1 . Four books about kings and queens

From Queen Cleopatra to King Charles Ⅲ, read up on these famous rulers.

King Charles Ⅲ by Andrea Mills

Illustrated by Jennie Poh (DK)

Celebrate the coronation (加冕) of King Charles I with this illustrated book, which tells the story of the King’s life. Beginning with his childhood, it includes lots of fascinating facts and will get you to know about what being King might really be like.

Queens: 3,000 Years of the Most Powerful Women in History by Victoria Crossman (Scholastic)

Be inspired by stories of women rulers from across the centuries. Full of brilliant illustrations, this book features lots of queens, including Cleopatra, Queen Nanny of Jamaica and Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ. It gives lots of rich details of their lives — pets, homes, clothes and much more.

Arthur: The Always King by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Illustrated by Chris Riddell (Walker Books)

Discover the stories of one of the most famous rulers, in the collected legends (传说) of King Arthur. These old tales of kings, queens, warriors, wizards, monsters and magic have been retold, with lots of beautiful artwork from brilliant illustrator Chris Riddell.

The Queen’s Wardrobe by Julia Golding

Illustrated by Kate Hindley (Macmillan Children’s)

This lovely book tells the story of Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ by exploring her clothes and jewellery. It introduces us to splendid gowns (长袍), her wedding dress, the Crown Jewels and her trusty shoes. It’s an unusual and fun way to learn about our former queen’s life.

2 . Below is a screenshot of book review on a bestseller My Life on Craigslist.

This was a cute, lighthearted book that explores the life of a Craigslist addict, and how Craiglist, a large free classifieds (分类广告) website, got her through her life so far. The story was well thought out and pretty realistic when it comes to life struggles. It gets a little unbelievable towards the end, and I don’t like it when authors conform to the ‘the world is perfect’ viewpoint most books have, but, that my pessimist breaking through.

The book needs some serious editing. She’s repeated the same exact line 3-4 times a couple of and ... (click for more)

The book went along well. Funny and totally in the here and now. I would have given it more if SPOILER ALERT (剧透警告): It didn’t end with her in a love relationship with the guy she had been spying on that fit her. Seriously, it went ... (click for more)

I was intrigued by the description, so I gave it a shot. I’m glad I did. I was never like the main character, Emily, so it’s interesting to read about her aimless life. She lives on Craigslist - finding roommates, finding work, finding social ... (click for more)

I read and instantly loved this book, because it is witty and entertaining but at the same time has philosophical and psychological background with an honest look at the real life in a big city. It perfectly shows how a single young woman, while living there and surviving ... (click for more)

3 . Books are excellent gifts. Here are four of the year’s most talked-about titles.

Miro has temporarily abandoned literary fiction in favour of a new series of historical fantasy novels. Ordinary Monsters is about a group of children with magical gifts who come together and pool their powers to escape the bad shape-shifting man that’s going after them.

The soundtrack to The O. C., a drama series, and the strange beauty of Highway 401 were important factors in developing selfhood of Abdelmahmoud. This book describes his own experience of moving from Khartoum, Sudan, to Kingston, Canada, in the early 2000s at age 12.

Harry Potter has his magic stick. And Ning, the heroine of Lin’s first novel, has tea, which in her world carries magical properties. Lin has created a pleasing Young Adult fantasy rich in Chinese mythology (神话). In this book, Ning enters a competition to find the most gifted tea master, Shennong.

Unlike many other posthumous (死后出版的) works, you can count on Cohen’s to be worth your wait. Before his death, he said that the novel contained in the book, which was never published, was likely better than The Favourite Game, a novel he published during his lifetime. This book also includes a radio play script (剧本) and a handful of short stories.

4 . For many kids, reading doesn’t come easily. For parents, they can read with their kids often, and trying these simple ways can help their kids become excited about reading.

    1     Kids are more likely to read something that interests them. For example, comics or joke books can be a fun pick for them. Once children are comfortable with reading, parents can encourage other options with a variety of more challenging content.

Read and reread.     2     Repetition is good! It helps them learn the text and in time read it with confidence. Each new reading of the book also may help them notice something new and understand the story a little better. And that positive experience can inspire them to try new books.

