Shadowing Practice: 10 books EVERYONE should read at least once in their life (fiction book recommendations) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

If you came to me and said,

⏸ Paused

Speed:

332 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

If you came to me and said,

Leah, I'm only ever going to read 10 books in my entire life.

What should I read?

Here are the 10 books that I would recommend to you.

I did a very similar book recommendations video about a month

ago for the 10 books I think you must read this year.

However, as much as there are so many books out there that I feel like everyone should read in their lifetime,

I really tried to narrow these down to 10 where I truly believe

that everybody reading them could get something out of them,

even if it's not their predominant genre,

even if they've never tried that genre before.

In this stack we do definitely have fiction,

literary fiction, modern classics, non-fiction and poetry.

Also a little bit of fantasy

and I am just in love with all of these books

and I think if you're going to only read 10 books in your life,

babe it has to be these.

Just before I go through these books,

if you yourself have any recommendations that you think I should read in my lifetime,

if anyone else should read in their lifetimes,

please comment them down below.

So we'll tell you see I suppose if you've read any of these and you also agree,

please let me know.

I'm always happy to discuss all of these books,

they are some of my favourites ever but we are just going to get straight into the recommendations.

Kicking it off with a book that it took me a long time to finally get to.

I was intimidated by this book for a really really long time

And I had absolutely no reason to be

That is the goldfinch by donna tart the secret history by

donna tart is one of my favorite books of all time And I really wanted to love this.

However, I knew it was long I didn't really know what to expect

But oh my god when I say

that this is one of the best reading experiences i've ever

had for a literary fiction book in my entire life I mean it

if you do not know what the goldfinch is about we essentially follow our protagonist theo the book begins

when he is 14 years old.

One day him and his mum decide to go to a museum

and as they are wandering around this museum a catastrophe happens and his mum dies.

The Goldfinch is a story so steeped in grief following Theo essentially throughout his entire life.

We've really become accustomed to him and all of his decisions in life,

the way he navigates his life.

Very much talking about the lengths that we go to in order to carry on especially in the face of adversity.

It is such a moving, poignant, really heartbreaking read.

One that is so beautiful.

Donna Tarr as a writer is just so masterful.

I mean, everyone knows that by now with The Secret History,

but this is just truly beautiful.

When I read this, I really soaked it all up in.

I took my time with it.

That's definitely the best thing to do with this book.

Obviously, it's quite long, but you will probably fly through it.

The audiobook is also great.

However, the last,

I would say 100 pages of this book are some of

the best 100 pages I've ever read in any book in my entire life.

It was astonishing you cannot help but resonate with them

and for that it has to be a book that everybody reads in their lifetime.

Up next at the time of me filming this this is the most recent book

that I finished so for it instantly to be in a 10 books

that I think everyone should read in their lifetimes video it was insane it is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burr.

This book has just been published so I think

if you just want to be ahead of the curve in the literary fiction genre you should read it anyway

but this is definitely the literary fiction book of 2026.

I did not know exactly what to expect going into this book

and I really recommend going into it knowing as little as possible.

So all I'm going to say is in Yesteryear we are following our protagonist Natalie who is an influencer

but she is also a tradwife.

Think the Nara Smithification of TikTok.

She is a character that at once feels incredibly morally grey but also very human and very raw.

She talks about her inauthenticity towards her job and being an influencer.

Also very much in being a mother and being a partner and being a woman in this world.

It is so full of nuance.

But one day she wakes up in the 1800s and she has to live the life that she has been profiting from.

There is so much to unravel with this book.

I feel like there are gonna be an abundance of conversations surrounding it just because of how rich in discussion it is.

I found myself so compelled by her story and by her character,

even when I really, for the most part,

did not agree with her at all.

It does talk at length about religion and conservatism and how politics really goes into the act of influencing and social media.

Kind of, I suppose, the discussion surrounding the surveillance and also the scrutiny of living a life online.

And can you be entirely authentic if you do that?

I feel like this book is incredibly current,

incredibly relevant, and it's perfect for the weird girl fiction lovers.

I'm so intrigued to see if the weird girl fiction,

if this is going to pave the way for influencing and the dark side of being an influencer in that sphere.

It was just such a fascinating and really compelling read

and I am honestly just expecting it to pop up in so many videos for the rest of the year,

so many posts, everyone's favourite books of the year.

I'm very excited to engage in a lot of conversations surrounding this

and I feel like because it's really current and a one that everyone should read.

