Best Books to Improve French 📚 [Levels A1 to C2]

[@hellonicolette]

Comment below with your favorite French book! 📚 🇫🇷

[@FC-BS]

The only one that I know, Le Petit Prince

[@FC-BS]

Thanks for the recommendation, since I’ve been struggling to find some books for beginners

[@hellonicolette]

So glad it was helpful! Happy reading 😊

[@valeryrodriguez6766]

Thanks for your recommendations

[@hellonicolette]

Thank you for watching! Happy reading!

[@trinaq]

Salut, Nicolette, I love your list so much! 📃😍I'm currently learning Beginners French, so these are fantastic recommendations! 🇫🇷 So far, I'm looking at French poetry, namely "Paroles" by Jacques Prevert!

[@hellonicolette]

Thanks for watching! So glad you found the list helpful 😊And Paroles is great! Best of luck with your French learning journey 💕

[@tylerrobblee8038]

Merci pour cette liste :)

[@susanbartlett-ye6476]

Great post (as always).... in school we read Asterix comics and Joaquin a des Ennuis.... I still read Paris Match and Marie Claire Idees when my local newsstand has them...

[@hellonicolette]

Thank you! 💕 And ooooh yes magazines are such a fun resource for language learning!

[@kenmorley2339]

My favourite is Proust's Recherche but for beginners I would suggest Lettres de Mon Moulin by Daudet . I agree that comics are a capital way to start reading in any language .

[@matildawolfram4687]

Nice video! Many thanks to the author of the channel for the recommendations! The problem with many people is that they want to take a "magic pill" or get "secret knowledge" and immediately have skills and abilities. However, the truth of life is that knowledge, skills, and abilities do not come by themselves. You can't learn a foreign language without doing anything, without wasting your time and effort, just like you can't learn to ride a bike lying on a comfy couch, listening to lectures and watching videos about "modern methods of learning" on a bike. To really learn something, you have to really practice every day. You're going to fall down while you're learning, and you're going to get bumps - that's normal! The ups and downs of learning are an integral part of our lives. Motivation from success and depression from failure will always be your study companions. However, every student has problems in his or her studies that he or she lacks the knowledge to solve. It can be: poor memorization of words; no progress in language learning; the student can speak, but does not understand speech by ear; misunderstanding of grammar; incorrect pronunciation, etc. Agree that a problem you don't know how to solve is very demotivating. In order to find the answer to our question we have to spend a lot of time to read videos, articles and books by polyglots. In today's world, we have to solve problems as quickly as possible. I don't have time to study and analyze a huge amount of information. My goal is to master the basic knowledge of a foreign language as quickly as possible and already start earning money effectively in the international arena. I settled on the practical guide by Yuriy Ivantsiv " Polyglot's Notes: practical tips for learning foreign language". This book is always in my bag. If I have a problem while learning a language, I quickly find the answer in this book. There are many different techniques and tips for learning a foreign language in Polyglot Notes. I have made my own individual schedule and plan for language learning. Now I know what I am going to study, how I am going to study, when I am going to study and what results I am going to achieve. No problem could stop me! With an effective language learning plan my professional skills are more and more in demand internationally every day. Friends, don't stop there! Everyone has talents that millions of people around the world need! Learn the language and make your ideas and dreams come true! Thanks to the author of the channel for the informative and useful video! Your videos motivate me.

[@kyraskye5880]

Such a lovely video- inspired me to find some easy tween books or comic books to read while I’m learning Norwegian 😄

[@hellonicolette]

Thank you! And best of luck with your Norwegian journey, that sounds fun! :)

[@georgianaandrone3036]

Salut Nicolette! Thank you so much for the book recommendations, I instantly made a note to read "L'ecume des jours". On a similar note, here are three intermediate-level French novels that I read last year to get me back into French reading. They are all relatively short and very accessible. - "Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran" by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt. My favourite of the list, it leaves you with a feel-good vibe very similar to the film Amelie ;) - "Aimez-vous Brahms..." by Francoise Sagan; I would also recommend the movie, starring Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Perkins - "Stupeur et tremblements" by Amelie Nothomb. My least favourite of the group, as it takes a rather stereotypical view of Japanese corporate life, but I'm giving it a pass because its heroine doesn't take herself too seriously and finds humour even in the most deadpan situations

