Over the years we have often asked our Spanish learners who love reading books in Spanish, what they like to read, and what they’d recommend to other learners at the Intermediate-and-above level.
Here’s the full list or books they’ve enjoyed!
Literary Fiction / General Reading
- Crónica de una muerte anunciada — Gabriel García Márquez – Accessible García Márquez novel and not very long, making it manageable for intermediate readers.
- Relato de un náufrago — Gabriel García Márquez – Short and very accessible, easier than García Márquez’s longer classics.
- La casa de los espíritus — Isabel Allende – Interesting but described as “muy extraña,” offering a stylistic challenge.
- Largo pétalo de mar — Isabel Allende – Described as “fantástica,” very enjoyable to read.
- Los besos en el pan — Almudena Grandes – Shorter than her other novels and offers vivid portraits of Madrid families after the 2008 crisis.
- El lector de Julio Verne — Almudena Grandes – Sparked interest as a follow-up to enjoying Almudena Grandes’ work.
- Patria — Fernando Aramburu – Described as phenomenal and completely gripping (“devoré ese libro”).
- Soldados de Salamina — Javier Cercas – Clear journalistic style with limited description; blends reality and fiction about the Civil War.
- Un viejo que leía novelas de amor — Luis Sepúlveda – Short, readable novel set in the Amazon rainforest; not a romance despite the title.
- Sin noticias de Gurb — Eduardo Mendoza – Very entertaining and funny; strongly recommended for enjoyment as well as language practice.
- La isla tranquila — Mo de la Fuente – Recommended by a student at a similar level as an enjoyable and suitable read.
- Novels by Pablo Poveda – Enjoyed for their storytelling style and readability.
- Quédate conmigo — Lorena Franco – Romantic novel written in the past tense, suitable for intermediate level and very engaging.
- La sombra del viento — Carlos Ruiz Zafón – Highly rewarding but demanding, with dense descriptive prose that makes it a real challenge.
- Como agua para chocolate — Laura Esquivel – Demanding due to cookery vocabulary and older Mexican Spanish, but rewarding.
Crime, Mystery & Thriller
- El silencio de la ciudad blanca — Eva García Sáenz de Urturi – Highly gripping from the first page; combines crime, Celtic legends, and Basque history.
- Reina Roja — Juan Gómez-Jurado – Described simply as “una gran historia,” recommended for suspense fans.
- El verano de los juguetes muertos — Toni Hill – Fast-paced police novel forming part of a trilogy.
- Los buenos suicidas — Toni Hill – Second part of a readable crime trilogy.
- Los amantes de Hiroshima — Toni Hill – Completes a crime trilogy that reads smoothly as a set.
- Falcó — Arturo Pérez-Reverte – Fast-paced spy thriller set during the Spanish Civil War; plot-driven and engaging for confident B2 readers. (Also, check out more of the bestselling books by this author!)
- Trilogía del Baztán — Dolores Redondo – Gripping crime trilogy set in Navarra, mixing investigation with local myths and atmosphere.
Historical / Dual-Timeline Fiction
- El bosque de los cuatro vientos — María Oruña – Fascinating mix of 19th-century and contemporary mystery rooted in Galician history.
- Las hijas del capitán — María Dueñas – Engaging historical story of three sisters surviving and building a life in 1930s New York.
- El silencio de las viñas — Gisela Pou – Family saga centred on a powerful winemaking dynasty.
Short Stories & Essays
- Doce cuentos peregrinos — Gabriel García Márquez – More difficult, but considered worth the effort.
- Cuentos para Ulises — Juan Carlos Ortega – Very short, fable-like stories that are easy to dip into.
- Nada es lo que parece — Carmen Posadas – Collection of 14 brief, approachable stories.
- 35 años. 35 historias – Short journalistic articles, manageable but culturally rich.
- Bajo dos banderas – Short historical essays by various Spanish writers.
Young Adult / Accessible Reads
- La guerra de mi abuelo — Leonardo Cervera – Very easy read; described as the easiest language-wise and far simpler than García Márquez.
- El nido de los sueños — Rosa Montero – Simple story with beautiful descriptions; understandable despite unknown vocabulary.
- Memorias de Idhún: La Resistencia — Laura Gallego García — The first book in Gallego’s most famous fantasy trilogy, widely loved and engaging for YA readers.
Fantasy / Series & Translations (originally written in Spanish)
- El prisionero del cielo — Carlos Ruiz Zafón – Plot-driven and very engaging, even if not a usual genre choice.
- Marina — Carlos Ruiz Zafón – Chosen as a more approachable Zafón novel for learners.
Graded & Learner-Focused Books (originally written in Spanish)
- Historias de España / Stories from Spain — Genevieve Barlow & William N. Stivers – Side-by-side Spanish and English makes it easy to follow.
- Books by Juan Fernandez – Written specifically for Spanish learners; described as fun and accessible.
- Books by Paco Ardit – B1–C1 graded readers that are easy to work through, though not very exciting.
Books students have read and enjoyed in translations
Students often find that reading books that were originally written in English, or another language, and translated into Spanish, are more accessible than those written originally in Spanish, so these can be a good place to start.
- La luz que no puede ver — Anthony Doerr (translated from the English) – Intermediate-level historical fiction with a compelling WWII story.
- Cajas de cartón — Francisco Jiménez (translated from the English) – Easy to read and interesting; tells a migrant childhood story.
- Harry Potter — J. K. Rowling (translated from the English) – Found to be very useful for building fluency and confidence over time.
- Millennium Trilogy — Stieg Larsson (translated from the Swedish) – Large corpus that helps recognition of a wide range of structures.
- El sabueso de los Baskerville — Arthur Conan Doyle (translated from the English; adapted / graded edition) – Simplified classic designed specifically for beginner learners.
- Viaje al centro de la Tierra — Jules Verne (translated from the French; graded edition) – Affordable, accessible graded reader at A2 level.
- El viejo y el mar — Ernest Hemingway (translated from the English) – Excellent short novel with a good Spanish translation available.
- Novels by Agatha Christie (translated from the English) – Very plot-driven and generally short, which helps comprehension.
- Novels by Georges Simenon (translated from the French) – Concise, plot-focused crime novels that work well in Spanish.
- Novels by John Grisham (translated from the English) – Accessible Spanish thanks to the straightforward original style.
- Novels by Lee Child (translated from the English) – Clear, action-driven plots that translate into readable Spanish.
- La chica del tren — Paula Hawkins (translated from the English) – Enjoyed as a suspenseful and accessible read in Spanish.
- Guerra y paz — Leo Tolstoy (translated from the Russian) – Yes, one of our students has read the entire thing in Spanish. It’s one of the greatest books ever written, but it’s long, so take your time!
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