🇰🇷 Korean Fiction Book Club 📖 Starting 기억술사 1 on April 7! 📚

[bizoo]

always ready for a new bookclub

[HopeWaterfall]

I still need to finish up 뜻밖의 계절 (as usual, I fell off the schedule), but the time for nominations and voting will be enough for me to finish, so I’m open to the next round starting!

I’m all for a book on the easier side, there’s someone I think I can convince to join, as opposed to just lurking which is what they usually do

[NihongoLearner19]

I fell off the wagon with 뜻밖의 계절 even though I nominated it but I will be trying to read more of it (and hopefully finish it) next week. I’ve been sick and busy for the past couple of months and it’s sadly been neglected.

With that being said, I’d be happy to participate in the next round of the book club. 뜻밖의 계절 feels like a nice level for me (its grading has veered between 24-26 iirc), so something around that level would work well for me.

[HopeWaterfall]

Should we just start on the nominations then or wait some more?

[bungakushoujo]

I think so

Let’s open nominations now until March 24 to allow time for anyone to find the thread and wander in! We can vote the week after that and start on April 1st if that’s cool with everyone? Just drop a reply here if it’ll be a problem for you, I.e. you’re dying to start sooner or you need more time to order a physical copy of a book.

There is appetite for some books in the lower 20s this round so if anyone has something to nominate that would fit that, that’d be awesome and maybe let us onboard some more peeps to reading. If you wanted to suggest something at a higher level feel free to do so anyways, though. We can see what people are interested in and this is a smaller, casual group so we could easily set up two different threads/reading groups.

[HopeWaterfall]

Book: 당연하게도 나는 너를 | L23
Genre: mystery
Length: 208 pages
Is there an ebook available?: Yes

Summary - Korean

역시, 이꽃님! 치밀한 플롯, 소름 돋는 반전, 압도적 몰입감 숨조차 멈추고 빠져드는 애틋하고도 위태로운 이야기 청소년 문학 최고의 페이지터너 이꽃님 작가의 신작. 한밤중 저수지에서 가지런히 놓인 소녀의 흰 운동화가 발견되고, 함께 있던 소년이 실종되는 사건이 일어난다. 사라진 소년 해록과 더는 상처받지 않으려는 소녀 해주. 둘 사이에 얽힌 의문과 의심을 걷어내자 놀라운 비밀이 드러나는데…. “좋아하는 마음속에 감추어진 이야기를 써야 했다. 그 이면의 이야기를.” (작가의 말 중에서) 왜 어떤 아이들의 ‘좋아하는 마음’은 그토록 외롭고 집요한 것일까? 누군가를 막 좋아하기 시작한 십 대들의 풋풋한 마음과 그 마음 뒤에 숨겨진 쓰라리고 위태로운 감정이 미스터리한 사건과 맞물려 긴장감 넘치게 폭발하는 이야기. 십 대의 관계 맺기 방식에 던지는 작가의 솔직하고도 파격적인 메시지는 빛이 어둠에 무늬를 새기듯 누구나 마음 깊이 묻어 놓은 ‘그것’을 선명히 건드린다.

Summary - English

You’re the Lead! Intricate plots, goosebump-inducing twists, and overwhelming immersion. A heartbreaking, precarious tale that will leave you breathless and hooked. From one of the best page-turners in young adult literature. A girl’s white sneakers are found in a reservoir in the middle of the night, and the boy she was with goes missing. Harlock, the missing boy, and Hae-Joo, the girl who doesn’t want to be hurt anymore. As they unravel the mystery and suspicion between them, a surprising secret is revealed. … “I had to write the story of a favorite heart, the story behind it.” (from the author) Why are some kids’ crushes so lonely and persistent? This is the story of a teenager who has just started to like someone, and the bitter and precarious feelings behind that crush, which explode into suspenseful action when mysterious events converge. The author’s frank and unconventional message about the way teenagers relate to each other touches everyone’s deeply buried “it” as clearly as light cuts through darkness.

(Translator: DeepL)

Why are you nominating this book:
죽이고 싶은 아이 | L25 did quite well in this book club in the past, and between that and how much I enjoyed 세계를 건너 너에게 갈게 | L23, I can’t help but want to read more of 이꽃님’s prose. This is also on the lower side difficulty wise, so it should be approachable for a lot of people, while still being enjoyable for more advanced learners.

