1 . Here are some highly recommended books for readers to choose.

Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?       by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn       $23.92

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn’s first published novel is incredibly relatable for anybody whose family members frequently question their relationship status. In Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? a thirty-something Nigerian woman attempts to find herself a wedding date and learns some valuable lessons about life and love.

Violeta       by Isabel Allende       $ 25.76

Isabel Allende’s expansive collection of works continues with Violeta — the story of a woman named Violeta Del Valle who gives readers a front-row seat to historic moments of the 20th century, from the Spanish flu to the Great Depression to the women’s rights movement, as she recounts the highs and lows of her 100-year life in a series of letters to her grandson.

The Perfect Escape       by Leah Konen       $15.64

Loved Leah Konen’s All the Broken People? Prepare yourself for her newest thriller (惊悚小说), The Perfect Escape, which is about a group of friends whose girls’ weekend goes wrong when they land themselves in deep trouble in the Catskills and one of them goes missing.

Greenwich Park      by Katherine Faulkner       $24.84

Talk about suspense! Katherine Faulkner’s Greenwich Park, told from three angles, centers on a pregnant woman who meets another mom-to-be who couldn’t be more different from her. As their friendship develops, they realize they may be more connected than they think.

5 . In Singapore, it seems like art can be seen at every turn. Throughout the year, festivals, live performances, and concerts add to the vibrancy (活力) of the creative community. Here are some of the biggest art festivals.

SINGAPORE ART WEEK

When: January

Over the course of 10 days, this massive visual art celebration organizes more than 130 art events at museums, galleries, independent art spaces, and public places across Singapore from the city center to the heartland neighborhoods. Visitors can have discussions with artists, and attend art exhibitions and workshops that explore art and culture in Asia. Whether you’re interested in Sudanese architecture or cute Japanese paintings, there’s an event for everyone.

ART SG

When: January

During the biggest art fair in Southeast Asia, more than 150 of the world’s best galleries will showcase their collection of more than 1,000 artists at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center. From 12-15 January, this large-scale art show highlights paintings, sculptures, and photography from galleries like the influential Gagosian and London’s White Cube.

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS

When: May

This annual performance art festival pushes the boundaries of physical and virtual spaces and explores The Anatomy of Performance through music, film, dance, musicals, and plays. The festival’s lineup includes a broad range of programs from local and international artists, ranging from orchestral performances to different styles of modern and traditional dances.

SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL

When: August

For one week each August, the Bras Basah. Bugis district lights up for this multi-dimensional art festival, with more than a dozen light installations (装置), stage shows, and theater performances. The National Museum of Singapore sponsors the event. It also acts as a major venue for various performances and demonstrations along with the Singapore Art Museum and the Peranakan Museum.

I have a fifteen-year-old son. He    1     (be) a perfect boy. I love my son with all my heart.

Last summer he worked to earn money for his new bicycle instead of     2     (ask) money from me. Then he spent hours and hours on it. Later I bought him a pair    3    glasses and gloves. My son rode the bicycle with the glasses and the gloves, and he looked so cool. He dreamed of taking part in a race and winning.

On November 10, my birthday, when I went to the kitchen to start the milk and bread in the morning, I     4     (notice) a beautiful guitar on the table, beside which was a card. It said, “Happy birthday to my    5     (wonder) mother, all my love, your son.” I was very    6    (surprise) and then began to sob (抽泣). I remembered once I joked to my family that I wished    7     (learn) to play the guitar to make my life more colorful. I had forgotten it, but my son remembered. He took it    8     (serious), and bought one for me as my birthday gift. When I wondered     9     my son could buy this expensive gift, I realized that my son sold his bicycle to get me     10     guitar.