Reading Fanatic Reviews

All Nonfiction Reviews

Conversational German Dialogues by Lingo Mastery

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Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson

Conversational German Diaglogues*

Translations Lack, Format Poor

I have already reviewed the books of a similar title by this company for French, Italian, and Spanish. Unfortunately, this book had the same types of errors and issues that the other books have. First, the English sections have so many mistakes that I would be leery of using the German sections for fear that they would be filled with the same. Here are a few examples of some very awkward English that no native speaker would say. “You find the best pieces in the beginning when nobody snagged them yet” and “Then I would rather prefer, you keep on watching TV.”

Some topics are ones you would expect from a book aimed mostly at travelers and language students, like how to order food or ask directions. But other topics actually seem quite bizarre for a casual visitor to Germany, like a clothing exchange party and discussing animals of Australia. Neither would be an everyday or even common occurrence.

The book uses some unusual and incorrect capitalization in the German sections. The format of the eBook makes it not suitable for beginners or near beginners to learn from (even if the German translations are okay) as it is tricky to flip between the English and German versions of the dialogue for every line. I think it would be better to have the translated lines right next to each other, perhaps one bolded and one italicized, for easier assimilation and comparison. I took German in college, but I have forgotten most of it, so I found it frustrating to flip between the English and German sections for each dialogue sentence. I certainly do not remember enough of the language to say if the German translations are truly good or bad. It would be helpful to have at least an intermediate understanding of German to know if these are accurate dialogues and phrases that would actually be used in conversation with native German speakers.

Conversational Italian Dialogues by Lingo Mastery

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Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson

Conversational Italian Dialogues*

Poor English Translations Make Italian Ones Suspect

I have already reviewed the books by this company for French and Spanish. Unfortunately, this book had the same types of errors and issues that the other books have. First, the English sections have so many errors that I would be leery of using the Italian sections for fear that they would be as rife with them as the English ones. Here are a few examples of some very awkward English that no native speaker would say; these are actually from just one of the dialogues about ordering pizza. “Can you recommend me a light one?” and “Your pizzas will be there for half-past eight.” By the way, the dialogue for the Italian pizza ordering was almost the same as the one in the French book!

The English translations in this particular book are so bad that I actually wonder if they just use something like Google Translate or some other online automatic translation to make these. However the translations were arrived at, the book is poorly done, and that’s unfortunate as a book like this has great potential for both students of the language and people who might be traveling to Italy.

Some topics are ones you would expect from a book aimed mostly at travelers and language students, like how to order food or ask for directions. But some of the topics actually seemed quite bizarre for a casual visitor to Italy, like “renewing your wardrobe” and “the printer doesn’t work.” Neither would be an everyday or even common occurrence.

The format of the eBook makes it not suitable for beginners or near beginners to learn from (even if the Italian translations are fine) as it is tricky to flip between the English and Italian versions of the dialogue for every line. I think it would be better to have the translated lines right next to each other, perhaps one bolded and one italicized, for easier assimilation and comparison. I have only a very basic understanding of Italian, so aside from a few food terms and other common words, most of this just looks like gibberish and it does get frustrating to flip between the English and Italian sections for each dialogue. I certainly do not know enough of the language to say if the Italian parts are truly good or bad. It would be helpful to have at least an intermediate understanding of Italian to know if these are accurate dialogues and phrases that would actually be used in conversation with Italians. The book does have an audiobook version that you could purchase separately, but the book proper has no pronunciation guide.

Conversational Spanish Dialogues by Lingo Mastery

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Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson

Conversational Spanish Dialogues*

Rife with Errors in Both English and Spanish

I have previously reviewed the book on Conversational French Dialogues, so I was expecting more of the same from this book. Unfortunately, that was true, but this book has even more issues than the French book did.

Again, I find that the English sections within the book to be written in a way that no English speaker would talk. As with the other book, this makes me question whether the Spanish itself is actually a good reflection of the way Spanish speakers talk. There definitely are some issues with spelling and grammar on the Spanish side. While I have never taken any Spanish classes, I did grow up in California and so did assimilate some concepts of Spanish spelling and grammar. I know, for instance, that Spanish speakers don’t typically use many personal pronouns while speaking; the Spanish sections had a lot of this usage. The word “sí” is often spelled without the accent over the “i,” which actually changes the meaning of the word. Clearly, the word with the accent meaning yes most often appeared to be the correct word in context, but it was spelled without the accent, which makes it the word “if.”

A lot of the dialogues are on topics that would help a traveler or exchange student to a Spanish-speaking country, like how to order in a restaurant or find your classroom. I did think, though, that some choices for dialogues were a little bizarre; for instance, there were dialogues about getting the wrong job application in the airline industry or asking for help with your computer’s operating system (including licensing it). Neither of these topics would be needed for someone who was just casually visiting a Spanish-speaking country. And there definitely seemed to be a bias towards Spain rather than Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America, as there were topics about moving around Europe and North Africa—like flying to London or returning from Amsterdam—compared to similar about Central and South America.