Up next we have a poetry book that I'm actually currently reading

but the reason that I feel like I can confidently recommend this is because it's from one of my favourite poets.

This book in particular is a collection from so many of her other smaller collections.

So I've read a lot of these poems already and that is Devotions by Mary Oliver.

I am a massive believer that even if you do not read poetry,

you need to be reading a Mary Oliver.

She creates this grand love for the natural world, for nature.

She devoted her entire life to writing about nature and she does it in a way that is so beautiful.

And beautiful doesn't even cut it.

100

I feel like they're just so transcendent.

101

There really aren't enough words to be able to describe the way

102

that her poetry makes me and hundreds and thousands of other people feel.

103

They are endlessly so eloquent and they really do make you feel so at home and so at ease with nature.

104

Reading this in say the spring or the summer in a patch of grass,

105

the best experience, the best reading experience you can probably ever have.

106

I also deeply believe that these are really accessible.

107

So like I said, if you do not read poetry,

108

if you're maybe a little bit intimidated by the poetry genre,

109

this is such a great one to start with.

110

I have fallen in love with every single poem from her

111

that I've ever read but this collection is also like the best of the best

112

so I would highly recommend picking this up.

113

It is beautiful, the perfect time of the year to do

114

so and I really just truly think if everybody read Mary Oliver's poetry and the way she talks about nature,

115

the world would honestly just be a happier place.

116

Love her.

117

Next we have my favourite book of all time

118

and being a reader

119

and somebody asking you what is your number one favourite book of all time can sometimes feel a little bit complicated.

120

There are an abundance of books and I feel like it's going to be like

121

that in my entire life where I read a book and I'm like this is my favourite.

122

No this is my favourite.

123

No this is my favourite

124

but this book truly to my core is my favourite number one book of all time

125

and if you're not new here you'll know exactly what that is.

126

It is Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector.

127

I'm a little bit more dubious recommending this to everybody because I feel like Clarice Lispector is very unique in her prose.

128

It is very stream of consciousness and I know not everybody loves that.

129

However I would absolutely urge you one to try Clarice Lispector just

130

because in my opinion she's the greatest writer that has ever existed.

131

Also this book is so beautiful.

132

If you are a young girl in your 20s,

133

I believe that she wrote this when she was 23,

134

Near to the Wild Heart talks at length about what it is like to be a young woman in this world,

135

navigating your 20s, navigating your partnerships and your romance,

136

what you want to do with your life.

137

Clarice Inspector's books are quite philosophical but again in a way

138

that I do feel like are quite accessible if you are intimidated or new to that scope.

139

She does consider at length in all of her books the afterlife,

140

how you can live a life that is completely moral.

141

Is it possible to be completely moral?

142

Morality versus mortality.

143

All of her books are so singular and so unique and so eloquent,

144

but this one has to be my favourite.

145

Every quote in this left my jaw on the floor.

146

I really read this at such a pivotal time in my life

147

and I truly would recommend it to everybody no matter what age you are.

148

But I do think if you're a young woman in your early 20s specifically,

149

there is just something in this book that will resonate with you

150

so deeply and she's just the best writer that I have ever encountered in my entire life.

151

She resonates with me on a level that no one else ever truly has.

152

To my core this is undoubtedly the best book that I've ever read in my entire life.

153

My favourite.

154

So obviously

155

if I'm doing a book recommendations video of what 10 books

156

I really feel like everyone should read at least once in their life this has to be one of them.

157

Whilst we're talking about favourite books this book was my top favourite book of 2024

158

and that was It Last Forever and Then It Is Over by Anne DeMarcon.

159

Absolutely another one where I really do recommend going into knowing as little as possible

160

but I do feel like all you should know is that we are essentially following a girl in the afterlife.

161

She doesn't know how she got there,

162

she cannot remember her name or her life previous,

163

all she can remember is that she loved this one thing.

164

As the reader, as we're reading it initially we have no idea what this one thing

165

that she is infatuated with is and it makes the whole book so enamouring,

166

it is so compelling, it is so bittersweet,

167

there are real moments in this full of so much joy but equally full of so much heartache.

168

At once, it is a post-apocalyptic read,

169

but on the flip side,

170

mirroring that, it is a read so steeped in humanity

171

and what it is like to be human

172

and how our memories really carry us and what happens when we can no longer remember.

