The single biggest reason people quit reading in a new language is difficulty. They open a book meant for native speakers, hit a wall of unknown words, and decide reading is "not for them yet." It is — they just picked the wrong text.
The 90 percent rule
You want to understand roughly 90 to 95 percent of the words on a page without help. That leaves just enough unknowns to learn from, but not so many that you lose the thread of the story.
If you are stopping to look up every other word, the text is too hard. If you never meet a new word at all, it is too easy.
Level up gradually
As reading gets comfortable, nudge the difficulty up. Add longer sentences, less familiar topics, and more abstract ideas. The goal is a steady, gentle stretch — never a cliff.
Comfortable plus a little is the sweet spot for growth.
Let the text adapt to you
With Bonobon, you set your level from beginner to advanced and the text is generated to match. As you improve, raise the level and the writing grows with you — same topics, more challenge.
Start where you are, not where you wish you were. Progress takes care of itself.