I never knew anyone who’d grown up in Jackson without being afraid of Mrs. Calloway, our librarian. She ran Jackson’s Carnegie Library absolutely by herself. SILENCE in big black letters was on signs hung everywhere. If she thought you were dressed improperly, she sent you straight back home to change your clothes. I was willing; I would do anything to read.

My mother was not afraid of Mrs. Calloway. She wished me to have my own library card to check out books for myself. She took me in to introduce me. “Eudora is nine years old and has my permission to read any book she wants from the shelves, children or adults,” Mother said.

Mrs. Calloway made her own rules about books. You could not take back a book to the library on the same day you’d taken it out; it made no difference to her that you’d read every word in it and needed another to start. You could take out two books at a time and two only. So two by two, I read library books as fast as I could go, rushing them home in the basket of my bicycle. From the minute I reached our house, I started to read. I knew this was extreme happiness, knew it at the time.

My mother shared this feeling of mine. Now, I think of her as reading so much of the time while doing something else. I remember her reading a magazine while taking the part of the Wolf in a game of “Little Red Riding Hood” with my brother’s two daughters. She’d just look up at the right time, long enough to answer — in character — “The better to eat you with, my dear,” and go back to her place in the magazine article.

Fu Lei’s Family Letters is a book of letters written by Chinese translator and writer Fu Lei to his elder son Fu Cong, who is a famous pianist. Between 1954 and 1966, Fu Cong spent a lot of time away from home training as a piano player. As a result, writing letters became Fu Lei’s usual way of communicating with his elder son. Fu Min, Fu Lei’s younger son edited the letters and the book came out in 1981.

The book shows Fu Lei’s family tradition and value. To Fu Lei, the purpose of education of a person, is to make that person useful to the society. Fu Lei praised his son Fu Cong after winning a piano competition. Fu Lei wrote, “We are happy because you make your country proud. I am so excited when I think about your future. You will make great progress and serve more people, encourage them and heal them.”

In the family letters, Fu Cong was also advised to read famous Chinese texts. When reading these books, Fu Cong was told to connect ideas and feelings together, for that would help him become a better person. To Fu Lei, learning to be a good person comes before any academic training.

Fu Lei’s Family Letters has a great impact on people in China because it helps many young students understand how they should live their lives.

Book reading is certainly one of the most absorbing habits. For young adults who love to read, finding some good books to read is very essential. Writing a book review can help you to improve your language and writing skills.

The Book Thief

Listed on The New York Times Children’s Best Seller List for over 100 weeks, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is the story of a young girl in the Nazi camps set during World War II. So, if you love history and wish to learn how the life was during Adolf Hitler’s time, read this historic book.

The Diary of Young Girl

Even Anne Frank can not have imagined that her personal diary written during World War II would become such a popular book. It’s a must read that describes the situation of a family in the evils of wars through the eyes of a teenager.

Animal Farm

Animal Farm is one of the most popular books by George Orwell. It is just a reflection of the Stalin and World War II period that has been so creatively presented in this book. It is an interesting example of how literature can be used to present conditions common in the society.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the great American novels in history, and is certainly a great pick for young adults. Young Huck Finn and his mischief along with the colorful description of people around the Mississippi River make this novel a great book to read.