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A review by samantita
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum
5.0
This book was like a warm bowl of soup on a cold day. So many important themes--findimg happiness, or creating your version of it; the difference between enjoying what you do and being happy about it; living in the present; the importance of community; the difference between a good book and a good read. It was so fun to see how the people Yeongju met all had a hand in changing her just a bit, and vice versa. I liked witnessing the growth of the bookshop because of how Yeongju very much decided to live for the present and focus on what worked/didn't work now.
A quote that stuck out to me: "Isn't that what life is about? Forging forward with the answer you have -- stumbling along the way and picking yourself up -- only to one day realise that the answer you've held on to for a long time is not the right one. When that happens, it's time to look for the next answer. That's how ordinary folks, like herself, live. Over our life span, the right answer will keep changing."
Another one: "Small talk could be a considerate gesture, but most the time, at your own expense. With nothing to say, squeezing the words dry leaves only an empty heart and a desire to escape."
Another quoted from a Seymour Bernstein documentary: "Dissonance before moments of harmony makes the harmony sound beautiful. Just as harmony and dissonance exist side by side in music, life is the same. Because harmony is preceded by dissonance, that's why we think life is beautiful."
Another one: "When you have thoughts, just hold on them, see where they take you, and as time passes, you'll find out if you were right. Never decide right at the start if something is right or wrong."
Ughh, this one: "You won't know until you start. Don't decide the future before it happens."
"What I'm saying is, there's no absolute yardstick in this world. Of course, there are those who are obviously good, and also obviously bad ones. But when two people are about the same, then it boils down to who has a shinier business card. Look at my writing. This is good writing."
"My experience taught me that even if I'm working for someone else, I need to work for myself. Working for myself means that I'll try my best in what I do. More importantly, never lose myself, no matter if it's at work or outside."
A quote that stuck out to me: "Isn't that what life is about? Forging forward with the answer you have -- stumbling along the way and picking yourself up -- only to one day realise that the answer you've held on to for a long time is not the right one. When that happens, it's time to look for the next answer. That's how ordinary folks, like herself, live. Over our life span, the right answer will keep changing."
Another one: "Small talk could be a considerate gesture, but most the time, at your own expense. With nothing to say, squeezing the words dry leaves only an empty heart and a desire to escape."
Another quoted from a Seymour Bernstein documentary: "Dissonance before moments of harmony makes the harmony sound beautiful. Just as harmony and dissonance exist side by side in music, life is the same. Because harmony is preceded by dissonance, that's why we think life is beautiful."
Another one: "When you have thoughts, just hold on them, see where they take you, and as time passes, you'll find out if you were right. Never decide right at the start if something is right or wrong."
Ughh, this one: "You won't know until you start. Don't decide the future before it happens."
"What I'm saying is, there's no absolute yardstick in this world. Of course, there are those who are obviously good, and also obviously bad ones. But when two people are about the same, then it boils down to who has a shinier business card. Look at my writing. This is good writing."
"My experience taught me that even if I'm working for someone else, I need to work for myself. Working for myself means that I'll try my best in what I do. More importantly, never lose myself, no matter if it's at work or outside."