When you want to read a book in English, it can be hard to know where to start.
There are millions of books for you to choose from!
Which books should you try reading?
Why not start with the same books native English speakers are reading?
You might think that best sellers (popular books) are too difficult for an English learner to read. But actually, popular books are perfect for learning English, since they’re often written in simple English.
At A Glance: Our Top 5 Picks For Books To Learn English
To become really popular, books have to appeal to many people. This means they need to be interesting and easy to understand.
The benefit of reading best sellers is that you’re reading the same books actual English speakers read.
You can learn a lot of vocabulary from them, and more importantly, you can learn more about the culture of native speakers.
You’ll also be able to discuss current books and popular authors with other readers (even native speakers) since best sellers are read by many people.
All of this means that best sellers can teach you a lot and that you can definitely read them!
Before you pick a book, though, you should pick a genre.
What’s a Genre?
A genre is a category of a book or a specific kind of writing. There are many genres, and you probably know some of them already. Some examples of genres include horror, mystery, science fiction, and fantasy…you get the point!
What kind of books do you like to read? Decide on a genre before you decide on a book. Otherwise, you might end up trying to read a book you aren’t that interested in.
You might love historical fiction but dislike sci-fi (that’s science fiction for short!). Or you might hate romance but love a good adventure story.
Learn what books you like, and you’ll get more enjoyment out of the books you study from!
The videos are organized by level (beginner through advanced) and topic (“arts and entertainment,” “business,” “science and tech” and more).
Let’s read some popular English books and improve your English reading skills!
5 Of the Best Popular Books, You Can Use to Learn English
Thriller and Suspense
A thriller is the kind of book that makes your heart pound fast. Many thrillers are “page-turners.” They make you want to keep reading and turning the pages to find out what happens next.
Suspense books are a lot like thrillers and maybe even more exciting or scary. They’re the kind of books you don’t want to read alone at night.
These two are often considered almost the same genre because they’re so similar. You’ll like them if you’re interested in crime dramas, murder mysteries, or just a good fast-paced novel.
Thrillers and suspense novels use a lot of action words and usually have lots of realistic dialogue. So if you’re looking for a fun way to learn exciting new words and phrases, these books are the perfect place to do that.
1. “Leaving Time” by Jodi Picoult
What this book is about: A 13-year-old girl searches for her mother, who disappeared after a terrible accident. She gets some help from a psychic and a detective. Together, they find out that sometimes asking questions gets them answers they didn’t want to know…
The English in this book: This book might be a little difficult since it’s not a typical thriller. It’s focused more on how people think than on their actions. More advanced readers will enjoy this one.
2. “1st to Die” by James Patterson
What this book is about: Four women join together to catch a killer who’s murdering people in terrible ways. This is the first in a series, so if you like this one, you can continue reading about this team of women.
The English in this book: Patterson’s writing is fairly easy to understand, and has tons of great action words to learn.
3. “Three” by Ted Dekker
What this book is about: Imagine that you’re driving your car when a phone rings. The person on the line says you have three minutes to confess your sin to the world, or your car will explode. What do you do? In this book, Kevin Parson is chased by a killer for something he’s not sure he did. Follow the thrilling ride.
The English in this book: The writing in this book is about as easy as Patterson’s writing, but the story might be a little more difficult to follow.
4. “Mr. Mercedes” by Stephen King
What this book is about: This book is the first in a trilogy or a set of three books. In it, a retired cop tries to stop a man from killing thousands of people. Will he be able to stop the terrible event in time?
The English in this book: Stephen King is one of the best-known authors in the horror (scary story) genre today. His language is a little more advanced, and his characters are very realistic, which makes this a good book for seeing how people talk.
5. “Silent Scream” by Angela Marsons
What this book is about: Someone is killing children. Detective Kim Stone is about to find out that they’ve been killing for a much longer time than anyone realized. But will Stone be able to stop the murderer before they strike again?
The English in this book: This book is a little more advanced in its writing style, but it should still be readable for high-intermediate level learners. Marsons is a British author, so some of the language and dialogue are specific to Britain (like calling people “guv”). This is a great book for learning “Britishisms”—ways of speaking that are specific to the UK.