Looking to boost your GRE reading comprehension? These handpicked fiction and nonfiction books will sharpen your vocabulary, train your eye for tone, and help you follow complex arguments—exactly the skills the test demands.
To do well on the GRE, you have to master reading comprehension. Almost half of the verbal section, about 14–15 questions, comes from it. If you struggle with Reading Comprehension, you cannot expect to ace the test.
Its obvious that if you want to improve, you need to build skills that the test measures. That means learning how to follow an author’s reasoning, catch the tone, understand the context, and recognize the subtle shifts in his argument.
Nothing prepares you better for reading comprehensions than the habit of reading widely. Books and articles across different subjects sharpen your ability to process arguments quickly.
Even if you already read a lot, the GRE adds time pressure. Only consistent practice and habit of reading helps you handle that.
That’s why I’ve put together this recommendation list. These books won’t just get you ready for the reading comprehension section, they’ll also build your vocabulary in context.
Before starting, if you want to take a mock practice test for GRE, you can visit this page. You can also check your GRE readyness by taking this free 25-word vocabulary test, especially designed for GRE.
What to read
The GRE includes passages from a range of fields: economics, philosophy, science, anthropology, religion, politics, and more. Most passages are nonfiction, so it makes sense to read works that reflect those areas.
The nonfiction books I suggest below are especially useful because their authors make some arguments, present evidence to support them, challenge opposing views, and expose flaws in reasoning. That’s exactly the kind of thinking the test demands.
Still, I’ve also added a few works of fiction. They’re not only engaging but also push you to read closely under pressure, which is good practice for exam conditions.
Here are the list of books you should read to improve your comprehension on GRE test :
Non-fiction
Here are some book recommendations divided into various categories
Anthropology and Evolution
1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Highly popular non-fiction book of 21st century. Harari tells the story of humanity from the very beginning right up to modern times. He shows how our species went from small bands of hunters and gatherers to global societies running on money, religion, and data.
One of his bold claims is that humans succeed because we create and share “fictions” like laws, gods, and nations that help us cooperate in huge numbers. The book is sweeping and covers everything from agriculture to capitalism to artificial intelligence, so you’re constantly moving between different areas of knowledge.
Why it’s good for GRE: This kind of big-picture argument forces you to pay attention to author bias, assumptions, and provocative claims. It’s excellent practice for learning how to evaluate a thesis, pick apart evidence, and keep track of how smaller arguments fit into a much bigger one.
2. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
In Collapse, Jared Diamond explores why some societies in history flourished while others fell apart. He looks at places like Easter Island, Norse Greenland, and the Maya, comparing their choices about the environment, resources, and politics. The book mixes history, science, and anthropology to argue that bad decisions and failure to adapt often bring civilizations down. It feels like detective work across centuries, with Diamond piecing together clues from geography, climate, and culture.
Why it’s good for GRE: The book’s comparative case studies train you to spot parallels and contrasts—exactly what GRE RC often demands. You’ll also practice connecting examples to bigger arguments, drawing inferences about causes, and following complex reasoning spread over long chapters.
3. The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond
Diamond argues that humans aren’t as different from other primates as we like to think. He explores how traits like language, art, agriculture, and even destructive habits like war and environmental damage come from our primate heritage. The book moves between biology, anthropology, and history, showing how human uniqueness is both real and limited. It’s broad, ambitious, and forces you to shift gears as he jumps across fields.
Why it’s good for GRE: Because the book covers so many disciplines, you have to stay alert to scope changes and the author’s qualifiers. That makes it great for practicing synthesis—piecing together ideas across paragraphs—and recognizing when an author is hedging or making cautious conclusions.
4. Guns, Germs, and Steel — Jared Diamond
This Pulitzer Prize winner tackles a huge question: why did some civilizations develop faster than others? Diamond argues that geography, available crops, domestic animals, and diseases—not innate differences—explain much of world history. He pulls evidence from archaeology, ecology, and history to show how environment shaped the rise of civilizations. It’s a sweeping book that blends science with storytelling.
Why it’s good for GRE: GRE passages often involve multi-cause explanations, and this book is a masterclass in that. You’ll practice separating correlation from causation, keeping track of multiple factors, and spotting how evidence from different fields builds one overarching argument.
5. The Selfish Gene — Richard Dawkins
In this classic, Dawkins flips the way most people think about evolution. Instead of focusing on individual animals or even species, he argues that the real “units of selection” are genes. He explains why behaviors that seem selfless—like helping others—actually make sense if you think about genes trying to survive. The book is packed with thought experiments and examples from nature, which makes it both fascinating and challenging.
Why it’s good for GRE: The arguments unfold across chapters, and you need to keep track of claims, examples, and evidence. Practicing with a book like this strengthens your ability to identify the main idea, follow complex logic, and tell apart an example from the actual argument.
