Tea Time with Patricia | Let's talk about books in English

7 sept 2015

Finally I'm here with the first (well, second?) post of this section written in English, I hope you enjoy it! (If you don't know what is this section about, check out here).

Today I'm here with Patricia from the blog Cada libro un mundo and we'd be talking about reading in English, when we started, our experience, a few advices that may help you... But, before we start, I have to say that it's been a pleasure to collaborate with her, she had some good ideas which have been very helpful for me.


MARINA: Yay! I'm really excited to start up this little section, I hope you find the tea and the little biscuits delicious ;)

So, tell me, do you usually read in English?


PATRICIA: And I'm excited to be a guest in your fantastic blog and, especially, in this lovely section. Thank you for let me participate. And yeah, the biscuits are so yummy ^^.

Well, I read a lot in English but not as much as in Spanish, because it usually takes me longer read the books in English. I started reading in English in the high school, with the typical adapted books, and I really liked it so I continue reading in that language. What about you, do you usually read in English? Can you tell me when and how you started reading in English? :)


MARINA: I also started reading in english at school jaja. But, it was after opening the blog when I discovered the huge amount of books that are in English and when I started to have interest in reading them. It was like discobering another bookish universe! Of course, at first there were a lot of words that I've never heard of but more or less I was able to figure out their meaning from the context. You know, I've never been those people who read with the dictionary next to them. In the beginning it could be difficult, but eventually everyone improves.

Related to that, which is the best advice you would give to someone who is starting to read in another language?


PATRICIA: The best advice I can give to someone who is starting to reading in another language is that you should avoid translate it. At the beginning it could be difficult, but if you don't translate it you gonna get fluency reading, and it is better because you going to get the meaning from the context. I think this was the most difficult part for me when I started to read in english.

Other advice for someone who wants to start to read in another language is that you maybe want to start with a light book, something contemporary or young adult. That type of books have an easy vocabulary so you don't go to feel the necessity of look for the meaning in the dictionary. Or, if you prefer it, you also can read a book that you have already read in spanish.


MARINA: Oh, those are really good advices!

And I totally agree with you; contemporary books are a really good option to begin with. As you said, their vocabulary and the story are easy to understand so they are very helpul to take confidence. For me, some recommendable contemporary authors are for example Kasie West and Kelly Oram (I've seen you have some posts about her in your blog jeje).

However, to those who are not afraid of reading in english, I would recommend giving a try to a book they really want to read. Maybe the vocabulary won't be as easy but they will put more interest on it and they will enjoy it more.


PATRICIA: Yeah! I'm agree with you.

I highly recommend Kelly Oram's books, they are easy peasy (to read), and I really love her. Also I recommend Kody Keplinger's books, she is a young adult writer and all her books are very recommendable, over all The Duff and Shut Out.


MARINA: The DUFF has been in my wishlist for ages jaja, someday I will read it.. Someday..

And I'm sorry to say that our little tea party is ending. But, before we finish, I would like to thank you, Patricia, for joining me in the first entry of this section; I'm very glad you'd send me an email! And I hope you enjoy it! 


PATRICIA: It's my pleasure! It was fun.





Now is your turn! Do you usually read in english? When did yo satrted reading in that language? What is your best advice?

12 comentarios:

  1. Hi! I found this section and our advices very interesting. I'm a little bit like Marina, started to read english books in class but not really interested since i found the blogosphere. I've not read lot of books written in this language yet but i'm with it. Actually reading A monster calls and i'm enjoying it ^^.
    Another language i enjoy to read is french, I like french more than english but it's less famous and i have little difficults to share my french books and interests with people, but even so i try in some section like yours in my blog >-<
    I have to apologise about my poor (and probably plenty of spelling mistakes) english, I did it as well as I could!

