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Best Yiddish Language Instruction

The New Joys of Yiddish: Completely Updated
With the recent renaissance of interest in Yiddish, and in keeping with a language that embodies the variety and vibrancy of life itself, The New Joys of Yiddish brings Leo Rosten’s masterful work up to date. The work explores the nuances and complexities of language, clarifying the interrelationship between Yiddish and English (Yinglish, according to Rosten). The revision incorporates additional material on modern Yiddish literature and culture and updates on changes in American Jewish life and faith. Completely updated it's not.
Reviews
"Throughly enjoyable informative and inviting to repeat reads."
"Entertaining and informative."
"VERY FUNNY AND VERY WELL DONE."
"A classic!"
"A friend follows a popular author who occasionally uses a Yiddish word or phrase in his writing."
"This is a very complete book, easy to use."
"A must for all Yiddish speakers and people amused by Yiddish words - especially Yiddish words and phrases that are now in common use all over the world."
"Oy!"
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Born To Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All Its Moods
Its phrases, idioms, and expressions paint a comprehensive picture of the mind-set that enabled the Jews of Europe to survive a millennium of unrelenting persecution: they never stopped kvetching ---about God, gentiles, children, food, and everything (and anything) else. In Born to Kvetch, Michael Wex looks at the ingredients that went into this buffet of disenchantment and examines how they were mixed together to produce an almost limitless supply of striking idioms and withering curses (which get a chapter all to themselves). Canadian professor, translator and performer Wex has an academic's breadth of knowledge, and while he doesn't ignore your bubbe 's tsimmes , he gives equal time to the semantic nuances of putz , schmuck, shlong and shvants . Overall, however, this treasure trove of linguistics, sociology, history and folklore offers a fascinating look at how, through the centuries, a unique and enduring language has reflected an equally unique and enduring culture. Canadian professor, translator and performer Wex has an academic's breadth of knowledge, and while he doesn't ignore your bubbe's tsimmes , he gives equal time to the semantic nuances of putz , schmuck , shlong and shvants . this treasure trove of linguistics, sociology, history and folklore offers a fascinating look at how, through the centuries, a unique and enduring language has reflected an equally unique and enduring culture."
Reviews
"This is an extremely interesting book focusing on deep cultural aspects of Central European Jewish culture that are reflected in the structure and idioms of Yiddish."
"First of all full disclosure, possible conflict of interest: I know Michael Wex and think he is a genius. Also, I come from a similar background having sat in a yeshiva (rabbinical seminary) for several years, so I identify with much of what he discusses. Anyone with the least interest in European Jewish culture will find this work to be a gold mine. It is the quintessential Eastern European Jewish voice with a beautiful Canadian undertone. The tone, the flow, the candence are all classic kvetch with a generous contribution from Leonard Cohen. I find it totally wonderful that the publisher would have Michael read his own work; it is a stroke of genius."
"Beneath the humor - and this is a very funny, well written book - is a very serious examination of Yiddish as a language inextricably tied to its religion. Some people might complain that the examination of Yiddish language and culture in this book is too harsh and well... kvetchadik."
"I was first attracted to this book by a review that mentioned Wex's comments on a Jewish prayer that is used to thanks after going to the bathroom! Wex pusues this until he comes to the conclusion that even a prayer for a successful "pee" recapitulates creation itself, and serves to strengthen Jewish identity."
"Rather than a catalog of sayings, Born to Kvetch is more an academic exploration of the Venn between Language, Culture and History."
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The Whole Spiel: Funny essays about digital nudniks, seder selfies and chicken soup memories
AWARDS: Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Winner, Multicultural Nonfiction. Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Finalist, Humor/Comedy. International Book Awards: Finalist, Humor. Pennsylvania Press Club: 1st Place, Humor/Nonfiction. They write about Jewish holidays, family life, food and more for The Forward, InterfaithFamily.com and Jewish newspapers across the country; their essays on current events are frequently seen on The Philadelphia Inquirer Commentary Page. Her humorous essays and feature stories have appeared in newspapers including The Philadelphia Inquirer, Parents Express, The Christian Science Monitor, Main Line Life, Washington Jewish Week and more.
Reviews
"Yiddish words like chutzpah, farklempt, and kvell have been creeping into the English language for decades, but do you really know what the words mean?"
"Book Review: The Whole Spiel. For the non-Jewish reader like myself, this quick witted book by authors Scolnic and Eisenberg tells funny tales about Yiddish words that we know and throw around our households everyday as well as many other ones passed down from their ancestors that we may not know at all. This is not just a book for your Jewish friend, though your Jewish friend will shake her head, “Yes, yes,” the whole way through."
"Using themselves and their families to illuminate the idiosyncracies of Jewish culture in our contemporary American lifestyle, the authors define commonly used words (nosh, chutzpah, shmooze) with illustrations from their own lives."
"Well written."
"The Whole Spiel is such a warm, nostalgic, funny, loving description of my childhood, bringing back such wonderful memories of my grandparents, and Great Aunts and Uncles."
"Although Jewish readers are probably the target audience here, anyone who enjoys reading about family life, parenting and the challenges we Boomers face when coping with aging and empty nests and technology will get a kick out of this collection."
"The common experiences -- preparing for Passover dinner for all the relatives, welcoming kids home from college or learning how to use the new iphone - are described with humor, warmth and love."
"I loved this book!"
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Best Polish Language Instruction

