English was always my favorite subject in school. It always felt easy. And fun! Some people might say I have a natural talent for words, syntax, and grammar… But I know I became a better writer because I fell in love with reading.
As a bookworm, writer, and language learner, I can feel the difference that each type of reading makes in my own work. Extensive and intensive reading both have value, but their benefits are different.
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Extensive vs. Intensive Reading
Speed-reading was the only way I could get through my assigned textbook pages during school without falling asleep. The science and history textbooks were just so dry and formal.
And that definitely didn’t make my writing skills better.
However, I’d then stay up all night to finish the second half of a novel I started two days before.
And I wouldn’t have any difficulty with staying awake!
In fact, I read the first 3 Princess Diaries novels in two weeks during middle school. And I always finished my summer reading assignments within the first weeks of summer vacation.
I even read Harry Potter 1 – 6 in two weeks. During 9th grade midterm exam season.
What is extensive reading?
Extensive reading is reading a lot of articles, books, and other material… And you read them for fun.
Therefore, you focus on understanding a concept or story through the words on the page.
The point is to remember the story or main concept, instead of understanding exactly why every vocabulary word or comma was chosen. Extensive readers generally have great reading comprehension skills.
How does it make you a better writer?
It makes you a better writer because you are getting enough comprehensible input for your brain to learn patterns. You see a lot of grammar used correctly and develop an instinct. You can easily tell if a sentence sounds right or sounds wrong.
What is intensive reading?
Intensive reading is reading a book or a text in detail to understand every single word. You read this way to learn why grammar structures work.
Think about reading a detailed and technical textbook. You read these books because of the information written in them.
You also read grammar books intensively because there is no storyline.
How does it make you a better writer?
It makes you a better writer because you understand how the language works. It won’t work by itself, however, because you won’t get enough comprehensible input to create instincts.
My love of extensive reading made me a writer.
As I found more authors I really loved, I began to imitate their style when I wrote my own school assignments. Eventually, I developed my own “voice.” My writing voice is a mix of other influences and my own tone.
I would have never become a professional writer — or an editor, or social media manager — without reading a lot. I read everything I could get my hands on. Because of that, many of my English teachers asked if I loved reading outside of class! They could tell because of the way I wrote my essays and creative writing pieces.
Of course, I read books and articles about the mechanics and art of writing. I paid close attention in class to grammar so I could more easily use it. Most importantly, I practiced constantly. Some handwritten story was always in progress on a stack of loose pieces of paper.
But it all started with reading.
So – now that I’ve rambled on about the value of reading for fun, here is my recommended list of reading material to make YOU a Better Writer(TM).
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use or read myself. Therefore, all opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that — at no additional cost to you — I may earn a small commission on if you click to purchase.
8 Articles to Start Your Reading List
Intensive Articles (Instructional) to Learn From
- Grammarly: How to Improve Your Writing Skills
- Grammarly: Powerful Writing Apps
- How to Read More: The Simple System… to Read 30+ Books Per Year
Extensive Articles (For the Story/Content)
- The Folio Magazine Editor’s Favorite Long-form Articles of 2019
- Rahawa Haile’s Appalacian Trail Hike Experience
- Letter from a Region in My Mind
- Fast Company: Intuitive Scheduling for Productivity (This website is a great source for work-related reading.)
- Fast Company: 3 Secrets of People Who Always Get Job Offers
- Tina’s Travels Abroad
24 Books to Start Your Reading List
Intensive (Instructional) Books to Learn From
- Anne Janzer: Writing to Be Understood: What Works and Why (An easy, quick read about connecting with the audience of your nonfiction writing.)
- Anne Lamott: Bird by Bird (This is a memoir about a writer’s life, but still extremely popular.)
- Ann Handley: Everybody Writes (This is great for marketers.)
- Vogler & Montez: The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (This is one of the most popular instructional books for fiction writers.)
Extensive Books to Have Fun With (For the Story)
If there is an AB with the listing, this means I have personally listened to and enjoyed the audiobook version. If there is no AB, I have not tried (or did not like) the audiobook version.
Easier Reads
- Short Stories in English for Beginners: Olly Richards (collection of short fiction – I enjoy the Italian version!)
- Short Stories in English for Intermediate Learners: Olly Richards (collection – if you aren’t sure if you’re ready for native-language novels, start with these)
- American Girl Historical Fiction
(Note: I grew up with 2 American Girl Dolls. Each doll has a name and historically-accurate short story that comes with her. These books are meant for a younger audience, but I still think they’re great for comprehension (if you’re unsure about starting a full novel) with a side of interesting historical fiction!)
- The Call of the Wild: Jack London (classic fiction – Yukon Gold Rush era – about a dog & has some violent parts)
- My Side of the Mountain: Jean Craighead George (children’s/young adult fiction)
- The Hate U Give: Angie Thomas AB (modern young adult fiction – excellent read!)
- The Gallagher Girls Series: Ally Carter (modern young adult fiction – boarding school for spy girls)
- Children of the Red King Series: Jenny Nimmo (children’s/young adult fantasy fiction)
- The Witch of Blackbird Pond: Elizabeth George Speare (young adult historical fiction)
- Esperanza Rising: Pam Munoz Ryan (young adult historical fiction)
- Riding Freedom: Pam Munoz Ryan (young adult historical fiction)
Native-Level Reads
- The Alice Network: Kate Quinn AB (historical fiction – spies in both World Wars)
- Good Omens: Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett AB (fiction – British)
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Jane Austen, Seth Grahame-Smith (classic fiction re-written with zombies! The language level is as advanced as Jane Austen’s original works.)
- When Women Ruled the World: Kara Cooney (nonfiction history – female Pharaohs)
- They Called Her Reckless: Janet Barrett (nonfiction history – a Marine horse during the Korean War)
- Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear: Elizabeth Gilbert (nonfiction self-help/motivational)
- Educated: Tara Westover AB (modern, nonfiction American memoir)
- Braving the Wilderness: Brene Brown (modern nonfiction motivational memoir)
- Well-Read Black Girl: A Collection of Essays (nonfiction anthology)
If you’re interviewing for jobs as a non-native English speaker, check out my book!
- On my website: Book & Interview Resources. Companion Workbook.
I’m also always looking for book recommendations! So tell me in the comments – what are YOUR favorite books?
This was a very enjoyable read and honestly I completely agree! English has always been my favourite subject too, I have a BA English Lit degree from Exeter University. I now work in a Marketing Executive role and honestly without studying English, or reading, Iām sure I would not be where I am today!
Thanks for the comment! That’s amazing! š If I had to go back in time to my university years, I’d definitely get a minor in English instead of Entrepreneurship – although my business degree/major was key when applying for my marketing roles at first.