With a Little Help From My... Books!

Apart from being worried about the topic of my dissertation, I am also worried about developing my study and writing skills. I never had to write a dissertation before and now I have to do it in English, which is not my first language.

In order to try to do well I've acquired some books to help me not only go through this course but also to give me skills for life. I first became interested in trying to improve my memory, as I realised that I forgot everything that I read very easily and did not retain enough information. Then I learned that a good way of summarising everything that I read was to make Mind Maps. Of course that since I wanted to read so many books I desperately needed to find a way to read faster, so I bought a book about speed reading. Then I realised I needed to improve my critical thinking, since I never had to do any critical thinking during my study life in Brazil. And Finally, a book about research methods. Here is a list of my reading list together with their link to Amazon.co.uk in case anyone else wants to learn more about them:

• Your Memory: How it Works and How to Improve It


• How to Develop a Brilliant Memory


• Use Your Head


• The Mind Map Book


• Breakthrough Rapid Reading


• The Study Skills Handbook


• Critical Thinking Skills


• How to Write Better Essays


• Research Design

Technically, the list above should make my life easier... except that it also means it will take a lot of the time that I should be spending reading about tourism! But the truth is I love books, and any excuse to buy one is good enough for me! Now, if it will bring any real improvement to my dissertation, only time will tell.