[bizoo]

Book: 기억술사 1 | L24??
Genre: “nostalgic horror” apparently (looks like a mystery, presumably the ‘horror’ is psychological)
Length: 364 pages (First in a 3 book series, but each volume looks to be an independent story)
Is there an ebook available?: yes

Summary - Korean

“잊혀지는 것보다 두려운 건 너에게 기억되는 거야……”

제22회 일본 호러소설 대상 독자상 수상작!
일본 판매 25만 부 돌파, 일본 서점 직원들의 지지 No.1

감성 미스터리이자 애달픈 호러로 일본에서 큰 이슈를 불러일으킨 화제작 ‘기억술사’의 첫 번째 이야기 『기억술사 1 : 기억을 지우는 사람』이 아르테에서 출간되었다. 『기억술사』는 노스탤직 호러라는 신(新) 장르를 개척했다고 평가를 받은 작품으로 ‘작가 오리가미 교야’라는 이름을 알린 대표작이기도 하다.

기억술사는 기억을 지우고 싶어 하는 사람 앞에 나타나 기억을 지워준다는 도시전설 속 괴인이다. 십수 년 전에 한 번 나타나 그 존재가 알려지게 되었고, 최근에 다시 그 모습을 드러냈다.

ㆍ기억술사는 해 질 녘에 나타난다.
ㆍ기억술사는 녹색 벤치에서 기다리면 나타난다.
ㆍ기억술사의 얼굴을 본다 해도 그 기억조차 사라지기 때문에 그의 정체는 아무도 모른다.
ㆍ기억술사는 사람의 기억을 먹고 산다.
ㆍ기억술사가 한번 지운 기억은 다시 돌아오지 않는다.
ㆍ기억술사는 자신을 필요로 하는 사람 앞에 나타난다.

Summary - English

“What’s more terrifying than being forgotten is being remembered by you…”

Winner of the 22nd Japan Horror Novel Award Readers’ Prize!
Over 250,000 copies sold in Japan, No.1 favorite among Japanese bookstore employees!

The highly acclaimed first volume of The Mnemonist series, The Mnemonist 1: The One Who Erases Memories, has been published by Arte. This work, which has sparked major discussions in Japan as both an emotional mystery and a poignant horror novel, is considered to have pioneered a new genre called “nostalgic horror.” It is also the signature work of Kyoya Origami, the author who gained recognition through this book.

The Mnemonist is a mysterious figure from an urban legend—one who appears before those who wish to erase their memories and grants their request. Though it first appeared over a decade ago, its existence became widely known, and now it has surfaced once again.

• The Mnemonist appears at dusk.
• The Mnemonist will come if you wait on a green bench.
• Even if you see the Mnemonist’s face, that memory will vanish, so no one knows its true identity.
• The Mnemonist feeds on people’s memories.
• Once a memory is erased by the Mnemonist, it can never be recovered.
• The Mnemonist only appears before those who truly need it.

Content warning

I don’t know how detailed it will be but the full summary mentions the MC deals with trauma from a past sexual assault.

Why are you nominating this book: This is a translation of a Japanese series that caught my eye. I don’t have a lot of low L20s books on my list at the minute. I’ve put this in at ~L24 based on the vocab and reading the first couple pages but ofc it might end up being a little harder. It initially jumped out at me because I’ve already read a korean novel also called 기억술사 | L26 and I’m curious to see this idea played with again by another author.

[eefara]

@bizoo

I’ve put this in at ~L24 based on the vocab and reading the first couple pages but ofc it might end up being a little harder.

Based on two people finishing the JP version, looks like it’s sitting at L30 atm; just something to keep in mind.

[bizoo]

good shout checking the jp listing, lets assume it’ll be similar in korean then!

[HopeWaterfall]

@bizoo

I’ve put this in at ~L24 based on the vocab and reading the first couple pages but ofc it might end up being a little harder.

From reading the prologue, the vocab doesn’t seem crazy. Who knows with the grammar though, it started pretty straightforward but it could turn to more convoluted sentences afterwards, that’s always a possibility. @monace , do the first few pages seem approachable to you?

@eefara

Based on two people finishing the JP version, looks like it’s sitting at L30 atm; just something to keep in mind.

That’s nice to keep in mind, although there does tend to be quite a bit of discrepancy between Korean and Japanese levels, especially with books that only a couple people have read.
Japanese levels tend to be slightly higher, for example with アーモンド | L35 / 아몬드 | L27 or ふしぎ駄菓子屋 銭天堂 1 | L24 / 이상한 과자 가게 전천당 1 | L21. This isn’t always true of course, sometimes the levels are pretty much the same.

[bungakushoujo]

@HopeWaterfall

That’s nice to keep in mind, although there does tend to be quite a bit of discrepancy between Korean and Japanese levels, especially with books that only a couple people have read.

