3 . A few years ago, we celebrated Frankenstein’s 200th birthday. This famous book, written by British novelist Mary Shelley (1797—1851), is rightly known as the first work of science fiction. Frankenstein is the name of a doctor who creates a creature from human body parts. The doctor’s ambitions for his work are noble, but his experiment has disastrous results.

Shelley was writing in an age when science was beginning to have a great impact on the world. People had different attitudes toward science back then. Some found it inspiring- they thought of the progress medicine was making in curing common illnesses. But others found it a little frightening—it was changing the, making it a lot less familiar.

Science plays a bigger part in our lives than it did two centuries ago. Today, science has brought us great things like the internet, but also nuclear weapons, which, if used in large numbers, could kill off our species. Science still therefore creates the mixed feelings it did in Shelley’s day. It’s because Shelley saw both the promise and the danger of science that she’s still an influence today.

In fact, the subtitle of the book, The Modern Prometheus (普罗米修斯), shows how important myth (神话) was to the writer. Prometheus, a figure from classical Greek mythology, written by ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, steals fire from the gods and gives it to people, an act for which he is terribly punished. Shelley’s husband, the famous poet Percy Shelley, wrote about him in Prometheus Unbound. In the poem, he is a revolutionary hero, who triumphs over the gods. In Mary Shelley’s book, however, her modern Prometheus. Dr Frankenstein, is a highly controversial figure, who sacrifices his home and life for his crazy addiction to his creation.

In short, Mary Shelley’s book is not just a scary and moving story, but a philosophical tale that, even after 200 years, still speaks to modern readers.

4 . Calabash brothers (葫芦兄弟) live in the Calabash Mountain with their grandfather. They are very brave. They wear different clothes. The red calabash is the other six brothers’ elder brother. He is powerful. His body can be bigger or smaller. But he doesn’t have his own ideas. The orange calabash has enhanced hearing and sight. He can see and hear far places clearly. The yellow calabash’s body is very strong. Nothing can injure him, but he is arrogant (傲慢的). The green calabash is the god of fire. He can eat fire and make fire. The cyan (青色的) calabash can drink water and make flood. The blue calabash is the cleverest of all. Nobody can find him when he makes himself invisible. And the purple calabash has a magic gourd (葫芦) ,The gourd can absorb everything.

One day a pangolin (穿山甲) broke the cave and two monsters came out.

They were Monster Scorpion (蝎子精) and Monster Snake. The calabash brothers must fight with them and save the world. Unluckily, their grandfather who helped them beat the monsters was killed by the monsters finally.

6 . Science fiction, or sci-fi, with more themes related to environmental issues, overpopulation, and technological growth, has explosively (爆发地) grown in popularity since the beginning of the 21st century.     1    

Some Chinese Sci-Fi History

    2    Few works were translated. And the Western world had little to no taste for it.

The history of Chinese sci-fi is extensive, but the modern genre first took root during the 1900s. Authors such as Lu Xun promoted sci-fi’s early development in China and translated multiple Western stories like Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon. Following the 1970s, China began its own golden age of science fiction. Movies, clubs, magazines, societies and communities formed around this genre and became increasingly popular among Chinese readers.     3    

Its Entry into the West

Chinese sci-fi has become internationally recognized, mainly because of Ken Liu, who translated The Three-Body Problem, the first contemporary Chinese sci-fi novel to be translated into English.     4    Chinese sci-fi’s introduction into the West began with this novel, and it couldn’t have been given a better international debut (亮相). Liu has become a go-to source for Chinese authors seeking international audiences.

What Makes Chinese Sci-Fi Distinctive (独特的)

The subgenre is unique for using a number of cultural and traditional objects, words, places and beliefs.     5    The stories are also different because many modern Chinese sci-fi authors were heavily affected by the events of the 20th century. Their perspectives (思维方式) and ideas on morals, ethics ( 伦理), government, politics, science and anything in between come from standpoints previously unknown to Western readers.

