Why not pick up those books you've been putting off during the Lunar New Year holiday, instead of just binge-watching TV and streaming services? With help from the National Library of Korea and online and offline bookstores including Kyobo Book Centre and Yes24, here are some recommended reads for home or travel during the holiday.
First, books recommended by librarians at the National Library of Korea deserve attention. In the humanities and arts category, librarians recommended "Psychology Lessons Through Van Gogh" and "Life Lessons from 16 Philosophers." "Life Lessons from 16 Philosophers" presents the lives of 16 Eastern and Western philosophers through the lens of MBTI personality tests, familiar to today's generation. The book approaches philosophy from a more human and practical perspective, offering answers to the question "How should we live?" through examining their lives and philosophies.
In social sciences, "I Decided to Redesign Myself" and "Coexisting with Unfamiliarity" were recommended. "I Decided to Redesign Myself" offers practical strategies for readers dreaming of new changes in the new year. It advises finding the starting point of change in small resolutions and minor achievements rather than grand goals.
In natural sciences, "A Guide for Skeptics Traveling to the Future" and "The Backyard Birdwatching Club" were selected. "The Backyard Birdwatching Club" documents six years of bird observations in a narrative style. It vividly depicts birds' conflicts, mistakes, and unexpected incidents, with cartoon-style illustrations that visually expand the details and emotions of observation. In literature, "A World with Holes" and "Toward Eternity" made the recommended list.
The Lunar New Year holiday is also an excellent opportunity to tackle "doorstopper" books. "Lee Yun-gi's Greek and Roman Mythology," spanning 1,200 pages, is a "national mythology book" beloved by more than 2.3 million readers, combining a five-volume series into one special edition. Greek and Roman mythology represents the archetype of human culture encompassing all humanities, a classic that reflects modern life and the world across time and space.
"The Better Angels of Our Nature" shatters the misconception that the 20th century was the most violent era, examining human nature through chronicles of war, barbarism, and violence spanning thousands of years. Written by Steven Pinker, considered one of the world's most influential psychologists, it boasts 1,408 pages. Other worthwhile doorstoppers for the holiday include "Thinking, Fast and Slow" (Daniel Kahneman, 727 pages), "Joo Kyung-chul's History of France" (Joo Kyung-chul, 960 pages), "Cosmos" (Carl Sagan, 719 pages), "The Selfish Gene" (Richard Dawkins, 632 pages), and "Nexus" (Yuval Harari, 684 pages).
Audiobooks are also a great alternative for congested holiday roads. Yes24 recommended AI audiobooks for holiday travel, organized by travel time. For one-hour trips, the global bestseller "The Little Prince"; for two hours, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," the original novel behind the popular musical "Jekyll & Hyde"; for four hours, George Orwell's "Animal Farm"; and for six-hour journeys, Hermann Hesse's "Demian."