If you’ve ever met me, you’d know that if a book has the word ‘library’ or ‘bookshop/bookstore’ in the title, I’m immediately picking it up, which was the case with this book.
If I could sum up this book in a sentence it would be that this book is a love letter to not only readers but our town’s communities.
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop follows a woman named Yeongju, who has done everything ‘right’ in life. She’s gone to university, married a decent man, got a respectable job. But unfortunately, she reaches a point in her life where she just can’t do it anymore. She’s burnt out, so she decides that this is the perfect moment to pursue her dream of opening a bookshop in a quaint neighbourhood in Seoul. This bookstore then becomes home to a handful of colourful characters, whose lives intertwine quite beautifully.
My favourite quote from the book is “To read is to see things from someone else’s perspective, and that naturally leads you to stop and look out for other people… If more people read, I think the world would become a better place.”
If you’re looking for a heart-warming comfort read, then check this out!
-Heidi, Bland Library
