1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (
By J.K. Rowling
Translated by Peng Chien-wen (
Mysterious letters lead the 11-year-old Harry Potter into a kingdom of sorcerers, who send their mail by owl messengers and travel on brooms.
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Ezkaban (
By J.K. Rowling
Translated by Peng Chien-wen (
The action begins in this third episode of the Harry Potter series when the young wizard "accidentally" causes the dreadful Aunt Marge to inflate like a balloon and float to the ceiling. Fearing punishment, Harry lunges out into the darkness with his trunk and his owl, Hedwig, beginning a journey that will have children and adults cheering.
3. Harry Potter II (哈利波特 II)
By J.K. Rowling
Translated by Peng Chien-wen (彭倩文)
The long summer vacation has finally ended and Harry Potter can't wait to go back to magic school. But a string of strange and terrifying things begin to happen, and Harry must find the culprit behind them.
4. Quidditch through the Ages; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
(
By J.K. Rowling
For all fans of Harry Potter, Quidditch through the Ages is the reference book that Harry Potter borrows from the school library; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the assigned textbook for all first graders at at Harry's school, Hogwarts.
5. Mistletoe (懈寄生)
By Tsai Chih-heng (蔡智恆)
A 120,000-character novel about how a research assistant makes a choice between two girls.
6. The Bible of Reincarnation: Part I (葬書: 上)
By Carmelita Chao (趙慧娟)
A mystical novel from the Hong Kong-born teacher of meditation who spent much of her life in Taiwan and is now based in the San Francisco area.
7. Wisdom from Aesop's Fables (索寓言的智慧)
Translated and revised by Liu Yi-chun (劉怡君)
A collection of 120 stories translated from Aesop's Fables. The English versions of the stories are also included.
8. Going Left, Going Right (向左走*向右走)
By Jimmy (幾米)
One in Jimmy's popular series of cartoon sketches and literary musings.
9. Love in the Moonlight (
By Wu Ruo-chuan (吳若權)
Another book from one of Taiwan's best-selling essayists on life.
10. Harvard Girl -- Liu Yiting (哈佛女孩劉亦婷)
By Liu Weihua and Zhang Xinwu (劉衛華, 張欣武)
A book dedicated to all parents who love their children. Liu Yiting was awarded scholarships to four famous US universities and has become the new idea student in China. Liu's parents, influenced by the book, Early Education and Genius, describe how they educated their daughter.
11. The Toast Boy's Kiss (吐司男之吻)
By Chi Hsi-lin (齊錫麟)
A love story adopted from a popular TV series about a high school girl who falls in love with a gangster's son in a summer.
12. Lost Souls and Fallen Spirits (失魂落魄)
By Carmelita Chao (趙慧娟)
Another mystical novel from the Hong Kong-born meditation teacher in discussing "karma" -- which regards the doctrine of fate as the inflexible result of cause and effect.
13. Lady! Don't Be Angry (小姐小姐別生氣)
By Liu Yung (劉墉)
One of Taiwan's best-selling essayists tells you all the things a girl should know.
14. Lonesome Like You (妳，這樣寂寞)
By Tsai Shih-pin (蔡詩萍)
The author, editor in chief of the United Evening News, tries to analyze lonely women from the male perspective.
15. A Message from the Spiritual World (靈界訊息)
By Carmelita Chao (趙慧娟)
A novel about the mysteries of love and life, with a focus on a cursed female journalist's horrifying story.
16. Say it to Your Heart (把話說到心窩裡)
By Liu Yung (劉墉)
A meditation by the maestro of inspirational books -- this time about speech and the right ways to express oneself, as the famous New York-based essayist teaches you the art of speaking through vivid stories and examples.
17. The Moon Has Forgotten (月亮忘記了)
By Jimmy (幾米)
Another one in Jimmy's popular series of cartoon sketches and literary musings, which tells the story of a lonely boy.
18. This is My Answer (這是我的答案)
By Teng Ching-shu (藤井樹)
A male university student meets a girl with beautiful, long hair and a sweet voice in a bookstore. He wants to turn the precious, short encounter into an everlasting love story.
19. Early Education and Genius (早期教育與天才)
By Kimura, Kuichi (木村久一)
Translated by Chen Hui-li (陳惠莉)
The book, first published by the Japanese author in 1916, advocates the importance of early education for a child.
20. The Bible of Reincarnation, Part II (葬書: 下)
By Carmelita Chao (趙慧娟)
The second installment from the Hong Kong-born meditation teacher.
-- Kingstone Books
Taiwan’s English education system is being pulled apart by three opposing forces. Bilingual Nation 2030 pulls students toward English and global communication. Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness pulls them toward digital judgment, verification and AI-mediated work. But Taiwan’s old exam culture pulls them back toward memorization, grammar drills, timed reading and correct answers. If the education system keeps using old exams to define success, it risks producing graduates who are neither genuinely bilingual nor genuinely AI-ready, but trained for tasks machines can already perform. The first force is Bilingual Nation 2030. Launched in 2018, the policy aimed to “help Taiwan’s workforce connect
It seems every few days one bumps into one of those “real man” comments in which Taiwan is urged to “face reality” or similar, and “make a deal,” with the speaker implying that soon it will be too late. “Deal” advocates always present themselves as having a superior grip on reality, and the manly ability to make the “hard choice.” Their testosterone-laden language often echoes that of Taiwan sellout advocates. Note that such commentary always specifies a process (“make a deal, work with, make progress”), never the end state of what occupation by a violent authoritarian colonialist state will entail. In
June 1 to June 7 "If all Taiwanese were as afraid of dying as you, then what would happen?” Physician Shih Chiang-nan (施江南) reportedly said this to his wife Chen Chiao-tung (陳焦桐) after she urged him to stop intervening on behalf of Taiwanese soldiers stranded overseas after serving in the Japanese Army during World War II. Shih had clashed with high-ranking officials over the issue, engaged in several heated arguments with Taiwan governor-general Chen Yi (陳儀) and allegedly shouted at general Ko Yuan-fen (柯遠芬), chief of staff of the Taiwan Garrison Command, over
“Taiwan’s Opposition Leader Comes to US With a Message Straight Out of Beijing” read a May 31 headline in the Wall Street Journal. Top US administration officials and members of Congress almost certainly read the WSJ, and if there was a bullet point takeaway that people in Washington should absorb ahead of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chair Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) arrival in DC on June 9, that headline is it. The last few columns have discussed this very topic, and the timing is not coincidental. While those top officials likely do not read the Taipei Times, judging by the number
RSS