Want to know about the Best Books to Start Reading Habit ? Well you have landed on the right article.
Have you ever wanted to develop your comprehension when it comes to English reading, writing, and speaking? Well, this is a common thought that many people have due to the immense advantages of having a strong grasp of the language.
Whether it is writing a college essay or reading a marketing report, your ability to read and understand the language can make a large difference in your overall performance in many activities.
Thankfully, the quickest and best way to become more knowledgeable and promote your English reading is by developing a reading habit.
This is because the more you read, the more comfortable you become with your vocabulary, as well as new words which you can incorporate into it.
So, to help you start your reading habit and become an avid reader, we have prepared a list of the best books to start a reading habit. Let’s get into it.
Our Top Picks
Books For Adults
1. The Alchemist
This novel revolves around the simplicity of the soul and the importance of wisdom in life.
It follows the story of a shepherd boy by the name of Santiago who travels from Spain to Egypt in search of a lost treasure.
Along the way, he meets various individuals such as an alchemist, king, and more who point him to the hidden treasure.
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2. Diary of a Young Girl
The Diary Of A Young Girl is the personal diary of Anne Frank, a girl who spent years hidden in the attic of a friend hiding from the Nazis in Holland.
Taking place in 1942, the recorded diary was then translated and put together to create a masterpiece that is well-known globally and paints a picture of the difficulties faced by the Jewish community in Nazi Germany.
The book is also now present in many global educational curriculums.
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3. The House on Mango Street
Currently taught in schools across the globe, this book is an insight into the growth and self-discovery one goes through in their childhood.
The story itself is about a Latina girl named Esperanza Cordera who grows up in Chicago and learns to live life the way she wants.
While it can be both touching and exciting at the same time, this book deeply connects and relates to most readers.
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4. Chicken Soup for the Soul Books
The Chicken Soup for the Soul book series is filled with collections of motivational reads, inspirational snippets, and more.
It is very popular globally and over the past 25 years, has sold more than 500 million copies.
In total, there are more than 100 books in the series with the original being renowned as a New York Times Bestseller.
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5. Harry Potter Illustrated Books
The Harry Potter series is an iconic story that enters the fantasy school of Hogwarts through the eyes of a young Harry Potter.
The struggling wizard is put through tests and trials with his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasly as they gradually come upon the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort.
Since its initial publication in 1997, this series has 7 books and has sold more than 500 million copies worldwide.
Moreover, the complete series also has multiple movie adaptations.
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6. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
This classic from the 1800s has been republished time and time again thanks to its timeless and much-loved theme.
The tale follows a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole and enters an expansive fantasy world riddled with strange creatures and experiences.
It then showcases her journey through which she makes friends, faces hurdles, and much more.
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7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Books
Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is one of the most popular comedic books for teenagers and kids.
The series follows events in the life of a young boy named Greg who lives with his family and annoying older brother, Rodrick.
Greg is quite a ‘wimpy’ kid and due to this, his life is full of many challenges and hurdles that the book takes you through.
Due to this, it is a fun tale that many teenagers can find humour and connection in. The book series also has movie adaptations and has sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.
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8. Charlotte,s Web
Charlotte’s Web is a children’s book that covers the imaginary tale of a little girl, a pig, and a spider.
As the pig, Wilbur, is sold to the girl, Charlotte’s uncle, the story begins with her and the spider planning ideas and methods to keep Wilbur alive.
From the eyes of a young girl, this story is designed to keep kids interested in the hopes that Charlotte can save her dear pig from any harm at the hands of her uncle.
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9. A Girl Like Her
The book is about Ruth Kabbah, a girl who loves to be alone and spend her time reading comic books.
That being said, this begins to change when an ex-military man, Evan, who is also her neighbour, begins to interact with her.
As her feelings blossom, the story enters a more difficult turn and Ruth is faced with various important decisions and problems that can hinder with her newfound romantic interests.
While being quite a new book, A Girl Like Her has become quite popular, especially for romance enthusiasts.
