could anyone recommend any further reading for french and spanish about different aspects of culture and society or some literature please? I really don't know where to start with the further reading thing.
I subscribe to a French magazine, which is sent to me every other month, called 'La Vie Outre-Manche' from Concorde publications. It's great as it has a range of different short articles, there is a parallel text every issue, and there are various colloquial or useful phrases that are included, and then translations given for these or other words that probably wouldn't be known. I would highly recommend it for A-Level French learners! Unlike a general French magazine it's specifically for English readers, which is why I would say it's more beneficial than a French newspaper, for example.
With Spanish, unfortunately I'm not doing so well in finding a similar magazine. There don't seem to be any Spanish magazines for learners, only Spanish magazines... It may be useful to go on Spanish newspaper websites, like 'El Pais', to get some extra reading and general knowledge about the goings on!
Another thing I'd recommend is watching films! They're far more entertaining (in my view!) than reading, and they're definitely beneficial. Obviously they will be subtitled (as shockingly you can't buy foreign language films without English subtitles over here!) but it's still helpful because you can listen to what was just said and then piece it together with the translation, which for me definitely helps to get more of an understanding of the colloquial language!
When I started reading French literature last year, this is what I read:
L'Etranger - Camus
La Peste - Camus
L'Exil et le Royaume - Camus
Lais de Marie de France (but Medieval, make sure you have the translation)
Supplément au voyage de Bougainville - Diderot
Candide - Voltaire
L'Avare - Moliere