BOOKS & MORE BOOKS: THE SECOND CHANCE CONVENIENCE STORE

 

There are books that I enjoy because of their story, books that fascinate me because of the way they are written, and books that somehow manage to do both.

The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-yeon is one of those books for me.

I was hooked almost from the beginning. As I read, I kept visualising the scenes as if I were watching one of my beloved Korean dramas set in Seoul: the characters appearing one after another, each with their own story, their own worries, their own solitude. I could almost see the little convenience store, the people coming and going, the neighbourhood around it.

And then, in Chapter Two, I realised that the author was doing something I particularly love.

We don't simply follow Dok-go, the mysterious homeless man at the centre of the story. We meet him through the eyes of the different people who encounter him, while at the same time discovering their stories. Sometimes we see the same events from different perspectives. Little by little, the separate pieces begin to form an intriguing web.

BOOKS & MORE BOOKS - THE BURNOUT SOCIETY BY BYUNG-CHUL HAN

 

I wanted to kick off this blog post by sharing a little personal journey I embarked on during my summer holidays. You see, recently I've had a deep fascination with philosophy, especially the profound insights that Asian philosophy offers. So, this summer, instead of hitting the typical beach reads, I chose a few thought-provoking books and even enrolled in an intriguing online course.

And let me tell you, it was nothing short of mind-blowing! These philosophical adventures turned out to be not only thought-provoking but also immensely motivational and, dare I say it, life-changing. One particular book, "The Burnout Society" by Byung-Chul Han, left such an impact that I just had to share my reflections with you. So, buckle up, because we're about to delve into a world of ideas that might just transform the way you see the world too. Here's my review, I hope you'll find it interesting and enjoy reading it.

BOOKS & MORE BOOKS: WHEN A READER BECOMES A WRITER

 

A Story Sixteen Years in the Making

A few weeks ago, I was absent-mindedly scrolling through Instagram when a familiar name suddenly made me stop.

June Hur.

For a moment I wondered, Could it really be the same June?

It was.

Sixteen years ago, she was one of the young bloggers I interviewed on FLY HIGH!. We used to exchange emails about Jane Austen, period dramas, British actors and, above all, books. She often told me about her greatest dream: one day becoming a published writer.

Life moved on. We gradually lost touch.

Then, thanks to one of those rare moments when social media gets something wonderfully right, June unexpectedly found her way back into my life.

Only this time she wasn't an aspiring writer anymore.

She was a New York Times bestselling author celebrating the publication of her fourth novel.

Some stories begin with a book.

This one began with a reader.

SCREEN STORIES: THE COURAGE TO SLOW DOWN

 

Some stories entertain us. Others stay with us because, almost without noticing, they ask questions we have been carrying inside for a long time.

Meet Yourself is one of those stories.

When I started watching this forty-episode Chinese drama, I expected a comforting slice-of-life series. What I didn't expect was to find myself wondering, episode after episode, what it really means to build a meaningful life.