1 . Let us continue with all sorts of great books. These four ones are worth reading.
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands
Kate Beaton is best known for humor. She tells how hopeless she was to pay off college loans, and she spent two years in her 20s working in the oil fields of Alberta. Beaton also considered how her years in the oil sands affected her own creativity. Her surroundings seemed almost designed to limit her imagination. The book is a vital turning point in the career of an important artist.
Nowhere Better Than Here
In her first middle grade novel, Sarah Guillory has written an exciting story about a brave girl fighting against the effects of climate change. When the worst flood in a century hits, thirteen-year-old Jillian is determined to find a way to keep her hometown Boutin and its spirit alive.
It Won’t Always Be Like This
Malaka Gharib has got a sharp eye for character details. Now in the book, Gharib revisits her teens. She tells about leaving Los Angeles, where she lived with her mother and visiting her father in Egypt every summer. Looking back at this time with adult eyes, she recalls her teen self with a mix of liking and anger.
Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life
It tells the true story of the author Jerry Pinkney’s childhood growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the book, Jerry also mentions his reading and writing problems. Only drawing could offer him a sense of calm, control and confidence. Jerry eventually became one of the most celebrated children’s book illustrators (插图画家) of all time.
1. What did Beaton think of her days in oil fields?| A．It was full of mystery. |
| B．It was helpful to her works. |
| C．It narrowed her imagination. |
| D．It gave her inspiration for drawing. |
| A．Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life. |
| B．It Won’t Always Be Like This. |
| C．Nowhere Better Than Here. |
| D．Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands. |
| A．They both mention the authors’ growth experiences. |
| B．They both describe the scenes of adulthood. |
| C．They both center on climate problems. |
| D．They both tell inspiring stories. |
2 . With the temperature rising and the world coming back to life, what’s better for the weekend to sit on a bench in a park and enjoy some good books? Just check out our newest releases on the way and expect a fruitful day!
From Scratch
By David Moscow
Adventurous Anthony Bourdainesque eaters and readers will appreciate David Moscow’s every word as he travels far (bye, Sea of Sardinia) and near (hello, Texas plains) to lean from farmer, hunters, fisherfolk and scientists about how our food reaches our plates.
Release Date: Apr. 30th
Price: Hardcover: $17.95 Paperback: $11.95
The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man
By Paul Newman
In 1986, Paul Newman tasked his best friend, Stewart Stern, with interviewing co-workers, family and friends for his memoir(回忆录), recently unearthed from Joanne Newman’s home nearly 15 years after her husband’s passing.
Release Date: Apr. 6th
Price: Hardcover: $19.95 Paperback: $15.95
The Boy and the Dog
By Seishu Hase
In this Japanese bestseller translated to English and French, a dog displaced by the 2011 tornado, enters the lives of the six different people who take him in during his five-year adventure to return to his owner.
Release Date: Mar. 26th
Price: Hardcover: $29.95 Paperback: $20.95
Cook as You Are
By Ruby Tandoh
The Great British Bake Off veteran Ruby Tandoh meets readers more than halfway to make quality home cooking accessible. Recipes range from people-pleasing meals for big groups to easy one-pot dinners for nights to yourself.
Release Date: Apr. 13th
Price: Hardcover: $12.95 Paperback: $10.95
Buy 3 or more books and save $5!
So, what are you waiting for? Hit us with your order and enjoy your free time!
1. Which will you choose if you’re curious about harvesting crops?| A．From Scratch | B．The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man |
| C．The Boy and the Dog | D．Cook as You Are |
| A．$28.85. | B．$33.85. | C．$40.85. | D．$48.85. |
| A．Sorrowful. | B．Grateful. | C．Entertained. | D．Touched. |
3 . Olly Neal grew up in Arkansas. He didn’t care much for high school. One day during his senior year, he cut class and walked into the school library. He discovered a book written by Frank Yerby. The book was The Treasure of Pleasant Valley and it attracted Neal’s attention. But there was one problem — if Neal took the book to the check out counter (收银台), his friends would know he was reading books.
“Then my fame (名誉) would be down,” Neal said. “I wanted them to know that all I could do was fight and cuss (咒骂).” Finally, Neal decided to steal the book.
A week later, Neal had finished the book. He brought it back to the library. But when he put it back, there was another book by Yerby. He took it as well. The same thing happened again. He read four of Yerby’s books that term — checking out none of them.
But Neal’s sneaky action turned out not to have been so sneaky after all. Attending his 13-year high school get-together, Neal met the school’s librarian, Mildred Grady. She saw Neal take that book. She said, “My first thought was to call him out, and then I realized what his situation was. So I decided that if Neal was showing an interest in books, I would find another one for him and put it in the same place where the one he had taken was.”
This was not an easy matter, because Frank Yerby’s books were not especially available. But the woman’s efforts paid off: Neal went on to attend law school and later became a great judge. When Grady died, Neal told the story and he said, “I thank Mrs. Grady for helping me get into the habit of enjoying reading, so that I was able to go to law school and survive.”
