The stories behind their books

“In the end, both those inside the book and all of us outside it were alive, and living.”

“I heard it was interesting.”

““As I was working on my book, I read Jeong You-jeong’s *The Origin of Species* and Shim Eun-hee’s *The Wind Blew in Ireland. Waves Rose in My Heart*.””

““Rebonds” is a particularly special project to me. I’m very proud and excited to be part of this project supporting UNICEF. This initiative shows how important it is to protect and support those in need, especially children. Every child deserves equal opportunities in life, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that the most vulnerable receive essential support.”

“This book and the “Gen Z Bookshelf” interview sparked my interest in reading.”

“Seongju speaks English so naturally. It’s not as if he learned it; it’s more like he’s always been good at it. And the fact that he kindly shares all his secrets like this—there’s no reason not to try following his example!”

“I read it too, and the elements were interesting.”

“Last fall, an artist senior to me whom I’ve been close to for a long time recommended this book, and that’s how I learned about it. I’ve always trusted their recommendations, so I naturally became interested and opened the book to find inspiration while working on a project. I’ve read about half of it so far.”

“It opened my mind to the thought that anyone can live creatively in their own way. I was impressed by the idea that creativity isn’t something only special people have.”

“Creating something often comes with profound loneliness, and this passage helped me learn how to manage myself. After reading it, I felt more mature.”

“Honestly, I’m not that amazing a person, but in the book I seem like such an amazing and wonderful person. (Laughs) It made me think I should treat myself a little better. It also gave me the confidence that I can do even better going forward.”

“I enjoyed reading Woo Ji-hyun’s *My Private Painting*.”

“This is really interesting. You absolutely have to read it. People who create things absolutely have to read this. It’s a book called Sparks of Genius.”

“But these days, I’ve been reading a book called An Unexpected Season.”

“I’ve read a lot of books recently. I read “Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982.” There are other books I can’t remember. I read a lot of books while on vacation.”

““The love and psychology between men and women in many different situations are captured like a movie.””

“Paulo Coelho once said, “Travel alone or with your wife.” To me, it sounded like, “Travel alone.””

“The Little Prince”

“It's interesting.”

“이 대본을 보면서 드라마를 상상을 하면서 보면 도움도 되고 재밌어요 여러분도 한번 나중에 이렇게려 보세요”

“I bought a book, not a poetry collection. <Quiet Excitement>. It's a book about what happened during the author's three-month trip to Europe. Even the really trivial things are written down, and they're all so cute.”

“I read *At the Edge, But I Haven’t Fallen Yet*! It’s divided into various topics, so I enjoyed reading it, and it warmed my heart. It’s a book that really helps you regroup. Now let’s get moving!”

“I’m not very interested in novels, but this book made me so curious about what would happen next that I kept reading.”

“If we're talking about books that have stayed with me, I think I've read these three books many times: The Lighthouse Keeper, You Too Are a Daylily, and Yeontan-gil.”

““When I first read Blindness, I had a primal feeling.””

“This book is called “Schopenhau to Read Before Bed.””

“You can see there are so many bookmark tabs.”

“There were so many passages I could relate to and wanted to learn from! [How YVES Reads #2]”

“So I can’t finish this book! lol I have to read it over and over again.”

“So that’s what he said. But on the very next page, he says, “In life, suffering and concerns are necessary.””

“Then I get all confused while reading!”

“I’m like, “But you just said they’re the two enemies!””

“And then again, it’s like, “Suffering and concerns are common in life.””

“Ah, I see.”

“Mmm... I see what you mean.”

“This book is also very realistic, and it’s a great book to read if you want to be comforted and clear your mind of your worries.”

“So I recommend this book too.”

“Recently, before watching the film Pavane, I read the original novel, “Pavane for a Dead Princess.””

“I brought it along to read on the plane or during waiting time while filming in Japan, and I finished it there.”

“When a film based on a book comes out, I tend to read the book first.”

“A film clearly shows you a particular image, whereas with a book, I can imagine things in my own mind as I read, and I like being able to immerse myself in it in my own way.”

“Maybe it’s also similar to the story of *Peter Pan*. So before this round of activities, I started digging into *Peter Pan* and went through various dark fairy tales. The dark fairy tales in particular felt new to me because they were different from what I knew as a child.”

“I always carry around about two books like this.”

“After reading this book, I thought I wanted everyone to find their own happiness and live at their own pace. We can run, but we can also walk or crawl. Everyone has a different way of living, so this book made me realize that we should respect and be considerate of one another. It's a science fiction novel, but its warm, sensitive expressions touch your heart, so anyone should be able to read it without difficulty.”

“When I feel powerless, I mutter a little spell .. 🪄💫”

“Lily's book rec for today: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie.”

