Hello. The truly tumultuous 2025 is finally almost over. If you ask whether the mending of internal strife is moving along at the desired pace, I can't give a cheerful answer, but it was a year where I wanted to find comfort in the fact that we are still moving forward, one step at a time. I'm truly relieved that I can wrap up the year like this and comfortably talk about books, and I want to express both gratitude and apology to our entire community. Every year-end, I show up to introduce the best books I read that year. I only selected new releases published in the last two years—last year and this year. They say the book market is getting more and more depressed, but I hope the publishing 'farm' gets revitalized someday too!! So, let me introduce the books I liked best, one by one.
The Eight Best Books
One. 『The Gaps of Sadness (슬픔의 틈새)』 - Lee Geum-yi This is considered a relatively long novel at 448 pages. It's a new release from author Lee Geum-yi, who previously wrote novels about the female diaspora during the Japanese colonial period, like 『Can’t I Go There? (거기, 내가 가면 안돼요)』 and 『Aloha, My Mothers (알로하, 나의 엄마들)』. Although the narrative of women during the Japanese colonial period might seem inherently bleak, this novel surprisingly has a lot of humor. It's the funniest of the author's previous books. The unfamiliar setting of Sakhalin, Russia, the dimensional characters, and especially the unwavering humor make this a truly enjoyable book beyond the heavy topic of the colonial era. I highly recommend it.
Two. 『Eating, Shitting, Dying (먹고, 싸고, 죽고)』 - Joe Roman This book deals with animals and ecosystems. Until now, the mainstream understanding of the ecosystem focused on the sun and plants, viewing animals only as consumers. This book discusses how crucial a link animals are in the ecosystem's cycle, and even mentions research suggesting animals are the starting point in certain ecosystems. The strength of this book is also the fun factor. The author wrote the book using stories from their own direct experiences. Diverse and fascinating stories unfold: the ecosystem forming on a newly erupted volcano, the struggle to collect whale poop, and sea otters who had to evacuate their homes due to hydrogen bomb research. Interest in and empathy for animal protection naturally arise from this fun read. If you are interested in this topic, this would be a great introductory text.
Three. 『The Wack-wack Was There (왝왝이가 그 곳에 있었다)』 - Lee Ro-a This is a short novel, 176 pages. The story is set against the backdrop of a bus accident, which the protagonist, Yeon-seo, is the sole survivor of. It excellently portrays Yeon-seo’s guilt, trauma, and lethargy, as well as the comfort and suspicion surrounding her. One day while Yeon-seo is walking, she hears the ‘wack-wack’ sound of a narrow-mouthed toad. Following the sound, she finds a strange space below a sewer. This space is an entrance to another world. There, they have magic fruit that allows people to forget their painful memories from the outside, and the people outside gradually forget them too. The inhabitants offer Yeon-seo the fruit and propose she lives comfortably below the sewers. Yeon-seo's internal struggle over this offer unfolds. The theme that the community must remember societal pain hits heavily. However, the fact that the protagonist is a teenager gives the book solidity, warmth, and vibrancy. It was a story with great thematic depth and excellent balance.
Four. 『World History Read Through 100 Plants (100가지 식물로 읽는 세계사)』 - Simon Barnes Modern Thought has several 'World History Read Through OO OO' series. '100 Letters' was recently released, and there's also '100 Animals' by the same author. They are all enjoyable, but I especially recommend this plant story. Beyond the sheer enjoyment, since it deals with plants, the illustrations are truly lovely and beautiful. It's also a subject that is least likely to divide opinions. I think this is a book that conveys not just the joy of reading, but the joy of buying a book, too.
Five. 『Children of the Empire (제국의 어린이들)』 - Lee Young-eun This is a collection of essays by Joseon and Japanese children who lived in Korea during the Japanese colonial period. It features winning entries from a writing contest hosted by the Government-General of Joseon. The theme was incredibly unique. The writings of the Korean children are steeped in discrimination, poverty, and sadness. But the writings of the Japanese children don't convey only happiness either. It made my heart feel very complicated while reading it. This is not a collection that simply makes you want to hate Japan; rather, it clearly shows how war and imperialism erode children and our future. This is a book I definitely wanted to introduce and recommend.
