If you ever decided to thoroughly learn English, then you probably bought yourself books in English. Also, if there is an adaptation on the book and you watched this adaptation, it contributes to a greater immersion in the storyline.
This article will provide a detailed recommendation of which books should be chosen by beginners to learn a language and for those who have already read some elementary works in English and want something more.
1. The Hound of the Baskervilles. Conan Doyle (The Hound of the Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1900) was not only the first detective work of the twentieth century, but also at the same time a kind of canon of the classic detective. Sherlock Holmes created a world where the victory of reason over monsters takes place, this is a world where everyone is perfectly dressed and trains go on schedule, and the telegraph works with perfect accuracy, like a Swiss watch.
The book is easy to read, in addition, you can turn on the film in parallel in order to listen to how certain words are pronounced, so as not to make mistakes in your mental perception of the language.
2.1984. George Orwell (1984 - George Orwell)
This book is George Orwell's fantasy of 1984. The book itself was written in the late 40s and for the author it is a fantasy, but for us it is perhaps an alternative story of the outcome of events.
The whole world is divided into 3 superpowers and each of them is at war among themselves. Each power has its own party at the head, and in one of these powers in one of these parties our main character Winston Smith works. He works as an editor in a newspaper and tries to understand how people lived in the past, whether historical documents lie and whether his contemporaries live in general and he is better than his ancestors.
If you discard the idea, plot, motives of the characters, the book itself, its words, the text is described very tasty, it is pleasant and clear to read.
3. Portrait of Dorian Gray. Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde)
The plot of the book is about what price we are now paying for our actions and our decisions. Each person sees in the main character his own sins. This novel not only made the writer famous - he to some extent anticipated his own fate. Keep in mind, after reading “Portrait of Dorian Gray”, with a pencil in your hand you will write down absolutely wonderful aphorisms in English that can be inserted into a conversation, thereby making an extraordinary impression of a person who is not only smart, but also sophisticated.
Want to impress, read Dorian Gray.
4. And the sun rises. Ernest Hemingway (The Sun also Rises - Ernest Hemingway)
The main characters of the book are a group of friends who decided to go on holiday to Spain for the fiesta festival. During the 7 days during which these festivities take place, numerous events also happen in the fate of the main characters, sometimes funny, sometimes close to tragic.
This book is definitely worth reading even if you are not a fan of Ernest Hemingway and the work of the lost generation, this is a fascinating story despite the rather rude English in the original, which describes life after the First World War.
5. Three in the boat, not counting the dog. Jerome K. Jerome (Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome)
If we talk about the plot, then this book is about three people, not counting the dogs who did not go on a trip, but rather to rest on a boat trip on the Thames, without a breath for a week, that is, to live, sleep, eat on the water. The narrative itself is conducted from one of them, which tells about the behavior of other participants in the trip, about himself, about the feelings that this trip causes.
The book itself is written very unusual, the author gives a digression from the main plot of the book, which describes small stories from the life of the protagonist, such a secondary story in which the author plunges the reader.
In addition to the light, English humor that this book is saturated with, the reader will receive a short course in the history of England (and Scotland).
6. Hitchhikers across the galaxy. Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams)
The history of this book is narrated in 5 parts. "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
- an incredibly funny book about the travels of the protagonist and his alien friend in the galaxy. On their way they more than once fall into trouble, change the course of history, get lost, find, save the earth and all that in the company of Zaphod Beeblebrox and the robot Marvin. The book’s actions change at the speed of light and for 100 pages there is a lot of interesting things. In the book it is easy to follow the storyline and at the end of reading you will have no questions, as the author explains everything in detail.
7. Abyss in the rye. Jerome Salinger (The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger)
This novel is translated into almost all languages of the world; it is considered a classic and a cult novel. The book plunges us into the world of Holden Caulfield, in his heightened perception of American reality. What does Holden Caulfield love? He loves to lie, but not in order to get any profit or to deceive someone, but in order to amuse us, he is a maximalist to the marrow of bones. This is an atmospheric book in which, perhaps, everyone will find himself.
8. The jungle book. Rudyard Kipling (The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling)
Familiar from childhood, the story of the life and adventures of a boy Mowgli. In the center of the plot is a boy left in the jungle who is accepted by a wolf pack. For several years, he is raised among animals until the time comes to face his worst enemy, Sher Khan, who vowed to destroy the human cub before he became an adult hunter.
In general, the book is very atmospheric, it completely immerses you in your world, captures, holds in incredible tension, and you, even knowing the plot by heart, experience and live all this again.
9. Misery. Stephen King (Misery - Stephen King)
The book is very stressful and the tension rises to the very end. Can salvation from certain death turn into such a nightmare that even death seems to be a merciful gift of fate.
Paul Sheldon, a popular writer who succeeded in writing a series of popular novels, was captured by a crazy woman. King, like no one else, is able to immerse tension and fear into the world of horror, and then takes the last step that you cannot forget all your life.
The book is not just fascinating, it is magnificent to read in one breath.
10.451 degrees Fahrenheit. Ray Bradbury (Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury)
The book belongs to the easy genre - science fiction. However, in my opinion, this is one of the most significant works of the twentieth century and should be included in the school curriculum and studied in all languages of the world.
The book is about the fact that firefighters are not engaged in extinguishing fires, but burning books. This is a dystopia concerning culture and its regression, which can occur, up to its complete forced destruction.
The book of Ray Bradbury is absolutely symbolic, it is modern at every moment in time.
Enjoy reading books in the original, in English.