Resource List

If you are interested in learning Chinese, improving your memory and learning abilities, and/or starting your own blog/site like this one, here are some helpful resources for you. This page includes books, software,

Recommended Books

Language Learning

Chinese Culture

If you really want to learn a language, you have to understand the culture that it came from. Here are some books and memoirs that will help you delve more deeply into Chinese culture.

  • Wild Swans by Jung Chang: The author relates multiple generations of her own Chinese American family, from pre-Mao to modern times.
  • The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang: This is an extremely well-researched and eye-opening account of the horrors and heroes who lived through the “Chinese Holocaust.” Warning: some events described in this book are horrifying. However, this is war history, and true to life.
  • Chinese Cinderella: The autobiography of an unwanted youngest daughter.

Recommended Software and Sites

Sites and software resources that we personally use or have used:

  • Anki.com A highly flexible spaced repetition system for learning and never forgetting new vocabulary.

Tools For Bloggers

These are tools and courses we’ve used to set up this site and create content for you. If you’re interested in learning more about blogging, we highly recommend these resources!

  • Siteground Hosting: After switching to Siteground hosting, I’ve never looked back! Not only does Siteground offer excellent, speedy web hosting at a reasonable price, its customer support is phenomenal. An absolute must if you are a newbie learning to set up your own site for the first time. To learn more about self hosting your very own site, check this out!
  • MailerLite: MailerLite is quick, clean, and perfect for beginning writers looking to start and grow their email list. It’s also extremely well-priced, easily beating out competitors like MailChimp (which sadly changed its pricing model in May 2019, leading to an uproar among former users). It also allows up to 1,000 free contacts, for life. If you’re just starting out with email marketing, MailerLite is a great option to check out.
  • Namecheap: When you need a domain registrar to lock in your personal website URL, Namecheap is one of the easiest, cheapest offers around!
  • Guest Blogging Certification: Created by online marketing master Jon Morrow (of Smart Blogger), this course will teach you everything you need to know about how to write for top sites from Forbes to Business Insider. Click on the hyperlinked course name to read my review of the course.
  • Successful Writer: Looking for a step-by-step road map to learning all the ways you can become a skillful, successful writer making a comfortable side income with your words? Look no further. Successful Writer will teach you everything you need to know, and then some!
  • Writers Ignited: If you’ve always struggled with getting your writing done and keeping promises to yourself, you need to join Writers Ignited. This mega-course includes not only six annual writing challenges to get you fired up to finish your writing projects, it includes four writing course tracks (Skillful Writer, Prolific Writer, Persuasive Writer, and Wealthy Writer), and an ever-expanding library of detailed book notes and other helpful resources to help you fulfill your writing potential and crush your writing goals.

Affiliate disclosure: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you decide to buy a product or service we’ve recommended, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products and services we use personally and would recommend these even without a commission. Thank you for your support!