Libros Románticos - Aprender en Inglés

There are a lot of good reasons to learn Spanish if you live in the USA (or anywhere, really). It is one of the most common languages in the world. There are compelling career benefits to being bilingual. But in order to really enjoy learning, why not start with something FUN? Like reading romantic books in Spanish! LOL.

Many of your favorite authors are translated into Spanish. One fun thing to do is to read a chapter of Spanish version of a book, then read the same chapter from the English version. (Back and forth, back and forth, until you finish the whole thing!)

Be warned—some Spanish-language romance novels are more expensive than their English counterparts. Plus, once a Spanish romance book goes out of print, its price (even second hand) can be rather high. But if you are a native English-speaker, you have been spoiled by the low prices and abundant availability of romance books. It's not as easy for Spanish-speaking fans of romance novels. But's a lot better than it used to be, thanks to places like Amazon.com and eBay. (The rest of this site explains more about how to find Spanish romance novels at good prices.)

But to start learning Spanish, you need some good instruction. Of course you can take a class (that's probably the best way) but if that's not an option, there are some excellent books you can use for self-study. And the good news is it's particularly easy to learn how to read in Spanish. (Not that you just want to settle for that. It's frustrating to be able to read but not write or speak well. Well, you can see from this site, can't you? I have to write an apology at the top of every page, because of my poor grammar skills! LOL.)

Here are some Spanish instructional books that helped me learn Spanish. Of course, my Spanish is kind of in a "work in progress" stage, but even so, look at the customer reviews for these books and feel confident that they will help you learn Spanish.

Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish: A Creative and Proven Approach

This book has been around for decades, and is one of the most fun and easy ways to learn. I love the author's style, she is hilarious! And she really does help you learn at a fast pace.

Take note of Andy Warhol's illustrations in the book. I think they are pretty cool, in a sort of "minimalist" style.

Spanish for Reading: A Self-Instructional Course

YAY! A book that is geared towards reading! Of course you really do want to learn how to write and speak too. But if you want a jump start on reading, this is the book for you. It definitely delivers.

Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish (Practice Makes Perfect Series)

All the "Practice Makes Perfect" books are excellent tools for learning Spanish.

Alpha Teach Yourself Spanish in 24 Hours

Another helpful and useful book. If you decide to buy a used copy, be sure to get the one that was released in 2004. The older version (from 2000) has no answer key to the quizzes! Makes it kind of pointless.

1001 Most Useful Spanish Words (Beginners' Guides)

A must-have for increasing your vocabulary, and you can't beat the price.