173

The second that I finished reading this in 2024,

174

I was like, yeah, not only is this the best book that I've read this year,

175

but it is also one of the best books I've ever read in my entire life.

176

All of these doggies, too,

177

are quotes that I just fell in love with.

178

There is truly not really any other book like this that I've ever read.

179

It's so singular, it's so haunting and it is just truly a book that everyone should read.

180

It's also just under or just over 100 pages just over.

181

Please read it.

182

One that I do feel like is so deeply popular but for such an apparent reason is Beartown by Frederick Buckman.

183

First and foremost if you have not read any Frederick Buckman,

184

babe you need to.

185

If you don't start with Beartown I would recommend starting with my friends.

186

That was on my past book recommendations video.

187

If it wasn't in there,

188

it would have been on this list.

189

But Beartown is the first book in a trilogy that is

190

so astounding that it is quite literally one of the highest rated books on Goodreads I've ever seen

191

and it's everyone's favourite book ever.

192

When you really strip back to its bones what this book is about,

193

it's actually quite simple.

194

We are set in a town called Beartown.

195

It is a tiny town at the edge of a forest

196

and ice hockey is the primary love of everyone in this town.

197

When it comes to the characters,

198

there is such an ensembled cast.

199

We follow some of the people on the ice hockey team,

200

we follow their parents, we follow the teachers,

201

we follow everybody in this town.

202

It would be rather difficult to pinpoint one sole protagonist in this book series

203

because we follow everybody and Frederick Buckman does it in a way that is superb.

204

I really feel like there is something so masterful

205

when crafting a book that even your secondary characters feel like real primary characters bringing the book forward.

206

In this book without a doubt we do discuss heavier topics.

207

I would definitely recommend trigger warnings however it is dealt with so much care and so much nuance.

208

The core of this book is human,

209

it is so incredibly raw,

210

again the way that Frederick Buckman writes characters,

211

he's another author where all of his characters feel like real people in my brain.

212

In spite of these books having so much packed into them they are quite accessible

213

if literary fiction is not your predominant genre but just loving the character arcs,

214

this book series honestly wrecks me.

215

Also is one of the most astounding beautiful things I've ever read,

216

one of my favourite book series ever and you need to read it.

217

Next we have two non-fiction books.

218

Now I am not a massive non-fiction reader however there are a handful of ones I have read

219

that I truly believe everyone would get something out of if they were to read them.

220

Firstly we have one that is definitely a little bit more niche however I am

221

so deeply fascinated by this topic and it is something

222

that everyone can resonate with and that is Philosophy of the Home by Emmanuel Coquia.

223

I read this I want to say again 2024,

224

a five-star non-fiction book for

225

which is unheard of there is something about the conversations the discussions

226

and as the title suggests the philosophy of a home

227

that really really captivates me evidently it is such a privilege to have a home

228

but experiencing having a home and moving

229

and all of the tiny minute details of a home

230

that oftentimes we wouldn't even consider is something

231

that I love exploring this I did read as research for my own fictional novel

232

that I'm writing however even outside of that I was just

233

so completely enamoured

234

and again the dog is I was completely completely astounded by

235

this book to give you a brief idea of the contents

236

of this book what we are exploring in this book we

237

have moving love bathrooms household articles wardrobes twins white powder social media bedrooms

238

and corridors pets forests and gardens kitchens and the new home

239

or the philosopher's stone it was just honestly breathtaking I feel like it's a book

240

that I'm going to return to multiple times in my life

241

and it just makes you look at your home in such a different way.

242

Also with somebody who doesn't read predominantly non-fiction,

243

this at times read like fiction,

244

which is why I think I enjoyed it a lot more than I would have

245

if it read like an actual hardcore text.

246

It was so good, everyone needs to read it.

247

And the second non-fiction book that we have on this list

248

that again I feel like everyone needs to read at least once in their life,

249

I've spoken about this book an ungodly number of times.

250

That of course is The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Joan Didion.

251

Joan Didion.

252

I am so in love with this woman and everything she writes.

253

I'm in love with what her mind was.

254

But if you do not know anything about the year of magical thinking,

255

it is a memoir on grief when she lost her husband.

256

And it is so poignant.

257

It is so raw and it is so difficult to read.

258

As somebody who did experience grief quite young,

259

reading this in my early twenties,

260

it really shaped the way that I carried my grief,

261

the way that I navigated grief.

262

And I feel like it is a book,

263

again, I'm going to be returning to my entire life.

