Book Review : Please Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin

please look after mom

Please Look After Mom
by Kyung-sook Shin
Original Title : Omma rul put’akhae (Korean)
Edition : Paperback (272 pages)
Publisher : Vintage (2012)
Genre : Fiction, Contemporary
Date Read : June 14, 2012

My Thoughts

How much do you know your mother? Are you often mad at her because she’s irritating? Does she always ask you to do some household chores? Or are you considering her as the witch in your own fairytale?

Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin is about the disappearance of an illiterate and elderly mom in a crowded Seoul train station without his husband’s knowledge. Her family, including her four adult children, is desperately trying to do everything to find her and as they continue searching, they realize how little they know about their mother, like they don’t even have a recent photo of her, and they starts to blame themselves for giving her less attention.

The novel is divided into different parts and each one was narrated by the family members including Chi-hon (the eldest daughter and a novelist), Hyong-chol (the eldest son and the favorite one), the neglectful husband and mom herself. Mom’s background reveals through flashbacks as the novel continues. All her sacrifices for her children, how she handles her unfaithful husband and her generosity not only towards her family but also to other people.

„Mom was the kitchen and the kitchen was Mom. You never wondered, Did Mom like being in the kitchen?“ – p. 60

The participation of the reader is present by the author’s way of using „you“ (second person) in this novel and though it’s quite perplexing in some parts, it still works well. It demands us to ponder and ask ourselves if we are also like one of mom’s children or the husband. Shin has done a great job on reminding us the importance of honouring not only our mother, but also the people who have done a lot of selfless things for us. The changes of the woman’s role are also present by showing how different mom’s life before compared to her children who are living in the present time. (On the last page of the book, I wrote a short letter for my mom.)

A certified Korean tear-jerker. I had a hard time to finish reading this novel because it’s hard to read when your eyes are filled with tears. From what I’ve read, Shin has won countless awards in her homeland for her works and Please Look After Mom won the Shadow MAN Asian Literary Prize 2011. This book is also her first novel to be translated into English. And I personally would like to thank Chi-Young Kim for expertly translating this amazing novel so it can be appreciated by readers, including me, from different countries.

I recommend this to those who are into deep emotional stories (like me) and also if you are interested in learning about some Korean cultures like The Full Moon Harvest.

My Rating5stars

Book Review : Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.
What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.
What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.x

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Book Review : Black Crow White Lie by Candi Sary

First of all, I would like to thank Ms. Candi Sary for sending me a copy of her book. ♥

Black Crow White Lie is a story of Carson, a young boy who has a magical gift of healing, living in Hollywood motels together with her alcoholic fortune-teller mother. She tells him stories of how great he was in his past life including stories about his deceased father as a war hero. During the absence of her mother, Carson finds out the truth about his identity and is confused on what to believe in. Does he really have the ability to heal? Or is he just imagining it the whole time?

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Book Review : A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

I picked up More Than This (also by Patrick Ness) first, then I decided to read A Monster Calls at the same time because I got curious after watching the teaser trailer. I finished this in two days and I really loved it.

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Note : This would have been Siobhan Dowd’s fifth book but unfortunately, she passed away and wasn’t able to finish it. Patrick Ness never got to meet her but was asked to finish the book and I can say that wherever she is, I am sure that she’s proud of this masterpiece.

A Monster Calls is a story of a 13-year old boy named Conor. He is going through a rough time. His mother has cancer and he is having consistent nightmares since his mother started her treatments. One night, he wakes up to find a monster outside his bedroom window. The monster is there to tell Conor three tales and Conor must tell the fourth. He doesn’t know if the monster is real or not but one thing is for sure, the monster wants to know Connor’s true story.

Let me start with the breath-taking illustrations. Jim Kay, who is also the one behind the marvelous illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, is truly a talented artist. His works are stunning! I can’t help not to gaze at them, checking every details, and run my fingers on the pages. I love that the illustrations in A Monster Calls are on black and white because it added more to my reading experience.

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Book Review : A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

I am happy that I spent the last days of 2015 reading this awesome book. It’s my very first from V.E. Schwab and she is now officially on my favorite author list. Actually, she’s already on my list right after I bought this this book and after she liked/retweeted my post. She’s so nice and I love her.

