Seoul Searching Books

The combination of sans-TV and daily bus commutes has given me a great opportunity to broaden my literary repertoire. I have already gone through all of the books I brought with me (half of a small suitcase…it would have been more if not for the weight restriction), and I have now moved on to borrowed books until my stock is replenished (Thanks Mom!). Most of the books were donated, courtesy of Miss KP (Kamsa hamnida!) and others were on my “to read” list back home.

Here is the list of books I’ve gone through so far. All of them were excellent and I highly recommend them!

1. Me Talk Pretty, David Sedaris
2. New Moon, Stephenie Meyer
3. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer
4. Uglies, Scott Westerfeld
5. Pretties, Scott Westerfeld
6. Specials, Scott Westerfeld
7. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris
8. The Road, Cormac McCarthy
9. Falling Man, Don Delillo
10. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Jean-Dominique Bauby
11. My Horizontal Life, Chelsea Handler
12. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
13. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
14. The Memory of Running, Ron McLarty
15. Changes, Ama Ata Aidoo
16. The Tales of Beetle the Bard, J.K. Rowling

1. David Sedaris is HYSTERICAL! I was given this book for my birthday and I am hooked. His books are collections of short stories about his childhood, relationships and growing up. I was really glad to be reading on my way here (SK) because I truly needed a good laugh after goodbyes at the airport and the first week adjusting to my new life.


2-3. New Moon and Eclipse are the second and third books of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. The series is claimed to be the next Harry Potter. In my opinion, I wouldn't say they compare, but they are engrossing and based in a fantasy world with Vampires and Werewolves. I read the first book, Twilight, while I was in Africa and I can't wait to get the forth book to see what happens next! In addition to the fantasy, this series is truly a love story that I can't get enough of!


4-6. The Uglies series is science fiction, which I usually am not a huge fan of. The premise revolves around a "Utopian" society where everyone is surgically turned beautiful when they turn 16 to level the scales and eliminate jealousy, greed, etc. The hippy in me loved the environmental message that it also brings up, since the new society was established after the "Rusties" (that's us) basically self-destruct due to our greedy nature.


7. Again, David Sedaris had me lol on the bus, in the subway and anywhere else I had a moment to crack open this book.


8. The Road did not impress me at first...but after having a few discussions with other readers I have changed my mind. It is dark and depressing, but brings about some interesting questions. I think if I was in that situation, I would have taken sides with the wife. If you don't know what I mean, read the book to find out! This is also coming to theatres soon or it is already out (but not in Korea).


9. I have avoided all things 9-11 since someone thought it was okay to start turning people's stories of loss and tragedy into movies. With that mindset, I started to read Falling Man which is a fictional account of the emotional roller coaster that one man experienced after walking away from the twin towers that day. Overall, I wouldn't consider it a must read, but form your own opinion!


10. This book was inspiring. It was written by a former editor of some women's fashion magazine. He suffered from a stroke and ended up with locked-in syndrome. This is when a person becomes completely paralyzed and is basically trapped inside their own body. He wrote the book while in this state and it offers some thought provoking questions and insight into his world.


11. Thank you Jessica for sending me this book for Christmas! I was lol on the airplane to and from the Philippines. If you have any morals, this might not be the book for you... but as the title suggests, there is plenty of sexy, raunchy stories that are sure to offend a certain crowd. Luckily for me, I do not belong to said crowd and found Miss Handlers accounts of one-night stands and men in general to be hysterical. I'm looking forward to reading her other book!


12. I finally finished it!!! The Twilight series has been strung out for me (compared to my co-workers who became obsessed and guzzled the books over a course of days). I do love the characters, and am hopeful that this is not the end for the Cullens and the Bella/Edward unit. PS- I saw the movie here... and it was not what I expected. Thoughts from fans??

13. I picked up this classic thinking, "It's a classic for a reason." I really didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a fast, easy read but it kept me turning the pages to find out more about Gatsby!


14. Again, thank you Jessica for a great read. This book is about a man who loses his parents and sister within days. He struggles with memories and flashbacks as he starts fixing his own life by riding cross country on a bicycle. It's not for everyone, but I liked it.


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