The Best Chinese Language Books You’ll Ever Read: Chinese Breeze Book Review
I love studying Chinese, and although I do not mind reading the occasional Chinese textbook, sometimes you just want something fun to read. Sometimes you want a book that you can just open up to any page, at any free moment, and enjoy without worrying about needing a dictionary or being bored to death by a text written more for language acquisition than entertainment.
One day, after months of searching on the Internet, I found a series of books called Chinese Breeze that fit my needs. Ever since finding these books, I haven’t purchased any Chinese language books outside of the Chinese Breeze series, and you won’t either.
Here are several reasons why Chinese Breeze will be the last Chinese language books you will ever read:
Chinese Breeze Books Are Entertaining
While traditional Chinese language textbooks are important for building language competency and are sometimes filled with great cultural and grammatical insights, traditional textbooks are not fun.
Chinese Breeze books are entertaining because a team of writers—language professors and professional writers—wrote these books with the goal of entertaining the reader.
To illustrate, I remember when I read my first Chinese Breeze book (title: Wrong, Wrong, Wrong). This book is about a detective investigating the death of a woman who was living with her twin sister, and I was very surprised by the subject matter. Think about it: When was the last time you read a story about a murder and a detective investigation in Chinese? Most likely never.
There are also pictures. I love pictures!
Chinese Breeze Books Can Be Read is a Short Amount of Time
Reading a typical Chinese novel that goes on for hundreds of pages can be taxing on the brain. This taxing reading process can take hours to decipher chapters. This slow reading process is especially true if you are like me and need to use a Chinese-English dictionary, and after a couple of days of going through this agony, I lose interest in the book.
In contrast, I have finished every Chinese Breeze book I’ve started because the chapters are brief. Each book is one short story about 50-70 pages long, which makes these books a “breeze” (hehe!) to read.
The Chinese Breeze Series has Books for Different Vocabulary Levels
I have yet to find a book in Chinese (not a language textbook) that I have been able to completely understand. The only books that I have been able to find that are suitable for my vocabulary level are children’s books.
Chinese Breeze has created a market for itself by creating short stories made for older readers with limited vocabulary. Chinese Breeze has series of books at the 300, 500, 750 and 1,100 vocabulary levels, and from my own reading experience, each book, builds on the vocabulary of the last one.
Chinese Breeze Books are Great for Sharpening Your Grammar, Speaking and Listening Skills
Although I can read above the 1,100-vocabulary level, I still read Chinese Breeze books at the 300, 500, and 750-word levels, so that I can focus on how the sentences are structured to improve my ability to express myself in Chinese. I also listen to the supplemental audio files that come with each book to improve my listening skills. I can also test my reading comprehension by answer the chapter review questions at the back of the book.
Chinese Breeze Books Leave You Feeling Confident and Accomplished about Learning Chinese.
If you have studied Chinese, you know how humbling learning the language can be. But Chinese Breeze books do not leave you feeling dejected, and I love hanging out at the local Starbucks with a cup of coffee as I read a Chinese Breeze book. There is no need to open a dictionary, and reading these books is the closest I have ever come to feeling like a native reader. I can sit back, relax and enjoy reading Chinese without the mental stress I get from reading Chinese-language textbooks or articles.
Chinese Breeze books will the last Chinese language books you will ever buy, and I recommend getting all the books, no matter your Chinese language level. In fact, I have two Chinese Breeze books in my bag as I write this article, just in case I have some free time to read. When was the last time you carried around a book in Chinese for casual reading? I know before finding Chinese Breeze, I never read Chinese for pleasure, and I doubt if you did, too.
Where To Buy Chinese Breeze Books?
The cheapest version of these books can be purchased on Amazon for under ten dollars. There are even Kindle versions available.
Here are some links to my favorite titles that I think you might enjoy:
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong (300 Vocabulary Word Level)
Secrets of a Computer Company (500 Vocabulary Word Level)
The Painted Skin (750 Vocabulary Word Level)
The Competitor (1,100 Vocabulary Word Level)
After you read a Chinese Breeze book, let me know your thoughts. I am very interested to know what you think about the series. You can email at info@blacklifechina.com.