The Challenge of Reading Books in Spanish
Reading a book is a challenge that many shy away from, and this has been a pattern for language learners as well. Learners of the Spanish language are no exception. One reason is the day and age that we live in. We live very fast lives and have little patience for waiting due to technology. It has made our lives significantly more convenient, and everything is at the tip of our fingers within seconds.
The amount of time it takes to receive packages has dramatically decreased; entertaining ourselves through movies and TV shows only takes a few clicks or taps to start. In comparison to the blockbuster days where you had to wait for many weeks to months for a movie to start renting one after its initial theatre release. In comparison, reading a book in Spanish takes a lot of time, dedication, and patience. Especially if you are tryin to comprehend what is going on.
Additionally, when you first open up a book, it isn’t just a random bunch of words that don’t have anything. However, they contain a lot of meaning that the author is trying to transmit. Books are incredibly descriptive and usually transmit the 5 human senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.
As you can see, there is a ton that your brain has to simplify, and that is just by reading with your native tongue. Now, adding the extra layer of difficulty increases this already challenging activity to a new level. Your brain now has to translate between languages and still try to develop meaning out of what you are reading. We need to do this, and now your brain has to be translate the text back and forth within the book and try to make sense of it all.
It takes a lot of energy to accomplish this. Your brain has to get accustomed to the story, the writing style, and all the information that it is consuming. One of the best ways to trick your brain into keeping all of these puzzles organized and starting to put them all together into a beautiful and meaningful painting is by using a book review.
A book review is a also a great tool to help you to dissect the overall story, personalities, locations, main points, and patterns of the book. See the guide below to start writing your new Spanish book review.
What Does a Book Review Contain?
- Book cover examination
- Blurb examination
- Character analysis
- Writing style
- Overall plot/summary
- Give your opinion
Book Cover Examination (La Mala Hora is used as reference)
Take a glance and see what is on the page. There is an eye, the author’s name, and an annotation that the book won a Nobel Prize in Literature. I can make a logical guess that this book has been very important culturally in Colombia (where the author was born).
Blurb (passage on the back of the book)
Sometimes the passage on the back of the book summarizes what the book is about (this is the case with La Mala Hora). On the other hand, it can be very ambiguous and not reveal any important details, like a trailer that leaves you dazed and confused.
Character Analysis
Always keep in mind what the personalities of the characters are like. How many times they show up, their importance to the story, and determining if they are the protagonists or the antagonists are a good to start. Also, analyzing the interaction between each of the characters reveals a lot of the above items. In the La Mala Hora you have different conversations between different characters that are not all related, but they still give meaning to the overall story of the book. Something you should realize is that it takes time for the story to develop as well. For example, it took me over 100 pages just to get a grasp on the simple plot details.
Writing Style
Who is talking? This book is written in third person, and this person is not having any conversations with the main characters of the book but is just an observer. Are you noticing any patterns that give you an indicator of the style of writing?
Plot Summary
This part of the book review is where you can combine all the information that you have wrote thus far to start developing a summary of the story. Highlight, underline, or write down any key details that seem important to you – phrases of certain protagonists that stand out to you – so you can use them for review and don’t have to just memorize them.
Opinion
This requires you to think outside the box and examine all that you have read to see if the author had specific points to make and what the purpose of writing this book was. Ask many why questions.
Are you interested in reading this book?
You can purchase La Mala Hora from Amazon at the link below. One of the best advantages of buying through Amazon is the quantity and types of books that you can purchase. Many times, you will find that used, new, and eBooks are available to buy for the Spanish book that you want. This makes learning Spanish even more worth the while as you can learn this beautiful language on a budget if need be.
Feel free to purchase the book at the Amazon link below. Also, make sure to comment below and let me know how you enjoyed the book!
https://amzn.to/3KIRHUw