The one thing that I hear all the time and really gets to me is: “I don´t like to read. All the books that we use at the languages school are boring/make no sense/sound like written for preschoolers.” Well, let me ask you one thing: Do you like absolutely all the movies/video games/places that people suggest you should watch/play/go to? You most likely don´t, right?
Same thing happens with books: reading only what others tell you to read is a high-speed road to frustration and boredom. Ok, so what should I do, Estefi? I only know the books that others recommend or assign me. Worry not anymore. Here I have a few quick tips on how to read in Spanish for fun:
1) Choose you own books in Spanish:
Just as you probably prefer to choose your own coffee brand, or what kind of clothes to wear, you can also select the kind of text that you want to enjoy. Thriller? Romance? Comics? Comedy? Queer lit? Chick lit? Classics? You name it. No need to read something that you wouldn’t enjoy in your own language. Stick to what you would usually enjoy.
2) Choose your own way:
As a popular Burgers chain usually advertises: the best is to have it your way. There are just sooo many different supports and options for you to choose from: tablet? kindle reader? classic paper? your smartphone? All of them are perfectly valid and useful for you. If you choose the format and moment of the day that suits you best, you’ll be more likely to stick to your long term goals of reading on constant basis. Just find five minutes of your day to squeeze your reading in.
3) If it makes you FEEL something: it’s a keeper:
You know that feeling when you meet somebody and something tickles inside you? Maybe you feel the butterflies, or just a lot of that kind of joy that follows a cool experience. Well, that’s the kind of feeling that you should get when approaching a book: the feeling of being unable to let go. Always keep in mind that you might not always remember what somebody taught you, but you will never forget how they made you feel. So remember to read books in Spanish that make you FEEL something, for a better and more authentic learning experience.