#Won-Pyung Sohn.

[xtabay20]

Muchas veces permanecía sola, pero no porque la marginaran, sino porque sabía estar consigo misma.

Almendra, Won-Pyung Sohn.

[ilyareads]

short books recs (under 200 pages)

1. Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

This book follows Sentaro, who runs a dorayaki stall, and his friendship with Tokue, who makes killer sweet bean paste. It is a heart-warming and endearing story that brings you comfort. I love the friendship between Sentaro and Tokue, especially seeing how it develops. The ending feels a little rushed. I kind of wished it was longer. Kind of sad. I cried. 10/10 would read again.

2. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The Funiculi Funicula cafe provides a time-traveling service, and the book, divided into four parts, retells different characters' experiences traveling in time. I always associate time-traveling with angst and regret, and this book has just that. I love how each part explores different relationship dynamics, so the time-traveling experience varies for each character. Very heart-warming, but very emotional as well. Cried a lot. It's a series but you don't have to read other books. But if you want more info on the cafe and the characters' backstory, then I highly recommend reading the other books.

3. Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

This book revolves around two students, who are victims of bullying. Due to their shared struggle, a friendship blossoms between them. The depiction of bullying and its impacts is raw and authentic, the story providing the perspectives of both the victims and the perpetrators. It was a rage-inducing but thought-provoking read.

4. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

This book follows Nana the cat as he embarks on a road-trip with his owner, Satoru. Now, cats are my absolute weakness. I love cats. I WOULD DIE FOR THEM. Which is why reading this book was hard and painful. The writing is witty, since it is written from the perspective of a cat. The plot itself is kind of predictable, but it doesn't make it any less painful. Tldr; Shredded my heart into pieces. Cried so hard, I couldn't breathe.

5. Almond by Won-Pyung Sohn

The story follows the main character, Yunjae, who suffers from a rare condition called Alexithymia that essentially makes him unable to feel emotions. Due to that, he couldn't understand social cues so people shun him. The development of the story centers on the people Yunjae are going to meet, and how his relationship with these people develops. The ending felt a little anticlimactic, but I loved it nonetheless.

6. Eartheater by Dolores Reyes

The unnamed protagonist can locate missing people and find out their fate by eating dirt, so people seek her to know the fate of their missing loved ones. It was definitely an interesting read, with elements of magical realism in relation to the protagonist's ability. It is also an intriguing depiction of femicide, a reflection of a system that continuously fails women. I felt rage for the women failed by the system and the sufferings they had to endure at the hands of hateful men.

7. A House is a Body by Shruti Swamy

This book is a collection of short stories, which is a raw and authentic depiction of what it is like being human. I enjoyed certain stories, while some left me utterly confused. The narratives are enticing and poetic, so despite some stories not hitting that hard, I enjoyed the writing.

8. The Vegetarian by Han Kang

After having a bizarre dream, Yeong-Hye declares that she is turning vegetarian, and this sudden change concerned her family. I made the mistake of thinking that this book is merely a depiction of what it's like to be a vegetarian. HELL NO. It utterly deviates from my expectation. I could only describe the book as bizarre and spooky, in an unconventional way. It depicts the complexity of the human mind when the contraint of societal expectations is disregarded.

[derangedrhythms]

People say that May is the queen of seasons, but I don't quite agree [...] A month that's overrated. And May was the month that always reminded me I was different from the rest of the world. Everything on earth glittered, vibrantly.

Won-Pyung Sohn, from 'Almond', tr. Sandy Joosun Lee

[samireads]

Some more Korean reads 🇰🇷📚

난 요즘 많이 좋아 😌

[elmundoestahechodefrasesyletras]

A veces lo que abre el apetito no es tanto el sabor de la comida como el ambiente que lo rodea a uno.

[coffeeandmusicandcoffeeandmusic]

October TBR 🍁🍂

I decided I’m not going to be my worst enemy anymore. And that includes not sabotaging myself, and doing things I enjoy once more, just for the sake of it.

in Spanish: Almendra (Won-Pyung Sohn) ; Música, sólo música (Haruki Murakami y Seiji Ozawa) ; Orlando (Virginia Woolf)

in French: Notre-Dame de Paris (Victor Hugo)

I wanted to get Orlando in English, but they didn’t have it at the local library…

ES

Lista de lectura de octubre 🍂🍁

He decidido que voy a dejar de ser mi peor enemiga. Eso incluye dejar de sabotearme a mí misma, y volver a hacer las cosas que me gustan, sólo por el placer de hacerlas. Quería sacar Orlando en inglés, pero no lo tenían en la biblioteca…

[swampghouls]

REALISTIC BOOK GOALS FOR APRIL

finish one (1) book

at least start a second

[whatlovelybooks]

“I’ve decided to confront it. Confront whatever life throws at me, as I always have. And however much I can feel, nothing more, nothing less.”

Almond, Won-Pyung Sohn

[werewolfenthusiast]

saw this book being recommended today so i’m here to unrecommend it. that isn’t even what alexithymia is, it doesn’t make it hard to feel emotions it makes it hard to recognise them. it’s emotional blindness not lack of emotion (i haven’t read it because the blurb is bad enough but i’ll include some reviews i saw on goodreads)

[xtabay20]

Yo decido afrontar la vida del modo que lo he hecho siempre: tal como viene y en la medida en que puedo sentirla.

Almendra, Won-Pyung Sohn.

[appleinducedsleep]

From what I understood, love was an extreme idea. A word that seemed to force something undefinable into the prison of letters. But the word was used so easily, so often. People spoke of love so casually, just to mean the slightest pleasure or thanks.

Won-pyung Sohn with Sandy Joosun Lee, Almond

[teafiend]

July is also perfect for a viewing of The Guest (2018). (Let the chills chase away the unbearable heat). Anytime is a fantastic time for TG, honestly ❤️‍🔥

[readinginmars]

"Most of the time, it was enough to stay silent. I had discovered that if I kept quiet when I was expected to get angry, it made me look patient. If I kept silent when I was supposed to laugh, it made me look more serious. And if I kept silent when I was expected to cry, it made me look strong. Silence was definitely golden."

Almond - Sohn Won-Pyung

[samireads]

When visiting Melbourne it is essential to go book shopping 🛍️📚💁🏼‍♀️

[elmundoestahechodefrasesyletras]

Nadie envejece porque quiere. Es imposible escapar del paso del tiempo y la vida siempre nos depara las sorpresas más extrañas.

[shari-ya]

"Parents start out with grand expectations for their kids. But when things don't go as expected, they just want their kids to be ordinary, thinking it's simple. But son, being ordinary is the hardest thing to achieve."

Dr. Shim, Almond by Won-Pyung Sohn.