Few things surpass my love of books. But hockey might be one. And most definitely the Kraken. With the post season coming up and sadly no playoff berth in our future, you, like me, might have a little extra time on your hands. So here's a Kraken book match to celebrate your favorite NHL team and hopefully keep you busy until October.
My mom has always been an important part of my media consumption. She is a true tastemaker, not caring if what she enjoys is trendy or cool, but is always ahead of the curve. She told me about the wonderful world of k-dramas back when Netflix had JUST switched to their early streaming platform from their mail-in system. Yeah, I know. She's cutting-edge! But my enjoyment of all sorts of Korean media began in earnest when I started seeing my partner. He showed me one Taemin video, and I was immediately and fully smitten and soon realized there was no turning back. K-pop, k-dramas, and even some Korean variety shows, I was hooked.
Now, I'm not as enthralled as I was a few years ago, but Korean media is still very much a part of my balanced diet. And with the full global takeover of BTS, Parasite winning Best Picture at the 2019 Oscars, plenty of Korean stars in Hollywood films (Ma Dong Seok in the Eternals, anyone? Very exciting!), and now Squid Game becoming Netflix's most watched show ever it's safe to say that Korean media is here to enrich all of our lives for good.
For your reading (and viewing and listening) pleasure, my colleague Nicole and I paired some of our favorite young adult books with either a k-drama or a k-pop act. So if this is your first foray into the wonderful world of Korea—and its rich diaspora here in America—then look no further than the following titles. - Bookseller Niki
When I didn't have a dog, I dreamed about the days when I finally would. I pictured long walks to far flung parks where I would spend an afternoon reading and dozing in the sun with my beloved pal resting against my legs. Or maybe a chilly fall evening, fully content with a steaming mug of tea in one hand, a book in the other, and my dog curled up on the rug at my feet. Hours of bliss while chipping away at my TBR pile with my loyal companion by my side. So cozy, so peaceful, so naive.
I think that's what many of us book folk imagine when we think about inviting a pet into our lives. The coziness, the peace. What we don't imagine is pushing the cat off our open book for the 23rd time, or removing books from the bottom shelves of the bookcase to save them from sharp and unforgiving puppy teeth. And we definitely don't imagine a hungry cat pulling books off a shelf at 5 AM trying to wake us up, or having to trudge out into a cold, rainy December night to walk the dog. Decidedly not cozy on the couch, decidedly not reading a book, and don't even ask about what dog vomit does to the pages of the brand new hardcover you just splurged on.
