I've always found it's good to read translations of books you're familiar with - especially when you start off. If you know the plot, it stops you looking up the words you don't know, and you just pick them up from the context - much easier to get the flow of the thing, and I personally found I absorbed new words as a result. I started with people like Dick Francis and Ruth Rendell - lots of French translations available.
It may not be everyone's cup of tea but, when I'm learning a new language, I start with the bible. That's because I have grown up with it (and no, I'm no longer religious) and I practically know all the well known bits by heart. For example, I have bought the French version of the new testament and, because I know Luke best of all, I have started with Luke in "Les Quatre Evangiles"
Then there are things like the 23rd psalm: For everything there is a season......etc, etc.
At the moment I am reading Aesop's fables in French as interpreted by Jean de la Fontaine. Nothing like memorising something like "Le corbeau et le renard" about the crow and the cheese to really get the learning juices flowing.
Don't know if any of this is helpful but I grew up with traditional schooling!
I understand the suggestion of reading a familiar author but wouldn't myself have the commitment to read a book a second time to learn French phrases.
What works for me is to read on a subject that I find absolutely fascinating or have a real thirst for more knowledge of, this keeps me motivated and reading.
I am currently reading the French translated "Les isles heureuses d'Océanie" by Paul Theroux and have been for a long time, I read at night as I dont usually sleep well, in the past if a book (in English) was really interesting I would often not sleep at all for many hours or would wake up and read again in the middle of the night.
This bad sleep pattern has been totally cured since I started reading French books, it strains the grey matter to such a degree that after a few pages I sleep right through.
Today I got through the post from my belle mêre a copy of "Birdsong" by Sabastien Faulks which should be interesting as it is set in my area during WW1, however I am going to give it to my French teacher to read and try to buy a French copy if it exists.
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