Books you should read

I promised you the second part of the "Words, words.... " this time with books that I find interesting. Well, as with any list of books, it is hundred per cent subjective, and so feel free to disagree with me, and enrich it with your own ideas. Books are among those rare things that can help us change our minds, and view things from a different angle. So much for the introduction, let's get down to business...

Number one (it is not a ranking, so it doesn't mean that number one is the best, the worst or mid-range).

A Spanish illustrator - Luci Gutierrez wrote "English in not easy", as we can learn from the preface to the book, as a self-help book for herself, as learning English wasn't her favourite activity. It won't be an original remark if I say that her book is very different from what we are used to as teachers and learners. It made me laugh reading some of the comments of people on Amazon France who seem slightly shocked by what they found inside. The illustrations are quirky indeed, no doubt about that, which characterises Luci Gutierrez's dark sense of humour, but, first of all, one shouldn't take this book too seriously, and secondly, I don't think that it really creates such a big threat to a decent person's life, you are not, after all, going to recommend it to a 6 year- old, are you?

Somebody else mentioned the mistakes they have found in the first three chapters (the misspelled word "daughter", and "lose" as well as misused relative pronoun "who"), I have had a look at my copy, went through the first three chapters twice, found indeed the words "daughter" spelled the way it should be, correctly used "whom" and no mention of the verb "lose". It is obviously possible that I haven't spotted them or maybe I have got a different edition (2nd edition by a Spanish publishing house Blackie Books). Whatever the reason, mistakes is not something that stands out in this book, and believe me, I would have a lot to say about the French books aimed at BTS students that come out in France almost yearly and the errors they contain. BTS by the way, for those of you who haven't got a clue what I am talking about, is a 2 year post A-level diploma, which is very popular in France.

And so I find this book refreshing, and captivating enough for (older) students who (don't take things so seriously) and are SO SO bored with the ordinary, the usual, the conventional workbooks. I also think that anything that breaks the mundane is worth at least having a look at.

Below you will find a link to the amazon's website:





If you would like to have a look inside click on this link:
ENGLISH IS NOT EASY



I have asked Lucie Gutierrez three questions about her experience of learning English:
you will find her answers below:

could you describe, in a few words, your adventure with learning English?

It was a pain in the neck for long time but at some point learning English became something fun, I started to see it as a game. And actually, I'm still on it.  I don't see the end but I'm stubborn. 

do you have a method of learning languages that works for you? any book that you like?

Blog/podcasts/videos or anything else that you find inspiring?

I wish I had a magical method, but I don't. The best way to learn a language is spending some time in a country that speaks this language or getting a native speaker boyfriend/girlfriend instead. Failing that, I listen and read in English often.I like to listen to podcasts such as This American Life or The Moth. The stories are so interesting that I forget that I'm listening to them in English.

  is there an English word/expression that you particularly   
  like?

    I like English euphemisms such as "Oh My Gosh!" or "Heck!"