“I remember being interested in this when I was really little, borrowing Lovecraft’s short story collection, and thinking, “What is this…?””

“I became a fan after reading The Fruit of My Woman.”

“I went to Canada to study abroad when I was 12. I compiled the diary I wrote at the time and published it as a book.”

“Something you absolutely must not miss”

“『혼자 있는 시간의 힘』이라는 책은 그런 제게 위안이 되더군요. 내가 문제가 있나 싶어서 자괴감에 싸여 있던 때에 그 책을 읽게 됐어요.”

“Ah, is that it?”

“여기 조용한 말간 님의 전작인 중국 집도 바로 주문해서 지금 읽고 있습니다”

“I went to a bookstore, bought the book, and read it. It was written by an 89-year-old, and says not to put too much emphasis on whether someone is old or young.”

“Wouldn’t it be good to do something like “So What”? With something like this, it doesn’t have to be about this subject; it could be about something else too.”

“It is one of the works I love so, so much.”

“I think it would be good to read it with a light, relaxed mind.”

“I like the title ‘Knowledge and Love’ better than ‘Narcissus and Goldmund.’”

“It’s provocative and captivating. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to turn to the next chapter faster.”

“When I read books, I imagine everything in the scenes. These days, I’m reading a book called Dallergut Dream Department Store, and when they talk about the dream department store, I can see it in my head. I imagine I’m shopping there as I read. It’s not just novels, but other books, too—for example, if there’s a sentence where Einstein is talking, I imagine him saying it. (Laughs) That’s probably why I was able to learn video production so quickly.”

“If I were to buy [a dream], it’d be one where I’m flying through the skies or swimming freely in the deep sea. But those kinds of dreams don’t sell well.”

“I read Dallergut Dream Department Store.”

“For me, I’d buy one where we become whales and swim together in the sea. What’s the relation? Because it’s a whale, I’m a whale shark.”

“I’ve told this to CARATs several times. After reading Dallergut Dream Department Store, I haven’t been able to read a book because I’ve been busy with work.”

“The book has so many meanings and I have a lot to learn from the Prince. [Despite his age], he’s emotionally more mature than adults. His values are incredible,”

“She doesn’t express her feelings well, but in every action, sincerity is included. I think she and I deal with things similarly. I try to express my real thoughts and emotions truly to others, but it’s not easy.”

“I believe that sincerity does reach others eventually,”

“the bond depends on how much each [person] cares about developing that particular relationship.”

“The way it unfolds is so unique and captivating that I read the whole thing in one sitting. I had been caught up in a hectic routine amid my busy schedule, but throughout the book, its gripping storytelling gave me a very new feeling.”

““I’m proud of my mentor.””

“I think it’s right now. I can see <You Have to Look at It for a Long Time to Find It Lovely> right in front of me. It’s a book I’ve been reading recently. As I was reading it, I suddenly felt a sense of romance.”

““글을 쓴다는 것은 머릿속의 수많은 생각들을 하나 하나 정제해가는 여정이라고 생각합니다. 이 책을 통해 여러분의 여정에도 동기부여가 되길 바랍니다.””

“I brought a book, an iPad, and headphones with me, you know? Once I finish eating, I’m going to read a book. I’m going to read while listening to music.”

“When I finish this book, I plan to read *Seven Years Later*.”

“It’s okay not to read it all at once. Keep it on your bookshelf and take it out whenever you need it or feel curious.”

“If I were to recommend books I enjoyed reading, the first would be Ordinary Words (Kim Eana).”

““I also read a book called ‘Moss Forest.’””

“There was nothing to do at the training camp, so I read books. I also kept a diary, and I cried twice.”

“I’ve been very interested in composing lately, and the book contains a lot of things that people like me, who want to compose popular music, would want to know for themselves. People tend to think composing is difficult, but it explains very clearly and simply what composing is and how to do it. One of our songs is included in the book, too, so I thought, “That’s how this song was made,” and it brought back a lot of memories of recording and singing it at the time. It also helped me with composing.”

“Like the picture diary you kept as a child, try drawing your own memories each day, following wherever your heart takes you. Finding little moments of happiness in everyday life is quite a joyful thing.”

“There’s a book called Kind People Win that I read recently. I really found it very relatable.”

“After reading No Longer Human, I also sought out and read The Setting Sun.”

“It’s difficult 🤤”

“I really hope you’ll read this work.”

“It was something that gave me insight and resonated with me.”

“최근 읽은 책은 김영하 작가의 <오직 두 사람>. 정신없이 바쁜 일상 속에서도 풍부한 감성을 느끼게 해주는 김영하 작가의 단편소설을 애정해요.”

