False Friends - Faux Amis, by Ellie Malet Spradbery - French Book Review

Ellie Malet Spradbery's False Friends - Faux Amis is a small book filled with potentially difficult French vocabulary. Though written for British students of French (the cover invites you to "avoid those awkward misunderstandings with our friends across the channel"), the vast majority of the featured terms are useful for English speakers from any country.

False Friends - Faux Amis includes six sections:

1. False Friends - words that look similar in French and English but have different meanings.
    
2. French Expressions - hundreds of useful idiomatic expressions
    
3. Twins, Triplets, Quads - French words with more than one meaning, as well as groups of similarly spelled and therefore potentially confusing French words
    
4. Lists - themed word lists, from trees to boats to birds
    
5. Miscellaneous - a variety of interesting and useful French words
    
6. English Expressions - idiomatic expressions translated into French

While it's fun to browse through these sections, picking up phrases and learning how to correct mistakes you may have been making for years, this isn't the sort of reference book you'd turn to when in doubt about a particular expression. With no index and therefore no way to search for specific terms, the best thing to do is skim through page by page, highlighting or taking notes for future reference.

If you're at about intermediate level and have trouble with false friends and idiomatic expressions, this handy little book will help you brush up your French.