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A Beverage History: On the Drink That Changed the World

4 Mandarin, Books

While studying Chinese, I decided to read this tea history, as a window into Chinese culture. Five thousand years of culture is a little overwhelming, and I thought picking a small corner might be more manageable. Thus, a tea book,…

Read & Speak Korean for Beginners

2-5 Korean, Books, Multimedia

I barely used Read & Speak Korean for Beginners by Sunjeong Shin, but I am not a fan of this series, which offers similar books for multiple languages. Right on the cover of this Korean edition, it promises…

Your First 100 Words in Greek: Kind of Fun, But Not Very Effective

3 Greek, Books, Flashcards, Vocabulary

Your First 100 Words in Greek by Ioanna Psalti helps you develop basic vocabulary and a familiarity with Greek script. The vocabulary is divided into various thematic categories, such as animals, clothing, household items, etc.—helpful stuff…

For Verb Practice

3 French, Books

Practice Makes Perfect: French Verb Tenses by Trudie Maria Booth is appropriate for advanced beginners, intermediate, and advanced students. I am in general partial to books on verbs, because verbs are so central to language and communication.…

Read & Speak Greek for Beginners: Kind of Cute

3 Greek, Books, Multimedia

On the title page, this Read & Speak Greek for Beginners book/CD combo annoyingly promises to be “the easiest way to learn to communicate right away!” Ridiculous. But it’s cute for what it is. There are…

Schaum’s Outline of Italian Vocabulary: This Was Not Very Exciting

2 Italian, Books, Vocabulary

Finally! An Italian book that gives you syllable-stress information (most don’t). I find that very helpful. But that’s really about all I liked about Schaum’s Outline of Italian Vocabulary. I didn’t like it aesthetically—…