I think the formatting of the eBook makes it hard to truly assimilate and compare Spanish and English because the sentences aren’t right next to each other; it isn’t so easy to flip around in an eBook to compare back and forth. This book, too, would certainly not be suitable for anyone who is a beginner or near beginner learning Spanish. I would think that someone should be at least an intermediate level to be able to use this book so that you would know some of the phrases and concepts and could better correlate between the Spanish and English sides of the dialogue (as well as have a better sense of the errors. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend this book. There are undoubtedly better books on conversational Spanish.

Conversational French Dialogues by Lingo Mastery

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Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Mondadori, and Angus & Robertson

Conversational French Dialogues*

Not Sure If You’ll Learn…

This is the first time I have been introduced to this way of language learning done by Lingo Mastery. I was put off from the start by the English mastery of the writer. I found that the English in the introductory section as well as the English translation of the French conversations to be odd and somewhat stilted. Occasionally, wrong words were used. Does anyone in an English-speaking country refer to teeth cleaning as descaling or plaque as calculus? The poor English made me question how good the conversational French part would be. If there are so many issues in the English sections, would there be such issues in the French parts that I wouldn’t really have enough knowledge to know? I did take French in high school and college, but I still can’t say whether the French is correct. I would definitely be leery of trusting the French to be accurate, though, given what the English is like. I thought some choices for the conversational topics were odd. Some make complete sense, like ordering food and drinks or asking for directions. But how often would an English speaker going to France need to ask about pet grooming or pest control?

This book definitely is not for a beginner learning French. You certainly have to have a background in French to appreciate some of the nuances. I can’t imagine this being someone’s first (or even second) introduction to the French language; it would be akin to reading gibberish. And, of course, you would have no idea how to pronounce these French words unless you bought the audiobook version as well—or had previous knowledge of French. There is no pronunciation guide given. I wonder, too, if the book would have been better organized if it had each sentence in the conversation in both French and English one right below the other, so you can more quickly assimilate new words as well as associate phrases between the languages. It can be a pain to flip back and forth between Kindle pages. All in all, I found myself disappointed in this book, though I would probably refer to it if I was planning to go to a French-speaking country. Although, I would not be reading about dog grooming!

Breathe, Empower, Achieve by Shonda Moralis

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Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Thalia, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de

Breathe Empower Achieve*

Helpful Mindfulness Breaks for Women

As a person who has an interest in self-help books, I found the concept of this one to be fascinating. Mindfulness is such a buzzword these days, and I will admit that I am a bit leery of its use everywhere. Mindfulness itself is a hard word to define fully. It definitely has to do with being present, whatever that means for you in a given moment. But there is much more to it. In this book, the author offers 5-minute tune-ups that will either help you calm down (breathing mindfulness), see and get past self-limiting beliefs (empowering mindfulness), or figure out actionable plans as you learn more about yourself (achieving mindfulness).

First she talks generally about what the book will have in it; she also does define mindfulness and why she considers it to be important. The book has been broadly divided into three sections: breathe, empower, and achieve mindful breaks (as laid out by the title). These are mostly short concepts to meditate on although some of them do require you to write or do other actions. Each of these exercises is preceded by a fairly lengthy essay describing what the exercises is meant to do for you and some of its background. I found the essays engaged my mind and made me more interested in trying the exercise. Meditation and inner awareness have been subjects that have interested me for decades, and I enjoyed this spin on it. By the way, this book is geared toward women specifically. The author states that women have some unique responsibilities and challenges that require special acknowledgement and handling. I think each of the book’s parts have value. It is so easy to get stressed and overwhelmed; the breathe section can help with that. If you have beliefs that stop you from going after what you want, the empower section is tailored to that. I recommend this book.

The Little Book of Speaking Up by Jutta Ritschel

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Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Thalia, Mondadori, Angus & Robertson, and Bol.de

The Little Book of Speaking Up*

Not Quite What I Thought, But Good Read

I’ll admit that when I first read the title and subtitle of this book, I thought that the subject matter was going to be somewhat esoteric. I thought that the book would explore finding your voice so that you can be comfortable speaking up. I saw it as a self-help book. But it is definitely much different than that. It actually does refer to your speaking voice. After reading the introduction, where the author explains that she is a breathing coach and has enjoyed singing, it becomes clear the direction that this book is going to take.

Divided into six chapters of exercises—most of these exercises not taking long at all if done singly—the book is organized simply. Surprisingly, the author first looks at the body as a whole, not concentrating on the voice just yet. I’ll admit that I had a hard time seeing the connection of this chapter to the rest of the book, but the exercises were still interesting. The next chapter focuses on breath while the next chapter is the one that specifically focuses on speaking, song, and sound in a very physical way. The exercises here are meant to get you more in touch with the sounds of words and the sounds your vocal apparatus produces. I actually found myself jumping in; I couldn’t help but do some of the exercises as I read along. After all this focus on the self—from the whole-body perspective down to the voice—the next chapter switches to listening to others and being aware of sounds. The second-to-last chapter is a way to help you be more mindful of voice and sound throughout your day. The final chapter talks about speaking and voice under pressure, when you have to speak publically, like for a work presentation or an oral examination.

