Best French Books, Newspapers & Magazines for Learners (All Levels)

Why is it important to read in French? And why is it such a crucial part of your learning process? Why couldn’t watching movies in French be enough?

Reading stimulates the brain and broadens your cognitive abilities. It is a fantastic way to improve your understanding of linguistic structures, helps you calm down and focus, and can be practiced in different ways: aloud, in a low voice, or in your head.

It is also the most effective way to acquire new vocabulary, often considered “quality language.” Thanks to written support, the vocabulary you learn is broader than that of informal and spoken language.

It is widely believed that reading regularly will also positively impact your writing and oral fluency. Reading well-constructed sentences, especially if you read them aloud, allows the brain to assimilate the information properly.

For upper-intermediate learners, reading in a foreign language is excellent for learning new structures and grammatical rules. It also helps you understand the nuances of a language, which is great for reaching an advanced level of linguistic skills.

Victor Hugo wrote: « Lire, c’est boire et manger. L’esprit qui ne lit pas maigrit comme le corps qui ne mange pas. » Reading is like eating and drinking. The mind that doesn’t read becomes as thin as the body that doesn’t eat.”

Now that you are probably 100% convinced that reading is of the utmost importance, I won’t keep you on your toes any longer and will give you some “food”!

Recommendations according to categories

All types of reading supports are valid and relevant as they will all give you different “experiences” and expose you to different kinds of writing styles and content.

Newspapers

Below are some benchmark newspapers for those keen on learning about the economic situation, sports, games, entertainment, trade, and social matters in a country. Reading the paper is a great way to broaden your view of the world and keep up to date with the latest news:

• Le Monde is the most-read daily in France.
• Libération describes itself as a daily newspaper that is freethinking, responsible and committed.
• Le Figaro is the oldest French daily still being published.
• Le Parisien is another very popular daily that is particularly nice because it covers national, regional, and even more specific news related to the city of Paris and its suburbs.

Magazines

Magazines are a good way to practice your comprehension skills by reading short paragraphs and stories.

Reading a French magazine will also teach you about French culture and allow you to expand your vocabulary by reading about different topics.

The following ones are more adapted for upper intermediate learners and include sports, arts, culture, traveling, and science.

• Ça m’intéresse: It features interesting topics in various areas, such as science, culture, health, and society.
• Science et avenir: This popular science magazine is published weekly.
• Géo: A magazine that will make you go to many fascinating places worldwide.
• L’équipe Magazine: L’Équipe is about sports events and stories around and about sports and sportspeople.
• Les Inrockuptibles: Les Inrockuptibles are reviews, critics, and news about entertainment and culture.

Note: If you are looking for an application, Cafeyn is a digital subscription service offering unlimited access to hundreds of newspapers and magazines, including lifestyle, politics, reading for kids, sports, and the arts.

Comics (classic and modern)

• Les aventures de Tintin

The Adventures of Tintin is a comic created by the Belgian Hergé. Tintin is a young reporter always traveling with his doggy, Milou. He is going through some riveting adventures together with Captain Haddock and Professor Tournesol.

• Astérix

Asterix is a French comic written by René Goscinny. It is about the adventures and life of the brave and friendly inhabitants of a small Gaulish village who, in 50 BC are the only one to keep on resisting against the invasion of the Roman, thanks to a magic potion that their druid invented and that gives superhuman strength to anyone who drinks it!

• Gaston Lagaffe

Gaston Lagaffe is a very funny comic, also written by a Belgian, André Franquin. Gaston is a clumsy and extremely lazy office worker, always overwhelmed and exhausted, ending up breaking things or worse making them explode. 

• Boule et Bill

Boule et Bill, never two without three: this is another successful Belgian comic, probably aiming at a younger audience but that everyone loves. The comics are about the family adventures of a young boy Boule and his dog Bill, with whom he has a very close and endearing relationship.

• La tectonique des plaques, Margot Motin

In a completely different style, much more modern, wacky, feminine and Parisian too, we invite you to discover Margaux Motin, with, to name only one, her comic La tectonique des plaques. Binge-drinking, screw-ups, 35-year-old single mother, new crazy love affair with her best buddy and other chaotic events in her life, that’s what Margaux Motin relates in this comic with some really nice illustrations.

• Culottées, Pénélope Bagieu

And to finish, another amazing woman you need to read is Pénélope Bagieu. Pénélope Bagieu found 15 audacious women from all times for each volume, from antiquity to the present day, who have, in their lifetime, acted in such an audacious way that it changed their whole existence forever, and by extension, society as a whole. It is an inspiring, clever and powerful read, shedding the light on some amazing women who were forgotten or invisibilized throughout time.

Novels: Melting pot

• L’Étranger, Albert Camus, 1942: A classic novel that goes into the theme of the absurdity of existence through the main character Meursault, desperately looking for the purpose of life shortly after losing his mum and ending up committing murder.
• L’Écume des jours, Boris Vian, 1947: It is considered a masterpiece of the Surrealist movement. This peculiar and mystical tale takes you to a fantastic universe where poetry can be found in the most trivial things of life.
• Exercices de style, Raymond Queneau, 1947: It is one of his most famous works. This amazing book tells the exact same story 99 times but is written in 99 different ways. It is one of the richest books you’ll ever read in terms of vocabulary and a unique way of juggling with words, tone, humor, formal language, slang, and nuances.
• Zazie dans le metro, 1959: It is a novel full of wit and funny characters taking place in Paris. This is the novel Queneau remains best known for.
• La Saga Malaussène, Daniel Pennac, 1985–2023: A treasure of French literature, this saga mixes so many subjects and characters and is so addictive that French people wished it would never end. However, after nine books, it finally came to an end in 2023 with “Terminus Malaussène.” So, what is it about? Well, a bit of everything! Police investigation, romance and murder, family drama and thriller, all in Paris’s rough district of Belleville.
• Demain j’arrête, 2011 / Ça peut pas rater !, 2014 / Mon tour de manège, 2023: Gilles Legardinier is our contemporary master of feel-good novels: humor, emotion, and reflections on everyday life are his ingredients to keep his readers happy!
• Plus grand que le ciel, Virginie Grimaldi, 2024: She could be Gilles Legardinier’s feminine equivalent, but her personality makes it interesting to compare! 🙂 In 2020, she ranked second among the 10 best-selling French novelists in the country. Her style is contemporary literature with a touch of feel-good. Her novels explore universal themes such as family, love, relationships, and introspection, and she deals with these topics with humor and a light tone.
• La fille de Brooklyn, 2016 / Un appartement à Paris, 2017, Guillaume Musso: For the past twelve years, he has been the best-selling author in France. In 2022, he sold close to 1,400,000 books. He writes thrillers, often mixed with a tragic love story. His style is recognizable through his very short chapters, which are always very visual, almost cinematographic, and with lots of dialogue.

Conclusion

Reading in French is one of the best ways to grow your vocabulary, understand grammar better, and get a real feel for the language. Whether you enjoy novels, comics, magazines, or newspapers, there’s something for everyone. Try different types of texts, have fun exploring French culture, and don’t be afraid to read things that challenge you a little. The more you read, the more confident and fluent you’ll become. Bon courage et bonne lecture !