“엊그제 <한낮의 어둠>을 읽기 시작했다.”

“Make notes.”

“It broadened my perspective and comforted me.”

“This is the first book I’ve ever read while crying.”

“I usually don’t like rereading books because I want to hold on to my initial impression of them. I happened to find this book while tidying my room and read it again, and it was fun because it felt different from when I first read it.”

“I did buy it when I was just thinking, among the people around me, “Why is everyone so weird?””

““I was greatly inspired while working on the album Legend.””

“It felt new to imagine the personalities and ways of speaking of the characters in the book.”

“I hope that those who long to take some time for themselves and find themselves will be sure to read this book.”

“Then, when the members made their remarks, I was really moved. “Ah… this is crazy, like a movie. Right, this is what I had been missing.””

“I was impressed by reading *Illionaire Life*, written by my senior, Dok2.”

“Then I remembered that I had read Musso’s earlier book, Call from an Angel, some time ago…”

“I hope you’ll love it. You won’t regret it.”

“God, this is not an illusion but a true, faithful answer from You. From now on, I will live not as Kwon Gi-beom of the world, but as a holy child of God!”

“I found some time to relax on this trip.”

“Sometimes in life, a single word from someone else can easily bring us down. This book talks about how to protect yourself and love others through “just the right amount of positivity and just the right amount of courage.” I sincerely hope that all of you readers will come away from this book with “just the right amount of positivity and courage.””

“얼마나 좋았을까”

“I really recommend 0 to people like that.”

“So I really, really recommend reading it.”

“I recommend it. Give it a read.”

“I recommend “Holding Hands in Midsummer,” which is good for a light summer read.”

“I wanted to build my own stage with “Ruby.””

“Ah, yes, yes, and then the one with three holes cut in a box, with something inside it, and things like that.”

“These days, I'm reading Jonas Jonasson's novel *Killer Anders and His Friends*.”

“I brought a book”

“Elizabeth, the protagonist of the novel Pride and Prejudice. I admire her bold approach to life, even in a time when women were socially oppressed.”

“When I first heard about this book, I couldn't help laughing. ‘A whole book about Bibi Curry?’ But after reading it to the end, I completely changed my mind. I could feel how the owner, who likes me, had thoughtfully put each and every word on the page with sincerity and honesty. It's wonderful and impressive, and I feel both pleased and proud. Someday, I'll definitely take Bibi to have Bibi Curry. Bibi can't eat curry, but they'll give Bibi an apple, right? Lucky you, Bibi. They say they like you more than me. Let's go soon. Let's just drop by. Even if I can't go inside, I'll have the car waiting out front.”

“After reading [unclear], I was completely influenced by it.”

“I changed even more after reading the books The Power of Positive Thinking and The Secret.”

“On my birthday, TWICE’s Nayeon gave me a book as a gift. I received a book called *I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki*; its title was unusual, and it was a book I had wanted to buy.”

“I remember being captivated by Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea when I read it as a kid. I think I took myself back to that place for new inspiration and brought back a part of it as the motive to start writing Hope World. It’s an introduction to people who are brand new to [me] with me as Captain Nemo showing you around just as the submarine in the book cruised around the world’s oceans. I know this might sound really corny, but I invite you to pretend to be Professor Aronnax as you listen to this song and take a journey through my world [laughs].”

“Because I never even imagined that I would publish a book, I feel more fulfilled than I did when releasing an album.”

“It's a book called < 1cm+ >, and a fan gave it to me.”

“#Coloring”

“Nothing Big Happens to the Two of Us”

“Recently, I read Stephen King's Billy Summers.”

“For me, this is another bittersweet seize-the-day story about the preciousness and fleetingness of all the beauty around us. And it’s a heart-stopping, heartbreaking romance, rolled into one. I just love the way Jojo Moyes creates such compelling, emotionally layered characters.”

“This book is fun~!”

“The one I liked best among them was a writer named Cheongchun Yuri. It had this feeling of walking through the seasons. But it was really colorful.”

“I like reading books.”

“Everyone, love one another~”

“I've been rereading Romance of the Three Kingdoms lately.”

“I’m studying Japanese on my own using Japanese books. I work hard at it whenever I have free time between schedules.”

“The Little Prince is such a famous work, you know. I first encountered it as an animated film, and later read it as a book. I want to express the feelings I experienced through contemporary dance.”

“As I got further into the latter half, I found myself thinking how astonishing it was. This is the first book that has made me feel that way. I was amazed by how it planted clues and then brought them back later.”

“내가 알리고 싶지 않은 이야기도 많이 알려지기도 했지만, 내가 내 이야기를 제대로 해본 적이 없었다. 그런 부분을 쌓아두고 지내다 보니 곪아가는 상황이 있었다”

““At the time, the bestseller was The Courage to Be Disliked. I came out with a lot of courage to be disliked.””