    Besos! ^^

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  2. ¡Hi!
    Yes, since last year i¡ve been reading in english and right now i rather it than in my language. The first books i read were The Duff, Shatter Me, The fault in our stars...
    I think you shouldn't worry if you don't understand little things, because if you focus in that maybe you start looking in books or the web and that's too much... you just have to try to understand it, and, of course, enjoy it!

    Love,

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  3. Well, I like this section, it's very interesting and useful to start reading in english.
    I have read two books only, but every day I feel better and better in this. So I hope can read more and more, because now I only read young adult and easy things, maybe one day I can read fantasy or something like that.

    xoxo

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  4. Hi! I started reading in English last year. I had read some adapted books in English at schools but that is not what made me start reading in another lenguage. As you have said, there is a completly different bookish world when you read in English. Books that are not translated and you don't even know about but you love when you read them.

    I agree with you about the contemporary books. They are the best books to start with because they all have pretty easy vocabulary. The first book I read in "real" English was Anna and the french kiss and the first chapter was kind of hard but when I got used to it I couldn't stop reading. Other books I read later are Shatter me (pretty easy too) and Throne of glass. This last one was harder but it was the same as with Anna, when I got used to the writing and the expresion, I flew throght the pages.

    Now I read in English regularly and sometimes even more than in Spanish (last month all the books I read were in English). I don't understand every word but you don't need to, most of the time you can figure it out if you read more.

    XO

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  5. Thank you so much for hosting me in your fantastic blog. I will be waiting for read the next post of this section.
    xoxo

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  6. Yo no me atrevo a leer en inglés jajaja
    Un beso<3

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  7. ¡Hey! I found this section stunning! Yeah, really good girls. So, I've just started to read in english, but I hadn't read so much in english yet so I couldn't talk about it. But I must tell you, I really love this section.
    XoXo

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  8. Hi!
    I started in high school but until last year I did not start to read more. I think its better and I really enjoy it so I'll keep doing it. Also to improve more English which is good for me.
    xxx

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  9. Hi!

    I started to read in English when I was nine because I went to an English academy so they gave us some easy books to read. Then, when I started high school, our teachers ordered us easy books like Sherlock Holmes or Willy Fogg's books (as cartoons, we didn't know how to read Arthur Conan Doyle yet...). And when I started the university, I hadn't read anything in English for pleasure! So I started this summer to read in English and now is an addiction because books are cheaper than in Spanish or because I want to improve my English. This section is totally astonishing. I love it!!!
    xxx

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  10. Hello! Haha i especially enjoy a lot these kind of post! I really do! About what are you talking, i just started to read in english and i found out that it is really good qnd pleasant, cuz I enjoyed a lot the book that i read. Mariana knows what i am talking about, aren't you? Haha ok, so firstly your advices are really good and yes contemporary books are best to try fist! I agree!
    Abou the authors, i know almost all of them, I only did'nt know about Kelly Oam and i'm going to search about her! I will definitely do! Thanks for the recom(in some way u guys did), and for the advices!

    See u next time!

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  11. Todo el mundo contestando en inglés pero bueno yo no doy para tanto jajaja voy a empezar dentro de poco a leer en inglés y como no me fío y no quiero traducir me he comprado el libro en inglés y español para intentar leer un capítulo en inglés y lo que no sepa sacarlo pro contexto pero así luego leo el capítulo en español y veo si me voy enterando de la historia , llevo diciendo esto dos años y aun no me he puesto, pero lo haré ^^

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  12. Hello! First of all, this section is so interesting, I like it so much! :D
    I understood all the words you said, I'm happy!!!
    I started to reading in English not far away, two months ago. And because it was summer and I thought that I could enjoy my time reading in english. I'm agree about the level of english in contemporary books, they are the best recommendation to start. I didn't read The Duff in english, but I know that is easy. Like The Perks of Being a Wallflower or Morgan Matson's books. But thanks for give us advices about how to start reading in english and which books are perfect for it.

    Ahora en español, perdón si he cometido algún fallo, es la primera vez que comento en inglés y no estoy muy entrenada :P ¡Besotes! <3

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