Καλό φθινόπωρο! (Kalo fthinoporo= enjoy autumn in free translation)

Autumn is the  season of apple picking, watching season premieres and reading.

This post is about material related to reading. My list is rather limited, I’m afraid, as material for A1 students is almost inexistent. For C2 level students, on the contrary, the list never ends: they practically read what native speakers read. The printed books are available on online stores.

A. Printed Books (for students of all levels)

1. “ Μία δόση τρέλας» ΔΗΜΗΤΡΑ Α. ΔΗΜΗΤΡΑ, Νόστος (“Mia dosi trelas” DIMITRA A. DIMITRA, Nostos ed.)   (10 short stories written in a simple language, 1200-1500 words)

2. Greek easy readings by Deltos publishing (A series of original detective stories and adventure tales for students of all levels. Vocabulary provided in Greek, English, French and German). You can find a description of each book here: http://deltos.gr/en/stories/

• Level 1
  • Το περίπτερο στην Αριστοτέλους, Νένη Κολέθρα (To periptero stin Aristotelous, Neni Kolethra)
  • Ποιος είναι ο Α.Μ; (Poios einai o A.M.?)
  • Ξενοδοχείο Ατλαντίς, παρακαλώ (διασκευή) (Xenodoheio Atlantis, parakalo). ( Adapted)

• Level 2
  • H Nίκη και οι άλλοι, Νένη Κολέθρα (I Niki kai oi alloi, Neni Kolethra)
  • Έναν Αύγουστο στις  Σπέτσες, Κλεάνθης Αρβανιτάκης (Enan Avgousto stis Spetses, Kleanthis Arvanitakis)
• Level 3
  • Το μοντέλο που ήξερε πολλά (διασκευή) (To modelo pou ixere polla) (Adapted)
  • Διακοπές στη Σαντορίνη, Νένη Κολέθρα (Diakopes sti Santorini, Neni Kolethra)
• Level  4
  • Κανάλι 35 , Λίλη Εξαρχοπούλου (Kanali 35, Lili Exarhopoulou)
  • Περιπέτεια στη Μάνη, Νένη Κολέθρα (Peripeteia sti Mani, Neni Kolethra)
• Level  5
  • Tο μυστικό του κόκκινου σπιτιού, Αργυρώ Μαργαρίτη (To mystiko tou kokkinou spitiou, Argyro Margariti)

3. Mythology in Easy Greek by Deltos publishing. For a description of the books go here: http://deltos.gr/en/mythology/

• Level 3
  • Οι Δώδεκα Θεοί του Ολύμπου, Κλεάνθης Αρβανιτάκης (Oi Dodeka Theoi tou Olympou, Kleanthis Arvanitakis)
  • Μύθοι, Μαρία Αρώνη (Mythoi, Maria Aroni)
  • Ήρωες, Μαρία Αρώνη (Iroes, Maria Aroni)

B. Books used in high school (For intermediate and advanced students)

http://www.pi-schools.gr/books/gymnasio/ Books used in high school. Students of level >B1 can find  original texts in Modern Greek. Just follow the links to «Κείμενα Νεοελληνικής λογοτεχνίας Α, Β, Γ, γυμνασίου, βιβλίο μαθητή» or to «Νεοελληνική Γλώσσα Α’ ,Β’, Γ’ γυμνασίου, βιβλίο μαθητή».

 

 C. Bilingual food blogs (for students of all levels)

Greek cuisine could be the topic of a separate entry. The resources that can be found online are unlimited. These bilingual blogs give, not only access to Greek recipes, but can also be the source of  new vocabulary related to food and cooking.

http://cookandfeed.blogspot.gr/

http://foodjunkie.eu/greek-recipes/

http://mylittleexpatkitchen.blogspot.gr/p/about.html

 

D. Free e-books (for upper intermediate and advanced students)

http://www.kavafis.gr/ C level students or students of Greek literature can find here a list of Kavafis’ poems.

http://www.snhell.gr/ This link gives you access to the digital library of the Center of Neohellenic Studies (Σπουδαστήριο Νέου Ελληνισμού, Spoudastirio Neou Ellinismou). You can find, among others,  literary texts, poems,  and useful weblinks.

http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/languages/el Access to various books written in Classical and Modern Greek.

http://www.openbook.gr/ A selection of Greek literature and Poetry.  There’s also a selection of children e-books by Greek authors or translated .

http://www.ebooks4greeks.gr/A list of literature and  also history, religion, music and computer books.

http://www.free-ebooks.gr/gre/ebooks/index A selection of literature but also e-books about Classical authors such as Aristotle, science, computers, art, cooking, psychology, music, dictionaries comics and children books.

 

E. Newspapers and news portals online (for upper-intermediate and advanced students)

http://www.mme.gr/pbgr-politikes.htm Greek newspapers in digital form.

http://tvxs.gr/ An independent Greek news portal.

www.in.gr

www.portalnews.gr

 

Tips on choosing the right book

1. Be careful of translations. Reading your favorite book in translation seems to be a good way to keep a student motivated about learning a language. However, keep in mind that the translations of best sellers are not always accurate: translators have to work on short deadlines and sometimes the result is poor work.
2. Avoid children books if you are beginner or pre-intermediate.  Children books are shorter but not easier than adult books. Sometimes they contain literary words and expressions and figures of speech whose meaning is too difficult for beginners.
3. Avoid books that are too challenging for your level. If you’re not sure if a book is right for you, just don’t buy it. Getting the wrong book is not only a waste of money, but also a source of frustration.