1. Why did Neal steal the book instead of checking it out?| A．To prove he was a skillful thief. |
| B．To show the book to his friends. |
| C．To keep being known as a troublemaker. |
| D．To avoid communicating with the librarian. |
| A．Secret. | B．Dangerous. | C．Brave. | D．Illegal. |
| A．She taught Neal how to survive. |
| B．She persuaded Neal to be honest. |
| C．She encouraged Neal to study law. |
| D．She helped Neal develop reading habits. |
| A．Reading changes people’s life |
| B．A librarian changed a boy’s life |
| C．A senior student became a judge |
| D．Frank Yerby’s books attracted a boy |
4 . The story of a 92-year-old book lover in a village of Chongqing has touched many recently, Sun Shiquan has collected more than 7,000 books over the past years and has offered a free local library to people there for years.
He was born in Pipa Village in Xiuqi Town of Chongqing’s Chengkou County. Being a bookworm as a child, he read all kinds of ancient books including the Four Books and the Five Classics. In the 1950s, he became one of only a handful of local college graduates and later served as a middle school teacher in the county.
He started to collect books in 1983 and gradually built a collection of many kinds over more than 40 years. Among his holdings is a precious set known as the Si Ku Quan Shu, dating back to Qing Dynasty. It is one of the only seven copies in the country.
Wearing glasses, Sun reads for more than three hours every day. Now he has finished reading most of his collections. Speaking of her father, Sun Ziyu, said, “My father has a habit of making notes on each book. He makes a mark whenever he stops reading so that he can carry on reading from where he left off.”
Village official Liu Jiao said, “Many children in the village love to visit Sun and listen to his stories.” She said the elderly man has earned respect from the whole village. People call him “Teacher Sun” and children call him “great-grandfather”.
Sun Ziyu said her father also writes poems and prose(散文) in his spare time and enjoys reading his works to the family. She said under her father’s influence, family members take the time to read together and exchange views. “That’s their favorite part,” she said.
“My father has loved reading for a lifetime,” Sun Ziyu said. “Reading is his meat and drink.”
1. What can we know from the first two paragraphs?| A．Mr Sun was born in a rich family. |
| B．There was only one free library in Xiuqi Town. |
| C．Mr Sun has been a book lover since childhood. |
| D．It was easy for children to get educated in the 1950s. |
| A．Colorful. | B．Valuable. | C．Demanding. | D．Enormous. |
| A．Mr Sun’s reading habit. | B．Mr Sun’s life experiences. |
| C．Mr Sun’s writing hobby. | D．Mr Sun’s book collections. |
| A．A person with talent. | B．A person worthy of pity. |
| C．A person with disability. | D．A person worthy of respect. |
5 . “You can either travel or read, but either your body or soul must be on the way.”The popular saying has inspired many people to read or go sightseeing. As the summer holiday is here, are you planning a trip to relax after working so hard for a half year?
Traveling, just like reading, is a refreshing journey, and a temporary retreat (逃避) from the busy world. Here are 4 books we recommend that you take on your trip.
Destination: Central Europe
Recommended book: Life is Elsewhere, 1969, by Milan Kundera
Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” The book describes a young artist’s romantic but miserable life, about how he reads, dreams and has a relationship.
Experience the artist’s passionate life in the book during a trip to Central Europe. The book invites you to deeply reflect on your current life.
Destination: Kenya, Africa
Recommended book: West with the Night, 1942, by Beryl Markham
This book is about a direct, stylish and engrossing story of a marvelous life well-lived. Markham described her childhood in Kenya and her experiences as a bush pilot in the 1930s—evoking (描述出) the landscape, people, and wildlife in rich detail.
Destination: Provence
Recommended book: A Year in Provence, 1989, by Peter Mayle
Provence, well-known for its lavender(薰衣草), is not only a tourist attraction, but more a symbol of a lifestyle. The book doesn’t teach you how to deal with the hardships in life, but to avoid them happily. With a cup of wine and a rocking chair, time flows slowly here. The author and his wife are living a reclusive(隐居的) life here. When you make a trip following the author’s footsteps, you may encounter him in Provence.
Destination: Istanbul, Turkey
Recommended book: My name Is Red, 1998, by Orhan Pamuk
The book, featuring a peak masterpiece of the Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Orhan Pamuk, has been translated into more than 50 languages and published around the world.
It tells a story of a young man, who has been away from home for 12 years, coming back to his hometown in Istanbul. What embraces him is not only love, but a series of murder cases as well. The book inspires people to have a deeper thinking on life.
1. If you want to explore Central Europe, whose book would you like to take on your trip?| A．Milan Kundera’s. | B．Beryl Markham’s |
| C．Peter Mayle’s | D．Orhan Pamuk’s |
| A．Lotus | B．Lavender |
| C．Mayle’s wife | D．Mayle’s book |
| A．Life Is Elsewhere | B．West with the Night |
| C．A Year in Provence | D．My Name Is Red |
