From time to time, some language exchange partners and friends interested in improving their Spanish ask me about novels easy to understand for people with an intermediate or advanced level. Good books to practice their reading and comprehension while enjoying a well written story.

I often lend them El túnel, by the Argentinian Sábato, and La tregua, by the Uruguayan Mario Benedetti, which are two easy titles and are well written enough to be included in a Hispanoamerican literary canon.

One week ago I had the idea of making a list of recommended readings for Spanish learners by asking a group of Spanish and Latinoamerican natives that live in the Cambridge area and who keep in contact through a mailing list called Iberia.

(The e-list is, by the way, a useful resource for people interested in news about the activities that Spanish speaking community in Great Boston do together, and events in which Spanish is a "basic ingredient"; http://web.mit.edu/iberia/).

Below is the list of suggested authors and books.

El bandido adolescente, Ramon J. Sender.
Primavera con una esquina rota, Mario Benedetti.
En el nombre de Salomé, Julia Alvárez.
Sin Noticias de Gurb, Eduardo Mendoza.
Confieso que he vivido, Pablo Neruda.
Aura, Carlos Fuentes.
Cien años de soledad, Gabriel García Márquez
El amor en los tiempos del cólera, Gabriel García Márquez
Memoria de mis putas tristes, Gabriel García Márquez.
Noticia de un secuestro, Gabriel García Márquez.
Crónica de una muerte anunciada, Gabriel García Márquez.
Cuentos, Gabriel García Márquez.
Final del juego, Julio Cortázar.
Todos los fuegos el fuego, Julio Cortázar.
Jugando con fuego, Walter Riso.
Océano, Yaiza y Maradentro (una trilogía), Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa.
La tabla de Flandes, Arturo Pérez-Reverte.
La casa de los espíritus, Isabel Allende.
El plan infinito, Isabel Allende.
Cuentos, Azorín.
La casa en Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros.
El príncipe destronado, Miguel Delibes.
La loca de la casa, Rosa Montero.
¿Qué me quieres, amor?, Manuel Rivas.

In another post I will focus on answering if finding these titles in Spanish is a realistic task in Cambridge (though reading them in English would still be worth it).