7 . At least 3 million people, or around 6% of the adult population in England aged over 16, say they feel isolated “often or always,” according to Government figures, with those aged between 16 to 24 especially vulnerable(易受影响的). When it comes to our emotional wellbeing, feeling lonely is a risk factor for several mental disorders including schizophrenia and major depression, and also makes us more fearful and anxious.

    1     What is perhaps less obvious is one answer to the problem: the healing power of poetry to make us feel more connected to others.     2     We’re not alone in our despair or delight. When we have a poem by our side, whether tucked into a bag or on a bedside table, it feels like we’re being accompanied by a friend: an authorial arm is wrapped around our shoulders.

I remember one woman starting to cry as she read Derek Walcott’s poem Love After Love during a workshop held at my local hospital in West London.     3     Everyone in the room knew just what she meant. She had, in Walcott’s phrase, struggled to “love again the stranger who was yourself”. The poet’s invitation to “Sit. Feast on your life” was what she needed, in language which spoke to her, to imagine loving herself in a way she had always found hard.     4    

I am not alone in believing in that poems can aid our mental health. A 2021 study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that a group of 44 hospitalized children who were encouraged to read and write poetry saw reductions in fear, sadness, anger, worry and fatigue, Poetry was a welcome distraction from stress and an opportunity for self-reflection, the researchers concluded.     5    

8 . Like a Lily Among the Thoms by Karen S. Bell is a touching and appealing novel. Bell explores the theme of a sense of belonging through the perspective of her main character, Gabrielle Bernstein. Gabrielle is an optimistic young woman, and she never takes life for granted. She enjoys working as a librarian, and she loves her community. One day, she receives a notice to force her out of her apartment because her building is being pulled down, making room for luxury apartments. She only has a few days to find a new living situation. Soon after, she receives news:her long-lost father has passed away and left her an inheritance(遗产). Throughout this journey, Gabrielle struggles internally about whether to accept or decline this sudden inheritance from the man who has caused her so much pain.

From the start, Bell establishes a sharp contrast between- Gabrielle’s inner and outer self. For example,Gabrielle-has a generally positive outlook on life internally, and she never lets negative thoughts poison her mind. However, the author shows that when people come across Gabrielle, they see an external image of someone who seems angry, frustrated, and unhappy. In essence, Gabrielle is happy on the inside, but it does not reflect on her face. Later, the author explains this dichotomy(双面) when she finally pours out her childhood to her friend. In this revealing scene, Gabrielle’s face suddenly begins to change because she finally unburdens herself of how she truly feels about her upbringing. Indeed,"the more Gabrielle starts to let go of her painful past, the more her face comes across as pleasing.

Bell expertly describes the main character’s emotions with extreme honesty, and readers will undoubtedly be pleased with the results.

9 . Four novels listed for readers

Bee Season by Myla Goldberg

Eliza Naumann, a nine-year-old, expects never to fit into her gifted family: her wise father, Saul, absorbed in his study of science; her brother, Aaron, the hope of his father; and her mom, Miriam, a bright lawyer. But when Eliza takes the lead in school and district spelling bee competitions, Saul takes it as a sign that she is sure to be of greatness.

The Worlds We Think We Know by Dalia Rosenfeld

Extremely funny, this collection of stories takes readers from the United States to Israel and back again to examine the mystifying (令人迷惑的) reaches of our own minds and hearts. The characters of The Worlds We Think We Know are inspired by the power of passion and confusion. After being attacked in the streets of New York, a professor must repeat the terrible experience to recover his memory—and his lost love.

Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran

With only a yellowing photo in hand, a young man named Jonathan Safran Foer sets out to find the woman who might or might not have saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Teamed up with an old man with memories of the war, a dog named Sammy and the unforgettable Alex, a young translator who speaks poor English, Jonathan is led on a wild journey over a deserted landscape and into an unexpected past.

At the End of the World, Turn Left by Zhanna Slor

This is an attractive novel from an unforgettable new voice that is literary, an interesting story about identity and how you define “home”. Masha remembers her childhood in the former USSR, but finds her life and heart in Israel. She was just a baby when her family moved, but eager to find her roots (根).