1 . It's a great idea to reread novels.     1     For a while, I saw little point in rereading. Why reread a favorite when there are other books waiting for you? Most book lovers have long books waiting to be read. It seems a waste of time to reread a novel. The aspect of time is a crucial point for readers — a novel simply is not a poem, short story or movie.

    2     For one, the purpose of reading changes. You are no longer familiarizing yourself with the plot, characters or setting. These points were made clear in the first read. Rather, the second and third reading allows greater focus on the theme, literary references, style and the more subtle (细微的) aspects of the novel. This makes for a more enjoyable read. In many ways, a novel is like an endless treasure chest.    3    .

Another pleasant part of rereading is the lack of need to “understand” a novel. You've already read it and can now determine the extent of your enjoyment. However, there's a possibility of disliking a novel at second glance (再看一眼). There's   nothing wrong with this!     4     It's through rereading that we develop an understanding of our tastes.

I'm not suggesting that rereading is superior to (优于) reading novels for the first time. Yet, it's worth arranging time for two or three novels a year. You shouldn't reread any book. Rather pick a favorite to start with, preferably a story you read over a year ago.     5     It's entirely possible not to enjoy a novel at first but appreciate it at a different stage in your life.

2 . Magazines make great reading materials for kids. Libraries often have a large selection of periodicals (期刊) for every age group and reading level, and for many areas of interest. And some magazines may even have issues going back years and even decades! Below is a list of some of them!

It is about finding the bright side of life as a military kid! Inside each quarterly issue, your child will encounter inspiring stories, articles, and photographs! (8 to 16 years)

With articles, folk tales, and hands-on projects, Faces magazine takes young readers around the world for an honest and objective view of how children in other regions live. (9 to 14 years)

Make magazine publishes tested projects, skill-building tutorials, in-depth reviews and inspirational stories, accessible by all ages and skill ranges. (9 to 18 years)

Brio magazine for teen girls has a fresh new look that includes more pages filled with inspiring profiles, cultural insights, health & beauty tips, faith-filled features and added fun! (13 to 18 years)

Please note: Though all the magazines on this list are written for children, some issues may contain content that you may feel inappropriate for your child. As always, please review all reading materials before giving them to your child to read.

6 . Nowhere is the interconnection of the natural world more evident than in the delicate balance of its ecosystems. These books examine the secret to that balance, making complex concepts accessible to readers just beginning their scientific journeys.

By Jenni Desmond.Illustration: by the author. 2018.

The caring nature,intelligence,and incredible size of African and Asian elephants shine through in Desmond’s magnificent presentation of these mammals. Her illustrations are showstoppers, and the text includes general characteristics and habits. Desmond’s writing,precise and inviting, calls attention to the elephant’s role as a keystone species in the ecosystem and humans’ roles in elephants’ declining numbers.

By Rachel Poliquin. Illustration: by Nicholas John Frith. 2018.

This first in the Superpower Field Guide series, about the natural world’s resident superheroes, offers effervescent examinations of a beaver’s super characteristics. Poliquin explains in simple but exact language how these “wet land warriors” chew down trees,build dams and lodges,and most awesome of all, function as a keystone species to create entire new ecosystems.

By Jean Craighead George. Illustration: by Wendell Minor. 2008.

As George follows one wolf s growth from pup to adult, the emphasis is not as much on the wolves and their habits but on how their presence has changed the ecosystem of Yellowstone and returned its natural balance. Minor’s finely detailed illustrations feature spectacularly rendered animals in the foreground of the bold, western landscapes. Together the words and pictures make for a highly effective and enjoyable explanation of how the presence of one animal can profoundly affect an ecosystem.

7 . Like many people over the past few years, I have found myself turning to audiobooks as my main means of reading literature. I find it far more comfortable to “read with my ears” while my eyes are resting. My consumption of new books has doubled as a result--but a recent paper makes me wonder if this will come at the price of my comprehension.

The study comes from Boaz Keysar and Janet Geipel, both at the University of Chicago, and it draws from the “dual process model” of mental processing. According to this-view, we have two ways of assessing information. System 1 is intuitive (直觉的),   relying on natural ability and feeling. It is quick, but likely exposed to misinformation. System 2 is analytical involving the use of logic reasoning. It is mentally demanding. When it is engaged, we think our way through the material step by step. For decades, psychologists have designed various tests to determine which of these two systems a person is using. As one example, consider the/ following question: How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the Ark (方舟)? If you answered two, you were probably only considering the core of the question, which is System 1 thinking. To get to the right answer-zero, you need to think more carefully about the wording, which would allow you to remember it was Noah who built the Ark, not Moses. That is the kind of analytical process.

Keysar and Geipel’s brilliant idea was to investigate whether the sensory form-seeing vs. hearing-of the information would make a difference. They found that it did: when answering these kinds of simple questions, participants were more likely to make errors when the sentences were spoken out loud, rather than written.

A greater reliance on our feelings could be a problem if we are consuming information that needs logical study. For this reason. I will return to reading non-fiction with my eyes rather than my ears. But I won’t stop listening to novels. I am quite happy to go with the flow of my emotions while my critical mind takes a break.