Contributors to Reader's Digest

Nicholas Hune-Brown

Writer, Toronto

“Fight of His Life”

Hune-Brown is a National Magazine Award w inning writer whose work has been published in Toronto Life, The Walrus, Hazlitt and The Guardian. He's also the senior editor at The Local, a magazine focused on long-form stories about health and social issues in Toronto. Read his story about a COVID-19 patient's incredible fight for survival on page 114.

Jarred Briggs

Artist, Plaster Rock, N.B.

“Beware Winter Rays”

Briggs's favorite part about being an artist is coming up with clever conceptual drawings—he lives for the moment when all the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together. When he's not drawing, Briggs loves reading science-fiction novels, being outdoors and spending time with his three dogs. Take a look at his latest work on page 18.

Megan Murphy

Writer, Peterborough, Ont.

“Home for the Holidays”

Murphy's love affairs with writing began at a young age with nightly words “Dear diary”. Also an actor, Murphy co-created a show this year called The Verandah Society, in which she and a musician friend Anna Walker travel to people's homes and share music and stories. Read her humorous tale of a childhood Christmas ceremony on page 26.

Every year—for more than 15 years running—Amazon editors come together to decide on the Best Books of the Year. Below are the top 4 picks, along with quotes from the editors.

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

“Though divided by centuries, three women, who share a unique connection to the natural world and to one, another, tell their amazing stories of coldness, danger, and survival in a beautifully written novel that is an impressive read.” —Seira Wilson

Happy Place by Emily Henry

“Emily Henry’s latest has all the feels!More than your standard second-chance romance, Happy Place is about the beauty, pain, and joy that come with biological families, chosen families, growing up and apart, and how—as adults—we deal with this thing called life.”—Kami Tei

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann

“Please get ready. This true story of violence and murder, adventure, and ambition on the high seas is a page-turner. You can almost feel the salt stuck on your skin as the ship and its noisy shipmen fight against the bad weather and each other for becoming rich and famous. David Grann,once again, has made history come alive.” —Al Woodworth

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

“I will not soon forget Lady Tan. A historical story grounded in women, medicine, and tradition, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is heart-touching, and I found myself underlining throughout this inviting read.” —Kami Tei

Right now you are reading English. That means that you are using your brain in a very active way. Reading is a very active process. 【小题1】. When you read a text, you have to do some or all of these:

• Imagine a scene in your head

• Understand clearly what the writer is trying to say

• Agree or disagree with the writer

There are also many advantages associated with reading, including:

【小题2】

You will usually meet with new words when you read. If there are too many new words for you, then the level is too high and you should read something simpler. But if there are, say, a maximum of five new words per page, you will learn this vocabulary easily. You may not even need to use a pocket dictionary because you can guess the meaning from the rest of the text. 【小题3】.

A model for writing

When you read, it gives you a good example for writing. Texts that you read show you structures and expressions that you can use when you write.

Seeing “correctly structured” English

When people write, they usually use “correct” English with a proper grammatical structure. 【小题4】. So, by reading you see and learn grammatical English naturally.

【小题5】

You can read as fast or as slowly as you like. You can read ten pages in 30 minutes, or take one hour to explore just one page. It doesn’t matter. The choice is yours. You can not easily do this when speaking or listening. This is one of the big advantages of reading because different people work at different speeds.