The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas. I'd read thousands of books, novels, and other literature and never had an answer to "your favorite book?" and thought I just wasn't meant to ever have one... Until I read it. Since then, I've bought copies solely to have on hand to gift to people I actually care about.
To drive home the point of just how much I loved this book, I went on to learn French just so I could read it in the original print.
Make sure it's the full, unabridged edition (1200 or 1400 pages), though!
(Just to throw in a nonfiction title as well, Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything is a great gift for scientifically-inclined minds (esp younger ones) looking for a first foray into the world of nonfiction, wittily-written and well-narrated.)
Dumas originally wrote The Count as a weekly story for the newspaper. Hence, each chapter ended as a cliffhanger enticing the reader to wait and then buy next week's issue. I works like a charm. One of the best I ever read.
I've read it in a nearly uninterrupted reading binge of 3 days and 2 nights. In fact, in my recollection there's a cliffhanger at the bottom of each odd page :)
> I went on to learn French just so I could read it in the original print.
That is one of my mom's favorite books! Can you please elaborate about the process of getting there/how much practice it took to get you towards the point where you could enjoy The Count of Monte Cristo in its native French?
Right now, I am studying Spanish and my reading comprehension in Spanish is low. It is not enough to understand something like 'The Little Prince' (in Spanish) to enjoy it.
YMMV, but I've noticed that you can actually read books in foreign languages quite enjoyably without a perfect grasp of the language. If the book grips you, words or even paragraphs you don't understand stop to matter. Sometimes it will take a couple of pages of "oh shit, I don't know what this is saying at all" before you get into it, though. (Reading it on an e-reader for the instant dictionary does help, of course.)
One of the interesting things about Monte Cristo and actually about a lot of 19th century French literature is that there's very little archaic French in there, and I found it easier to read (though still not easy!) than many modern novels that use French street slang / argot.
I am not OP, but I've been studying French for 7 years in school before I read Monte Cristo in French, and it was still a very challenging read - to the point of being more work than pleasure. It is full of old grammatical forms and full of passé simple, much harder to read than contemporary novels let alone Le Petit Prince.
I'll second the Harry Potter books -- I've been reading the Sorcerer's Stone (electronically) in Portuguese after working through Duolingo. It's nice because I am familiar with the story and there's loads of new vocabulary, which I look up (after guessing) by switching to a translation app.
If you're on iOS, the built-in dictionary app will give you Spanish->English.
Yes! Rereading a (good) book you've already read is an excellent learning technique. (Mine was Dune.) Your foreknowledge provides plenty of context, something which is often lacking in more artificial exercises.
If you stick with Spanish and really learn its grammar inside and out you'll have a much easier time with French later on. Their vocabularies are very similar and the differences in grammar are minimal for the most part.
YES! My favorite book! Make sure to get the unabridged version in particular the Robin Buss translation. Love introducing people to this great work of literature.
Didn't expect to see Dantès appear in this thread, but I love it too and am, coincidentally, rereading it right now, in the Buss. So fun, so satisfying.
To drive home the point of just how much I loved this book, I went on to learn French just so I could read it in the original print.
Make sure it's the full, unabridged edition (1200 or 1400 pages), though!
(Just to throw in a nonfiction title as well, Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything is a great gift for scientifically-inclined minds (esp younger ones) looking for a first foray into the world of nonfiction, wittily-written and well-narrated.)