Rubbish collectors of Ankara, Turkey, have built an entire library with books abandoned or thrown away in the city, giving it new life. Inaugurated a few months ago in a former brick factory, the library has more than six thousand volumes, and it was a great success as well as an example in the eye of the world.

The initial idea was to make the books available only to the families of the employees, but given the success of the collection, counting the number of volumes recovered and those donated by the residents, the library was opened to the public.

Wandering through the shelves of the “library of waste collectors”, we find volumes of fiction, essays, children’s books, comics, scientific manuals and even books in English and French. It was such a great success, that recently the library began to donate volumes to other institutions such as schools and prisons, or for training programs.

The library, born almost for fun and become a great project, represents the new life of books and the revenge of culture. Today it is a landmark of the city and the neighbourhood. In fact, many cyclists stop to take a break, as do students and residents. Who will have the courage, again, to throw their books away?

Boosting on your reading skills

And talking of books, are you reading enough fiction to help you increase your knowledge of English? Are you looking for the best books to read? Read on if you wish to find suggestions for excellent English books (and a few helpful reading tips).

English books outside of English speaking countries can be expensive. Of course you can buy online and Amazon surely will come to mind. But I would like to remind you how important it is to support independent book stores, especially your local ones. Perhaps you can order some text from them!

If you really want to save money, then digital books are also a great option, although reading off a screen will be much less kind to your eyes and you might not be able to access it from everywhere. A good old fashion paperback will also allow you to write your notes, when you are reading to expand your vocabulary.

One good thing about Amazon, however, is that if you’re not sure about buying a particular book, you can request a free sample. If you read the sample and don’t like it, you don’t have to buy.

Reading novels is great! They have a wide range of words that describe places, objects, characters, emotions, actions, etc. So reading fiction can improve your vocabulary like nothing else.

Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Fiction also contains a lot of “dialogue” (conversations between characters). Which means you get to learn vocabulary that people use in spoken English.

I recommend you read novels that have been made into movies, that way you already know parts of the story (as adaptations are not often faithful to the books) and they are easier to follow.

There are also Graded Readers, which are books of various genres, from a range of prestigious authors from around the world. They are specially simplified for learners of foreign languages of all levels from beginners through to advanced. The language is graded for vocabulary, the complexity of grammar structures and also by the number of words. Graded Readers can be great resources for extensive reading. Click on the link to get hold of some!

Do you have a favourite book in English? Why don’t you share the titles in the comment section below and let fellow learners discover great books too!