Answer Question
Comics!
Sonia suggested in one of the early German 1 lessons that comic books might be helpful. I got two from Amazon.de, an issue of the Werner series Sonia cited, and a big (150+ pages) Simpsons comic. What a hoot! I don't generally understand at first, but when I get the joke I get a nice jolt to the limbic system from the "aha!" I also ordered, from Amazon.com, The Oxford German Cartoon-strip Vocabulary Builder. This has a page of comics oriented towards some aspect of life, and then a page of explanations and translations. This book claims to teach colloquialisms that one wouldn't ordinarily encounter in formal language. The same book seems to be available in French and Spanish. Recommended.
ps the shipping from Amazon.de was EUR 4,69 (about $US 6) for the two comic books to Atlanta GA, and took 12 days. I wasn't asked to pay any customs duties or fees - it just showed up on my doorstoop. Very reasonable, considering.
ps the shipping from Amazon.de was EUR 4,69 (about $US 6) for the two comic books to Atlanta GA, and took 12 days. I wasn't asked to pay any customs duties or fees - it just showed up on my doorstoop. Very reasonable, considering.