Read aloud. Reading aloud to kids helps them build their vocabulary, introduces new facts and ideas, and helps them connect sounds with letters on the page. By reading with kids, parents also show they enjoy reading for fun themselves!     3    

Create opportunities to read and write beyond the pages. It is necessary for parents to provide kids with many chances to read every day. Parents can write notes and leave them on children’s pillows, in a lunchbox or in a pocket. Parents can also ask friends and relatives to send postcards, letters, emails or text messages.     4     And parents may find children also creating words, sentences and stories. Teaching children to make a thank-you note in return for a thoughtful gift is useful, too.

Get help if parents are worried. If parents are concerned about their children’s abilities or willingness to read, they can get help.     5     The experts may be able to suggest ways to help children to get excited about reading.

6 . The National Library is one of Scotland’s foremost research libraries with an unparalleled collection of Scottish, national and international material. Our two main reading rooms are located in our George Ⅳ Bridge Building in Edinburgh:

* In the Special Collections Reading Room you can consult our rare books, manuscripts, and music collections.

* In the General Reading Room you can consult the rest of our material.

We also have a Maps Reading Room in our Cause wayside Building in Edinburgh. To consult our maps you should book an appointment in advance.

To access our reading rooms you must register for a library card. You must show your card on entry and keep it with you at all times. To safeguard our collections, we ask those using our reading rooms to observe our guidelines for care of the collections. For more details, see:

* Care of the collections: General Reading Room

* Care of the collections: Special Collections Reading Room

* Care of the collections: Maps Reading Room

No pens are allowed in our reading rooms. You can take pencils, paper, books, phones, laptops and tablets into the reading rooms, but bags larger than A4 size (29 cm×21 cm) must be left in lockers. Lockers in our George Ⅳ Bridge Building are operated with a £1 coin and there is a change machine on the ground floor. Lockers in the Maps Reading Room do not require a £1 coin. Laptops can be used in designated areas and we offer free WiFi.

7 . For children, space is magical — a whole world is out there, with so many things to learn and stories to read. Here are some children’s books about space and the solar system.

Mae among the Stars by Stasia Burrington

This beautifully illustrated picture book is attractive to young kids. It was inspired by the first African American woman in space, Mae Jemison. It tells the story of Mae as a little girl, who always knew she had big dreams about space. This is a great addition to a young kid’s collection, as a reminder to hold tight to dreams and never give up.

Space by Libby Jackson

This beautifully illustrated book gives kids a look at 50 women from around the world who were involved in exploring space in some way, from the 19th century to the present day. This is a perfect gift for young kids who want to know more about some of the lesser-known scientific achievements related to space exploration.

Chasing Space by Leland Melvin

This is Melvin’s story about being a football player-turned-astronaut, along with his recovery from an injury that nearly left him deaf. Kids will love reading his story about how he faced challenges and advanced ahead, and he also includes DIY experiments for kids to try, and a section of full-color photographs.

System and Beyond by David A. Aguilar

The book is full of beautiful illustrations of space, and is perfect for kids of all ages, exploring various planets and the solar system. Unlike other kids’ space book, this is a National Geographic book written and illustrated by an award-winning astronomer and space artist. Aguilar is also the former Director of Science Information and Public Outreach at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

10 . Here are some books that are suitable for English learners. Let’s have a look.

One great thing about this book is that it gives you a deep understanding of a different culture. This book follows the life of Esperanza, a Mexican-American girl. Esperanza moves into a home on Mango Street, The house is old and small. In the new home, Esperanza feels like that she has no time to be alone. She promises herself that one days he will leave and have her own home.

We can almost guarantee that native English speakers have read this book at least once. A baby pig called Wilbur is almost killed because of his status—he is the smallest pig and he is considered to be useless. Charlotte, a spider, knows that the farmers are planning to kill Wilbur. She promises to make a plan to save him.

It is a classic. So, if you find yourself in a conversation about literature, this is a good one to talk about. This is a story of a long fight between an old experienced fisherman and the best fish he ever caught. Santiago has returned to the village without any fish for 84 days. On the 85thday, his luck changes and so does his life.

It’s based on history. If you have already known a lot of information about World WarⅡ,this might be an interesting book for you. The year is 1943 in Copenhagen, Denmark. There are soldiers everywhere. The life of 10-year-old Annemarie has been changed a lot because of the war. But this is a story of hope and courage.