Six. 『Scientists Who Write Books (책을 쓰는 과학자들)』 - Brian Clegg This book introduces books about science. It sheds light on works ranging from ancient stone tablets up to Richard Dawkins and Yuval Harari. A history book with a deeply unique feel, completed by intertwining the weft of scientific history and the warp of printing technology history. It is genuinely excellent as a science introductory text. Furthermore, the book itself is gorgeous. The covers, illustrations, and reference images are edited to look great and are beautifully printed. It was a book that taught me the joy of purchasing a book, thanks to its great content and beautiful appearance.
Seven. 『Regarding the Whiteness of the White Whale (흰 고래의 흼에 대하여)』 - Hong Han-byeol This was, personally, my favorite book this year. The author is a translator who has translated works like 『Small Things Like These (이처럼 사소한 것들)』, 『Hamnet (햄닛)』, and 『Klara and the Sun (클라라와 태양)』. This is an essay that explores her translation profession, language, and reflections on translation. It's difficult to strike a balance between the complexity of professional expertise and the lightness afforded by the essay genre. To be honest, this book sometimes feels a little risky (as in, precarious), but if you are interested in the topics of speech, language, and delivery, you will truly enjoy it. Personally, it helped me organize my thoughts on 'conveying my intention to others' and 'language and translation in the age of AI.'
Eight. 『To Nana and Olive (나나 올리브에게)』 - Ruri You might know or have read the author's previous work, 『The Long Night (긴긴밤)』, as it was widely recommended and discussed. I read this new release because of that. Personally, while I agreed that 『The Long Night』 was a good book, it wasn't one I actively recommended. But 『To Nana and Olive』 was truly wonderful. The thematic consciousness aligns with the author's previous work, but perhaps because the protagonist is human instead of animal, or due to the writing that allows deeper immersion into the situation, this book successfully conveyed the idea that 'togetherness' is more important than 'identity' or 'existence.' Personally, I wonder if it’s appropriate to classify this book as children's fiction. Just as 『The Little Prince』 can be read as a much deeper text when one is an adult, this book will likely be read even more movingly when intertwined with many of life's experiences and memories.
Although it always makes me a little shy, I'm dropping the video I made as well. It includes stories about the beautiful covers that reflect my taste, which I couldn't fully mention in the post, so I hope you enjoy watching it.
I want to recommend all eight of those books. Personally, 『Regarding the Whiteness of the White Whale』 was my favorite. However, if I were recommending one to others, I would choose 『Scientists Who Write Books』. It’s a book that made me feel the joy of buying a book immensely because it is so beautiful. Thick hardcover, careful printing, thoughtfully selected images, and comfortable text and editing. It was a book that made me feel the pleasure of keeping a good book on my shelf. And it's a book that can easily draw interest toward science. While it doesn't discuss AI, it presents the history of scientific development leading up to now in a very readable way. I truly think the age of AI will fully open up next year. Some might even say it has already begun. Up until last year, AI was always missing one thing. Whether it was a barrier that was technically possible but hard to overcome, or simply a dullness where the technology hadn't fully reached. But this year, even that is gone. I think next year it will become even easier and more influential. Consequently, people need to pay more attention to science and technology, and we must be able to scrutinize developments carefully as they progress. For that to happen, I believe there need to be more books that make science and technology easily accessible to people. And I feel that 『Scientists Who Write Books』 fulfills that role very faithfully.
To conclude, my ongoing hope is to help you find one book among these introductions that sparks your interest enough to read, and one book that stays in your heart after you finish it. Thank you so much for reading this post. Everyone is going through tough times, but I hope you all have time to smile a little more next year. Thank you!!
"New Year's resolutions activated! Readers are thanking the OP for the must-read list and happily resolving to crush their reading goals next year. One user even slid in a bonus recommendation, keeping the book sharing going."
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