This book was not what I expected, but I still found it quite fascinating. It is an unusual subject to go into in such depth. The exercises are simple, straightforward, and definitely get you in touch with your body, your breath, your voice, and the sounds created by others and the world. It certainly offers a unique perspective. I found it to be a fun, participatory read.

The Paranoid’s Pocket Guide to Mental Disorders You Can Just Feel Coming On

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Available at Amazon in paperback only

The Paranoid's Pocket Guide to Mental Disorders*

Somewhat Irreverent Guide to Offbeat and Typical Mental Disorders

As the title might suggest, this book is meant to be a lighthearted guide to some typical and rare mental disorders. I know; that seems like a strange concept. The author does address this in the introduction, where he states that he knows that mental disorders are a serious subject. He has written some other somewhat humorous books on difficult topics, like diseases and deviant behavior. When you actually start to read about the various syndromes within the book, over half of each disorder is actually quite serious. The causality and the treatment sections actually seem like solidly researched information about the actual disorder. It’s only in the first parts of the section—namely the quiz, inner monologue, and diagnosis sections—that humor seems to reign. I actually found this combination of slightly silly parts and on-point parts along with sometimes rather bizarre cartoons to make for a fascinating read. I am an RN and have some experience dealing with mental disorders, so that may be why I found this to be a book I couldn’t stop flipping through.

Cyber Security by Matt Reyes

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Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited

Cyber Security*

A Good Introduction to Cyber Security for Regular People

If you fully read the book description, you might come away a little paranoid. I’m sure we all have a vague sense that we are vulnerable to cyberattacks, whether it is to our own devices or to companies that we work with. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has gotten a Credit Karma alert that one of the companies I do business with has been compromised. But in the description of this book, the author really puts forth very strongly how we can be personally vulnerable in so many ways.

While the blurb is a bit doom and gloom, the book itself is not. After a brief introduction to cybersecurity, the internet of things/everything, and “dangerous wares” like malware and viruses, the author breaks down digital security by device, application, or platform. In each section, he talks a little about what that particular piece of the cybersecurity puzzle is and its vulnerabilities, giving a real-world example. Most helpful, though, are the three sections on how to prepare, react, and secure that particular item. He goes so far as to share specific applications. The items explored include some that you would expect (like your computer and smartphone) but also includes things you might have never thought of like key fobs, voice assistants, and your social media and internet profiles.

While this book may not be the be-all, end-all book on cybersecurity, it is a well-written, easy-to-understand book that gets you thinking about your potential vulnerabilities and what to do about them so that you are not as open to attack. I think it is a great introduction to the topic for the layman or laywoman.

Am I Codependent? by Jane Kennedy

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Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited

Am I Codependent?*

Disorganized Bits of Info About Codependency

I have read several books by this author that are interconnected with their themes of empathy and codependency. This book, as the title suggests, the focus is on codependency, though there is a chapter on codependency in the empath-narcissist relationship. Unfortunately, I found this particular book to be poorly organized and lacking an overall coherent structure. It seemed more like unconnected bits of information about codependency put together into one book. Some chapters are longer, while others are probably too short.

Let me talk a little about the structure of the existing book. Part of my problem with this book’s framework is that it feels like the topics are out of order. For instance, I think the first two chapters should have been reversed, or chapter 1 should have been a part of chapter 2. Chapter 2 defines codependency, while chapter 1 looks at distinguishing codependency from dependent personality disorder. I would not have started the book with that narrow distinguishing factor. Next should have come more basic information, like chapter 5 on childhood roots of codependency and chapter 6 on what the author calls the one root cause of codependency. After getting these building blocks in place, she then should have moved on to looking at how codependency manifests in adult romantic relationships. Instead, some of that is sandwiched between the definitions area and the developmental causes chapter and then is explored more after the causes. Because of this lack of cohesiveness and some brevity of the included sections, I cannot recommend this book.

PCOS by Jane Kennedy

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Available at Amazon only
Free with Kindle Unlimited

PCOS*

Learn about PCOS

In this book, the author has gathered some of the latest science and writing about PCOS. She explains what it is and its symptoms. She spends a fair amount of time on the mental and emotional aspects of the syndrome. While the subtitle proclaims that you will be able to reverse PCOS, inside the author states that some symptoms and effects can be reversed but not necessarily everything. She details different ideas and techniques that either directly address the causes of PCOS or its symptoms and effects. She spends some time discussing how hormones play a factor, dedicating a chapter to insulin alone. Some later chapters address how PCOS affects fertility. At the end of the book, she has an extensive list of references. The author really has tried to take from many sources, including studies and people who are considered PCOS experts. If you suffer from this syndrome, you may very well find the information in this book to be helpful as you try to move past the difficulties it causes for you.

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The asterisks (*) by the book title denote the source of the book copy.

One star = I received it as a free advance/review copy or directly from the author.

Two stars = I borrowed it through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Three stars = I purchased the book outright (sometimes for free).

The Amazon book links on this site are affiliate links, which means I make a tiny percentage if you choose to buy a book linked from this site.

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