March 11, 2022 by Luis F. Dominguez Our Top Picks, Reading Practice in Spanish 0 comments

20 Best Intermediate Spanish Books for Adults (B1-B2)

Reading is an act of power. It cures ignorance, opens doors to other worlds, and stimulates curiosity and creativity. And reading in Spanish adds even more value to your literary experience as it shows you a practical way to use the language.

Novels and books in Spanish take you far beyond grammar lessons or lists of irregular verbs—they immerse your mind in a culture that is foreign to you.

The list of books we’ll look at today are perfect for intermediate Spanish learners at level B1 or B2.

What is Intermediate B1 and B2?

If you’re familiar with the CEFR’s ratings then seeing “Spanish level B1” isn’t such a mystery to you. Maybe you’ve even tested yourself and you know that you fall somewhere between B1 and B2. CEFR considers a learner at this level an “independent user.”

What does that mean, specifically?

Well, at B1 Intermediate Level, a Spanish learner can:

Understand family, work, school or leisure-related topics.
Communicate well in most travel situations.
Read and write simple texts on topics of personal interest.
Briefly describe experiences, events, opinions, and personal goals.

At B2 Upper Intermediate Level, a Spanish learner can:

Understand the main ideas of complex literary and technical texts.
Interact spontaneously with native speakers.
Read and write detailed texts on a wide range of subjects.

Intermediate Spanish Books: Novels and Textbooks

In this blog post, we’ve got a list of intermediate Spanish novels you’ll love as well as a selection of intermediate Spanish textbooks.

Why both?

Well, if you are just entering the intermediate realm as a B1 level Spanish learner, then you will also benefit greatly from the extra practice and experience that a textbook provides.

On the other hand, if you’re comfortable with more complex texts as an upper intermediate Spanish learner, then our long list of novels will certainly inspire your next trip to the library!

Take your pick, mix and match, and overall—have fun with it.

How to Pick the Right Spanish Book

“No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting.”

—Mary Wortley Montagu

Montagu’s wise words about reading reveal a secret to success when it comes to choosing a book: make sure it’s entertaining!

The fact is, we don’t like to read books that are boring or antiquated—and this is a universal preference. Reading is meant to be an act of joy, exploration, and most of all, mind-expansion.

When you look for your perfect Spanish book, choose a topic that fascinates you and motivates you at every page-turn to push beyond the inevitable obstacle of incomprehension.

As you peruse the first few pages of potential books to add to your personal Spanish library, you want to focus on texts that are hard enough to challenge you but not so hard that you end up in despair.

What’s more, the story must be compelling enough to get you through the first two chapters, which are often the hardest as you learn to follow the author’s pace and word-choice.

Find Your Perfect Intermediate Spanish Novel

Sometimes your intuition is all you need to guide you when you run across a novel that seems perfect.

Other times, you’ll need to check off a list of criteria to help you pick the best one for your level.

While looking through your choices, keep in mind that your Spanish novel should be:

Exciting, to keep you engaged and willing to push through it.
Contemporary, to provide you with modern language, not outmoded words or phrases.
A professional publication, so as to avoid spelling and grammar errors.
Not too academic or technical, to avoid reading Spanish that you would never use in conversation.
Not too long, ideally between 200-500 pages.

Intermediate Spanish Novels & Dual Language Texts

All of these books fall into the category of “intermediate Spanish” because they have short sentences, use simple language, and they’re written in simple tenses (past, present, future).

Other books that join this category are parallel text books with English and Spanish translations.

Without further ado, let’s see some of your options!

1. La sombra del vientoby Carlos Ruiz Zafón

La sombra del viento (Shadow of the Wind) is widely recognized as Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s masterpiece. Set in the aftermath of the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War in the Barcelona of 1945, it tells the story of a boy who finds a cursed book that will change his life forever.

Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

2. La casa en Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

La casa en Mango Street by Mexican-American writer Sandra Cisneros uses a series of vignettes to tell the story of a young Latina girl who grows up in the impoverished Hispanic quarter of Chicago (just like the author) and decides to take control of her own life, leave Mango Street, and someday get a house for herself.

Genre: Coming-of-Age
Rating: 5/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

3. El coronel no tiene quien le escriba by Gabriel García Márquez

If you think you’re ready to enter the extraordinary world of Colombian Nobel Prize Winner author Gabriel García Márquez, El coronel no tiene quien le escriba (No One Writes to the Colonel) is the book I recommend starting with.

This short novel is a true gem that shows glimpses of García Márquez genius that he later unleashed in Cien años de soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude).

Genre: Historic novel
Rating: 5/5
Electronic versions: Audiobook

4. Herencia maldita by Ángeles Goyanes

Spanish author Ángeles Goyanes delivers one of her best works in this suspense-filled thriller that traps you from the beginning and will keep you reading into the late hours of the night.

