Better Reading Italian : A Reader and Guide to Improving Your Understanding of Written Italian

Rating:
Summary: Not very interesting selection; difficult references
Review: The introduction to this book states that "learning to read a foreign language means learning how to understand texts that are aimed at native speakers and therefore take for granted references, contexts, and levels of understanding that are mysterious to foreigners." In other words, this is not a book with selections written for students of Italian. I have been living in Italy & studying Italian for a year and have a decent command of the language. Even so, I have difficulty with the references in this book, especially in the many poetry selections. I think this book would be even more frustrating for someone who has not spent considerable time in-country. It is NOT written at a beginner level or aimed at casual students of the language. Furthermore, I found the selections rather boring reading. If I had it do over again, I would buy one of the short-story books.

Rating:
Summary: A different approach, less textbook, more challenge
Review: While there is still a set of comprehension questions at the end of each feature story, one of the things I like most about this book is that it helps you begin to bridge the gap from "textbook" books on Italian, and to start jumping into "regular" books in Italian. That, and the fact that the articles have a variety of subject matter, from sports to poetry to industry, etc.
This is not a book that I've been working through from start to finish, but one I pick up occasionally to supplement the other things I've been reading/working with, from "Italian Verb Drills" workbook by Nanni-Tate, to the copy of the Corriere Della Sera I brought home from my last trip.

Rating:
Summary: Not very interesting selection; difficult references
Review: While there is still a set of comprehension questions at the end of each feature story, one of the things I like most about this book is that it helps you begin to bridge the gap from "textbook" books on Italian, and to start jumping into "regular" books in Italian. That, and the fact that the articles have a variety of subject matter, from sports to poetry to industry, etc.
This is not a book that I've been working through from start to finish, but one I pick up occasionally to supplement the other things I've been reading/working with, from "Italian Verb Drills" workbook by Nanni-Tate, to the copy of the Corriere Della Sera I brought home from my last trip.