1 . How to Host a Book Swap

If you love the written word, you probably have a pile of books somewhere in your home.     1    If you’re becoming alarmed at the price of new books, hold a book swap. The idea is pretty simple Guests bring books to share, and the accumulated books are then redistributed to new owners. If you’ve never held a book swap before, here are a few tips.

Send out invitations. A formal invitation should include the address, date and duration. A 2 to 3 hour party gives everyone a chance to enjoy the time and leave happy.     2    Three books is pretty standard. If you want extras around, don’t set a maximum.

Provide enough space. Some people use one large dining table and start piling up books when they run out of space.     3    They can offer people a chance to consider their selections without having to juggle piles of books while they’re doing it.

    4    To make sure guests can find what interests them, the easiest way to do this is to mart sections on the table for specific types of books. When people arrive, hand out a brief set of instructions, asking them to place their books in the right category.

Make it a party. When you’re in the planning stages, think party and you’ll be one step ahead of the game.     5    Create some good interactions with a little background music. Have an area set aside for coats and bags. Remember, you are hosting a party!

2 . “You can love someone and still choose to say goodbye to them.” Tara now says. It’s hard to understand these words until I read Tara Westover’s memoir Educated.

In her book Educated, Tara was raised in rural Idaho. Her dad believed the world was coming to an end, and that the family should interact with the health and education systems as little as possible. Major medical crises went untreated-her mother never recovered from her brain injury. Because Tara and her six siblings worked at their father’s junkyard， none of them received proper homeschooling.

Educated is an amazing story. I found it fascinating how it took studying philosophy and history in school for Tara to trust her own perception of the world. Before stepping foot in a classroom until she was 17, her worldview was entirely shaped by her dad. It wasn’t until she went to Brigham Young University that she realized there were other perspectives on things her dad had presented as fact. Eventually, she earned her doctorate in history from Cambridge. Of the seven Westover siblings, three earned Ph. D.s. I think their childhood experience made them tough and helped them persevere. When you meet Tara, she is never cruel even when mentioning her childhood traumas, including the physical abuse she suffered. I was impressed by how she talks so openly about how ignorant she once was.

Educated touches on the divides in our country: rural versus urban, college-educated versus not. Since she’s spent her whole life moving between these two worlds, I asked Tara what she thought. “I worry that education is becoming a stick that some people use to beat other people into submission or becoming something that people feel arrogant (傲慢的) about,” she said. “I think education is really just a process of self-discovery-of developing a sense of self and what you think. I think of it as this great mechanism of connecting and equalizing.”

Tara’s process of self-discovery is beautifully captured in Educated. She’s a talented writer, and I suspect this book isn’t the last.

3 . Are you interested in thrilling content? Here are four story books that take place in a museum or art set in famous art centers. These picks are full of action and uncertain result.

4 . As the saying goes, nobody’s perfect. That means we have room for at least some improvement in our lives. And no, we’re not talking about getting a better-paid job or a new haircut; we’re referring to inner improvement. If you’re wishing for some inner improvement in your lives, consider reading the following books.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens written by Sean Covey

To make this book age-appropriate and fun to read, Covey breaks up the text with cartoons, quotes, and brainstorming ideas to bring the book together. The book covers topics like body image, friendships, Internet safety, and much more. The book is especially good for teenagers.

A New Earth written by Eckhart Tolle

The book goes beyond teaching how to live in the moment and helps readers learn how to turn their suffering into peace. All types of suffering are addressed in the book. Whether your suffering is caused by anger, sadness, anxiety, or others, Tolle will help you see life from varied ways, awakening you to your life’s purpose.

Declutter Your Mind written by Barrie Davenport

This book is full of various exercises. You’ll learn how to change negative thoughts to positive ones, strategies to help with relationships, how to identify what’s important to you, how to set goals, and much more. This powerful book will do its part in offering various tips to deal with an overactive mind.

Big Magic written by Elizabeth Gilbert

From creating new habits to dealing with fear and surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals, Gilbert analyzes the difficulties a creative person may face in pursuing his dreams. The best part of this book is the usage of stories from regular men and women across the country.

6 . The Thing About Yetis

Everyone knows yetis love winter. They love snowball fights and hot chocolate and building snow houses. But even yetis complain about the cold. So here’s a secret about yetis: Sometimes they miss summer. Sometimes, they have to bring a little bit of summer to the coldest of winter days. Those yetis, they’re just full of surprises.

But Excuse Me That Is My Book

Charlie and Lola have already won the hearts of readers in three winning books. And now they’re quickly gathering more fans as an animated series on the Disney Channel.

