To beat the blues of staying at home all day, I _______ an ‘online book exchange’ on account of my friends. Details were _______ to understand, and I spent hours trying to make it clear.

I had my doubts, though. For one, it involved _______ a copy of your favorite book to a complete stranger, and then waiting for a series of people to _______ the chain, till you received some books _______, from complete strangers. A natural pessimist I am, I _______ if I would receive any books. But _______, I sent a copy of my favorite, Jeffrey Arche’s The Eleventh Commandment, to a stranger. Days later, I was _______ when the first book arrived! And soon followed another 10 books that I had never in my wildest dreams imagined I would receive. Over the next two weeks, books kept _______, ranging from Dr Abdul Kalam’s autobiography (自传) to Charlotte Jane Eyre and a bestselling Japanese thriller. I even ________ my afternoon nap (午觉), ready to open the door ________ another book was delivered.

There is something intimate (亲密的) about exchanging books with strangers. By ________ a book with someone, I believe we end up sharing a part of our soul with them.

The posting about the book exchange on social media brought me ________ to many old friends, with whom I had lost touch due to the ________ schedules we all had before COVID-19 ________ our plans. It fired long discussions about trying out wine in Vietnam.

My experience with reading, as a child, probably differs from most people in my position. Nearing 40 years of age, I am finally at a point in life when I can honestly say I _________reading.

Growing up in Anthony, I gave my mother and primary school teachers headaches because I had no _________to read. This was especially troubling to my mother, who was _________ a teacher. She was an eager reader._________, my lack of enthusiasm did not sit well with her.

Though I wasn't a fan of reading growing up, I was, and still am,_________with sports. My TV watching was almost only sports. On the ________ occasion I did read something, it was ________. My mom had a(n) ________. She began leaving the sports page from the morning paper out for me and buying sports magazines and books of my favorite players. ________, she met with my teachers and shared her“plan”with them. Before I knew it, I was reading regularly.

Looking back, I am _________that my mom persevered in _________me to my literary niche (归宿). Had she _________me to read selections I had no interest in, I may have never developed the love of reading I have today.

Fast forward to today and I ________myself principal (校长) of that elementary school I attended so many years ago in Anthony. My experience ________me to reach out to all of my students and provide them with every opportunity to ________.

When I was a little girl of seven years old, my mother enjoyed reading books. She asked my father to bring many _________ from the town library. My father usually brought as many books as the librarian _________ at a time. My mother would not like anyone to _________ her and liked finishing a story without any breaks.

One day, my father managed to get the best _________ that the librarian recommended. After my mother knew that, she _________ bought some hot dogs because she thought that it was great for us all to enjoy the _________, accompanied by some family chats. My mother could _________ wait to give out the hot dogs and she was lost in the new novel. My father felt it _________ for her not to join in the family chats.

Now it was time to _________ something in our family. On a festival season, some guests __________ us at our home. We had a great time enjoying the festival food and the great family __________, but something was bothering my father and that was the __________ of my mother’s reading the novel. She sat on a sofa and kept reading her new novel without __________ others. My aunt noticed the behavior of my mother and decided to solve the problem in her own way.

My aunt took my mother’s novel away and didn’t give it to her until she __________ that she would never get crazy for reading novels in her life. Now, my father is still active after his retirement and my mother is still __________ reading the book but when she is alone.