Ethics and Philosophy
6. The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins
This book tackles one of the biggest debates in science: how life looks so perfectly designed without actually being designed. Dawkins explains step by step how evolution by natural selection works, showing how small, gradual changes over time can build up into the incredible complexity we see in nature. He uses examples like the human eye, genes, and even computer simulations to make his case. The writing is dense but very logical, with clear arguments and counterarguments.
Why it’s good for GRE: Reading this helps you practice following long chains of reasoning, spotting counterclaims, and paying attention to tone. Dawkins also uses a lot of words you’ll see on the GRE, and the book forces you to connect examples back to the main idea, which is exactly what GRE passages test.
7. Animal Liberation by Peter Singer (1975)
Singer’s groundbreaking book makes the case for animal rights. He argues against speciesism—the idea that human interests always outweigh animal interests—and critiques practices like factory farming and animal testing.
Singer doesn’t just state his view; he lays out objections and responds to them carefully. The book is provocative and pushes readers to rethink everyday assumptions about morality.
Why it’s good for GRE: It’s a perfect model of argumentative writing. You’ll get practice mapping premises and conclusions, following counterarguments, and distinguishing between what is (descriptive) and what ought to be (normative). These are exactly the reasoning skills GRE RC questions test.
8. Thinking, Fast and Slow — Daniel Kahneman
Kahneman, a Nobel Prize winner, explains how our brains use two systems: fast, intuitive thinking and slow, deliberate reasoning. He shows how biases and mental shortcuts often lead us astray, using examples from psychology experiments and real-life decision-making. The book is packed with insights into how people actually think versus how they believe they think. It’s long, but written in a way that mixes science with everyday relevance.
Why it’s good for GRE: The book teaches you to read carefully through definitions, conditions, and subtle distinctions—exactly what GRE passages require. It also helps with vocabulary in context and parsing nuanced claims, which strengthens inference and precision.
9. Freakonomics — Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner
This bestseller applies economic reasoning to surprising topics, from crime rates to parenting advice. The authors argue that incentives drive behavior in unexpected ways and back their claims with data and stories. It’s written in a lively, entertaining style, so it feels less like a textbook and more like uncovering secrets about how the world works.
Why it’s good for GRE: GRE passages often give you surprising conclusions backed by evidence. This book helps you practice connecting arguments with data, evaluating whether evidence is relevant, and spotting assumptions that tie claims together.
10. The Undercover Economist — Tim Harford
Tim Harford explains the hidden economics behind everyday life. Why do coffee prices vary so much? Why do supermarkets put certain products at eye level? He unpacks concepts like scarcity, externalities, and information gaps using simple but clever examples. The writing is accessible but full of ideas that stretch your thinking.
Why it’s good for GRE: You’ll practice tracking abstract ideas through concrete examples, a core GRE skill. The clear explanations help you recognize author’s purpose, shifts in tone, and how examples are used to build an argument.
11. Nudge — Richard Thaler & Cass Sunstein
This book shows how small “nudges” in the way choices are presented can help people make better decisions, without taking away freedom. The authors combine psychology and economics to explain how “choice architecture” works, giving examples from retirement savings to health care. It’s practical, readable, and often surprising.
Why it’s good for GRE: GRE passages love arguments with caveats and qualifications, and Nudge is full of them. Reading it trains you to notice concessions, counterarguments, and shifts in modality—essential for mastering tone and stance questions.
Science and Scientific Reasoning
12. Bad Science — Ben Goldacre
Goldacre, a doctor and science writer, takes apart the way media and companies misuse science. He shows how poor experiments, bad statistics, and misleading claims get passed off as fact. The book is witty, sharp, and full of real-world examples—from nutrition fads to pharmaceutical trials.
Why it’s good for GRE: You’ll sharpen your ability to evaluate evidence and spot flaws in reasoning. It’s especially useful for practicing inference about whether a claim is strong or weak, which is exactly the kind of critical reading GRE demands.
Cognitive Science and Language
13. The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker
Pinker argues that humans are born with an instinct for language, shaped by evolution. He mixes linguistics, psychology, and biology to explain how we learn and use language. The book takes on rival theories and uses lots of examples from everyday speech, making complex science feel approachable.
Why it’s good for GRE: The book trains you to track competing explanations and weigh evidence. It’s also great for practicing inference with technical terms—you often have to guess meaning from context, just like on the GRE.
14. Metaphors We Live by George Lakoff & Mark Johnson
This short but influential book argues that metaphors aren’t just figures of speech—they actually shape how we think. The authors show how concepts like time, argument, and morality are built on metaphorical frameworks, often without us realizing it. It’s thought-provoking and changes the way you notice language in daily life.
Why it’s good for GRE: The text is abstract and conceptual, which forces you to read slowly and carefully. It’s perfect practice for picking up connotation, subtle tone, and shifts in definition, which often come up in GRE questions.
