Learning a new language can be a bit daunting at first, especially if the language you're trying to learn is very different from your mother tongue. However, remember that all it takes to learn a new language is perseverance and patience. Anyone can learn Spanish! You just have to take your time and practice, practice, practice. The best option would be to study spanish abroad, where you'll be practicing 24/7!
One of the ways to learn Spanish is by reading Spanish books. At first it's hard, but it will help you build up your vocabulary, and soon you'll be reading in Spanish with no problem! Remember, however, that you will have to start by reading children's books (or something as easy) and progress slowly towards books closer to your age range.
Here are some techniques that may be useful:
Most of the Spanish books in this page are very difficult for beginners, especially those written in old Spanish like Don Quixote. You can attempt to read them later, when you've been learning Spanish for some time, or if you decide to take our Spanish courses in Spain (the Spanish immersion will make your learning experience quicker and more fun). Meanwhile, there are thousands of other less ambitious books that will really help you to learn Spanish.
We all agree the best children's tales are the classic ones from the Grimm Brothers or Christian Andersen. If you've already read them in English, it will be even easier to understand them in Spanish, and you can compare one to the other to help you learn even more. So, do you feel like giving them a try?
If you're at this level, you're probably ready to read some more complex stuff like short stories. Again, a good idea is to try and read Spanish books you've already read in English so you can grasp the concepts easily enough and the reading won't become boring. Here's an excellent page with the best short stories of the universal literature, and if you feel like trying your hand at something more complex, Pio Baroja and Ruben Dario has some excellent tales.
At this level you're probably able to read almost any Spanish books mentioned on this page, except maybe the books written in old Spanish. We recommend you try out books like "Platero y yo", "Lazarillo de Tormes", "Crónica de una muerte anunciada" or "La familia de Pascual Duarte", for example. However, remember these are just suggestions and you can look for some books that may be more to your liking.