Don’t expect a traditional Spanish novel, though. Herencia maldita (Cursed inheritance) explores Buddhism and reincarnation, and the main character is an Anglosaxon millionaire.

Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

5. Todos mis cuentos by Ana María Matute

Ana María Matute was one of the best Spanish writers of the 20th century. A member of the Royal Spanish Academy and winner of the prestigious Premio Cervantes in 2010, Matute put together this collection of delicious short stories that have captivated Spanish-speaking readers for decades.

Genre: Short stories
Rating: 4/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

6. Manual para mujeres de la limpieza by Lucia Berlin

This fascinating collection of short stories by American author Lucia Berlin is a literary miracle acclaimed by book lovers. Story after story, Berlin impresses with her honesty and experimental writing that took the literary world by storm.

Genre: Short stories
Rating: 5/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

7. Sin noticias de Gurb by Eduardo Mendoza

Popular Spanish writer Eduardo Mendoza, creates a satirical story where an alien named Gurb gets lost in the streets of Barcelona. Through the adventures and misadventures of Gurb, Mendoza reflects about the true face of modern humans.

Genre: Satirical
Rating: 4/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

8. Eva Luna by Isabel Allende

One of the most renowned novels by Chilean author Isabel Allende, Eva Luna is a portrait of her nation told through the eyes of a gifted storyteller.

In the story you’ll find a European refugee, a Lebanese emigré, and a transexual entertainer, among many other enigmatic characters.

Genre: Magical realism
Rating: 4/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

9. Juan Salvador Gaviota by Richard Bach

This classic novela by Richard Bach is a distinguished member of the tradition of feel-good, quasi-mystical, personal growth books like The Little Prince and The Alchemist. Juan Salvador Gaviota (Jonathan Livingston Seagull) is a different kind of seagull, one that isn’t worried about finding fish to eat, but rather perfecting his flying craft.

Genre: Personal growth
Rating: 4/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

10. El Principito by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Speaking of classics, El Principito (The Little Prince) is the perfect story that seems to be written for kids, but it’s actually talking to adults.

A pilot lost in the desert is trying to fix his plane when a little prince appears and starts asking difficult questions about life and the universe.

Genre: Personal growth
Rating: 5/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

11. Short stories in Spanish for Intermediate Learners by Olly Richards

Eight fun stories specifically written with an intermediate learner in mind. They’re designed to meet the reading skill level of B1-B2 Spanish students according to the Common European Framework of reference (CEFR).

Genre: Spanish learning
Rating: 3/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

12. ¿Me voy o me quedo? by Juan Fernandez

Another book is specially written for intermediate Spanish learners. This short novel tells the story of a young Englishman who wants to learn Spanish and actually become Spanish. To achieve his goal, he starts drinking sangria and dancing flamenco, among other things.

Genre: Spanish learning
Rating: 3/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

13. Un café en Buenos Aires by Estefanía Quevedo

A short story designed for Spanish intermediate students of B2 level. This time, the story focuses on the trip of a Londoner to the bustling city of Buenos Aires in Argentina. An exotic tango dancer and discovering a secret about himself will change his otherwise tranquil life forever.

Genre: Spanish learning
Rating: 3/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

14. Climate change by Olly Richards

Olly Richards specializes in writing interesting books for Spanish learners. In this case, he takes on one of the most important topics of our times: climate change.

This book features over 30 well-researched chapters about climate change written in conversational Spanish perfectly adjusted for B1-B2 learners.

Genre: Spanish learning
Rating: 3/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

15. Cuentos de la selva by Horacio Quiroga

Eight short stories by Uruguayan author Horacio Quiroga where animal and people characters interact with each other in the jungle of Paraguay.

These stories were originally written for Quiroga’s children. Hence, the language used is accessible and easy to read. However, the depth of the stories has made Cuentos de la selva (Stories from the jungle) a classic of Latin American literature.

Genre: Short stories
Rating: 4/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

16. La frontera de Cristal by Carlos Fuentes

This collection of nine stories explores the busiest border in the world, the US-Mexico border. Mexican author and Premio Cervantes winner Carlos Fuentes, dissects with methodical detail the relationships, discrimination, violence, and connections that made that border one of the most interesting places in the world.

Genre: Short stories
Rating: 5/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

17. El camino by Miguel Delibes

Published in 1950 and written by Spanish author Miguel Delibes, El camino (The road) is set in post-war Spain.

The story is told by a Spanish boy who has to leave his village to go study in the city. Before leaving, he goes on a series of adventures and memories that shows the beauty of life in the countryside.

Genre: Costumbrist
Rating: 5/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

18. Aura by Carlos Fuentes

This short novel by Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes is still studied in Latin American high schools, due to its straightforward use of the language and deep exploration of the concept of identity. It’s an experimental novel that showcases the huge talent of Fuentes.

