skills and Build Vocabulary
Reading is a great way to improve one’s English skills. It helps develop one’s vocabulary and there are many fun, amusing and historical books to read and enjoy either in book form or on an e-reader/tablet. Go to a library and choose book(s) to borrow from there. There are many books to suit all ages and readers of all abilities. It is very important to enjoy the books one reads and perhaps start with slightly easier books and then progress to more advanced books. Here are my suggestions:
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham
Learn about Mr. Toad, Ratty, Mole, Badger and Otter. This book follows these characters (animals) during their adventures living close to a river in the countryside of England. Children and adults alike will enjoy this book as well as teaching children about wondering off into the woods and animal etiquette.
Charlotte’s Webb by E.B. White
This book will appeal to both adults and children and is a literature classic so worth reading. The book is about a pig whose is called Wilbur and his friend Charlotte who is a spider and lives in a barn. Charlotte’s aim is to save Wilbur’s life, which she is successful in achieving.
The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit
This book was written for children (and made into films several times) but both children and adults will enjoy this story. It is set in Yorkshire and the family live in a house called ‘The Three Chimneys’, which is near a railway station. The book is about the adventures of the three children called Roberta, Phyllis and Peter.
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
Gerald Durrell wrote this autobiographical book having lived in Corfu as a child from 1935 – 1939 with his family. The book covers the story of his time spent on the island with his various pets. This is a very amusing book, which has been serialized on television and made into film.
The Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling
These books have been made into very successful films so these books could be read in conjunction with seeing these films. These books are about Harry Potter, a magician who is sent to school at Hogwarts. He makes friends with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. The series of books are the stories of their adventures at Hogwarts School and is full of exciting adventures, full of magic and witchcraft. Worth reading and if one reads each book and watches the relevant film at the same time, it will helps one’s understanding of the books and helps with listening to the spoken language in the films. These books are suitable for older children and adults.
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The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holms is a detective and works with his friend Dr. Watson solving crimes and mysteries. These books are set in Victorian England and are illustrated well. It is said that Sherlock Holmes is one of the best-known characters in fiction. These books are more suitable for the more advanced readers.
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
This book has been made into several films and serialised for television. The story is set on board the Simplon-Orient Express train travelling from Istanbul to Calais. Hercule Poirot is a detective who boards the train and then has to set about solving the mystery of the murder, which takes place during the train’s journey. Agatha Christie wrote many books with Hercule Poirot, who is a Belgium detective, as the main character. A great read with an exciting plot for adults, and also a great book to improve English skills.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
This book was written in 1996 and then was made into a film in 2004. The main characters are Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson. This is a love story about two people from different backgrounds living in American and the obstacles they meet throughout their lives. The book haunts adult readers for days.
The advantage of reading books is that they help improve one’s vocabulary, help with grammar and will help you improve English skills overall. I suggest buying a good dictionary so any words one does not understand one can look up the meaning. I suggest one keeps a pad and writes down the words one does not understand together with their meanings and then refer back to make sure one can remember both the words (and how to spell them) and their meanings.
Reading must be enjoyable which will then ensure we finish reading the book(s). Start by reading an easier book and then progress as one becomes better at reading. We can read anywhere – on a bus, on a train, on a plane. Reading is meant to be relaxing and fun. There are so many books to choose from including fiction, non-fiction, biographies and autobiographies, historical and geographical books. There are also science fiction books, action books and adventure/travel books. If one is interested in cooking, buy a cookery book written in English and try making one of the recipes from the book. More than anything, remember to enjoy reading! That will ensure you have a good time while improving English skills.
