Many English learners want to read books in English,
but most books feel too long, too difficult,
or too exhausting. Today, you'll learn five short,
real books that you can actually finish. Welcome
back to the Learn English podcast, the podcast
teaching English in context so you can learn
naturally. Reading in English is one of the best
ways to improve your vocabulary, your grammar,
and your confidence. But for many learners, reading
also feels stressful. Books look long and the
language feels heavy. And many people start a
book but never finish it. Today's episode is
here to change that. I'm going to share five
real books that are all under 250 pages. These
are books that you can actually finish even if
you are at the intermediate level of English.
So if you are ready to hear about these five
books, then follow along because we're about
to begin. Let's start by talking about confidence
because confidence is what helps people stay
with reading in English instead of giving up.
Confidence does not come from reading hard books
or choosing something that sounds impressive.
It comes from actually finishing books. When
learners try to start with books that are too
long or too difficult, they often stop reading
completely. Not because they are lazy, but because
reading starts to feel like a chore instead of
something enjoyable. And this is something I
see all the time with my English students. But
when learners choose a book they can actually
finish, reading feels different. It feels possible
and it feels manageable. That feeling makes people
want to come back and read again. When you finish
one book in English, you gain confidence and
motivation to continue reading. That's how you
can turn it into a habit. Reading as a habit
leads to more exposure to English, which means
you naturally build a stronger vocabulary and
a better understanding of grammar over time.
When that happens, English starts to take less
effort, which is when real long -term improvement
occurs. This is how reading stops being something
you try to do and becomes something you actually
do. That's the kind of progress we're aiming
for in this episode. And that's why short books
matter so much. They can really help you gain
that confidence while also increasing your English
input. For each of the books I'm going to recommend,
I'm going to tell you the English level, the
approximate length, give you a short introduction
to the story, and explain how it can help you
improve your English. This way you can decide
which book feels right for you and not just which
book sounds famous. Now let's look at these books.
Our first book is Of Mice and Men. This book
was written by John Steinbeck, an author from
California who was known for writing about working
people and everyday life in the United States.
This is the shortest book on the list at around
107 pages and it uses B2 English. The story follows
two men named George and Lenny while they work
on farms in California during the Great Depression
in the 1920s. This was a time when many people
struggled to survive and find work. George is
small and practical while Lenny is physically
strong but has a learning disability and depends
on George for guidance. This means that George
helps him make decisions. Together, they share
a dream of having their own farm someday so they
don't have to continue working for other people.
This book explores themes like friendship, loneliness,
and the idea of the American Dream, especially
how difficult it can be for working people to
achieve that dream. If you haven't heard of this
concept of the American Dream, What it is is
the idea that anyone, no matter where they come
from, can build a better life in the United States
through hard work. This book works well for English
learners because it uses a lot of dialogue, which
means there are a lot of conversations between
the characters. This allows you to see how people
actually speak in real life, not how English
is written in textbooks. The sentences are often
short. and the conversations move quickly, which
helps the story to feel easier to follow. You
may also notice informal grammar. Informal grammar
means that the language is not considered grammatically
correct. It would not be the grammar that you
are taught in English school, but it is very
common and used a lot by people when they speak
in English, especially in casual conversations.
For example, characters may drop words, use slang
or speak in a relaxed way. This can feel surprising
at first, but it's very useful if your goal is
to understand real American English in movies,
TV shows and everyday conversations. Another
reason this book is so helpful is that it trains
you to follow conversations over time. You start
to recognize how characters repeat ideas, refer
back to earlier conversations, and react emotionally
to what other people say. This is a very real
skill for listening in English because conversations
are not perfect or planned. They jump, they repeat,
they change direction, just like in this book.
If you enjoy stories with a lot of conversation
and you want to feel comfortable with how Americans
actually speak, this is a very good book to start
with. Because of this informal language, the
book works best for B2 learners. And if you want
to practice your listening comprehension after
reading it, there's also a movie adaptation from
1992 starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich,
which you can watch. Our second book is The Old
Man and the Sea. This book was written by Ernest
Hemingway, an American author who was known for
his simple, direct writing style. This book is
about 127 pages long and it uses B1 to B2 English.
The story follows an old Cuban fisherman named
Santiago. After not catching anything for many
days, he decides to sail alone into the ocean
to try and find fish. There he begins a long
struggle with a giant marlin, which is a large
ocean fish. The story explores themes of perseverance,
which means the drive to keep going when things
feel impossible, as well as pride. This book
works well for English learners because these
sentences are short and the grammar is very clear.
Hemingway often repeats the same sentence patterns,
which helps your brain recognize English naturally.
