The World Book Day, also called World Book and Copyright Day, falls on April 23^rd.【小题1】 Reading extensively exposes you to new ideas and knowledge, improves your concentration and memory, and enhances your creativity and critical thinking skills.

Despite the importance of reading, many students today don’t have a good habit of reading. There are a few reasons for this: lack of time and motivation, abundance of digital distractions and failure to stick to reading. However, these challenges can be overcome with your conscious efforts.

First, you need to make time for reading by limiting time spent on social media or other leisure activities. Start with just 15—30 minutes a day of reading and you can work your way up to longer sessions.【小题2】Many libraries also have digital book options if you prefer e-readers or audiobooks.

Second, build the habit by scheduling reading time each day and sticking to it.【小题3】Even just having a regular routine on certain days of the week, such as reading Monday to Friday after dinner for example, can help you cement(巩固，加强) it as a habit.

Finally, track your progress to stay on track. Set monthly reading goals to achieve and record the books you read, how long the sessions were and any key insights gained. It is a traditional way to write on a notebook.【小题4】.

By making reading a priority, limiting distractions, setting a regular schedule, and tracking your progress, you can successfully develop the habit of reading.【小题5】So take the first step to cultivate this important habit today. Your future self will surely thank you for it.

Take yourself on an exciting trip just by reading one of these stories.

The Boy Who Biked the World by Alastair Humphreys

Feeling that there must be more to life than school, Tom sets out on a journey to cycle around the world. In the first part of his adventures, he travels from the UK through Europe, and all the way to the tip of South Africa.

Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant

After the First World War, two children set out on a journey to find their lost family. Can Lotti and Ben make it all the way across the English Channel to France aboard a boat with the police on their trail? This is a wonderful story of friendship, bravery and hope.

Go Saddle the Sea by Joan Aiken

When 12-year-old orphan Felix is given a parcel including a letter from his dead father, he decides to leave his unhappy life in Spain and track down his long-lost English family. He heads to the coast-but the journey across mountains and seas doesn't prove easy.

Race to the Frozen North by Catherine Johnson

Telling the real-life story of explorer Matthew Henson, this is the tale of an ordinary man who has the chance to set out on a wonderful adventure. When he meets Robert Peary, Henson soon decides to set out on a journey to the North Pole.

In recent times, the sales of self-help books have soared in popularity. Here are our picks of the best, and most highly rated self-help books to help tackle that new year anxiety.

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Nowadays people spend so much time planning, journaling, and writing in our diaries, rather than taking action towards actually achieving our goals. This book is a step-by-step guide to fixing up your routine. It digs into the psychology behind habits — how to form good ones and break the bad ones. If you’re a victim of procrastination (拖延症), this may be the push you need.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

This book is all about improving the relationships you have with others in your life, making you a better listener, and overall a better friend. With simple tips such as including the person’s name in conversation and making sure you’re genuinely interested in what they’re saying, you can ensure they will remember you. The core idea is that you can change other people’s behaviour by changing your own, therefore building stronger relationships.

Untamed-Stop Pleasing, Start Living by Glennon Doyle

Part autobiographical and part self-help, it’s the perfect book to kickstart your year and start living for yourself. Although this book could be enjoyed by anyone, the prime audience is women, as Doyle talks a lot about doubts during motherhood, and the overwhelming need women feel to put everyone before themselves. Doyle shows us our lives in a new light that without even realising it, we may be working hard to please everyone around us, forgetting the most important person — ourselves.

The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss

“Escape the 9-5, live anywhere and join the new rich”. This best seller proposes the idea that you don’t need to wait for retirement and delay your life plan. Instead, you can trade a long career for short work bursts and frequent “mini-retirements”. Ferris says that people don’t want to be millionaires. They want to experience what they think only millionaires can buy.