94000d wrote:I'm particularly interested in the question of how to get input at this level, like TV and books. It seems like TV has a lot of informal vocabulary and idioms, and books have lots of obscure words.
Of course, you're B2 and not C1 or C2. It is normal a lot of stuff looks difficult. But you are at the ideal starting point. If you want to primarily have fun in the language (you've earned it!), then maintenance and slow (or less slow) progress are extremely similar.
Start with easier books and tv series. A perfect starting point can be a tv series you already know and like, just in a new language. A book that you already know in another language and love (that's why so many people start with Harry Potter, but there are many other options). Easier genres rather than very complex classics, longer things are also better to start with (you get used to one style, set of actors, or writer, improve, and later switch to something else.)
If something feels hard, remember that initial difficulties are totally normal. If it is too hard, just put it aside and return to it later. You should notice the first "jump" of improvement after a few episodes of a tv series or a few dozen pages, that's the panic wearing off
Then after approximately one season of a tv series and one or two books. Than gradually, at a pace that may be hard to notice daily or weekly.
So, to make it more clear:
1.fun and interest in the content should be the priority. You need to spend a lot of time on these activities, so don't get bored
2.create an acceptable learning curve, don't demand perfection from yourself right away
3.spend hundreds of hours maintaining, and you're likely to end up accidentally in the C levels, at least comprehension wise