Polish For Dummies
Includes sections dedicated to Polish in action, Polish on the go, and Polish in the workplace A companion audio CD contains Polish conversations spoken by native Polish speakers in a variety of everyday contexts, perfect for learning Polish on the go A Polish-English dictionary is included to provide quick access to the most common words. Jump in with both feet – start off with a quick primer on Polish pronunciation, grammar basics and the use of accents and inflections Hit the ground running – practise speaking Polish in real-world situations Take it on the road – be a confident visitor to Poland – from taking in a museum to getting through Customs; checking into a hotel to ordering a meal Get down to business – get a handle on Polish business-speak and the specialised language of Polish office and worksite culture Polish your Polish – sharpen your conversational Polish skills with the help of 'Talkin' the Talk' dialogues strategically placed throughout the book. The essentials of Polish pronunciation and grammar Greetings, introductions, small talk and basic everyday conversation All the Polish that travellers need to know Fun facts about Poland and Polish culture Ways to speak Polish quickly Phrases that make you sound fluent in Polish Polish/English mini-dictionary Lists of Polish verbs with conjugations.
Reviews
"You have to be a dummy to like this."
"Great as an auxiliary learning tool when starting the Polish language, especially if you are learning on your own or otherwise outside of a classroom."
"As an Australian of part Polish descent I found talking to relatives and Polish people very difficult."
"Explaining the language in a simple way."
"I am using this book in conjunction with some audio tapes - it is helping me a lot, especially with reading the words."
"Excellent condition and shipped in timely manner."
"Excellent book."
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Best Danish Language Instruction

Basic Dutch: A Grammar and Workbook (Grammar Workbooks)
Basic Dutch: A Grammar and Workbook comprises an accessible reference grammar and related exercises in a single volume. University of Minnesota, USA.
Reviews
"A fabulous book for anyone who wants to refresh their knowledge of Dutch."
"College-style textbooks don't seem to exist for less popular languages, so some try to make do with grammars and mindless tourist CDs. The Ooosterhoff grammar is a fast-paced introduction to Dutch grammar, but it lacks readings, vocabularly lists, and extensive drills (i.e., it is not a textbook)."
"BTW, if you are a beginner like starting from the start, like really really beginner, I advise you to NOT buy this book because there are so many things you would not understand inside of this grammar book, I would advise you to learn the basics from other books before purchasing this one!"
"Good but really only for grammar, my (American) girlfriend has not learned a lot of new words from this."
"An excellent book for a beginner with very little knowledge of Dutch like 10-15 hours of guided learning or self study."
"The content is fine but the kindle formatting i terrible."
"This book works for me in that I already know German, which is similar to Dutch."
"This has been very helpful in clarifying some nuances of Dutch grammar which are not sufficiently articulated in Rosetta Stone."
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Best Turkish Language Instruction

Elementary Turkish (Dover Language Guides)
Anyone concerned with current social, political, and cultural developments in Turkey knows that a practical understanding of the basic patterns of modern Turkish is an invaluable skill that until now has been difficult to attain without extensive training. In a carefully arranged sequence of 23 lessons, Lewis V. Thomas, late Professor of Oriental Studies at Princeton, presents thorough coverage that allows the student to begin to use the basic patterns of modern Turkish without time-consuming and expensive private instruction. He went on to become professor of pediatric research at the University of Minnesota, chairman of the Departments of Pathology and Medicine and also dean at the New York University Bellevue Medical Center, chairman of the Department of Pathology and dean at Yale Medical School, and president of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
Reviews
"As of the text itself, It doesn't introduce vocabulary like other language learning textbooks, (for any vocabulary that might be new, there is a glossary at the back of the book), but it is quite good at explaining grammar and giving example sentences for the grammar point(s) being explained in a chapter."
"A very good primer on the language at a great price and it was here immediately."
"I wanted a more in depth language book than the Tape & CD variety available in the library. But the book is good to see the actual word, (and in Turkish) understand how the verb stem is added to to indicate negation, question or statement, tense of course, and voice (I, you, we, you plural, they, he, she, & it)."
"It is not a guide that will help you speak a few words of Turkish for an upcoming trip."
"I learnt Turkish with Rosetta Stone, but was missing the grammar."
"A great way to learn basic Turkish, written with simplicity and clarity."
"Successive chapters progress to the basic elements of grammar and verb structure, adding vocabulary along the way."
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Best Spanish Language Instruction

Easy Spanish Step-By-Step
Grammatical rules and concepts are clearly explained in order of importance, and more than 300 verbs and key terms are introduced on the basis of frequency. What you won't find in this book is a lot of pointless drills. A unique "building-block" approach to mastering essential grammar, verbs, and vocabulary Down-to-earth explanations of important rules and concepts 300 verbs and hundreds of key terms introduced on the basis of frequency Exercises to help you test what you've learned and measure progress Engaging readings that help you hone your skills in everyday contexts.
Reviews
"It divides the task into logical, sequential steps that build upon each other, in the order you would learn them if it was your first language, saving verb tenses for later. The reading exercises at the end of each chapter are a useful and motivating tool, but ideally they would have reinforced vocabulary already learned, rather than requiring footnotes!"
"Time is spent desperately scanning vocabulary lists, flipping back and forth between pages trying to find one word until you realize you need to move forward with your life and cut to the answer section, which can remove a sense of reward for the reader."
"This book is so well written that I was amazed."
"My family,especially kids,love this book and find it very easy to follow along with."
"help full but if it was in a certain order like, you learn all the parts of the house in one chapter and maybe the next chapter was parts of a car, and the next chapter was streets and places to go, and the next chapter was adjectives like group the words it’s too confusing when they are all over the place."
"Love the book."
"A well-laid out book, easy to follow."
"I noticed that new words come up in test questions that haven't appeared before."
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Best Dutch Language Instruction

Basic Dutch: A Grammar and Workbook (Grammar Workbooks)
Basic Dutch: A Grammar and Workbook comprises an accessible reference grammar and related exercises in a single volume. University of Minnesota, USA.
Reviews
"Good but really only for grammar, my (American) girlfriend has not learned a lot of new words from this."
"An excellent book for a beginner with very little knowledge of Dutch like 10-15 hours of guided learning or self study."
"The content is fine but the kindle formatting i terrible."
"This book works for me in that I already know German, which is similar to Dutch."
"This has been very helpful in clarifying some nuances of Dutch grammar which are not sufficiently articulated in Rosetta Stone."
"it has clear explanations of Dutch grammar with good exercises for practice."
"Great starter tool to learn Dutch as an adult."
"It has step by step exercises done in logical order of learning."
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Best French Language Instruction

