{"id":5895,"date":"2024-10-01T10:00:40","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T17:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gre\/?p=5895"},"modified":"2020-11-25T00:00:07","modified_gmt":"2020-11-25T08:00:07","slug":"gre-vocabulary-books-recommended-fiction-and-non-fiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gre\/gre-vocabulary-books-recommended-fiction-and-non-fiction\/","title":{"rendered":"GRE Vocabulary Books: Recommended Fiction and Non-Fiction"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For those of you regularly browse the shelves of bookstores, to simply walk in and pick up a book that is captivating and charged with GRE Verbal<\/a> type of language is tantamount to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.<\/p>\n

To save you the time of engaging in such a futile\u00a0search, here are some recommended reads that are topical, engaging, and filled with enough GRE vocabulary<\/a> to keep you frequently underlining unfamiliar words and adding them to your pile of GRE vocab flashcards.<\/p>\n

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The Best American<\/em> Series<\/h2>\n

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The annual Best American<\/em> series<\/a> culls the best writing from hundreds of journals and magazines. Not only are you provided with engaging and informative articles and stories, but you also can choose from a variety of subjects. That\u2019s right \u2014 the Best American<\/em> series is not one book, but many books, broken down into different genres.<\/p>\n

Nonfiction<\/h3>\n

For nonfiction aficionados, one option is to check out The Best American Science and Nature<\/em>\u00a0series. And, for those who are a little more intrepid, and up for the truly challenging stuff, The Best American Essays<\/em> is for you. The thoughtful, eloquent prose therein will prime your brain for the more-difficult elements of the GRE’s verbal section.<\/p>\n

You can also find some excellent GRE-like nonfiction reading in the following options: Best American Sports Writing<\/em> (yes, sports writers use GRE vocab as well), Best American Travel Writing<\/em> (travel writers love descriptive GRE words), and Best American Food Writing<\/em>. Food writers use some very flowery–or should I say floury<\/em> \ud83d\ude0f writing that is absolutely GRE-worthy.<\/p>\n

Fiction<\/h3>\n

If you prefer fiction for your GRE practice, the Best American<\/em> line of books still has you covered. The Best American Short Stories<\/em> is a great place to start; it gives you a wide variety of stories. But if you like specific genres of fiction, you may enjoy GRE reading practice with Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy<\/em> or Best American Mystery Stories<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Last but certainly not least, there is The Best American Nonrequired Reading<\/em>. This series collects both fiction and nonfiction. If you want to read the widest possible variety of texts, this is a good all-in-one option.<\/p>\n

So, whatever your predilections, The Best American<\/em>\u00a0series has something to tickle your fancy. Or, for a potpourri of genres, styles, and voices, you can order the whole bunch. Your reading brain will grow exponentially.<\/p>\n

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The Classics<\/h2>\n

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A great place to start for fiction is the Classics. I lean towards 20th-century literature. Especially from a GRE prep angle, the language, and the way words are used, is more consonant with the language found on the GRE. If you find the works of Jane Austen or Charles Dickens highly enjoyable reading, read them!\u00a0Indeed, they use GRE words such as supercilious<\/em>, peremptory,<\/em> and impetuous<\/em>\u00a0as though those words were colloquial (perhaps back then they were).<\/p>\n

Otherwise, you can try Modern Library\u2019s Top 100 Fiction Works of All Time<\/a> (they also have a non-fiction list<\/a>) if you need some guidance on where to start reading. Besides the odd take on language, namely James Joyce\u2019s Finnegan’s Wake<\/em>, most of these novels will have many GRE vocabulary words.<\/p>\n

By the way, a\u00a0fun little tidbit: if you want to read the first few pages of any of these books to see whether\u00a0the story is for you and whether GRE words abound, go to Amazon. Click on the image of any novel and you will be able to read at least the first ten pages of it (depending on the book, you can read much more than that). <\/p>\n

From doing this Amazon preview experiment myself, I discovered that novels by Robert Ludlum and Agatha Christie are especially GRE-like. What GRE-practice worthy novels can you find? Feel free to share your recommendations in the comments below.<\/p>\n

Tips and Tricks for Reading Practice<\/h2>\n

It’s important to remember that the resources I’ve shared with you collect a wide variety of writing. While nearly all of the writing is good for GRE prep, some of the novels, essays, short stories and so on will be more useful to you than others. Here are a few tips and tricks for using the books above.<\/p>\n