Genre: Magical realism
Rating: 5/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

19. Comedia de locos by Paco Ardit

A group of theater actors living in Barcelona have the dream of writing and producing their own play.

Follow this interesting group of friends and the crazy adventures they live while chasing their dream. This novel is written for B1 Spanish learners.

Genre: Language learning
Rating: 3/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

20. Historia del año by Juan Fernandez

This entertaining story about a new year has been carefully designed for Spanish intermediate learners at the B2 level. It includes comprehension exercises and a series of YouTube videos featuring live narration of the story.

Genre: Language learning
Rating: 3/5
Electronic versions: Kindle

Dual Language Books

Mexican Short Stories / Cuentos Mexicanos: A Dual-Language Book by Stanley Appelbaum (Editor, Translator)
Brothers Grimm: Green Book (Spanish-English) by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm
Spanish Short Stories: Cuentos en Español (New Penguin Parallel Text Series) by John R. King (Editor)
Stories from Latin America / Historias de Latinoamérica by Genevieve Barlow
Y no se la tragó la tierra… and the Earth Did Not Devour Him (Bilingual Edition) by Tomás Rivera

Intermediate Spanish Textbooks

When it comes to choosing the right textbook for you, it’s all about your preferences: the pace you like, the methods you prefer, and the type of information you want to learn.

While looking for a textbook that suits your needs, it’s important to read as many reviews as possible to see how others perceived their use of it.

Explore your options as in-depth as possible before confidently making your purchase.

Here are three textbooks that get plenty of positive reviews and have had an impressive impact on Spanish learners.

1. ¡Buen camino! A Reading & Listening Language Adventure in Spanish

By Mercedes Meier

Amazon Review: “What an excellent and refreshing way for students of all ages to advance in their Spanish-learning journey! I have been looking for books for my beginner, intermediate and advanced students to improve their vocabulary while giving them confidence that they can understand most of what is going on. And, I found it! I just finished the book and it left me wanting to know what happens next in Jenna’s adventure. Great story-telling adapted for language learners. Highly recommended.” — Haydee

2. Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish: A Creative and Proven Approach

By Margarita Madrigal

Amazon Review: “For the price, this book is tough to beat as a self-study method for learning Spanish. It’s not perfect. Originally published in the 1950s and never updated, some of its lessons have to do with taking dictation or sending telegrams. Don’t expect lessons on emailing or text messaging here. But the fundamentals of the Spanish language haven’t changed much since the ’50s, and fundamentally the book is rather useful.” — Quinn Fox

3. No Nonsense Spanish Workbook: Jam-packed with grammar teaching and activities from beginner to advanced intermediate levels

By Caitlin H Cuneo

Amazon Review: “It really is a workbook instead of trying to be a textbook. It doesn’t have vocab lists or cultural sections or long, complicated instructions. Instead, it’s all about the activities. I’ve seen a few people say in reviews that there is no answer key. There IS an answer key; it’s on the author’s website. Altogether, this book gets 5 stars from me because it does exactly what it promises to do better than any other resource I’ve yet found.” — Jack

Balance Reading and Speaking Skills

Reading Spanish is an excellent way to improve your fluency, but you will need to balance it with an element of speaking.

Remember, the key to acquiring a foreign language is to harmonize your inputs and outputs; in other words, to read as much as you speak! Sign up today for a free class with a native Spanish-speaking teacher at HSA and tell them all about the books you’re planning to read.

If you’d like, you could even ask your teacher to read the book with you and explore its elements and vocabulary together. Give it a try!

Not sure if you want to sign up? Learn more about our free trial class:

Join one of the 40,000 classes that we teach each month and you can experience results like these

“It’s great being able to interact with native speaking people and having a conversation with them not just doing all the work on paper. It’s also an amazing opportunity to speak with native Spanish-speaking people without having to travel to a native Spanish-speaking country.”

– Melanie

“HSA offers very affordable, quality, one on one classes with a native speaker. My son has greatly benefited from taking classes. We have seen his confidence increase as well as his pronunciation improve, because he learns from a native Spanish speaker. HSA has quick, personal customer service. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!”

– Erica P. Parent of 1

“Getting to know wonderful teachers who care about me and my growth in language and education. Evelyn Gomez and Erick Cacao are two of the most extraordinary people I have ever met, and talking with them in Spanish at the beginning of classes is always so fulfilling and greatly contributes to my happiness, joy, and wellbeing.”

– Abby

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Luis F. Dominguez

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Luis F. Domínguez is a freelance writer and independent journalist interested in travel, languages, art, books, history, philosophy, politics and sports. He has written for Fodor’s, Yahoo!, Sports Illustrated, Telemundo, and Villa Experience, among other brands of print and digital media in Europe and North America.