A Darker Shade of Magic introduces us to Kell, a guy with a cool coat who can travel back and forth between different Londons – Grey London (magic-less and boring city), Red London (city where Kell is from), White London (city ruled by the flawlessly evil twins) and Black London (the dead but not forgotten city). He is the ambassador and adopted prince of Red London. He also has a dangerous/forbidden hobby and because of this, he got into a huge trouble. While he is in Grey London, he runs in to a thief named Lila Bard and that’s when their adventure begins.

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Book Review : The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. However, when the „psychic“ visits the eerie Victorian home that has been the source of Susan’s terror and grief, she realizes she may not have to pretend to believe in ghosts anymore. Miles, Susan’s teenage stepson, doesn’t help matters with his disturbing manner and grisly imagination. The three are soon locked in a chilling battle to discover where the evil truly lurks and what, if anything, can be done to escape it. x

Gillian Flynn became one of my favorite authors after reading Gone Girl because I love how dark and twisted it is. So when I saw The Grownup on bookstagram, I just know that I have to buy it. And boy, I’m glad I did. This is also my first read for 2016.

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Monthly Recap : November and December 2015

It’s never too late, right? I’ve been in a blogging slump (if there’s a thing like that) these past few weeks. So forgive me for the late updates.brin November

Crown of Midnight by Sarah Maas – 4/5 stars

I think now I can say that I like Crown of Midnight more than the first book. The character development is superb in this one. I’m glad that I finally got see the more badass assassin side of Celaena and as well as her flaws. She can be annoying sometimes. I have to admit that i like the Dorian more here but I’m still Team (shirtless) Chaol.

Not a perfect five because I felt like the first part of the book was quite slow. The second part was gripping and it made me want to read until the end. The revelation is just what I’ve been expecting from the start but some of the twists, I didn’t see them coming. Overall, I enjoyed reading Crown of Midnight but I think it’ll will take a little while before I continue the series because i’ll be buddy reading it with Joyce.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover – 5/5 stars

Lovely book cover. Incredible, real and relatable characters. Definitely my number one favorite from Colleen Hoover. I’m excited for the movie adaptation. My full review here.

 

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Book Review : Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

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When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn’t think it’s love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

Can I say that Nick Bateman made me read this book? I was debating with myself on what to read next and my choices were Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover.  I fell asleep on the couch and I dreamt of Nick so I took it as a sign.tumblr_nk4lek4mXO1sbyh11o7_250Tate Collins meets Miles Archer in a very odd situation. She is a registered nurse studying for her masters and he is a pilot who happens to be a good friend and neighbor of her brother. When they’ve both realized that they have something in common, they make a „friends with benefits“ kind of arrangement and Miles has two rules for Tate: 1) Never ask about the past and 2) Don’t expect a future.

First of, let me say that I love the cover of this book. I kind of figured out what the cover is all about but not the title. It’s simple yet it has a deep meaning and it’s really perfect.

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Monthly Recap : October 2015

Am i the only who feels like October went by so fast? I feel like I’ve just posted my September Wrap-Up yesterday and now it’s time again for a monthly wrap-up. Oh well,  I read a total of 6 books this month and they are all good.brProcessed with VSCOcam with a6 presetA MURDER IS ANNOUNCED BY AGATHA CHRISTIE – 4/5 STARS

This is the fifth book in the Miss Marple series and my second read from Agatha Christie. This book introduced me to Miss Marple and her unique way of investigating and solving a crime. She has an interesting character and maybe after reading some of the books one the series, she will become one of my favorite „detectives“. My full review here.

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie – 4/5 Stars

Processed with VSCOcam with a6 presetThe first book in the Miss Marple series. Since I was quite disappointed with the appearance of Miss Marple on A Murder Is Announced, I expected that this book will show more of her or will tell me more about her but it doesn’t. This one is quite different from the other books I’ve read from Agatha Christie (this is my third) because this book was written on the Vicar’s (main character) POV. It shows us his thoughts about the other characters including Miss Marple. I still enjoy reading this book and guessing who the real suspect is. I actually guessed the right one but I wasn’t 100% sure about it.

CRESS BY MARISSA MEYER – 4.5/5 STARS

Processed with VSCOcam with a6 presetThis is part of our (me and Joyce) October TBR. It’s quite hard for me to write a decent review for this book because I don’t know where to start. This is the kind of book (series) that you have to read and see for yourself. Cress is a fairytale retelling of Rapunzel with a twist. I think Cress is so far my favorite from the series. It’s a mix of action, comedy and romance. Great characters and the world building is astounding. It is definitely a must-read. I can’t wait for Winter!

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