watashi wa tokidoki toshokan de shousetsu o yomimasu.

I sometimes read novels at the library.

Breakdown of watashi wa tokidoki toshokan de shousetsu o yomimasu.

• は: topic particle
• 私わたし: I
• を: direct object particle
• 読よむ: to read

Questions & Answers about watashi wa tokidoki toshokan de shousetsu o yomimasu.

Why do we use は after 私? What does it do?

は is the topic marker.

• 私 = “I / me”
• 私
  • は = “As for me / speaking about me”

So 私は sets “I” as the topic of the sentence.
In English we usually don’t mark “topic” explicitly, but Japanese does.

In this sentence, 私は is basically “I”, but with a nuance of “as for me, (I) sometimes read novels at the library.”

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Can I leave out 私 and just say: 時々図書館で小説を読みます？

Yes, and that’s actually more natural in many situations.

In Japanese, the subject (like 私) is often omitted when it’s clear from context.
So:

• 時々図書館で小説を読みます。
  = “(I) sometimes read novels at the library.”

People will assume “I” from the situation, unless the context clearly points to someone else.

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What’s the difference between は and が here? Could I say 私が時々図書館で小説を読みます?