8 Classic Books I Recommend Reading To Expand Your Vocabulary
Hello Everyone!
Books! Nothing beats reading a good book. Whether it’s a classic that puts you to sleep, or a thriller, romance or drama that has you reading until 4am, reading is one of the best ways to expand your vocabulary. Now, I’ve seen videos online, where people complain about the variety of words that some books have, and many who have asked authors to dumb down their books for people to read. I would argue…what would be the point? Reading should not just be about finding entertainment in the story, it should also teach you about the more advanced aspects of the English language, or any other language for that matter (because books come in all languages, no matter what it is you read).
So, expand your vocabulary by reading books. Or better yet, read the classics. Yes, the prose and poetry there will throw you off, but power through, or read the passage you don't understand over and over again, until you think you've interpreted the meaning behind the words. Try to decipher for yourself what the author is trying to tell you, and learn to understand why these books are called “classics”. In fact, here are my top 8 recommendations that will help you expand your vocabulary. Be warned, these aren’t all easy reads.
1. A Christmas Carol
I would say that this is one of the easiest classics to read. Charles Dickens, while not quite engaging in poetry, does involve some poetic prose into his work, and because we’re all familiar with the story of A Christmas Carol, it is one of the first ones I’d recommend you read, to get an idea of how using symbolism, abstract descriptions and character sensibilities can move a plot forward. You don’t need to always describe what is happening to a character to know what is happening in the story. In fact, sometimes the mystery is what keeps us hooked on the story. Like, for example, we don’t see the dead body that the ghost of Christmas future shows to Scrooge, yet we all know exactly who it is beneath that sheet of linen. So, pick up a copy of A Christmas Carol, if not for the story, then for the way it’s written. You’ll find it’s easy to understand and read, even if the way things are described aren’t what you’d see in stories nowadays.
2. Pride And Prejudice
Again, Pride And Prejudice isn’t that difficult to read, but the way the drama unfolds is very interesting to note, in terms of grammar and sentence structures. I’ve not finished the story myself, but I’ve read most of it, and will most likely re-read it again, to remind myself of the events of the story. However, from what I recall, the story is easy to pick up, and while it’s not as easy to read as many modern stories, it is a good example of how to frame drama and romance, in a way that isn’t always so explicit. While we’re all into the fantasy-romance trope, or the dark romance thrillers, there is something beautiful about the way Jane Austen describes the romance between Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. It’s wholesome, but the romantic tension is palpable. It may not be Bridgerton, but it does hail from the same era.
3. Treasure Island
Treasure Island will be a little more difficult to read than the previous two I’ve mentioned, and that’s because there will be some descriptions of items, features and people that we no longer use in this day and age. It’s a shame, these poetic means of describing people, places and situations are fascinating. Yes, it might be difficult to decipher, unless you’re an English Literature teacher or you’ve studied English Literature and you know how to decipher these descriptions, but for the everyday reader, who don’t do the research, it would be a pity to lose that skill. After all, it is stories like these that become what we call the classics. So, once you’ve accustomed yourself to the other two books, give Treasure Island a try. Again, there are no big words, just a different way of describing things that might make you confused, but the more you read, the more you’ll understand.
4. Little Women
If you’re looking to take a bit of a break at deciphering the older classics, then pick up a copy of Little Women. It’s much easier to read. It’ll give you a break, and it’s lighter in topic. Granted, there are a few situations in the book that are a little more difficult to swallow, since it’s about the Civil War in the United States, but it is much easier to understand and follows a similar language route as A Christmas Carol. It’s been a while since I last read Little Women, but having been one of the very first pieces of classic literature that I read, it was one of the easiest I was able to understand. It’s why it’s one of the top 4 on this list. It’s because it will help ease you into understanding classical literature.
