#Reading stuff

[going2hell4everythingbutbeingbi]

yall gotta learn to separate "this character deserved better" (as in "this character has an intentionally tragic story that is supposed to feel bad") and "this character deserved better" (as in "this character had so much potential and was failed by the writer")

[prince-leorio]

[thejudeduarte]

[liliancmiller]

There’s something so bitter about being a bookworm in a reading slump.

Here’s my hobby, my favorite thing to do in the world, my main personality trait. And I still love it. I still want it.

But I

Just

Can't

[i-ideate]

i am 134 pages into the great gatsby, and I love it. New fave book??? Also, I get the criticisms of the musical, now. Keep Daisy to be her eccentric self!!! IMO, when Daisy goes on her 'im sophisticated' rannt/ramble, it sounds more like she's trying to convince herself! But in the musical, 'Absolute Rose' comes off more as just her kinda reminiscing about her life and being like 'I am so thankful to have all this :) I'm sophisticated! yay!' Not to say I don't like the musical, I LOVE it, but I can see where some long-time fans of the book stand.

[mariana-oconnor]

I'm reading a book and it's book 1 in a series and it's 800 pages long and I have a sinking feeling that the character I hate is the main character of this series.

I rarely hate a main character. I am very susceptible to the narrative tricks authors use to make you like people and make you ship people, but this time. I'm actively irritated by the idea of her getting to be a hero. I want her to fail. I want her to die. After I got to 300 pages in I mostly started skim reading her parts, but I'm reading on in the desperate hope that the other characters I like will get to be awesome. But the narrative is hinting pretty hard that it's going to be about her.

Ugh.

[koreanbibliophilegirl]

What is your opinion about Han Kang winning the 2024 nobel prize in literature? Is she the best representative of Korean literature nowadays?

This took a while to answer, sorry nonnie. I wanted to try making this as informative and helpful as possible- plus I was(and still am) kinda busy with preparing for college entrance stuff😅.

So!!! To answer your question:

The Korean author 한강(Han Kang) mainly writes fiction about human life and resisting violence, or historical fiction dealing with Korean modern history; I'm gonna focus more on the historical fiction side here though.

Her historical novels focus on the mental & physical scars left on Korea during the tumultuous period right after the Japanese Colonial Period & the Korean War, through the eyes of ordinary people whose lives were destroyed by each event. So Han Kang winning the Nobel Prize is super meaningful to us, because it means the world is taking an interest in Korean history, and the pain we went through.

There's a well-known quote in Korea; it was said by the Japanese Colonial Period Independence Activist & leader of the Provisional Korean Government, 김구(Kim Gu).

"오직 한없이 가지고 싶은 것은 높은 문화의 힘이다. 문화의 힘은 우리 자신을 행복하게 하고, 나아가서 남에게 행복을 주기 때문이다."

("The only thing I wish we had limitlessly is high power of culture. For the power of culture brings joy to ourselves, and furthermore gives joy to others.")

This quote means cultural power is crucial in drawing in the world to our side. If other countries enjoy our culture, they'll also take an interest in understanding us, which will in turn lead to them taking an interest in our wellbeing & listening to our voice. In fact, it's happening right now! People are learning Korean for K-Pop and K-Dramas! People are getting interested in Korean culture!! Han Kang won the Nobel Prize for books about our history!!!

So, yeah. I think Han Kang's Nobel Prize is very important to Korea, because we're now one step closer to the world acknowledging the sufferings of our country that previously went unrecognized.

And yes, I think Han Kang's novels are a good representation not just of Korean literature, but of the spirit of Korea as well! A number of her works describe some horrific incidents in our history, and others present a calm sort of criticism on the violence of society. <채식주의자(The Vegetarian)>, one of her better-known works of fiction, is a neat slightly grotesque(?) example of this recurring theme of advocating for peace and resisting violence. (This one isn't about history BTW! It's about a woman resisting the lifestyle of her secular family.)

Both history and peace are especially important themes to Koreans. History, because we're always striving not to let it repeat & not to let unsolved disputes be forgotten. Peace, because we're in constant danger, from being the world's one and only divided country, among other things.

BUT, as many Koreans are pointing out, Han Kang is- though undisputedly very talented- one of many amazing writers in Korea. In fact, I've even heard people say up to 60~70% of Korean authors are likely capable of winning the Nobel Prize, if only their work would be translated properly. I- and a lot of others- think Han Kang's success on the international level is not only thanks to her own stellar talent, but also to her translator, Deborah Smith. Deborah Smith has been translating Han Kang's works for a while now, and her thoughtful translations have been much appreciated. NGL, I've seen so many Korean-to-English translations that suck so bad, so seeing Korean literature get translated by someone who very obviously cares a lot about the text? It was like a breath of fresh air after being stuck in the school auditorium for two hours. (And yes, I have just walked out of the school auditorium after being stuck there for two hours.)

This is a lil besides the point, but this is part of why I'm planning to start a Korean literature YouTube channel after I graduate. So many great works of Korean literature either have low-quality translations or don't have any at all, and I want to introduce those works to the wider world properly.

I still have a few months to go till graduation though, so in the meantime, I hope Han Kang's works, at least, get all the well-earned love and respect it deserves.

Thanks for the ask nonnie, and sorry again for the late answer! Feel free to ask if you have any additional questions- though I'm gonna be honest, I'll probably be late in answering those as well.😅 College entrance preparation is hard haha.

-Lilly xx

[boyhood]

Current reading. Am enjoying Mariana Enriquez so much I've been trying to go slowly. Probably my favorite book I've read since Between Two Fires. Also currently rereading The Southern Reach and trying to decide what the fuck Jeff Vandermeer's deal is. Jeffery Gibson's An Indigenous Present is A+++, bummed it didn't have some of my favorite Galanin or Natalie Ball pieces but so so good.

I will return to my All Miracles Are Strange saint posting in the fall and have probably four or five new episodes. Until then, a little break.

[homemakinghippie]

Winter Reading Challenge

I thought it would be fun to invite everyone to do the winter reading challenge with me! I found a book tracking app called StoryGraph that lets you create challenges to do with others. So if anyone wants to join me you can join the challenge here 🥰

[angstyaches]

Hey Flick! Have you read "Cutting Your Teeth" by Caylan MacRae? Feels like something you'd really like

-🐊

No, I hadn't heard of it but you can bet that it went straight on my Goodreads TBR 👀 thank you anon, I'm always looking for vampire book recs!!

[going2hell4everythingbutbeingbi]

types of villainfuckers I respect:

"I can fix him"

"I can't fix him, no one can, but fucking him wouldn't make it worse"

types of villainfuckers I don't respect:

"noooo he did nothing wrong and that's why it's okay I think he's hot"

[prince-leorio]

[thejudeduarte]

That empty feeling after you finish a good series<<<

[theangrypomeranian]

me reading sports romances: why am I into this??

also me with these ships: 😍😍😍 I love them!!!

[puzzle-paradigm]

Ok I’m reading the Dresden Files and somebody needs to tell me if Thomas is the bad guy in white night so I can emotionally prepare myself