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how to find the appropriate english books for you
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the reason why i want to share this article to you guys is this is a problem for every english learner.
for me, i used to buy a lot of english books but some of them have never been finished, cause it's way harder for me to understand theirs contents. waste of money, waste of time. gradually, i found a good idea of how to find the appropriate english books for english learners, let's roll.
some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. this good advice shows how it is possible to read different types of books in different ways.
some stories are for "swallowing". imagine that you have found a good story, and, what is even more important, the time to enjoy it. you might be on holiday, or on a long train journey. if it is a good book, you might say, "it's so good i can't put it down." but not all stories belong to this class. reviewers sometimes describe books as "hard to put down", or "hard to pick up again".
other books are for reading slowly and carefully. if it is a book on a subject that you are interested in, you will want to "chew and digest it". that does not mean reading is too slowly. when you pick up a book for the first time, check that it is not too difficult. do not start a book unless you can see from the first few pages that it is one you can easily read and understand.
next, if it is not a story, get an idea of the organization of the book. read the back cover and the introduction. look at the pictures and the short texts below them. ture to the front of the book and look at the contents. this way you can decide whether the book is likely to interest you, and if so, then you can decide which parts of the book will be most useful and interesting.
the last question is what to read. start by making a list of all the types of books that you enjoy reading in chinese. but if you enjoy reading short stories in chinese, look for collections of english ones. are there any hobbies or sports you particularly like? if so, look out for books, articles or magagzines about them. you can enlarge your knowledge and learn some english at the same time.
finally, and above all, enjoy your reading!
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Post comment Comment (28 replies)
- Reply Jessico
- Good suggestion. You are right we should have a good classification of different books before reading, then we can make full use of the essence of reading and enjoy well.
- Reply Kevin_z
- I like reading English textbooks but I hate reading chinese textbooks, what shall I do.
- Reply lijuanandrea
- Kevin_z: I like reading English textbooks but I hate reading chinese textbooks, what shall I do.I think you can translate it into english, hehe
- Reply 异物
- Kevin_z: I like reading English textbooks but I hate reading chinese textbooks, what shall I do.The answer is plain and easy: Do what you like.
- Reply snowflying
- surely useful valuable! thankful for share.
- Reply Kevin_z
- lijuanandrea: I think you can translate it into english, heheThen first I have to read it,
- Reply Kevin_z
- 异物: The answer is plain and easy: Do what you like.The problem is sometimes we have to do things we don't like and that's life.
- Reply lijuanandrea
- Kevin_z: Then first I have to read it,yes,that's a good way isn't it ?
- Reply 异物
- Kevin_z: The problem is sometimes we have to do things we don't like and that's life.That's true, but c'est la vie is no excuse for not following your dreams.
Remember, the more you do things you don't like, the less you are really you.
- Reply bluephoebe
- 异物: The answer is plain and easy: Do what you like.i can't agree with you more. as an avid reader, i usually could tell if i like this book or not by a few sentences. if a book can't hold my interests until the third pages, it could be passed---no matter how popular it might be. i am a little embarrassed by question like:" Can you recommend a book to me?" not i don't want to, but what interests me are not likely to attract the others. so just choose what you like, it would be fine.
- Reply linda@crab
- "tasted, swallowed, chewed and digest" i like this words. even forget how long i havn't touch some parallel words like this.
u are right! we should select some books with rich nutrition. first no wasting money and time in some meaningless materials. right?
hehe! also i have the same question: could u recomendate one book for me? no too long no science fields.
- Reply sophia_2011
- bluephoebe: i can't agree with you more. as an avid reader, i usually could tell if i like this book or not by a few sentences. if a book can't hold my interestsI agree with you .Everybody has his own interest and focus. A man's poison may be another' s antidote. By the way, I like your essay very much .It is like water so naturally flowing from you mind ....
- Reply 怡兰
- good piece of advice!
after graduation I am reading only for pleasure and my Chinese has improved so much. I love Yu Hua and after having read some of his books traslated into Italian, I am reading them in Chinese as well! that's the perfect way to improve a foreign language! interest and pleasure!
- Reply kiki20040423
- lijuanandrea: I think you can translate it into english, heheperfect reply!
- Reply Kevin_z
- 异物: That's true, but c'est la vie is no excuse for not following your dreams.C'est la vie is a beautiful excuse.
Remember, the more you do things you don't like, the less you are really yo
I also believe persistence and perseverance will bring us near our dreams and on the way of chasing our dreams, every effort counts.
- Reply yingzi401533
- Thank you for so sweet dvice!
- Reply glambert
- 怡兰: good piece of advice!hey, long time no see, how you doing ? is everything ok? thanks for saying those kind words, it used to be my problem so i guess it might turn out to be theirs(other english or chinese learners)...
after graduation I am reading only for pleasure and my Chinese has improved so much. I love Yu Hua and after having read some o
- Reply glambert
- linda@crab: "tasted, swallowed, chewed and digest" i like this words. even forget how long i havn't touch some parallel words like this.it's my honor to recommend some books for you, thanks for believing in me. the following is what i recommend to you, just for advice:<<the happy prince>>,<<emma>>,<<little women>>,<<twilight series>>(twilight, new moon, eclipse and Breaking Dawn)，<<the house on mango street>>,<<sister carrie>>,<<a tale of two cities>>...etc, i guess that's enough. enjoy~
u are right! we