Easy French Step-by-Step
You are quickly introduced to grammatical rules and concepts in order of importance, which you can build on as you progress through the book. Myrna Bell Rochester is a textbook author and editor.
Reviews
"The only issue I have with the book is that there is not phonetic pronunciation key to accompany the vocabulary words."
"With the knowledge I received from Easy French, coupled with a sample of Pimsleur really increased my verbal fluency. When I was depending on what I learned from Easy French, I would still struggle with phonetic French. If you have a talent to pick up languages by ear, then I recommend you go through the Pimsleur French first and Easy French second. I have always had french classes in my youth and somehow I retained a lot of the basic grammar, which helped in the easy way I swept through the first couple of chapters in Easy French. If you have no idea where to start in order to start the process of learning the ever so difficult French language then look no further than Easy French Step-by Step for Written Fluency. Click on the links to direct you the additional material I bought and recommend with Easy French: French, Conversational: Learn to Speak and Understand French with Pimsleur Language Programs. The Ultimate French Review and Practice."
"Easy to read, easy to learn, I use almost evary day at least 20 minutes."
"For someone trying to teach themselves French, it's kind of confusing and the chapters don't follow in a nice order..."
"Very helpful in learning word gender and how to pronounce French words!"
"This is one of the best French grammar books in its price range on the market."
"Loves it but needs a French to English translation/ dictionary."
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Best Sign Language Instruction

The Everything Sign Language Book: American Sign Language Made Easy... All new photos! (Everything®)
The appeal of American Sign Language (ASL) has extended beyond the Deaf community into the mainstream—it’s even popular as a class in high school and college. She is the director of ASL programs at Massasoit College and in the Whitman-Hanson (Massachusetts) Regional School District.
Reviews
"Bought as a review for my daughter and she picked it right back up."
"In this book, sign language is explained from the basics with images and effective descriptions."
"Wonderful place to get started."
"our grandson is deaf and this book is helping us learn to communicate with him."
"The book was easy to understand it makes the reader want to continue with quizzes and fun facts as well as history on sign language."
"I was very happy with it."
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Best Latin Language Instruction

Getting Started with Latin: Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age
If you're intimidated because you've never studied Latin, bewildered by traditional Latin books that move too fast, or just don't know where to begin, then Getting Started with Latin is for you! A native of North Carolina, William E. Linney holds both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in music from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas.
Reviews
"Bad news first: As others have stated this book can be finished quickly--not in half an hour as one reviewer put it, but a week is enough time for a serrious adult student to master the material in this course. Following this method the learner never feels overwhelmed, after learning a few nouns and verbs, one can quickly and naturally move on to correctly produce simple sentences."
"We are satisfied with Rosetta Stone, however we just needed a little help with the forms in the Latin Language and this has been very helpful."
"great presentation of latin, learn a little at a time, dont rush, and absorb the info."
"A very good, very logical step by step guide to learning Latin."
"This book was ok."
"I studied Latin throughout high school and when I began to homeschool my 6-year-old daughter I looked for a good introductory text."
"This book is the best choice I have found for three reasons: First, each lesson is short and teaches ONE new concept at a time. The effect of this is my second reason for loving this text: my students and children feel excited about their ability to tackle Latin."
"I am learning Latin with my first grader, and it has been easy to follow and understand(for both of us!)."
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Best Arabic Language Instruction

Oxford Picture Dictionary English-Farsi Edition: Bilingual Dictionary for Farsi-speaking teenage and adult students of English (Oxford Picture Dictionary Second Edition)
Realistic scenarios and modern artwork are easy to relate to and these, together with story pages and practice exercises, have been applauded for their success in promoting critical thinking skills. Jayme Adelson-Goldstein is an ESL teacher-trainer and curriculum consultant.
Reviews
"I love the illustrations, the people, animals, I just can't say enough about the double-spread features, they are amazing!"
"The title on the book is correct on the page header but the rest of the header is backwards."
"For someone who need to communicate in real life situations, you need to know how to go to a computer repair store and say specific terms like "usb port" or "external harddrive" OR go to a grocery store and decipher the labels in Portuguese that identify the different types of meats and cheeses (Halibut, swiss cheese, rainbow trout!). For the serious student, you need this reference around just in case you need to say "Parking garage" "health insurance card" "Orthodontist" "Frying pan" or "Community college" or a host of other words a part of daily life you won't find in a translation dictionary. That being said, this book would be nice if youre a beginner to the language or aren't seeking fluency, but it could definitely be overwhelming and isn't necessary at that level of learning."
"Our adult students are quicker to learn the English word when they understand what it means in their language."
"I will take this to Vietnam to teach English."
"As a recreational ESOL teacher, I have found all of the Bilingual Oxford Picture Dictionaries to be the student's new best friends."
"We use this valuable book in our English classes for ESL students in Florida."
"My wife's native language is Thai and though I never see her reading this book or watching American media she is constantly bringing out new words and phrases and if I'm playing pranks on her by hiding this book she gets upset so she's obviously finding time to read it."
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Best Slavic Language Instruction