“Through this book, I want to share the happiness of cooking for yourself.”

“At age 20, I suddenly remembered a book called *Reading the Analects Happily*. At the time, while reading it, I felt for the first time that my thinking was awakening, and”

“Actually, I haven't even read the book The Sorrows of Young Werther yet, so I think I'll start with joy!”

“A book I found because I was feeling a strong thirst for travel”

““I mainly like poetry collections. Poetry seems like the genre that best reveals a poet’s temperament and sensibility. Poets look at things we often see in everyday life from a different perspective and express them in a few words. I think those words often resonate deeply. In this collection, I like the poem ‘Knot.’ In particular, when I read the passage, ‘Do not call it a knot. The hardest part—once, this too was so tender and fragile. It was only that passion went too far, and after a single wound, it could never bloom again,’ I thought that a poet could see a tree’s ‘knot’ in this way, too, and something about it really struck me.””

“Actually, when I'm having a hard time, I don't seek comfort from anyone. I can't even read books like *You Did Well Today*.”

“I’m honored to receive the Content of the Year award. Grapefruit Apricot Club is a work that sincerely captures the reality the children face and the pure solidarity through which they hold on to one another and try to make it through.”

“A book? Ah, but I haven’t finished reading everything yet... I’m still in the midst of reading it... Guns, Germs, and Steel... It’s sort of like a history book~”

“I learned about Almond through a recommendation from an acquaintance, and I finished reading it in one sitting.”

“Whenever I learn something from reading a book like this, I feel bad if I don’t tell Gaeko.”

“I've been really enjoying Alain de Botton's book The Sorrow That Brings Joy lately.”

“A book that comes to me when I make time to read, even for just five minutes, because I want to clear my mind and feel happy.”

“I’ve been interested in investing lately, but I can’t afford to invest carelessly.”

“Tongue Fu! is a book I've read several times.”

“I read a novel called Horrorstör.”

“I wondered how a lie could be elegant, and I was interested because it was by the author of Wandeuk.”

“I really want to recommend the book I’m reading right now to you all. A Man Called Ove. I bought it and started reading it without giving it much thought, just because people said it was fun. As I read, there were times I laughed, I almost cried, and I learned a lot. You should definitely read it 👍”

“A book I want to take out and read whenever I think of my beloved pet who went to Dog Star. I related to Jiyul’s feelings and was deeply moved by Byeol’s love!”

“I have read the manga since I was little, so its characters have influenced me.”

“My all-time favorite comic book from my school days was Comic MapleStory. I don’t know if you know it, but it was really fun. I think people from the first generation will relate.”

“Of course, you need to have practiced enough, and you also need to be fully prepared in terms of how you look onstage. But what matters most is believing in yourself and enjoying the stage.”

“I read a lot while thinking, ‘It must be made-up stories.’”

“Writer Yoo Hee-seon, your warm heart comes through. I’m cheering you on. #I’llReadItWell #Don’tCarelesslyTalkAboutMe book”

“This is a book I’d recommend to anyone who wants to encounter and delve into a variety of poems within one book, and to anyone who wants to read carefully written prose.”

“It’s an era for people like him.”

“"The Little Prince feels different every time I read it—now, five years from now, or ten years from now."”

“I've been reading a book lately. It's called The Bare Minimum of Korean History. It does a very good job of explaining things concisely, from Gojoseon through modern and contemporary history. It made me think, “I should study more history,” and I hope many people will read it.”

“I’m especially enjoying the webtoon <The Return of the Mount Hua Sect>.”

“When I feel that my heart is short on kindling, the many thoughts and experiences that came to mind while reading this book rekindle a fire in my heart. A mysterious, time-machine-like book that took me back to happy, passionate moments.”

“As a celebrity, there are times when people criticize you and times when people offer you comfort. Reading this book, rather than blaming others, I had various thoughts along the lines of, “That’s just how people are; I should at least try not to be that way.””

“Through “Professional Lyric Writing,” I’m also learning a lot about writing lyrics that comfort people’s hearts.”

“It’s a name taken from a character in the webtoon *Tower of God*. I was so gentle-natured, so the CEO gave me the name to make me tougher.”

“For me, who has been running nonstop since my debut, books give me a little breathing room and help me gain insight.”

“After reading the book, I also gained the courage to take on a field I want to study, using my spare time even when I’m busy with group activities.”

“Even things I had never tried and couldn’t say I liked often turned out to suit me and become things I cared about once I actually experienced them.”

“A few days ago, I took that book out and read it again. It’s still on my desk.”