264

If you are somebody who has experienced grief, I cannot recommend enough.

265

You need to read this book.

266

I will never ever stop shouting it from the rooftops because it's so important grief often feels like such an isolating Experience,

267

but unfortunately and also slightly magnificently It is something

268

that every single person every single living thing on earth

269

that has ever experienced at any time ever Has experienced it can

270

and it often does feel so isolating and everyone's journey with grief is so individual and so singular However,

271

it is so important for the community aspect and reading this when you're going through grief is life-changing

272

literally life-changing we only have two more books to recommend

273

but this next book is the shortest book on this entire list

274

and also is one that i feel like i've spoken about a lot more

275

so in the sense that i cannot believe more people aren't reading this

276

and more people are not talking about it

277

and it is hex by jenny fagan another one i suppose of my niche interest is witchcraft

278

and reading about witchcraft whether it is a non-fiction or historical fiction

279

and this is a fictionalized account of gilis duncan who was the youngest girl ever prosecuted for being a

280

which as you can imagine,

281

based on that prospect, it is so heartbreaking and it's just so confronting and it is unfortunately still so relevant.

282

It is quite shocking how relevant a book like this is to our current day and age,

283

but even separating it from that,

284

we follow her one night,

285

her last night, and it is breathtaking.

286

It is so eloquent.

287

The writing is absolutely astonishing.

288

This is a book that I believe is like 80 pages.

289

You can read it in one sitting.

290

I really don't know why more people don't read this.

291

It is heartbreaking, like grab the tissues,

292

don't get me wrong, but it is such a beautiful read that again I feel like everyone should read.

293

And last but certainly not least we have one of my favourite fiction books from recent years

294

and that is Marta by Kavir Akbar.

295

This book is so clever,

296

it feels like it's one of those literary fiction reads that really transcends time.

297

At times it also does lean slightly historical fiction.

298

In Marta we are essentially following a protagonist who has recently lost both his mum and his dad,

299

so as you can imagine grief is again a topic of discussion.

300

Parting losing his family and all of his grief and really trying to navigate where he is in his life now,

301

what he wants to be,

302

what he wants to do,

303

he becomes deeply infatuated with the idea of becoming a martyr.

304

Because of the premise

305

that we are following of course at times it does feel slightly hard to read

306

because it's so confronting and he really just goes through the lengths of wanting to be a martyr,

307

wanting his life and wanting his death more so to mean something.

308

He is such a compelling character to follow.

309

He is a character that I personally really resonated with

310

and then as the book proceeds he one day unexpectedly meets this person.

311

I really truly feel like that is all you should know before going into this.

312

Of course again because of the subject matter if you need to read trigger warnings I would definitely recommend doing that.

313

At times it is heavy however more so than anything it is beautiful.

314

It is so eloquently written.

315

It is incredibly heart-wrenching.

316

At times it even feels slightly miraculous and it is such a feat in storytelling that I think everyone should experience.

317

So those were the 10 books that I truly believe everyone should read at least once in their lifetimes.

318

As always if you've read any of these,

319

if you love them, if you even didn't like them please let me know.

320

As I also said at the beginning if you have a book recommendation

321

that you are a firm believer everyone should read at least

322

once in their life please also feel free to comment it down below.

323

I absolutely always take your guys's recommendations but

324

if there is definitely a book that you feel like I need to read in my lifetime,

325

I'm probably going to prioritise it above everything else.

326

As always too, if you did enjoy this video and you are new here,

327

it would mean the absolute world if you would consider subscribing and sticking around.

328

And yeah guys, that is it from me.

329

Thank you so much for being here and for spending some time with me today.

330

I really, really hope you enjoyed and I will see you again very,

331

very soon with another video.

332

you

TRENDING

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

☕ Buy us a coffee

ShadowingEnglish remains 100% free thanks to your support. Server and AI costs are high — your coffee keeps us going! 🙏

Donate via PayPal

ShadowingEnglish.com – English Shadowing Practice

Speak English fluently using the Shadowing technique. Listen to native YouTube videos, repeat sentence by sentence, and build real pronunciation and fluency — used by IELTS learners worldwide.

Shadowing Practice: 10 books EVERYONE should read at least once in their life (fiction book recommendations) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

Popular

Context & Background

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing Practice: 10 books EVERYONE should read at least once in their life (fiction book recommendations) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

Download App

Context & Background

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

What is the Shadowing Technique?