Thomas R. Beyer

"Learn Russian The Fast and Fun Way" is very good as a workbook. However, it is best used alongside either a class or audiotapes, otherwise your written Russian will likely be far head of your speaking skills. I really enjoy how the book is broken up into fifteen minute segments, though, as it gives me a good goal to practice everyday. Although I feel that a lot of this book is geared towards younger students, it works great for older learners as well.

Excellent course, includes descriptions and mouth diagrams for each sound, including the palatalized consonants, and sentence intonation. I was amazed at how well my pronunciation developed without any formal instruction. Unfortunately it doesn't cover any of the more intimidating consonant clusters (like zdr or dn).

This is an excellent reference for students of Russian language at any stage. Russian contains numerous irregular verbs, and it's handy to have an easy-to-use reference to check oneself if necessary. It's also a good way to study verb conjugation for those just starting to learn Russian.

This book has gotten me through six years of Russian class!