Public Policy and Law
15. The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
Haidt explores why people disagree so strongly on politics and morality. He argues that our moral judgments are shaped more by intuition and group loyalty than by pure reason. The book is rich with research and examples, explaining why liberals and conservatives often talk past each other.
Why it’s good for GRE: GRE passages often describe competing viewpoints and ask you to identify the author’s stance. This book helps you practice tracing causal arguments, detecting subtle tone differences, and separating the author’s perspective from those he’s reporting.
16. Superforecasting — Philip Tetlock & Dan Gardner
This book looks at why most expert predictions fail and how some people consistently forecast better than others. The authors analyze what makes a “superforecaster,” including habits like breaking problems into smaller parts and updating beliefs when new evidence comes in. It’s part research study, part practical guide, and surprisingly engaging.
Why it’s good for GRE: It teaches you to evaluate reliability and conditional claims, both of which come up in GRE passages. You’ll also get practice with argument structures that rely on evidence, limitations, and careful nuance.
Fiction books
While nonfiction is best for understanding author’s arguments, logic, and tone, fiction, especially the classics written more than a century ago, helps you in a different way.
These books use a wide range of words, sentence structures, and expressions that aren’t common in everyday speech but appear often on the GRE.
Reading them strengthens your vocabulary, your ability to spot connotation, and your comfort with long, complex sentences.
So, here are some of the fiction books you can read to sharpen your comprehension skills.
17. Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen
Austen’s classic novel follows Elizabeth Bennet and her complicated relationship with Mr. Darcy. It’s witty, filled with social satire, and explores themes of class, pride, and love in 19th-century England. The dialogue is sharp, and the narration often hides irony between the lines.
Why it’s good for GRE: The vocabulary is rich and slightly old-fashioned, exactly the kind that shows up in GRE questions. You’ll also get practice picking up tone and irony, which are tested in reading comprehension.
18. Jane Eyre — Charlotte Brontë
This gothic novel tells the story of Jane, an orphan who struggles with hardship, independence, and love. Brontë combines emotional intensity with vivid descriptions of settings and characters. The book’s moral themes and psychological depth keep it both gripping and demanding.
Why it’s good for GRE: The prose is full of advanced words, layered sentences, and shifts in mood. Reading it trains you to parse long passages and recognize tone, both of which matter for GRE RC.
19. Great Expectations — Charles Dickens
Wildly popular novel by one of the most recoznizable names of Victorian era. Dickens tells the story of Pip, a poor boy who dreams of becoming a gentleman. The novel is full of memorable characters, dramatic twists, and social commentary. Dickens is known for detailed descriptions and long, elaborate sentences.
Why it’s good for GRE: The text forces you to manage long paragraphs and tricky sentence structures, while also giving you exposure to words and idioms common in older English but still tested on the GRE.
20. Wuthering Heights — Emily Brontë
This dark tale of love and revenge is set on the Yorkshire moors. The novel’s unusual structure and complex relationships make it haunting and unforgettable. Its tone shifts constantly between passion, bitterness, and melancholy.
Why it’s good for GRE: The book’s emotional language and descriptive passages give you excellent practice in interpreting connotation and mood. It also exposes you to elevated vocabulary and older English style.
21. The Picture of Dorian Gray — Oscar Wilde
Wilde’s only novel tells the story of Dorian Gray, a young man who remains outwardly youthful while his portrait ages and reveals the corruption of his soul. It’s a mix of gothic horror, philosophy, and social satire.
Why it’s good for GRE: Wilde’s prose is elegant and witty, with a wide vocabulary. The book challenges you to interpret layered meanings and ironic tone, which is close to how GRE passages test subtle author attitudes.
How to read books for GRE preparation
When you’re reading, focus on following the author’s argument closely and don’t lose too much time on any single part. If you run into a word you don’t know, don’t grab the dictionary right away.
First, see if you can figure it out from the context. Most of the time, the meaning becomes clear from the sentences around it, and tone being used. Words learned this way tend to stick much better.
If the meaning still isn’t obvious, it’s fine to look it up. Just make a quick mark with a pencil, and after you finish reading, note those new words in a journal. That way you’re building a personal word bank while also training yourself to read actively, not passively.
Takeaway
If your goal is to build vocabulary and reading skills for the GRE, don’t lock yourself into one type of book. Variety is key. Read across genres such as history, science, philosophy, fiction etc. Different styles of genres force you to adapt in a new way.
At the same time, mix in shorter, GRE-style material with your novel reading. Articles from The Atlantic, Scientific American, or even journal abstracts are close to the length and density of actual test passages.
If you read widely, practice with GRE-style passages, and learn to stay calm with technical sections, your comprehension, speed, and vocabulary will all grow together. That’s the real secret: not just reading more, but reading smarter.
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