Recent research from the United States shows that people are reading fewer books these days. Frankly, I'm not surprised – given the demands modern life places on our time, not to mention the near-constant distractions of social media. It's important to remind ourselves how reading benefits the brain, and for language learners it improves vocabulary, grammar awareness, and speaking fluency as well. The books listed here are all popular works of fiction, so it shouldn't be hard to find a translation if you don't fancy reading the originals in English. 1984 – by George Orwell This dystopian novel often finds its way onto lists of classic books, and it's easy to see why. A chilling portrait of a totalitarian future, “1984” follows Winston Smith as he struggles under the watchful eye of Big Brother. Orwell’s vision of surveillance, propaganda, and manipulated truth feels eerily contemporary. With stark prose and unforgettable concepts like “doublethink” and “Newspeak,” t...
The words of an EFL teacher