Are you looking to read books in Spanish?
If you’re a passionate reader, you must be looking for opportunities to practice some Spanish and combine it with one of the things you enjoy most in life:
Reading!
However, as I explained in my guide to reading Spanish more effectively, you need to find books that meet two requirements:
- Books that Adjust to your current level of Spanish.
- They must be stories or topics that you like and enjoy.
In this article, I’ll give you a recommendation of 15 books to read in Spanish.
They’ll be perfect for those of you who are going through the intermediate and advanced levels of Spanish (B1, B2, C1, C2 CEFR)
As you read the list, I’ll specify for what level each book is, but just as a disclosure, none of them are for basic A1 students.
This will be a fun resource if you like reading.
However, if you don’t feel like reading is your thing or you consider yourself still too beginner in Spanish, you should probably focus on my audio stories or look for easier-to-read books in Spanish.
So, without further ado, let’s get started with the books:
Affiliate Disclosure: The following links are affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you purchase any of the books I suggest you below.
1- Sin noticias de Gurb by Eduardo Mendoza
Level: Intermediate B1-B2
Have you ever wondered what aliens could think about human beings?
This book is the story of two aliens who can adopt any human appearance.
One of the aliens, Gurb, gets lost in Barcelona and his mate embarks on the adventure of looking for him.
As you read the journal of the character looking for Gurb, you’ll be able to see the behavior of modern people from a different and funny perspective, and of course, you’ll find out what happens to Gurb.
2- El principito by Antoine Saint-Exupéry
Level: Intermediate B1-B2
The famous little prince is one of those books in Spanish you have to read.
It is the story of a prince, who lives on a small planet along with one picky flower.
As he experiences loneliness, he embarks on an adventure looking for friends.
He goes to different planets until he gets to earth, the planet on which he learns a big secret about friendship: Most important things are invisible to the eyes.
3- Short Stories in Spanish by Olly Richards
Level: Intermediate B1-B2
If I was going to talk about books to read Spanish, I had to talk about this book.
I love the details Olly Richards includes in his book, like the well-thought features that will help you improve your vocabulary and your reading comprehension.
These are some of those features:
- Illustrations based on the stories you’re reading.
- 8 Short stories written in Castilian Spanish.
- Stories that aim to help you understand them.
- Short summaries.
- Vocabulary lists.
- Comprehension questions.
Now, the 8 stories you’ll find in this book vary on their topics.
You’ll read about time traveling, knights, castles, visits from other planets, weird and mysterious objects that give people strange abilities.
You can even hear a short excerpt of one of the stories I read from this book for a reading festival that Olly made a while ago.
4- ¿Me voy o me quedo? By Juan Fernandez
Level: Intermediate B1-B2
If you feel like stories for native speakers like Gabriel García Marquez’s books are too difficult for you, then you should try one of the books by Juan Fernandez.
In this case, “¿Me voy o me quedo?”, tells the story of a young man who is obsessed with Spanish, but not just the language, he’s obsessed with the culture from Spain.
This obsession takes him to start making big changes in his life, so he can live like a Spanish person. However, things go a little crazy when people call him crazy for doing these things.
This book also offers a vocabulary section in which it can be really useful to learn new words, expressions and improve your reading comprehension in Spanish.
5- Un café en Buenos Aires by Estefanía Quevedo
Level: Intermediate B1-B2
Un café en Buenos Aires is the story of Esteban Faraday, a guy who lives in London and goes on a trip to Argentina.
This journey takes him to find out unexpected secrets and an attractive tango dancer called Zoé.
This book is a story for people learning Spanish, but the main reason for me to recommend this book is that it uses “voseo”, an essential characteristic of Spanish from Latin America that you never found in traditional textbooks.
Voseo is basically replacing the pronoun “tú” with “vos” and using its respective conjugation.
If you’re planning to visit Latin America, I feel like learning how to use “Vos” is a must, and this book is an excellent, yet simple tool to help you get familiar with it.
6- Climate change by Olly Richards
Level: Intermediate B1-B2
If you’re interested in how our planet has suffered the consequences of climate, this book is a great way to get exposed to vocabulary that talks about this topic.
Actually, this book is designed for Spanish students at the B1-B2 level (CEFR).
You’ll read conversations among characters talking about this interesting topic.
Not to mention that Olly Richards always includes instructions on how to read more effectively in his books which is a big help if you struggle to go through the chapters.
7- Cuentos de la selva by Horacio Quiroga
Level: Intermediate B1-B2
Horacio Quiroga was a writer from Uruguay. He lived for a long time in “la selva misionera”.
Interestingly, he loved this wild place, and because of that, he built a house for himself over there.