[@hellonicolette]

Awesome! Those are great recommendations 😃

[@dmp7252]

Such a wonderful video. Thank you for recommending Besson. I read his book and cried. I remember where I was when I read the last pages of that book. I think it's the only French book I've read from beginning to end. I also recommend the short stories of Emile Zola's Contes et nouvelles I (1864-1874) and Contes et nouvelles II (1875-1899), both published by Flamiron. They are very much in the vein of Maupassant. Exquisitely written! I'd recommend you read them with a teacher or a tutor if you can. That way you can absorb all the nuances. (Heads up, Zola uses the literary past tense a lot. If you're serious about learning French, do not listen to people or KZbin videos that tell you it doesn't matter and nobody uses it. It's not true. It is sprinkled throughout intelligent French conversation like you wouldn't believe. And you don't want to be the only one in the room of intelligent adult native French speakers and be the only one not in the know.) Unfortunately, it is very sad that French does not have more quality graded readers. The culture, in general, doesn't lend itself to the idea of making anything easy for anyone. It's a ferocious sink or swim type of mentality, which has in fact been France's Achille's heel. It's unreal that a cultural that has brought the world so much could be so blind-sighted. One of the great paradoxes for me. And yet, the French stand flabbergasted, wondering why French doesn't have more influence around the world. After spending quite some time there, I suspect the culture just finds it beneath itself to publish "simplified books." Simple is offensive. They don't see the beautify or the ingenuity in simplicity. Yes, CLE International is fighting the good fight, but it's not enough. For those who have learned Russian, for example, they have literally mastered the art of the graded reader. Literally libraries full of 200 page novels, stylistically written at the A2-B2 levels, forcing you to come in contact with complex grammatical structures over and over again. And people that want to, really excel at Russian. With French, it should not be this hard. There is a market for publishers who would want to take on re-writing classics or recreating contemporary stories in A2 friendly language. Trust me, the market will thank you.

[@hellonicolette]

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the Besson book! And thank you for the other recommendation, Zola's work sounds like a fantastic read. ❤️ (+ Yes, that's sad about the lack of simplistic reading geared towards French learners)

[@dmp7252]

@@hellonicolette Thanks!

[@paulocezarzorzi4859]

merci beaucoup miss nicole.

[@MiaTheDreamer]

Merci pour les recommendations..

[@hellonicolette]

De rien! 😊

[@raycel7511]

Hi! Can you recommend a text book for C1 level, please? Thank you in advnace :)

[@nishanair723]

Unfortunately I am finding difficulty in getting books in French. And the ones I find are too costly. So don't know what to do

[@hellonicolette]

I know the struggle! I find most of mine on Ebay. You can also check your local library, as they often have a foreign language section with French novels. If they don't have a book you're looking for, see if you can request it. :) Also, ebooks are a cheaper alternative since it doesn't involve shipping a physical book!

[@samuelmorales7677]

Hello everyone who can recommend it any books for A1 and A2, i'm terrible in listening and speaking

[@MelissaFallin]

* adds cupcakes girls to reading list *

[@hellonicolette]

But like, actually...I could mail it to you if you want 😂

[@muhammadrehan5005]

Thanx dear U did a great job You are so nice girl

[@arintaamalia3916]

hi, are you have any recommendations of french novels about travelling or vacation?

[@lolop1986]

Salut Nicolette~ Laurel from CouCou! Great video. Thanks for the recommendations. I was wondering where you find these books to buy? Or do you go to the library? I have been having trouble knowing where to acquire foreign language texts. Thanks!

[@hellonicolette]

Salut Laurel! Thanks for giving it a watch 😊 Finding specific French books in the US can be difficult (or require a high shipping price), but I've had a lot of luck with Amazon (especially with used copies from third-party sellers), EBay (occasionally), and every once in a while the Libby App (which you can access with a library card). A lot of super classic French books (ex. Madame Bovary) can be downloaded in PDF form online, so just do a search of the title followed by "full text" or "pdf". Hope that's helpful!