Way back in October I blogged about some of the materials I was using, including a Redkalinka audio book 25 Texts in Easy Russian. I finished the 25 texts last week and thoroughly recommend them. (And no, as I keep saying, I have no affiliation with the company. ) I can see my progress over the six months because when I first started with them I was doing one a week, struggling to understand them and the pronunciation. I remember taking forever to pronounce путешествовать and преподаватель, but by the end I was completing one every couple of days and finding it easy to recall the passages. I have used them like this:
- Listen to the passage a couple of times to ensure I know what it means, comparing with the English
- Listen to each sentence, stop the audio and repeat. This takes three or four goes
- Attempt to say the whole passage by reading the Russian. This also takes three or four goes
- Cover the Russian and attempt to say the passage in Russian by only looking at the English on the right. This can work because by the time I have got to this stage, I almost know the passage off by heard anyway.
Each text is short and focused, with a storyline running through. I enjoyed learning about Anton and his Russian lessons and his finally obtaining a job in Moscow. I also enjoyed learning about his sister Anna and her completing university and getting an IT job. (Good for her!) So when I had finished the book I was delighted to discover Anton’s story continues in Book 2 of the 25 texts with him getting off the plane in Moscow to start his new life – so I bought it! Skimming through it, I see there is a new character, Olga but no mention of Anna. I wonder if Olga is going to make a connection with Anton or if I am just wishful thinking? We’ll see!