Postingan

Menampilkan postingan dengan label Korea

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Gambar
  Click here to purchase from Amazon This memoir has gotten a lot of buzz in the book industry the past few months, but that didn't make me want to read it. I happened to watch CBS' Sunday morning news and they interviewed Michelle Zauner. That did the trick. Then I had to read it, and luckily it was 50% off at B&N so I snagged it.  Michelle's mother is Korean, and Michelle's father is white. She grew up feeling a bit lost in between, but absolutely loved all of the Korean foods, stories, and family history her mother shared with her. Very rocky teen years full of rebellion and depression created a wedge between Michelle and her mother that was hard to overcome.  The news that her mother had cancer rocked Michelle's world, and she promptly packed her bags and flew back to Eugene, Oregon to help care for her during treatment.  This memoir is about Michelle's grief, and how she climbed out of it with the help of her boyfriend Peter, her Korean f...

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Gambar
I have spent the last week furiously reading Pachinko for two book groups that meet on Tuesday. It's a big chunk of a novel; clocking in at almost 500 pages. I've finally finished it this Sunday morning, and even though I haven't given myself a lot of time to process it, I'm writing my review with my first impressions.  First of all, I find the cover to be absolutely stunning. Every time I look at it, I find myself taken aback by the beauty of it. I see Sunja and her sons, and my heart breaks for all they will go through. This is definitely a book worthy of discussion, and I can't wait to talk about it on Tuesday with my book groups.  In a nutshell, this novel is about four generations of Koreans living in Japan during the 1920's-through 1990. I confess to be completely ignorant of the Korean-Japanese tension, and totally in the dark about the discrimination and awful treatment of Koreans who were forced to flee Korea and settle in Japan as political conflicts, ...

November Reads: Where I Double Down and Read Like a Crazy Book Lady

Gambar
October, you wore me out. Seriously. Does it sound weird that the only "relaxing" thing I did all month was spend a few hours in my back yard picking up branches and cutting down plants? October was a whirlwind, and between a busy schedule and the encroaching darkness (time falls back this Sunday!) I am in need of some home alone time with my books. My plan for November is to go to work, fulfill my social obligations (which I've limited), work out, and otherwise be home. Reading while burning my 'Fall Day' candle, curled up under my comfy couch blanket. It's an ambitious read list this month, and by the looks of my book choices, I'll be traveling the world a bit, too. Always good to break away from my usual reads and delve into different genres, authors, and settings. So here's what's on my list for November reads: Reading this for two book groups. A novel set in Korea, about generations of a Korean family. Lots of great reviews; I'm anxious to...