Books: They might be my favourite things to talk about.

Is there really a day to celebrate books?

Yes, there is, and it's coming up on April 23rd. In order to celebrate this day, I thought we'd talk about reading, why it's important in general, but specifially for learning English and boosting our advanced English through vocabulary and other expressions. I'll also ask if it matters whether we read paper books or digital books.

So if you like books, if you read in English and if they help you improve your English, stay with me for the next 15 minutes, and then I'd love to hear from YOU about why reading matters to you.

• Why do you read?

• What kind of books do you read?

• Do you read fiction or non-fiction?

• Do you read e-books or physical books, or both?

• How does reading help you improve your English?

• What was the last book you read that had an impact on you?

• What will YOU do to celebrate World Book Day?

Sorry. Mum. Pasta.

These are three words I don't pronounce in English the same way my New Jersey friends do. My Canadian friends say them like I do, but my French Canadian friends say them a little differently. Accents are everywhere, and they're not something to be ashamed of. Not at all.

Accents can be a controversial topic, and by that I mean they're related to the issue of native-speakerism. I do not believe that "native" English speakers are better English language teachers, and I don't believe that accents are a problem. In fact, I think accents are fascinating.

Do you feel badly about speaking your English?

Are you nervous people will make fun of you when you speak English?

Some people are jerks, but most just want to connect with you, no matter how you speak English.

What do you think? I would love to hear from you about this important topic.

If you open a book about trees or google "maple trees", you will see that there are many varieties of this tree. In fact, there are over 100 different species of maple around the world, and in Canada, we have about 10 of those species.

What's the most important one? The most famous one? For us in Canada, I'd say yes, it's the sugar maple, the one that gives us that delicious liquid gold we call maple syrup. How does it do that? Listen to find out.

I worry though that our ability to enjoy this sweet treat is going to disappear one day as climate change affects the weather and the health of these trees. But for today, I hope you will enjoy listening to this advanced English episode, and learning about these trees while keeping in mind that one day, they might be unable to make syrup, or even worse, become endangered or extinct.

And join the newsletter so that you never miss my news and updates. Reading the newsletter and getting the transcript can help you with your English reading skills as well.

Thank you for continuing to listen to and love Hear You Go.

Fearless Girl. Do you know about her?

She's about 4 feet tall and 250 pounds. She's a tiny sculpture who made a huge splash, a big impact, in March of the year 2017. I adore her, and fully endorse and support the message she sends about the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of young women.

Of course, I do! I'm a woman and the mother of a daughter. I'm a feminist because who doesn't support the equal rights of all people?! I'm worried about the current trend to roll back, to take away, the human rights of women in countries around the world. In my lifetime, there has been great progress, but not enough.

Let's celebrate International Women's Day with this intermediate English listening episode, where you'll learn about Fearless Girl and some other important public art that is making an impact in New York City.

You'll also learn some new expressions and advanced English vocabulary.

Sign up to receive my newsletter and practice your English reading skills too.

I can't wait to hear what YOU think about Fearless Girl! Send me a message and let me know.