Recommended Reads

Title: Let’s Discover Our Seashores, Singapore!

Authors: Chou Loke Ming and Diana Chou

No. of pages: 72

Call No.: QH91.5 Cho

Paxillae! Radula! Zooxanthellae! Discover Singapore’s seashore life and learn lots of new words at the same time! The authors delve into the world of coral (they are animals, by the way), algae, anemones, crabs, snails, worms and a whole lot more as they bring marine biology to life. Fun fact: small though Singapore may be, half the seagrasses in the Indo-Pacific region can also be found on our shores.

Recommended for the budding scientist and older children who love the beach.

Title: Thinking 101 : Lessons on How to Transform Your Thinking and Your Life

Authors: Woo-Kyoung Ahn

No. of pages: 276

Call No.: BF442 Ahn

If Thinking 101 sounds like a university course, it’s because that’s the title of the most popular course in Harvard University conducted by the author, Professor Ahn.

Drawing from behaviourial economics and other research, Ahn examines common thinking errors such as the allure of fluency (why things look so easy), the tendency to mistake correlation for causation and negativity bias, among others. The book includes practical strategies to help readers avoid the pitfalls of faulty thinking. For example, to reduce the tendency to discount the pain, cost or benefit of future events, commonly happens when we can’t delay gratification, imagine the future to reduce the psychological distance.

A highly engaging read filled with relatable examples and conveyed in a conversational manner, very much like an interesting lecture.

Title: Outsmart Your Brain : Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy

Authors: Daniel T. Willingham

No. of pages: 321

Call No.: LB1060 Wil

Hailed as the “ultimate study guide”, this book is an authoritative guide on how to learn by bestselling author (Why Don’t Students Like School?, Raising Kids Who Read) and cognitive psychology professor, Daniel Willingham.

Combining brain science and years of teaching experience, the book mirrors the flow of learning tasks from how to understand a lecture, take lecture notes, read difficult books, to how to study for exams and even how to cope with exam anxiety. Each chapter is filled with timeless tips and advice (for example, don’t just read and highlight). With a total of 94 tips, this comprehensive guide is indispensable for college success.