In this new tale, Lola has become interested in Beetles, Bugs, and Butterflies, the best book in the whole world. It’s funny, it has pictures, and it is “great and very interesting”. It’s the only book she wants to take out of the library. What will she do when she discovers that somebody else has borrowed her book?

Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales

Brer Rabbit is causing trouble again — this time it brings together all the stories from the Tales of Uncle Remus series.

The Uncle Remus tales, originally written down by Joel Chandler Harris, were first published over a hundred years ago, and serve as the largest collection of African-American folklore. In this four-book series. Julius Lester makes some changes so the stories will be understood and enjoyed by new generations of readers.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Mouse

A lively story about discovering the joy and meaning of Christmas.

When Mr. Mouse and his family move into a big house, they discover something new and wonderful: an evergreen tree decorated with lights and pleasant smells in the air. They hear about a happy man named Santa who brings gifts to celebrate Jesus’s birth on a day called Christmas. So Mr. and Mrs. Mouse decide that their family should celebrate Christmas, too.

7 . I’m in middle school, and not that good at reading. I am a little behind and hate the books we are made to read. But I want to get better at reading. I don’t like being the weakest reader in the class. I want to change. I know I need help when it comes to reading. I’m hopeful that I can overcome (克服) my weakness if I try to find some ways and work hard.

So I go to the library every weekend. Last Saturday I went straight to the Young Adult section to search. There were hundreds of books to choose from. Finally, I saw a cover that was shiny, and it reflected (反射) the light and caught my eye. I saw that it was blue — I liked blue. So I picked it up and read the back. It sounded interesting, although it was the second book in the series, I got it. I read that book in two days, and found it was so attractive, so I read the whole series in a week.

By judging (判断) a book by its cover, I was not only able to pick up a book that became one of my favourites, but I also didn’t have to pick up hundreds of books that I may not like. If I never judged a book by its cover, I might have never found that book in the first place.

This advice is suitable for other things in life as well, especially when it comes to people. It’s not always exact, but by judging a person by their appearance — the way they dress, talk, and act — you can quickly see if you want to read their general condition by having a conversation with them. If you enjoy them like you enjoy a good book, then you can keep them in your inner circle — the people that you care about and who care about you.

8 . Book Recommendation

This is a funny telling of how a sports commentator turned his two dogs into Internet sensations (轰动). If you’ve seen videos of dogs and laughed your but t off, the book provides the same humor, along with wonderful pictures of dogs and Scottish highlands. Let’s face it—who doesn’t need a good laugh, and pictures of dogs?

—Isabel Quintana

A mystery series focused on Bruno Courrèges, the chief of police in the small town of St. Denis in the Périgord region of southwestern France. Walker brings his knowledge both as a journalist and as a resident of St. Denis to these pages, as he explores the culture and socio-economic changes occurring in contemporary rural France.

—Edward Copenhagen

The author writes of his peaceful childhood summers in Anatolia, before the horrors of World War I and the loss of his homeland. This is a beautiful novel that is beyond language and country and brings back memories of a lost world. I have found some English translations of modern Greek literature lacking the ability to express the richness of the Greek language, but Sellers deals with this playful and magical language beautifully.

—Rhea Lesage

I wish everyone hoping to start a home garden could read the chapter The Three Sisters. The author, an authority on plant study, describes how the three work and play together. She expertly creates a sense of mystery and beauty of everyday life. And she reminds readers how much we could learn from our sisters and brothers.

—Steve Shutt

10 . Reading books is one of the best ways to broaden your horizons, develop your new interests, and grow your minds. Reading a book at any time of day gives you a brain boost and a positive feeling.     1     . Here are some benefits of reading yourself a goodnight story.

Stress builds up over the course of a day and makes you hard to relax and fall asleep.       2     . Not only is it a distraction to calm a racing mind, but it helps you obtain the maximum relaxing benefits of your bedtime book.

An interesting and eye-opening non-fiction can fill your brain with knowledge right before sleeping. Even a work of fiction or a fantasy book gives your brain a workout. Actually, a fiction book is great for broadening your perspective and boosting your creativity and imagination.

The bedtime story may have helped you fall asleep because it is part of a consistent bedtime routine. Not only can reading a book make you sleep, but it can help you sleep longer and better. According to a study, 496 participants read before bed, and 496 did not.     4     .

    5     . Audiobooks (有声读物) are a great alternative. And audiobooks can also help anyone reduce stress and get ready for bed. When it comes to reading alternatives, however, it’s probably best to get rid of the e-reader in the hour before you fall asleep. Electronic screens can interfere with (干扰) sleep patterns and make it hard to fall asleep.