5. The Lord Of The Rings
We are now getting into the meatier stories now. These books will be much more difficult to read, and starting us off, is The Lord of the Rings. I would highly recommend you start off with this one. It’s a hefty book (because yes, it is all 1 book, not 3), so it will take some time (I’ve taken about 3 to 4 years to finish it, what with everything I have going on), but if you manage to read through it, I commend you. It’s not easy, and even I’ve had to read it in piecemeal bits. Now, like a few of the previous books I’ve mentioned, J.R.R. Tolkien doesn’t use a lot of advanced words, but he does use quite a bit of description, and a lot of references to his world’s history, culture and language. After all, The Lord Of The Rings is not just a story, there are anthologies, written by Tolkien himself, about the wider world of Middle-Earth and beyond. So, a lot of his references might go over your head, but again, as long as you push through the heavy language, you’ll get to feel like you’re on the quest with the Fellowship, as they battle against Sauron, and bring the ring to Mordor.
6. Jane Eyre
I studied the first few chapters of this book when I was in school, and while I haven’t actually finished reading it, I remember the story, since my English teacher showed us a movie that was based on the book. Regardless, I highly recommend reading Jane Eyre, if not for the story and the drama that unfolds in it, then for the way it establishes the kinds of characters that are in the book, particularly Jane herself. After all, the book is written in first person, so everything is essentially viewed from her perspective. Nevertheless, from what I remember, reading the book, it was rather difficult, because there were parallels to what the main characters were doing and what their personalities were like. You get this right from the very start, and even the weather is described in a way that is fitting for the story’s narrative.
7. The Odyssey
I don’t expect anyone to understand ancient Greek, unless you are Greek or are studying the ancient classics. What I do hope is that you’ll read a version of it that many scholars nowadays would suggest you read. One of them is the translation by E.V Rieu. I read The Odyssey through this translation myself and I'd say it's fairly easy to understand and read. Mind you, it is still a heavy read and will require concentration. That’s because there are a lot of references to other stories, written by Homer (the original author of The Odyssey), like those that are in The Iliad. Now, mind you, the original story is a poem, so there will be lots of poetic language in The Odyssey, which might throw you off, but if you’ve read through some of the easier classics first, like the ones I’ve recommended earlier in this post, then you might be able to understand some of what is written in The Odyssey. If not, then I suggest you find some language aids that might help you through your reading.
8. Les Miserablés
This one is by far the most difficult books I’ve ever read. It took me about 5 years to read through Les Miserablés. That’s because it’s a heavy tome of, at most, 1500 pages. The reason why is that there are lots and I mean lots of essays about the philosophy, politics and societal discourse of France at the time of Napoleon's defeat in the Battle of Waterloo. It takes place during the French Revolution and talks a lot about the religious, political and societal influences that dictated Jean Valjean’s decisions. I’m not going to lie, I read it on a whim, because I love the musical, and I wanted to know what the differences between the book and the musical were, and there are a lot of them. Don’t get me wrong. I am so glad I read the book. I might pick it back up again, just to see if I can still understand what I’d read (because I’m not going to lie, a lot of it flew over my head), but I would still recommend that you at least try some of it. I don’t expect you, my fellow readers, to finish it, in fact, I would be surprised if you did but like with all the previous classics on this list, the heavy read helps to expand your vocabulary and the way you structure your sentences.
Time To Read The Classics and Expand Your Vocabulary!
Ok, so I know a lot of these books will be difficult to read, and while it might scare you, trust me, when I say that reading these books are so much more interesting than the drivel, you’ll see being panned over on TikTok. A lot of those books have no real heart to them, especially the ones that are being generated by AI (because yes, most of those “books” are being generated by AI).
They will end up being forgotten through the ages, and the “recommendations” that people make for them will end up being lost in the background of the “real” books, the ones written from scratch and edited over and over again, until they are published. Like I said before, there is a reason the classics are called “the classics”, and that’s because they are stories that actually resonate with their readers. So, give them a go, and learn to understand these heavy reads, if not to learn and understand why they’re classics, then for the glory of saying you’ve managed to read them, to the end.
Ok, that’s enough from me. I’m going to go and finish reading The Lord of the Rings (I am at the very end now and I am bawling my eyes out!). While I go do that, please don’t forget to like, subscribe, comment, share and follow me, here on Feather’s Charm, on my YouTube channel, on my other social media channels (Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok), and on Patreon. Your support really does help me make more content like this, for you guys.
And as always, be kind, be creative, and be unique.
I’ll see you later!
Feather, out!
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