The Self-Improvement Journey: Becoming The Best Version Of Yourself
A #1 Best Seller. A #1 New Release ------ Get More Out Of Life If you want to improve your life, improve yourself. Self improvement expert Ryan dieudonne asserts, "Most people don't realize that successful and unsuccessful people do not differ substantially in their abilities. The Self-Improvement journey provides the essentials leaders need to keep striving for excellence no matter where they are or what they are doing. • How to overcome obstacles to self-improvement. Ryan Dieudonne is an entrepreneur, motivational public figure, mentor, author & self improvement coach from Staten Island, New York.
Reviews
"I’ve read books like these before and this is one of the more interesting ones."
"thanks for author, I have long time in bad addictions such as late sleep, play facebook overnight, watch Film, v.v and I overcome it from this book, and I also over weight too due to late and bad activities."
"Author sent me the book in PDF which is a format I don't read in."
"Very inspirational and helpful book!!"
"I love how the author talks about how to be more positive and how to overcome bad habits."
"Everyone will benefit from reading this book."
"However, the author adds credibility to the by giving personal accounts where the concepts were applicable."
"While reading this book, I connected to every point and almost all of the stories."
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Best Greek Language Instruction

Essential Oils:Essential Oils and Aromatherapy for Beginners (Essential Oils Weight Loss, Health and Natural Healing, Essential Oils Recipes and Remedies, Essential Oils Guide for Beginners)
Download this book, read it to the end and see "FREE BONUS REPORT" , after the Author page. The Introductions to Aromatherapy The History Of Essential Oils Argan Oil Bergamot Oil Cedarwood Oil Chamomile Oil Clary Sage Oil Eucalyptus Oil Jasmine Oil Lavender Oil Lemon Oil Peppermint Oil Sandalwood Oil Essential Oils and Weight Loss Recipes & Remedies with Essential Oils Safety with Essential Oils And Much,Much More! 5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting book and i love essentials oils 5 stars for me. This is a wonderful book and it has all the information you need to start using essential oils, it is easy to understand and has treatments for everything and i purchased this book because it is highly recommended and there is much to read here and I haven't read it in its entirety yet but what I have read has been very interesting and helpful and i have tried a couple of the recipes for hand cream and face cream and the basic hand cream called for bees wax, which I used but found this made the hand cream more solid than I liked so next time I will either use less than suggested or omit it and the face cream turned out fine and is working well for me and i think as I learn more I will tweak some of the recipes and i will use this book often for reference. I'm glad I bought it as I will have somewhere to check for questions about essential oils and I have really enjoyed this book and i got this book because I didn't know how to use essential oils or much about them and this book explains different categories of oils, their uses and their properties in a way a novice could understand and it has been helpful in what the difference is between carrier oils and therapeutic and how to use each and it has been most helpful in knowing what I would use in facial or body creams, shampoo or deodorant but also how to use the oils for healing and aromatherapy. 1) Essential Oils and Aromatherapy for Beginners 2) Ketogenic Diet: 20 Recipes for Healthy and Beautiful Life 3) Intermittent Fasting: The Easiest Way to Burn Fat and Gain Muscle 4) Paleo Diet: Paleo Diet for Beginners Lose Weight and Get Healthy And A Lot More!!!
Reviews
"While most people know that their are various benefits to using essential oils, not many have a guide that will show them the many different applications for using them."
"Essential oils has been known for its effectiveness and this book just confirms it and gives you amazing ways to use and enjoy the benefits of the oil."
"Good selection of the best essential oils."
"I thought we can use oils only for massage and skin care, but today I've discovered much broader areas of use."
"I knew that such oil are very important, and I ahve been always trying to find some good info about that and I have found, Thiss book is 100% useful for the beginners in terms of oils) and health and therapy!"
"It doesn't only inform you about different oils but also includes a variety of recipes."
"This is a wonderful book and it has all the information you need to start using essential oils, it is easy to understand and has treatments for everything and i purchased this book because it is highly recommended and there is much to read here and I haven't read it in its entirety yet but what I have read has been very interesting and helpful and i have tried a couple of the recipes for hand cream and face cream and the basic hand cream called for bees wax, which I used but found this made the hand cream more solid than I liked so next time I will either use less than suggested or omit it and the face cream turned out fine and is working well for me and i think as I learn more I will tweak some of the recipes and i will use this book often for reference."
"Good-quality essential oils are known to help with congestion, memory loss, pain, inflammation, headaches, nausea, killing bacteria, viruses and fungus, stimulating the immune system, skin issues and many more ailments and concerns."
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Best Chinese Language Instruction

Chinese Flash Cards Kit Volume 1: Characters 1-349: HSK Elementary Level (Downloadable Audio Included)
Developed with HSK study and AP test-prep in mind, the front of Tuttle's Chinese Flash Cards give one Chinese character, a stroke order guide, four words and phrases, and look-alike alerts to help avoid confusion. On the reverse is as much information as a dictionary entry: Romanized pronunciation and English meanings, sample sentences for correct usage, plus helpful mnemonics and learning tips. See & learn, with 349 specially-designed color-coded cards. Hear & learn, with native-speaker audio of 2,094+ words & 349 example sentences. Sort & use the cards according to your learning goals, with indexes & practice guides. Review the essentials, with the concise 32-page booklet.
Reviews
"On each individual flashcard you can find on the front side: - Large print of the character. - Stroke order. - Four possible (and frequently used) words using that character. - A card number for easy ordering and traceability. On each individual flashcard you can find on the back side: - Smaller print of the character (with pinyin and translation). - Radical. - Character component. - Example of using that character in a phrase (with pinyin and translation). - The four words using that character - as printed on the front side (with pinyin and translation). - The card number. The 4 volumes offer in total 1792 characters and about 7168 words."
"The cards are made of a high-quality card-stock that doesn't wear easily; I have carried the cards around in my pocket for months with a rubber-band around them without noticeable damage to the cards. The pinyin for pronunciation on these cards is for Mandarin Chinese but the meaning of many of the characters also reflects the Cantonese meaning as well (though the pinyin for that dialect is not included on this particular set of cards)."
"Two things stood out to make these a preferred purchase for me: the inclusion of a metal ring to gather whatever cards you are currently focusing on, and the use of idioms as examples of character usage."
"I'm glad there are more volumes to purchase once I've mastered these cards."
"The audio is good I recommend it."
"My only "criticism" is that the HSK character number is not noted on the card."
"Each set should include in the index the cards from the previous set as very few people will completely work their way through the first set before starting the second, etc. Finally, there are some mistakes in the index - for example both Hua and Ting are listed as being card number 251."
"These make it easy to learn characters and include directions for writing each character in calligraphy."
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Best Hebrew Language Instruction

