"In a quaint neighborhood in Seoul, surrounded by books, Yeongju and her customers take refuge. From the lonely barista to the unhappily married coffee roaster--and the writer who sees something special in Yeongju--they all have disappointments in their past. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes the place where they all learn how to truly live."
My thoughts: My nephew recommended this book to me; he loves Korea, bookshops and reading, so this novel was right up his alley. I liked it, too. It's an introspective character-driven novel set in a bookshop. What's not to love? All the characters are struggling to find happiness in a society where achievement and career success take precedence over personal fulfillment. Hwang Bo-reum describes it this way: "Everyone in the novel is taking small steps forward, whether it's learning something new, or making a change to their lives. What they're doing might be far from achieving what society deems as success, but ...how others judge where they stand doesn't matter to them. The fact that they've progressed, and are happy where they are, is sufficient." This book is an interesting look at Korean culture and societal pressures. I thought some of the chapters dragged a bit, but I liked all the characters, and enjoyed the story overall. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Favorite quote from the book: "...happiness is never beyond reach. It's not in the distant past, nor on the horizon of the future. It's right in front of me. Like that day's beer, and today's quince tea. ... I think life becomes easier knowing that happiness is not that far out of reach."
Happy Reading!
This sounds delightful, I will go and look it up. Honestly, reading yours (and other people's) blogs is fatal. I just got The One by John Marrs after reading yours and Kathy's comments on it in your last post. LOL!
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to let me know what you think of The One! It surprised me in a lot of ways. And reading other people's book blogs is fatal to my TBR list, too. Even if I took an entire year off to do nothing but read I'd still never get to all the books on my list. :D
DeleteI like these kinds of books ... I first started with the Morisaki Bookshop (from Japan), which I need to get to the sequel of ... this one sounds like it's in a similar wheelhouse. I will add it, thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis is similar in feel to the Morisaki Bookshop. :D
DeleteThis does sound pretty fascinating. And who hasn't thought about chucking it all and starting a bookshop? (My problem would be I'd never let any of the books go...)
ReplyDeleteI get that! I'd want to keep all the books for myself, too. :D
DeleteI'm curious about the Korean culture aspect, but add in a bookshop and I think I could love it, too.
ReplyDeleteIt was the bookshop element that really made me want to read this one. And I learned a lot about Korean culture that I really wasn't aware of before.
DeleteNice review! I like the happiness quote.
ReplyDeleteI really like that quote, too. :D
DeleteYour favorite quote is just about perfect!
ReplyDeleteI really love it. I'm thinking of putting it by my mirror for awhile so I see it everyday. :D
DeleteBeautiful quote.
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It is a good one, isn't it? :D
DeleteI've had this one on my kindle for some time, but just haven't gotten around to reading it = sounds like I should change that. Thanks for posting about it :) Wishing you a lovely Monday my friend.
ReplyDeleteIf you're in the mood for a thoughtful, quiet kind of book that's about bookstores and quirky characters, then do reach for this one.
DeleteThis sounds very sweet! I might see if I can find a copy for a friend who (a) loves books and (b) has a trip to Korea coming up!
ReplyDeleteGetting some insighst into Korea's culture and the pressure society and parents put on young people to succed was very eye-opening.
DeleteThis sounds good and I'm glad the characters were interesting enough to keep you reading even if some of the chapters dragged a bit.
ReplyDeleteAnd it wasn't all the chapters, luckily, but there were two or three that had me skimming a bit.
DeleteOooo, this book sounds really good. I will add it to my ever growing reading wishlist.
ReplyDeleteI like books about books and bookstores. Have you read Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan or Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan? I really enjoyed reading both books.
I did read Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore! It was fun. I'll have to check out that other one. thanks for the recs. :D
DeleteYou had me at bookshop! Excellent recommendation from your nephew!
ReplyDeleteI do really love books about bookshops! They draw me in every time. :D
DeleteI'm going to check this one out too and I like the fact that Yeonjgu when she realized things were not going well in her life had the courage to shake things up and open a bookstore and follow her dreams.
ReplyDeleteAnd she has a lot of personal struggles trying to come to terms with 'failing' in life...even though she hasn't really.
DeleteThis sounds wonderful! I love books set in bookshops, and I really like that quote. Great review, Lark! :D
ReplyDeleteI loved that quote when I read it. And bookshops as book settings are always awesome. :D
DeleteThis sounds lovely and I'm so glad to see how much you enjoyed it. I will definitely have to pick this one up.
ReplyDeleteEven if it's a bit slow, this sounds like a good read that I would like too. I'll have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great quote! Finding happiness in the little things means happiness is never far away! :)
ReplyDeleteLove the quote. I see why its your favorite
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