California bums every year. But among a record-breaking heatwave, 2020 is the worst burning year yet. As of the September 2020, more than 7,600 fires burned over 2.5m acres of land. The season ran for more than several months.

That fits a long-term trend, for California's wild fires are getting steadily worse. Large fires in the 2010s burned 6.8m acres on average, up from 3.3m acres in the 1990s. The fire season in 2020 lasted nearly three months longer than it did in the 1970s. Over the past decade, the state has spent an average of $3.7bn a year fighting fires. Add the cost of rebuilding, treating victims and restoration, and that is perhaps a tenth of the total cost.

The reason is a double blow of climate change and development. More homes are being built next to forests, in what experts call the "wild-land-urban interface" (WUI). A 2018 study estimated that roughly a third of American homes were in the WUL Pricey housing has pushed people in California onto cheaper land close to the wilderness. At the same time, climate change is lengthening the dry season, which stores up fuel for fires. In California, a "huge drought" -- in which dry years become more common and wet ones scarcer (稀少)-- is making matters even worse.

Since neither trend shows much sign of turning around, people on America's west coast will have to learn to co-exist with more and more frequent fires. It's not that different to building on an earthquake active region," says Max Moritz, a wildfire expert at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He suggests that houses should be built near water or open agricultural lands, which can offer a useful barrier.

New England Fall Leaf Rail Travels

Fall colors and fantastic destinations throughout the East Coast and beyond come to life on fall leaf train tours. New England Fall Leaf Rail Travels through a backdrop of gold, rust and dark red are the best way to experience nature S greatest event as scenic trains take travelers to some of the United States' leading destinations for leaves. Admire the changing colors as you travel aboard heritage and Amtrak train lines and enjoy an up close look at the scenery with coach tours and beautiful passenger liners. Select from a variety of fall leaf trips that highlight colorful destinations through sightseeing tours and attractive trips. Dip yourself in the fall beauty of the Midwest in places like Northern Michigan, where guests enjoy the sights of Mackinac Island and Sleeping Bear Dunes, and Door County, famous for its spectacular Lake Michigan scenery and the endless wide countryside.

Travelers can go to the striking Smoky Mountains, stopping in beloved cities in both

Tennessee and North Carolina. There are also packages that highlight New England in the fall, and these journeys include well- known regional destinations. The rail travels include guided tours in cities like Boston or scenic bus tours along byways. Some of the nation's most picturesque heritage railways are also found in New England, for example, the Conway Scenic Railway in New Hampshire, which travels through the colorful peaks of the White Mountains.

Charge:

Single price: $ 1,400 per person for 6 days

Group (more than one person) price: $ 1,200 per person for 6 days

Accommodation and airline tickets are included.

My earliest reading memory takes me back to being five years old, sitting in my grandfather's cozy study. He would read to me from his French-translated copy of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. I was so familiar with the stories that I could correct him word-for-word if he tried to change something.

Growing up, my favorite book was Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. It was a treasure for an imaginative and lonely child like me. The book was filled with magical elements: a magical carousel, monsters, and the charming scent of autumn leaves lying in the sun. The language was as crisp and sweet as an October apple, awakening in me a deep passion for words and the magic they could bring out. I've reread it regularly and it never fails to satisfy me.

In my adult years, I revisited Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. When I first read it at 16, I perceived it as a love story. However, rereading it as an adult, I was struck by how different it seemed to me, and how much of the humour I'd missed. Now I love its poetry. And the love story not only exists between the characters but between Brontë and the North York Moors.

James Joyce's Ulysses was a book I came back to after 40 years. Initially, at 15, I found it ugly, depressing, and dull, and I hated it. It took me four decades to return to it, and this time, I found myself understanding and beginning to appreciate it. I could see the details, the mythic parallels, the references to different writing styles, and the groundbreaking technique.

Though some exceptional books can develop and grow alongside us, others fall by the wayside. I've revisited so many childhood favourites only to find the magic gone, but I'm usually happy to leave the book behind. I've taken from it what I need.