I would echo this - I have found Korean translations of Japanese books to be easier and quicker reads due to the lack of kanji, and, conversely, Japanese translations of Korean books to be a bit harder because of unusual words or adapted Korean terms. So it’s a helpful hint as to what the level could be but it may not always be one for one!

[monace]

Oh that looks good! Psychological horror? Yes please.
As for the level, the preview pages seem doable yes. I do like a challenge Level 24 seems accurate, but then again I’ve never read a level 24 book so I have nothing to compare it to.

당연하게도 나는 너를 also looks good, I guess this is the reality of book clubs, wanting to read all nominations and having to vote for only one

[HopeWaterfall]

You can always read it afterwards though! For example I got 시간 고양이 | L20??, a past nomination, which I’m planning on reading soon.

[suadang]

당연하게도 나는 너를 is good. Some other picks I would suggest are 체리새우 : 비밀글입니다 | L24 (it’s very much written for a middle school audience, dealing with teenage friendships, friend drama, grief, etc, but it was one of the very few obviously YA books I actually enjoyed) and [대여] 오늘 밤, 세계에서 이 사랑이 사라진다 해도 | L27 (second book I ever read in Korean and the best iteration I’ve read so far of this kind of Japanese YA) for easy books that are actually decent. Have to mention 당신을 기다리고 있어 | L32 too (very short sci-fi book fully written in conversational 반말 – and the very first book I read in Korean – a series of message from a groom to his fiancee as he tries to make it to their wedding through space and time)

[acire]

Book: 긴긴밤
Genre: Children’s fiction
Length: 144
Is there an ebook available?: Yes

Summary - Korean

제21회 문학동네어린이문학상 대상 수상작 『긴긴밤』
세상에 마지막 하나 남은 흰바위코뿔소와
코뿔소 품에서 태어난 어린 펭귄.
그땐 기적인 줄 몰랐다, 머리부터 발끝까지 모든 것이 다른 우리에게 서로밖에 없다는 게.

세상에 마지막 하나 남은 코뿔소가 된다면, 소중한 이를 다 잃고도 ‘마지막 하나 남은 존재’의 무게를 온 영혼으로 감당해야 한다면 어떠할까? 친구의 마지막 부탁을 들어주기 위해, 어린 생명이 마땅히 있어야 할 안전한 곳을 찾아 주기 위해 본 적도 없는 바다를 향해 가는 마음은 어떤 것일까?

이 책은 지구상의 마지막 하나가 된 흰바위코뿔소 노든과 버려진 알에서 태어난 어린 펭귄이 수없는 긴긴밤을 함께하며, 바다를 찾아가는 이야기이다. 울퉁불퉁한 길 위에서 엉망인 발로도 다시 우뚝 일어설 수 있게 한 것은, 잠이 오지 않는 길고 컴컴한 밤을 기어이 밝힌 것은, “더러운 웅덩이에도 뜨는 별” 같은 의지이고, 사랑이고, 연대이다.

• 출처 : 예스24 https://www.yes24.com/Product/Goods/97255028

Summary - English

The grand prix winner of the 21st Munhakdongne Children’s Literature Award. A story about the last white rhino on earth and an abandoned baby penguin spending long, long nights together to find the ocean.

Why are you nominating this book: This was the first book I read in Korean, and even though at the time I was struggling through it and didn’t have a complete understanding of every nuance in the book, I still cried at the end I think this is a great introductory book for folks just getting into reading in Korean, and as a more intermediate reader now I’d be happy to re-read it again to see what I missed!

[bungakushoujo]

Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination! Let’s vote!

In the previous poll, there was a preference to start reading right away. So, I’d say we can vote until Sunday, March 30th and then take a week after that for everyone to get a copy of the book + set up and figure out the schedule, and then begin on Monday, April 7th.

Hope that sounds ok to everyone?

Which book should we read next?

• 당연하게도 나는 너를
• 기억술사 1
• 체리새우 : 비밀글입니다
• 오늘 밤, 세계에서 이 사랑이 사라진다 해도
• 당신을 기다리고 있어
• 긴긴밤

[monace]

Popping in for a reminder that today is the last day to vote - and we have a tie!

[eefara]

Ooh, nine voters; more than I’ve seen for a while.

[HopeWaterfall]

For anyone looking for something to read before we start our next book

Korean Fiction Book Club Past nominations | Korean list by HopeWaterfall

[bungakushoujo]

So it looks like our next pick is going to be 기억술사 1! Thanks for voting everyone!
I’ll get a thread set up later today and we can discuss the schedule etc.