I wasn’t planning on posting again so soon, but I unwittingly completed my first bingo! I… Didn’t really remember much of 1リットルの涙難病と闘い続ける少女亜也の日記 | L28 before starting except that it’s sad and about an illness… Such a good book.
Haven’t posted in this thread yet but I quietly joined the bingo at the start of the year. Only added 3 books before June and now I’m at 12! The bingo helped me read a little this month although most of what I want to read doesn’t really fit into it anymore so I just added another column.
Congratulations on getting out of your reading slump/burnout! Nine books in one month is awesome.
Also, I can totally relate to your struggles with reading bingo. Might I recommend my new invention … Reverse Bingo!? I’ve found it to be a very satisfying alternative.
편지 (Jp: Tegami) by Higashino Keigo.
The first sentence is “그 집을 표적으로 정한 데는 특별한 이유가 없었다.” There was no particular reason to choose that house as a target. It’s not a beautiful sentence or anything, but it definitely surprised me, and it’s probably the best first sentence I’ve seen out of all the Korean books I’ve read this year, so it goes in “great first sentence.”
I’m not sure if I agree with those who name this as their favorite Higashino book, but I can see the appeal. It’s a messy and unfair story about crime, punishment, and redemption. I can see myself thinking about the events and emotions of this book for quite some time, and it’s possible that my rating may improve with time (like with 백야행).
Yep! I’ve earmarked 사서함 110호의 우편물 for romance because I’ve heard good things about it, but I tried to start it a month or two ago and wasn’t really feeling it at the time. As for webnovel, no idea. I’m in the process of reading 전지적 독자 시점 (380 chapters or so in) and 데뷔 못하면 죽는 병 걸림 (160 or so chapters in), so it’ll probably be a volume of one of those, but I also don’t really feel like reading those right now. There’s also 바람과 별 무리 which I could start and that has been on the wishlist for a while. Honestly, I included a webnovel square because in 2023 I read a ton of webnovels and in 2024 I read a few volumes while focusing more on books, so I thought that a webnovel square would be a gimme – and that I would have trouble limiting myself to only one webnovel to fill out my bingo (I have my own rule that webnovels can’t count for anything besides that square). Who would have thought that it would turn out to be one of my last two squares?
I finished a book: 香君 1 a few days ahead of the book club schedule.
I know my bingo board is in a desolate state, but I hope I will have more reading time going forward (famous last words )
I’m still part of 4 book clubs but it seems that I can only manage to follow 3 of them because the switching is pretty much killing me, so I decided to defer one of them until at least one of the others ends (or maybe I will defer a different one at some point )
Looking at the board, I should probably get cracking with my SF book (70年代日本SFベスト集成3: 度版 (ちくま文庫 つ 19-5) | L30??) as well, but it’s somehow neither S nor F?! and currently I’m stuck in a somewhat weird story, so there’s that. Now that I think of it, I should put it into my travel bag, though
Features Cats - 핸디맨 | L28?? the 2nd Freida McFadden thriller I’ve read this year in translation. I’m not usually one for books translated from english but lately life has been lifeing and a trashy translated thriller that i could group read with my friends (who read it in en) has been the perfect way to keep my kr reading up when i’ve had v little energy or time.
Title includes a number - 여름을 한 입 베어 물었더니 | L27 Finishing this means i have finally read of all of 이꽃님’s novels. a kr YA icon that woman. This is deff the book of hers i’d rec last to a learner but great for anyone interested in 경상도 사투리
Previous fills
Set Where I’ve Lived - 기억술사 1 | L27 a bookclub pick that didn’t live up to expectations but at least it is usefull in filling a bingo spot! Natively No Ratings - 악의 | L30 I read so much Higashino imma just have to find ways to squeeze them into the board. This wasn’t added to natively yet when we read it so in here it goes. Unusual Genre To Me - 명탐정의 규칙 | L28?? speaking of squeezing in the Higashino, obv crime isn’t an unusual genre to me but satire/comedy is so I’m putting it here. One Word Title - 하우스메이드 Ironically neither the normal word for housemaid in korean nor the term actually used in the book. Some else’s Card - 용의자들 nabbed from Sua’s card. I enjoyed it more than she did Set Outside Korea - 이상한 그림 originally in jp, naturally takes place in Japan 2nd Volume of Series - 죽이고 싶은 아이 2 a sequel that didn’t dissapoint Curious Title - 너만 모르는 진실 pretty good title for piquing the interest Favourite Colour Cover - 우린 그림자가 생기지 않는다 awful book, good cover Rec - 그래서 우리는 사랑을 하지 i don’t see a lot of queer lit recs in kr yet, this short story collection gives you a taste of different authors in the field. Unknown Premise - 뜻밖의 계절 I picked this one up blind just because it seemed to be on other learners’ read lists so I figured it would be at the right level for me.
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No gradings, ratings, reviews: 初恋ロスタイム | L26 I’m not even sure how this ended up in my TBR bc I knew nothing about it before I started it Anyway it’s now graded, rated, and reviewed.
Uncommon genre: 木曜日にはココアを | L27 I’m usually not one for short story collections although, tbf, this felt less like a collection and more like a single story told by many different protagonists, but I’m still counting it
Related to language: 日本人の心がわかる日本語 | L24 oh look, I also was in the bookclub
A character has mentioned that 復習 (revenge) is part of their motivations, so there we go.
As mentioned previously, I have potential books to read for all of the remaining bingo squares except for author’s legacy book, so I’m going to hop on over to the recommendations thread to start looking for something.
The bingo helps a lot to motivate me to read more, so I decided to expand mine. (If anyone knows how to make an 8x8 bingo, please let me know – all the sites I saw were 7x7 max. Coincidentally, my goal is to read 64 books this year, and I am on track.)
I had a different book penciled in for love story, but 로맨스 도파민 happened to be a new acquisition at my digital library and I borrowed it on a whim. Three good short stories and two bad short stories for a 4 rating overall.
I also added 초승달 엔딩 클럽 (a short fantasy YA), 동급생 (one of the worst Higashino books I’ve read), and 매스커레이드 호텔 (a fun Higashino) to the expanded bingo. Other books will be added in order.
On another note, the next book I read will be my 100th novel (non webtoon, but webnovels count) in Korean!
I went to check what this was and it seems to be called 同級生 in Japanese and no one has added it to Natively as yet. The reviews on Bookmeter are mostly positive but that doesn’t mean much because most reviews for any book on Bookmeter are I did enjoy the person who gave it 4/5 on Amazon and said shortly ‘It had no problems, I was satisfied.’ What kind of review is that!
so I just added another column.
a few days ahead of the book club schedule.
This wasn’t added to natively yet when we read it so in here it goes.
Anyway it’s now graded, rated, and reviewed.
) and it was not yuri at all and from what I recall only barely sci-fi 
What kind of review is that!