Learn to Read Hebrew in 6 Weeks!
At the end of six weeks you WILL be able to read from the original Hebrew Bible, Psalms or the Siddur (Jewish prayer book) and you will have taken the first big step towards learning the Hebrew Language! Miiko Shaffier is a Hebrew teacher, a certified Pilates instructor and the Community Coordinator for “Neve Chabad”, a newly developing Jewish village in the Negev desert.
Reviews
"Great book!"
"If you're like me when it comes to learning another language, you almost want to be taught as you would a child."
"Great book to learn Hebrew."
"I'm simply amazed how simple this is and how much I've learned."
"I cant read the last lesson on my kindle version of this book?!"
"I devoured this book in about 24 hours and after that I was able to read Hebrew, albeit slowly but thats how you start."
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Best Italian Language Instruction

Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary
This handy guide provides key phrases for use in everyday circumstances, complete with phonetic spelling, an English-Italian and Italian-English dictionary, the latest information on European currency and rail transportation, and even a tear-out cheat sheet for continued language practice as you wait in line at the Sistine Chapel. With the help of his hardworking staff of 80 at Europe Through the Back Door—in Edmonds, Washington, just north of Seattle—Rick's mission is to make European travel fun, affordable, and culturally broadening for Americans.
Reviews
"My husband and I -- who travel frequently and rarely get sick -- contracted some kind of horrible flu/sinus infection/plague on the way out or Rome and needed to seek urgent medical consultation and care from a pharmacy on the Amalfi coast. The Rick Steves guide came to our rescue because it had more than three times the amount of health and medical vocabulary than the Lonely Planet book, which we desperately needed because we had a lot of specific symptoms to communicate and the pharmacist/doctor only spoke a few words of English."
"Very inclusive and informative."
"Love this little book."
"Came in handy many times for reference."
"Rick Steves does it again."
"Great when paired with his free audio guides (not to mention PBS specials)."
"Love this book."
"Book helped me with short phrases on first trip to Italy."
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Best Russian Language Instruction

Dirty Russian (Dirty Everyday Slang)
GET D!RTY Next time you’re traveling or just chattin’ in Russia with your friends, drop the textbook formality and bust out with expressions they never teach you in school, including: • Cool slang. • Funny insults. • Explicit sex terms. • Raw swear words. Dirty Russian teaches the casual expressions heard every day on the streets of Russia: Dirty Japanese-Previous Dirty-Series Title-9781569755655-10.00-Ulysses Press-07/2007-11000--. Dirty Italian-Previous Dirty-Series Title-9781569755662-10.00-Ulysses Press-10/2007-3500--. Dirty French-Previous Dirty-Series Title-9781569756584-10.00-Ulysses Press-10/2008--- Dirty Japanese|Previous Dirty|Series Title|9781569755655|10.00|Ulysses Press|07/2007|11000||. Dirty Italian|Previous Dirty|Series Title|9781569755662|10.00|Ulysses Press|10/2007|3500||. Dirty French|Previous Dirty|Series Title|9781569756584|10.00|Ulysses Press|10/2008|||.
Reviews
"Pretty funny book."
""Dirty Russian" is street slang that would not be taught in a standard university course."
"So funny book) I expected something really really small and not so much informative....but.....I'm glad that i got it )))) it is very useful for both English and Russian speakers!!!"
"I am from Ukraine and my hubby is American."
"There is a formatting problem with this product on the Kindle Fire (and perhaps other versions, I don't know)."
"This book only translates English idioms/slang-words/saying into Russian."
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Best African Language Instruction

Colloquial Somali (Colloquial Series (Book Only))
Combining a clear, practical and accessible style with a methodical and thorough treatment of the language, it equips learners with the essential skills needed to communicate confidently and effectively in Somali in a broad range of situations. A clear, user-friendly format designed to help learners progressively build up their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills Jargon-free, succinct and clearly structured explanations of grammar An extensive range of focused and dynamic supportive exercises Realistic and entertaining dialogues covering a broad variety of narrative situations Helpful cultural points about life in Somalia An overview of the sounds of Somali. Text: English.
Reviews
"Great resource for any teacher for both homework & classwork!"
"Great book for non-native speaking learning."
"Very good quick assignments and practice work for home."
"The book is helpful for beginner learners.Well organized and easy to use."
"6th grade teacher: I love this great for cloze read!!"
"Its spelling is also highly phonetic and, in my experience, the language is not particularly difficult to learn as long as you spend some time studying and practice with native speakers. In my experience, most Somalis are very helpful toward people trying to learn their language and are understanding if you have trouble pronouncing things correctly."
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Best Korean Language Instruction