Quiroga loved life in nature and he was constantly observing animals which was a great source of inspiration for this book.
Cuentos de la selva is a collection of stories in which this author tells stories using animals as the characters.
These books to read in Spanish are for children, and since the public needs a simple language to understand the stories, that means that it’s a great level for people learning Spanish like you.
8- El Alquimista by Paulo Cohelo
Level: Intermediate B1-B2
This is a famous story of a traveler named Santiago. He embarks on a trip that becomes a source of discovery for him.
The characters he meets and the things he learns during the journey give the story a different touch, making it feel a bit like a self-help book aiming to inspire you and to appreciate the things you have in life, or at least, that’s how I perceived it when I read it.
9- La aventura de Miguel Littin, clandestino en Chile by Gabriel García Marquez
Level: Intermediate-advanced B2-C2
It tells the story of Miguel Littin, a filmmaker exiled from his country during the Chilean dictatorship.
He changes his physical appearance and creates fake documents to go back to the country with only one goal in mind: Make a documentary about the dictatorship and how it was affecting the country.
More than a novel, this book is a report that Gabriel García Marquez made about the 6 weeks Miguel Littin spent in Chile making this documentary.
It’s full of critics and satires to this government.
10- Rebelión en la Granja by George Orwell
Level: Intermediate-advanced B2-C2
In this book, you’ll read a fun story in which the animals are the main characters.
The author tries to use the story to picture the Russian revolution and the triumph of Stalinism.
It tells us how the pigs begin to influence the animals of the farm, convincing them to fight for a better life and get rid of the power of humans.
When they execute this revolutionary action, you’ll see how power begins to divide and corrupt, who were the leaders of this revolution.
Basically, this book is a critic the author made to the system, and it’s very interesting to see how he makes critics in the story.
11- 7 Hábitos de la gente altamente efectiva by Stephen Covey
Level: Intermediate-advanced B2-C2
This is a very popular book, better known for its English version: 7 Habits of highly effective people.
I’m sure that it’ll be interesting, especially, for those who like to improve themselves and make the most out of life.
This book shows you how to be more effective in all areas of life.
However, it doesn’t discuss your dreams, how to make you rich or how to be a “successful” person.
This book makes you see how you can make the most impact in yourself and other people, looking at your inner self, improving it, and bringing good things to the outside.
12- La hojarasca by Gabriel García Marquez
Level: Advanced C1-C2
This novel was a game-changer in Gabriel García Marquez’s career.
If you decide to read La hojarasca, you’ll find out that it’s not a happy story.
It revolves around the death of an old doctor who was hated by the people of his town.
Now, a retired colonel has the mission to bury the doctor’s body as he is opposed by the whole town.
The book is definitely not for beginners, nor intermediate students.
In fact, this novel is for you, only if you can actually be ok with not understanding every word you read, and if you’re willing to deal with a complex vocabulary and narration.
13- Un mundo feliz by Aldoux Huxley
Level: Advanced C1-C2
We can say that this book is definitely a prediction the author made about our world back when he published it in 1932.
You’ll read the story of a perfect world, in which everything is under control, standardized, and people are brainwashed.
It’s a dark story that shows how pleasure becomes the ultimate weapon of control. It seduces even those who dare to make questions and it kills those who refuse to be under its control.
14- Cien años de soledad by Gabriel García Marquez
Level: Advanced C1-C2
The masterpiece of this famous Colombian writer, tells the story of a family that goes through unusual situations.
This book pictures what a traditional Colombian family is like.
Not only that, but this book includes important events in the history of the country like the war between the traditional political parties of Colombia and the banana massacre that took place in 1928.
Although at a first glance, this book might seem long, plain, and boring, it just takes a couple of seconds to get you hooked by the story.
The story is enjoyable and fun, although definitely not for beginners who need simple vocabulary.
I suggest you read this book once you feel comfortable with complex vocabulary in Spanish.
15- María by Jorge Isaacs
Level: Advanced C1-C2
This is one of the most notable classics of Latin American literature from the 19th century.
In simple words, María is a romantic novel that tells the love story of a young woman and her cousin. You’ll read how this tragic love develops in a perfectly described old Colombia.
If you’re a fan of literature and learning about the Latin American culture is one of your goals for learning Spanish, then this book, along with the ones by García Marquez, is a must for you.
Of course, don’t expect it to be easy reading.
What are your favorite books to read in Spanish?
As always, I’m looking for feedback from my readers and the people who find my content useful, and because of that, I’d like to know if you’ve read any of these books in Spanish.
Would you recommend another good title?
Notice that I’m not only talking about books that are designed to help Spanish students, but I’m mentioning real interesting books, even for native speakers.
So, don’t hesitate to leave your good thoughts in the comments below.