The vocabulary is limited and many important
words appear again and again. This repetition
makes the book feel easier to read even if you
are still building confidence in English. Another
thing this book is great for is building reading
stamina. Stamina means your ability to stay focused
while reading for longer periods of time. Because
the language is simple and the story is calm
and slow, You can read many pages without feeling
tired or overwhelmed. This helps your brain get
used to reading in English without stress, which
is very important if you want to make reading
a regular habit. If you prefer clear grammar
and simple sentences and you want a calm reading
experience, this book is a great choice. Because
of its clear grammar and repetition, This book
works well for high B1 and B2 learners. Our third
book is The Call of the Wild. This book was written
by Jack London, an American author from California
who often wrote about nature, survival, and extreme
environments. Yes, I know, I have a bias towards
California authors since he is the second one
on this list. This book is about 172 pages long
and uses strong B2 English. The story follows
a dog named Buck who is taken from his comfortable
life in California and forced to survive in the
wild during the Klondike Gold Rush. The Klondike
is a remote region in Canada where thousands
of people went in the late 1800s to search for
gold. People rushed into the area hoping to get
rich, and that's why it's called a gold rush.
I mentioned this term before in my episode I
did on California because we also had a gold
rush here. You can watch that episode if you
are interested in it. This book explores themes
of survival, instinct, and how someone changes
when they are forced to adapt to a harsher and
unfamiliar world. Harsh means difficult to survive
something that's very challenging, and the Klondike
in remote Canada is definitely a harsh environment.
This book is very action -driven, which helps
many learners stay engaged and keep reading.
I had to read this book for my high school English
class when I was about 15 years old. Even the
students who normally didn't like to read books
liked this one because of the fast pace and action
in it. The grammar is clear, but there are more
descriptive vocabulary terms, especially related
to nature and animals. For that reason, the book
works best for strong B2 readers who want a small
challenge without reading a very long book. If
you like action, fast -moving stories, and don't
mind learning new vocabulary from context, this
book is a strong option for you. And if you are
interested in watching this story, there are
several movie adaptations, including a modern
version from 2020 that stars Harrison Ford and
a very creepy CGI dog. Our next book is The Giver.
This book was written by Lois Lowry, an American
author who is known for writing clear, thoughtful
stories that explore big ideas in simple language.
This book is about 208 pages long. and uses B1
to B2 English. The story follows a boy named
Jonas who lives in a society that seems safe
and perfect at first, but as he grows older,
he begins to learn the truth about how his society
controls emotions and choice. The story explores
themes of freedom, control, memory, and the cost
of living in a society that tries to remove pain
and choice. The book works very well for English
learners because the language is controlled,
the sentences are short, the vocabulary often
repeats, and the chapters are manageable, all
of which help build confidence. Even though the
ideas are complex, the English used to explain
them is not. This makes the book feel manageable
for intermediate learners. Another reason that
this book is so useful is that it helps you develop
abstract thinking in english abstract thinking
means talking about ideas that are not physical
things like freedom memory and control many learners
can talk about concrete things like food work
or travel but they struggle more with the vocabulary
to talk about abstract topics this book gently
trains you to understand and think about those
kind of ideas in english If you enjoy thoughtful
stories and want a book that feels deep but still
easy to read, this one works very well. It makes
you think and ask questions about society, but
without extremely difficult language. There's
also a movie adaptation from 2014, which stars
Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep. The movie follows
the book fairly closely, so the story is very
similar to the book. And the last book on our
list is Convenience Store Woman. this book was
written by sayaka morata a japanese author the
book was originally written in japanese and was
then later translated into english it's about
176 pages long and uses v2 english the story
follows a woman named keiko who works in a convenience
store and finds comfort in routine even though
society expects her to live a different kind
of life This book explores themes of identity,
social pressure, and what it means to live a
life that does not match society's expectations.
If you enjoy thoughtful stories that make you
think about society but you still want clear
and manageable language, this book is a very
good choice. It works well for English learners
because the language patterns often repeat, which
helps with comprehension. The vocabulary also
feels modern and practical because there are
a lot of words that are related to work and daily
life. Another thing that makes this book useful
is that it helps you get comfortable with internal
narration. Internal narration means hearing a
character's thoughts instead of just seeing what
they do or say. Many modern books use this style
and it's common in real writing and in podcasts.
Reading internal thoughts helps you understand
how people express opinions, emotions, and personal
reasoning in English. Some cultural ideas may
feel unfamiliar, but the English itself is clear
and consistent. Because of this, the book works
best for B2 learners who want to read modern,
real -world English. Are you going to read one
of these five books? Or have you already read
one of them? Tell me in the comments. And also
let me know if you have a recommendation for
a short book that you think other English learners
should read. I'd love to hear about it. Remember,
interest matters more than difficulty. If you're
unsure where to start, pick the shortest book
that is at your level, finish it, and gradually
work your way up to longer and more challenging
text. That is the best way to get started on
your reading journey. A reminder that in the
description of this episode, you will find the
vocabulary list of the words and phrases that
I used today, along with helpful links. If you
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next week. Until then, keep learning English.