Korean Made Simple: A beginner's guide to learning the Korean language
Korean Made Simple is a book for anyone who wishes to begin learning the Korean language. He has spent several years living in South Korea, and still visits often.
Reviews
"That being said, there are a few things that I would have liked to see, especially in a beginner's book. It took about 8 chapters before I felt comfortable reading the Hangul font, and I was often copying down the WRONG spelling due to my complete inability to read that font. I would have liked to see the first chapter or two have both the typical font and the handwriting font for all the words in order to better familiarize the differences between the two fonts. Only occasionally in later chapters are new concepts introduced with the cleaner font, but most new words are in the handwriting font. Again, totally preferential, but I find myself diligently taking notes through out a chapter, do the 6-10 lines of practice at the end, and then moving on to the next chapter without realizing I'm not ready due to a lack of real structure in the chapter's end. It'd just be nice to see a bit more repetition, a bit more "work" in order to drive home concepts that were taught during a chapter."
"The real distinguishing aspect of this book is its treatment of introducing the Korean language. As the author is an American that visited Korea, you can be certain that learning formal Korean was essential to everyday interactions."
"The one star is lacking because the book appears to be a stand alone book but the way the author goes over Hangul is as if after seeing the letters once you should be able to know what they are immediately."
"Honestly this book is so good :) it starts slow which is good."
"And the BillyGo website is a great tool to accompany the book."
"Book also contains a massive amount of vocabulary that I've personally found useful in real-life situations, and some words might seem out of place but do however make sense put in to context."
"If you get to Level 2 you would be ready for this book as long as you did there Hangul training book."
"Compared to another Korean learning book I bought, this is the best so far!"
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Best German Language Instruction

Learn German With Stories: Café in Berlin – 10 Short Stories For Beginners
Newly arrived in Berlin, a young man from Sicily is thrown headlong into an unfamilar urban lifestyle of unkempt bachelor pads, evanescent romances and cosmopolitan encounters of the strangest kind.
Reviews
"HIs Sicilian character tells you all you need to know about being a foreigner in modern Berlin, trying to learn the language, fit in, have a good time, get a job and meet some girls. Everyone's experience will vary according to their mastery of the language, naturally, so I think it would be impossible to call it a one size fits all book."
"It is nice to have a recap of some key German words with definitions and a short quiz at the end of each section. In addition to this series helping with learning German words and vocabulary, I really enjoyed reading about the different cities and their characteristics, tourist sites, and things to do!"
"Thank you for allowing me to feel comfortable learning this language in an engaging and comical way."
"The German in this text is simple enough that if you have reached a slight stage past beginner, then you will find yourself actually reading a book in German, albeit with some words here and there that need to be learned, which the book does nicely at anticipating these words and providing translations to them."
"I found the stories just long enough to introduce a range of concepts and expressions. The sample of words chosen for explanation at the end of each is well thought out."
"Reading helps make sentence structure become second nature, and having a good German-English dictionary helps, too."
"I bought this to help my kids with the German language."
"This is a very good German language learning tool for the intermediate student."
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Best Japanese Language Instruction

Japanese From Zero! 1: Proven Techniques to Learn Japanese for Students and Professionals
Features of Book 1: * Integrated Workbook with Answer Key * Over 800 New Words and Expressions * Learn to Read and Write Hiragana * Easy-to-Understand Example Dialogues * Culture Points about Japan * Bilingual Glossaries with Kana and Romaji ...and much more! Yukari Takenaka moved from Himeji, Japan to the United States, and taught Japanese for over 10 years while co-authoring custom lessons for students that eventually became the basis of the Japanese From Zero!
Reviews
"Coupled with videos online, the material is properly paced to learn the right things in Japanese without burning you out. It's kind of addicting... Have fun and totally buy this book."
"After reading the reviews I quickly purchased both Japanese from Zero 1 and 2 and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. In the past year I have attempted to learn Japanese I often memorized the sentences presented to me with very little understanding of why a certain particle was used and how the grammar worked(hence the wall I hit). I finally found myself capable of applying grammar to my own sentences rather than simply memorizing the one's presented to me. Nearly once every lesson I came across a hirigana letter that I didn't recognize and it would take me a good 5min each time before I realized that it was a mistake and we hadn't actually been introduced to the letter yet. I also wish there was an ending section to the book with 'extra practice problems' or 'put it all together' activities to apply everything you learned in the entirety of the book."
"It also has audio examples for nearly everything in the book, as well as flash games to help things stick in your memory. The printed book contains a “workbook” section that I feel is worth the price alone. This book is great enough on it's own, but when you combine the 3 resources together, you have a truly amazing method to learn Japanese. If you put in your own honest hard work, and effort into these lessons, you will KNOW this information inside, and out before moving on."
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Best Hungarian Language Instruction

Sous Vide Cookbook: Modern Sous Vide Recipes with Tips and Techniques - The Science of Under Pressure Cooking (Plus Photos, Nutrition Facts)
Reviews
"Interesting Sous Vide Cookbook."
"This sous vide cookbook is the best I truly cherish and appreciate every one of the formulas that is content in this book.It is greatly useful in understanding sous vide and recommendations for formulas."
"There are various reasons why I like this cookbook."
"I am very impressed about this cookbook."
"The best I genuinely treasure and value each one of the recipes that is content in this book.It is significantly helpful in understanding sous vide and proposals for equations."
"This sous vide cookbook is the best i really love and enjoy all the recipes that is content in this book.It's easy to preapre and to follow.I really think this book is worth your money and your time."
"This book is wonderful for anyone who's interested in learning about sous vide cooking."
"I got this book, and a sous vide for Christmas."
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Best Portuguese Language Instruction

Oxford Picture Dictionary English-Brazilian Portuguese Edition: Bilingual Dictionary for Brazilian Portuguese-speaking teenage and adult students of English (Oxford Picture Dictionary Second Edition)
Realistic scenarios and modern artwork are easy to relate to and these, together with story pages and practice exercises, have been applauded for their success in promoting critical thinking skills. Jayme Adelson-Goldstein is an ESL teacher-trainer and curriculum consultant.
Reviews
"I love the illustrations, the people, animals, I just can't say enough about the double-spread features, they are amazing!"
"The title on the book is correct on the page header but the rest of the header is backwards."
"For someone who need to communicate in real life situations, you need to know how to go to a computer repair store and say specific terms like "usb port" or "external harddrive" OR go to a grocery store and decipher the labels in Portuguese that identify the different types of meats and cheeses (Halibut, swiss cheese, rainbow trout!). For the serious student, you need this reference around just in case you need to say "Parking garage" "health insurance card" "Orthodontist" "Frying pan" or "Community college" or a host of other words a part of daily life you won't find in a translation dictionary. That being said, this book would be nice if youre a beginner to the language or aren't seeking fluency, but it could definitely be overwhelming and isn't necessary at that level of learning."
"Our adult students are quicker to learn the English word when they understand what it means in their language."
"I will take this to Vietnam to teach English."
"As a recreational ESOL teacher, I have found all of the Bilingual Oxford Picture Dictionaries to be the student's new best friends."
"We use this valuable book in our English classes for ESL students in Florida."
"My wife's native language is Thai and though I never see her reading this book or watching American media she is constantly bringing out new words and phrases and if I'm playing pranks on her by hiding this book she gets upset so she's obviously finding time to read it."
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Best Scandinavian Language Instruction

