Blog
Helpful articles and tips for learning English and Spanish through reading. Strategies, grammar guides, and vocabulary building.
Which Borges Story Should You Read First in Spanish?
Start Borges with El Sur, not the famous labyrinth. A clear first-story pick for solid B2 toward C1, when to choose a puzzle instead, and how to read one dense story without homework mode.
Weekend Spanish Reading Plan (7 Days, A2-B1)
A reading week you can start this Saturday: seven short Spanish texts, 15-20 minutes each, with a clear job for A2 and B1 days and a habit you can keep.
The 95% Rule: Reading or Just Decoding?
Five unknown words in a hundred is a comfort floor, not a score. Count 100 words tonight, mark the holes, and see if the plot still holds.
Spanish Author Difficulty Map: From Easy YA to Marquez
Open a living YA author first, not Marquez. Five rungs, one starter each, a too-early shelf, and a simple test for when to climb.
Free Graded Spanish Readers by Level (Legal)
A by-level map of free legal Spanish readers: what to open at A1 through B2, what to skip, and a weekly loop you can actually finish.
Latin American vs Spain Spanish: What to Read First
Spain and Latin America share one Spanish. Choose the variety you will read this year, or start Latin American if nothing pulls you. First books by region and which Harry Potter edition to buy.
Comprehensible Input Spanish: What to Read A1-B2
Comprehensible input for Spanish reading is a menu, not a pile of famous books. Here is what just-above-you looks like at A1, A2, B1, and B2, how to test a page, and how to mix graded and authentic books so you keep going.
Learn Spanish Through Reading: A1-C1 Roadmap
A reading roadmap from A1 to C1: one next book type per level, the 80-90% page test for changing exits, and free graded samples to start today.
Best Apps to Learn a Language by Reading (2026)
Reading as the method, not streak games. A 2026 shortlist of tools for graded texts, web articles, Kindle books and your own EPUB, and how to pick one.
Beelinguapp Alternative: Parallel Text vs Word-Tap
You like the split page and the karaoke highlight, then notice your eyes live on the translation. Here is the choice: stay on Beelinguapp, mix tools, or switch to original text plus word-tap.
Short Spanish Novels A2-B1 You Can Finish in a Weekend
You want a Spanish novel you can close on Sunday. Here is the weekend window: length plus an 80-90% page test, eight finishable shorts, and a separate shelf of books that are short but still too hard.
Harry Potter in Spanish: CEFR Level by Book + How to Prepare
No official CEFR stamp. Book 1 in Spanish is typically B1-B2, not A2. Here are community ranges for all seven Salamandra titles, why Book 5 is the quit trap, and how to prepare before you start.