【推荐1】Have you ever felt that reading a good book makes you better able to connect with your fellow human beings? If so, the results of a new scientific study back you up, but only if your reading material is literary fiction (文艺小说).Psychologists David Comer Kidd and Emanuele Castano, at the New School for Social Research in New York, have proved that reading literary fiction improves the ability to sense and understand other people's feelings.

In a series of five experiments, 1,000 participants were given texts to read, either parts of popular fiction, or more literary texts. The pair then used a variety of Theory of Mind methods to measure how accurately (精确的)the participants could identify feelings in others. Scores were higher for those who had read literary fiction than for those with popular fiction or non-fiction texts.

"What great writers do is to turn you into the writer. In literary fiction, the incompleteness of the characters turns your mind to trying to understand the minds of others,” said Kidd. “Some writing is what you call ‘writerly’, you fill in the gaps and participate, and some is “readerly”, and you’re cheered. We tend to see “readerly” more in fictions like adventure and romance, where the author put down your experience as a reader. Writerly fiction or literary fiction lets you go into a new environment and you have to find your own way,’’ Kidd said.

However, although Castano and Kidd proved that literary fiction improves social empathy (共情) , they were not prepared to use the results to determine whether a piece of writing is worthy of being called literary. “These are aesthetic (美学的)and stylistic concerns which as psychologists we can’t and don’t want to give opinions about,” said Kidd. “Neither do we argue that people should only read literary fiction; it’s just that only literary fiction seems to improve Theory of Mind in the short term. There are likely benefits of reading popular fiction — certainly enjoyment. We just did not measure them.”

【推荐2】Are you expecting some hottest books? Here are 4 best-sellers popular with teenagers.

Cuba in My Pocket

Cuba in My Pocket follows 12-year-old Cumba from Cuba to America in the 1960s. After being sent to a new country, Cumba must find his footing in unfamiliar surroundings. Over time, he learns how to trust others and get over difficulties with the great help of the locals.

Author Cuevas bases the story on her dad’s experiences. For Cuevas, hope is an important theme in Cuba in My Pocket.

Fast Pitch

In Stone’s Fast Pitch, Shenice is captain (队长) of the Fulton Firebirds. She decides to make her softball team become the winner in the final. But she loses focus after learning a family secret. Can Shenice find out her family secret and still lead her team to victory? She makes it. She fights with her team and they get the final victory.

Ivy + Bean Get to Work

Annie Barrows is the author of Ivy + Bean Get to Work. Ivy and Bean are best friends. They attend a Career Fair at school. They learn about jobs adults can have. But the girls are interested in just one job: Searching for treasure! The two look for gold. But they can’t find it. Barrows hopes kids will feel relaxed about themselves when reading this book.

A Shot in the Arm!

A Shot in the Arm!, by Don Brown, is a graphic (绘图) novel about the history of vaccines (疫苗). Readers learn how vaccines have been used throughout history to fight illness. The author also praised those who worked hard for the development of vaccines. A Shot in the Arm! isn’t a boring history book. Instead, it’s an exciting read that uses colorful drawings to pull readers in.

【推荐3】Most of the time, this column focuses on a novel or a short story. This month is a little different. For starters, it isn't a work of fiction. Instead, How to Lie with Statistics is a simple little book that teaches readers to tell the difference between good and bad statistics.

At the heart of the book is a problem. At their best, statistics provide a powerful way to strengthen an argument or point of view. Unfortunately, statistics are also both easily misunderstood and readily manipulated. That is a problem because many people are not well-equipped to understand when numbers are being used to manipulate them. The easiest way to solve this problem is to give people the ability to understand statistics.

How to Lie with Statistics seeks to do just that. Often used as a textbook for math classes, it is surprisingly easy to read and understand. It's also very useful. Each of the book's ten chapters focuses on one way statistics are commonly misused.

How to Lie with Statistics has a light and fun tone. It teaches both simple explanations and fun examples. It is a short 144 pages and includes a lot of cartoon illustrations. Written in1954, the book quickly became a classic. Despite its age, the ideas presented are practical, and the examples remain easy to follow. That said, some of the examples, especially those that use dates and money, seem dated to modern eyes.

Readers should also be aware that this book isn't really a textbook. While the book outlines important ideas about statistics, it doesn't actually teach you math. The author, Darrel Huff, wasn't a mathematician. Rather, he was a journalist. The book shows that by informing readers, but not exploring topics too deeply.

Nevertheless, the book is a wonderful resource for readers. Traditionally, it has been used as an extra text for students from many different subjects. It also provides a handy introduction to interdisciplinary studies. However, the book will prove useful for any-one who wants to develop their critical thinking.