Instant Pot Cookbook: Superfast Pressure Cooker Meals - Delicious, Easy, Healthy Recipes For The Whole Family (Plus Photos, Nutrition Facts)
All you need to do is to add food to it, set specified settings and forget about the recipe; now your Instant Pot will do all the work to bring you delicious, wholesome meals every day.
Reviews
"Finally Instant Pot recipes that are updated and flavorful that we can enjoy every day."
"I was impressed not just by great collection of 100 recipes in this cookbook but also how the author presented the many uses of this amazing Instant pot."
"This is really an amazing book providing detail instructions to cook delicious food easily using instant pot and the water chart is definitely going to help any newbie to cook delicious foods."
"This is a great book especially for beginners to the Instant Pot."
"Thank u for a perfect instant pot cookbook!"
"This book has a good variety of recipes."
"Me and my husband work a lot and instant Pot is a great kitchen equipment for us."
"This is a great book especially for beginners Instant Pot."
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Best Southeast Asian Language Instruction

Mediterranean Diet: Mediterranean Cookbook For Beginners, Lose Weight And Get Healthy (Mediterranean Recipes, Mediterranean For Beginners, Mediterranean Cookbook, Mediterranean Diet For Weight Loss)
Use these weight loss tips and delicious recipes to achieve happiness, health, and beauty, without boring workouts , diets, and cutting calories. Here, you will know what the diet is all about, how it works on a person’s body, the basic principles, the food categories and their roles in the diet, foods that you should be wary about, the diet and its proven evidence about weight loss, factors that you should consider before starting this diet, the good things, the bad things, a detailed meal plan and twenty delicious recipes, ranging from main courses to desserts to ease you along the way of your expedition to weight loss via the Mediterranean diet. What is a Mediterranean Diet? The author acquaints us with the basic principles of this nutrition, its characteristics and positive influence on the body, which contributes to reducing not only the weight but also the risks associated with cardiovascular, cancer pathologies, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. As I understand it, the diet excludes the use of products with cholesterol, such as animal meat, preferring fish, seafood, chicken and a lot of fruits and vegetables, the use of which is recommended to raise to five servings a day. That, of course, excludes the use of sweets and as a consequence of salts in any form, as well as cream and butter, substituting them with healthier olive and sunflower oils.
Reviews
"Got me all fired up when I saw the recipes and the foods that are mostly included in this diet."
"To be honest, it is hard for me to eat only healthy food, but Mediterranean recipes from this cookbook are very tasty and they are easy to cook, so I think this is a great book."
"Since I am not smoking and drinking, this will be fitting to my eating habits."
"In "The Mediterranean Diet " you'll see that correct mix - A simple to take after, straightforward way to deal with more adhering to a good diet stressing lean meats, heaps of new products of the soil and almost no prepared sustenance alongside a great deal of references to essential research assets showing the estimation of this eating routine."
"Healthy and refreshing cookbook.It tells you the benefits of eating Mediterranean style of diets and what type of foods are good for this diet before giving healthy samples of Mediterranean recipes.It is a good to go book."
"Its an ideal guide for beginners in this diet plan."
"It provides guidelines to slowly include changes to create sustainable habits."
"Best book ever.This book has a full explanation of the Mediterranean diet."
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Best Serbo-Croatian Language Instruction

Am I small? Da li sam ja mala?: Children's Picture Book English-Serbian (Bilingual Edition) (World Children's Book 9)
"We are in love with this book! [...] As an artist, I love love LOVE the art in this book, I think its not only beautiful, but perfect for children. This Kindle book is a children's picture book - please use a device with a color display to read it This Kindle book features magnification areas - please use the zoom function of your device to magnify the book's text (usually activated by double-tap or double-click, take a look at the help pages of your device or reading app for details) This Kindle book is designed for large displays, e.g. tablets or computers - please use a device with a large display (free Kindle reading apps and Kindle Cloud Reader are available for every major tablet and computer). Tags: World Children's Book, Bilingual Children's Books, Bilingual Books, Emergent Bilingual, Bilingual Education, Foreign Language Learning, ESL, English as a Second Language, ESL for Children, ESL for Kids, ESL Teaching Materials, EFL, English as a Foreign Language, EFL Books, EFL for Children, ELL, English Language Learner, EAL, English as an Additional Language, Children's Picture Book, Dual Language, Foreign Language Study, ESOL, English for Speakers of Other Languages. -- ForeWord Clarion Reviews.
Reviews
"Perfect book to allow a non-native Serbian speaker to understand reading to my half-Serbian child."
"It's one of my baby's favorites."
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Best English as a Foreign Language