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10. Hate to Want You
Hate to Want You is a book that is filled with romance, pleasure and scandal.
Starting off with Livvy Kane and Nicholas Chandler, who are two lovers that would spend a night together every year.
Having this night was an important and illicit experience for them but as time passed, Nicholas became immersed in his business.
As their distance increased, everything changed when Livvy made her way back into his life. Thus, their story is filled with a hidden past, deep connections, and more began.
Apart from the amazing storyline, the book has been a huge hit and topped the charts when it was published in 2017.
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11. A Bashful Bride
The book contains a story of romance and entanglement throughout 4 individual stories within the same binding.
Initially beginning with the planned engagement of Shy heiress Ester Croome with the most famous actor in London, things begin to go wrong.
This is because Ester Croome has been in love with a handsome man for the past two years and due to the engagement, plans to elope with him.
That being said, the story is more than this and involves the fear of abortion rallies, villainous relatives, and other problems that make it difficult for the woman to reach her true love.
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12. Romeo and Juliet
One of the world’s most famous books in the romance genre,
Romeo and Juliet is a true classic.
Written by the master writer William Shakespeare, the book tells the tale of two young lovers who faced a countless wall of difficulties and woe in their quest to be together.
Whether it was the feud between their families or the problems of their time, each character is well built and truly portrays emotions that can be understood.
While the book was never copyrighted and hence there is no confirmation on the number of copies sold, it is surely in the hundreds of millions.
Features:
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13. An American Marriage
This novel by Tayari Jones covers the intricacies of love and how feeble yet strong it can be.
It begins with the newlywed couple of Celestial and Roy who are both looking toward a bright future together and for their careers.
However, a shock arrest sends Roy to jail for 12 years after which Celestial begins to face issues in both her personal life and relationship commitment to Roy.
As time passes on, she begins confiding in Andre, a childhood friend and they build a bond of their own.
Surprisingly, Roy is released after 5 years and this begins a whirlwind of emotions, betrayal, and love between three individuals tied together.
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14. The Great Believers
Taking place in the late 1800s, this novel takes the reader through the life of Yale Tishman, the development director for a Chicago art gallery.
As his life begins to take an upward trend, things change with the onset of the AIDS epidemic.
As more and more of his friends and family fall prey to the disease, he is faced with fear and uncertainty about his health and future.
The story then pans to Fiona, who was the daughter of one of Yale’s friends. Specifically, going through her journey to find her own estranged daughter and uncovering the hardships that she faced during the AIDS epidemic.
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15. Where the Crawdads Sing
An international bestseller and a great book to develop your reading habit, Where the Crawdads Sing takes place in the haunted area known as Barkley Cove.
This town in North Carolina is home to a man named Chase Andrews who was found dead back in 1969.
Living in the town is a girl named Kya Clark who becomes suspected by many townspeople due to her vicinity to the haunted cove.
As things are going badly, it all takes a turn when two men enter the town and are bewildered by Kya’s lustre and beauty. With this, she and the men begin a journey that will change her life and theirs simultaneously.
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16. The Rosie Project
The Rosie Project is part one of a three-book series that takes you through the life of Don Tillman.
This is a man who knows what he wants and has his entire romantic plans panned out.
Although to make them more feasible, he creates the Wife Project which is a scientific test designed to help him find his perfect partner.
While the planning is impeccable, what he doesn’t plan on is the entrance of Rosie into his life.
According to Don’s ideology, she is the opposite of what he is looking for in a companion but somehow, he begins to feel for her in a deeper way. Thus, begin his struggles with love.
This book is great for new readers thanks to its unique concept and interesting readability.
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17. A Man Called Ove
As a new reader, the interesting story of A Man Called Ove is surely one that can grasp and hold your attention.
The story revolves around Ove, a man who can be deemed the grumpiest man on the planet without a doubt.
He believes he is above all of those around him and can never comprehend what the ‘idiots’ around him essay or do.
