5 books that you can start reading with to improve your English

January 27, 2014February 6, 2016 Sarvesh

Is the thought of improving your ‘English’ not letting you have a good night sleep? There’s only one solution to it. Read, read, and read!

Why is it important to have good English?

Where don’t you need English? Today, wherever you go, whether be it for job or future studies, you need to have good communication skills to present yourself in front of others. There has been lot of buzz lately around about how companies incessantly complain about the poor communication skills of fresh graduates.

To have good English, the a priori is vocabulary. Good vocabulary will help you in expressing your thoughts effectively and understanding the deeper meaning of the world. ‘Word Power Made Easy’ by Norman Lewis is a handy book for improving vocabulary and a must read for everyone.

In this article, I have listed 5 books with which you can begin your journey of reading. A book for beginners is generally defined by two universal qualities- ‘easy to follow language’ and being ‘gripping’. The books listed below have both in abundance!

1. Wings of Fire: It’s an autobiography of Honorable Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. It’s a great inspirational life story and towards the end you will feel like doing something for yourself, your dreams and your nation. This book talks about his passion for his dreams, and the efforts he put in and the challenges he faced to achieve them. I can recall my favorite lines from the book:

For you days prepare
And meet them ever alike
When you are the anvil, bear
When you are the hammer, strike

2. Kane and Abel: The author of the book is Jeffrey Archer. The book narrates the story of two men who have nothing in common except their date of birth and the zeal to succeed in life. As the story evolves, they become arch rivals and Abel tries to destroy Kane and his bank. If you like this book, then you can even grab its sequel ‘The Prodigal Daughter’. There are some other books by Jeffrey Archerwhich you may like: The paths of Glory, Only Time will tell you etc.

3. The DaVinci Code: It’s a mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown. If you love cryptography and solving mysteries, you will enjoy reading this book. The protagonists solve the murder case which is related to the possibility of Jesus having been married to Mary Magdalene. You can also read other books of Dan Brown: Angels & Demons, Inferno, the Lost Symbol etc.

4. To Kill a Mockingbird: This book is written by Harper Lee. It’s considered a classic of American Literature. The author narrates the stories of her childhood which definitely make you feel nostalgic about your childhood. The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality. The novel touches your heart with its innocence and teaches you the art of living life with dignity and pride.

5. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference: This book is written by Malcolm Gladwell. If you are not a fiction person and love stats, this book is for you. It describes “three rules of epidemics” in the tipping point of epidemics. It talks about the famous 80/20 Principle which is taught by many B-schools nowadays.