The Giving Tree
And don't miss Runny Babbit Returns , the new book from Shel Silverstein! In Shel Silverstein's popular tale of few words and simple line drawings, a tree starts out as a leafy playground, shade provider, and apple bearer for a rambunctious little boy. At this point in the story, the double-page spread shows a pathetic solitary stump, poignantly cut down to the heart the boy once carved into the tree as a child that said "M.E. When there's nothing left of her, the boy returns again as an old man, needing a quiet place to sit and rest. (All ages) --Karin Snelson “If you’re looking for a children’s book that teaches generosity or unselfishness, most people will point you right to The Giving Tree , Shel Silverstein’s lovely story of a tree that will do anything for the boy it loves—and for good reason.
Reviews
"All that I can honestly say about this book, what some people say is "controversial" is it ; touches on feelings. teaches about selfishness. teaches about selflessness. teaches about caring. teaches about giving. this book really tugs at all the emotions everyone goes through one time or another. It has turned into a discussion book for all my grandkids. The book is a hardback & comes with a cover resembling the cover of the book."
"Every opportunity the tree would give the boy what he asked for. What a wonderful story."
"She would often just read a poem from A Light in the Attic, or Where the Sidewalk Ends, but this book really stuck with me."
"One of my favorite books with a great lesson for children on giving/taking and appreciation."
"He simply said "Greatest book I ever read"."
"Gave this classic children's book to our child for their birthday."
"It really makes you think about the balance of giving what is appropriate and giving so much that the giver is destroyed."
"Must have for all children."
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Best Miscellaneous

Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It
-- rather, he learned them in the past few years, working on his own and practicing on the subway, using simple techniques and free online resources. With empathy for the language-challenged and abundant humor, Wyner deconstructs the learning process, revealing how to build a foreign language in your mind from the ground up. This is brain hacking at its most exciting, taking what we know about neuroscience and linguistics and using it to create the most efficient and enjoyable way to learn a foreign language in the spare minutes of your day. Fluent Forever won't teach you French, or German, or any other language -- but it will teach you how to learn whatever language you do want to learn, and to learn it faster, and more efficiently. If you want a new language to stick, start here.” --Gary Marcus, cognitive psychologist and author of the New York Times bestseller Guitar Zero “Aspiring polyglots of the world, take note: this book will help you pick up any new language in record time. I've never been so excited to challenge my mind.” --Karen Schrock Simring, contributing editor at Scientific American Mind magazine “Fluent Forever more than meets the daunting challenge of learning a new language by giving the reader a solid game plan based on how people actually learn and memorize information. His writing is engaging, smart, and conversational, making learning a real joy. If you've ever wanted to become fluent in another language, do yourself a favor and start reading Fluent Forever now.” --Melanie Pinola, Contributor Writer for LIfehacker.com and author of LinkedIn in 30 Minutes " Fluent Forever is the book I wish I had had during my numerous failed attempts at learning different languages. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is serious -- not just aspiring but really serious -- about becoming fluent in a foreign language.” --Kevin Chen, Co-Founder, italki.com “Mash up the DNA of Steve Jobs and Aristotle, add training in engineering and opera, and you get Gabriel Wyner, whose ingeniously elegant system helps us knuckleheads learn not just foreign languages but, well, everything. Pick a foreign language (yes, including English) and voilà : el futuro es tuyo . "Fluent Forever more than meets the daunting challenge of learning a new language by giving the reader a solid game plan based on how people actually learn and memorize information. His writing is engaging, smart, and conversational, making learning a real joy. -Melanie Pinola, Contributor Writer for LIfehacker.com and author of LinkedIn in 30 Minutes " Fluent Forever is the book I wish I had had during my numerous failed attempts at learning different languages. It employs an intelligent mix of the latest methods for learning a language on your own using the web, apps, and voice training tips in an accelerated time frame.--Kevin Kelly, Senior Maverick for Wired Magazine and author of What TechnologyWants "I know what you're thinking: But learning a new language is soooo hard ! Pick a foreign language (yes, including English) and voilà : el futuro es tuyo .
Reviews
"The use of minimal pairs (two words like cat and cut that differ by only one sound). He has a way of using these to train you to actually hear the differences, which can be very tricky in some foreign languages. The pronunciation material should help you master individual words. But an equally, if not more, important part of conversation is called prosody and concerns the rhythm and stress applied to a string of words. Even without knowing a word of French and Italian, you could easily distinguish the difference in rhythm in a typical conversation. You will pick this up in conversation (slowly) but can speed this up by learning poetry in the foreign language, because typical poetry emphasizes prosody. A simple example is: I pick up the book; I open the book; I look at a page in the book; I close the book; I put the book down. The only truly negative is that much of the material talked about in the book is not yet available on the website."
"There are a lot of books and web products lately that are designed to help anyone learn a language, even those of us who gave it a good try for several years in high school and barely came out of it knowing enough to ask how to find a toilet. The short version of my feeling about this is that if you want a lot of control over your learning process, you're really serious about learning a language, and you like the idea of using techniques that have a lot of scientific and research backing behind them, this book is VERY much worth it. It teaches in a way that can FEEL harder at first than other approaches, but the goal is to ultimately make total learning process a lot easier by not cutting corners and taking shortcuts that could hurt you in the long run. He advocates spending time working on learning sounds early because a) you have to learn pronunciation eventually, and you might as well not spend a few years practicing pronouncing something wrong before going back and trying to fix it, and b) knowing what a word sounds like makes it a lot more memorable. Once you're past the sound issues and learning the spelling rules, he advocates only using the language you're learning on the flashcards, including lots of pictures, and really trying to tie words and meanings to things in your life. (In fact, some of what he covers also shows up in another book "A Mind for Numbers" that just came out a couple of days ago, that focuses on similar "how to learn" research and tricks with an emphasis on learning math and science. FYI there's also a "Learning How to Learn" MOOC available through Coursera based on that book.). So he views the flashcard creation process as when you teach yourself something, and then you have a connection to your flash cards that makes it easier for you to understand what they were meant to remind you of, and to learn the material on them. The biggest barrier that I see here is that you have to be willing to take a lot of control over your own learning process, because you're building the materials. I think that there'll probably be some people who will end up doing better following a lesson plan from some other learning system (like a grammar book or Duolingo or whatever) and using this to strengthen and fill in their learning."
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