kate

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

This book felt like walking in an actual bookshop, casually strolling by and browsing through all the shelves. It took me a while to finish this one since it had no specific plot, rather, it felt like a series of vignettes following our characters. Despite the short chapters, this book feels slow and is meant to be enjoyed while winding down to go to sleep.

Yeoungju, the bookshop's owner, is burnt out from working and decides to follow her middle-school's self's dream of opening a bookshop. Her struggles in keeping the shop running and abandoning her old lifestyle unfolds throughout the book.

There were several points in the book that made me felt existential. Discussions about the job market and the working lifestyle makes things seem pointless. Though this was not the intention of the book, it just makes me want to abandon the need to "hustle" and just go with whatever happens in life.

I liked the parts when it talks about coffee, especially the methods of brewing. They were described so vividly I could almost smell it.

Follow your dreams and things might work out for you is what this book hopes to say but I just felt like living is futile no matter what you do.

Who knows what I'm actually trying to say.