However, Ove still continues his daily walks across the town streets and sees people on a daily basis. So, is it really possible for someone to be so irritable and grumpy?
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18. Three Junes
Three Junes is a novel by Julia Glass that combines complex relationships in a story that is connected all the way through.
It begins with Paul McLeod who is a newspaper published in the 1990s as well as a widower.
Distraught with his emotions, he travels to Greece where he falls for a young American girl and begins to gain insight into his emotions.
However, six years later, Paul passes away which causes his three sons to come back to the family home.
It is after this that a series of events in the next few years bring his son in contact with the American Artist and begin a deep turmoil of emotions and relationships for all characters involved.
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19. The Art of Racing in the Rain
This book takes a unique turn on perspective as it is a complete story through the eyes of a dog.
Covering the relationship between two souls which are not both human, it displays how bonds are formed and what they actually mean.
With aspects of love, hope, hate, humour, and more, it is a great book for all readers to experience.
Moreover, the book has also been adapted into a movie named ‘The Dog Who Will Show The World How To Be Human.’
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Video Review
20. A Little Life
The bestseller from Hanya Yanagihara is a rollercoaster of emotions through the connections formed in brotherly bonds and how far they can stretch at times.
Specifically, the novel follows the story of four close friends who move to New York.
These friends, JB, Malcolm, Willem, and Jude are all working towards their own life while having each other to fall back on.
While initially positive, the story takes a turn when Jude’s past trauma and challenges begin to alter his actions and burden all of those around him.
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Video Review
Conclusion
I hope you liked our article on Best Books to start reading habit, if you have any comments or suggestions do share them in the comments below.
After going through all of these books, you should now have an understanding of what they are about, and if you’ll find the topics interesting.
Hopefully, you’ve already found one or two that caught your attention and using the added purchase links, all you have to do is order them online.
That being said, just getting the right book is not always the key to becoming a reader. In addition to getting a good book, you should also keep in mind factors such as your attention span, interest, etc. before reading.
For example, if you never stay interested in something for more than an hour but take out 3 hours to read, you might get bored mid-way through.
So, only read as long as you find the book interesting and take a break to refresh your mind. Hope this helps you become an avid reader!
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
1. What books should a beginner start reading?
All of the books on this list ranging from the ‘Harry Potter’ series to ‘A Man Called Ove’ are great choices for beginners to read. They have interesting yet understandable story lines without any usage of confusing tricks or complicated nuances.
That being said, if you are truly new to reading, it might be best to focus on children’s books to get a hang of reading first.
2. What is the easiest book to read?
The easiest books to read are children’s fiction books as they primarily use basic vocabulary, sentence structure, and grammar. Thanks to this, they are very easy to understand and great for beginners to start off with.
A good example of a book that is more focused on kids and teenagers would be the ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ series as it is entertaining and easy to comprehend.
3. Which book do I read to improve my English?
As long as you are reading at your own level of English comprehension or above, you will improvise your overall English skills immensely.
While easier books will also help, you will already know most of the things you are reading so it would be more of a practice than a massive improvement.
In addition to this, a great tip that can help you make the most of your reading time is to read with a dictionary.
You can use this dictionary whenever you come across a word that you don’t know and over time, this will help you develop your vocabulary immensely.
4. How do I develop a reading habit?
Some tips that can help you start a reading habit are: Don’t start reading books that are too difficult or long for your comfort level as this can burn you out and reduce your overall interest in reading.
Make sure you have a regular timetable that involves at least 15-30 minutes of reading a day if possible. If not, try to fit in an hour on the weekends so you can maintain a certain level of discipline and connection with your books.
As a beginner, look for books that interest you instead of ones that challenge you, there are countless books for beginners out there. This is because it is important for you to get a grasp on how to read efficiently before you can go on to difficult reads.How do I start reading for fun?
The best way to start reading for fun is to look for books that you enjoy and read them as much as possible. This will help you connect with the topics, characters, and setting making reading much less effort and instead, more fun.
Here are the Best Books For UPSC Preparation:
