Koreadathon Wrap Up

Last week was the Koreadathon on BookTube. There were 5 reading prompts and 2 experience prompts for the readathon. I did the best I could. I'm suddenly working full time again, so I couldn't do them all.

Group Book - The Silence of Bones by June Hur

I read this in May, so I didn't feel the need to reread it now. It's good. It's a historical mystery set in 1900 Korea.

Read a Book Translated From Korean - The Vegetarian

This book was disturbing. There was only one character with any redeeming features and she wasn't great either. A woman has a disturbing dream and decides it means she shouldn't eat meat. So she stops. Her husband is all upset because now she won't cook him meat when he comes home from work at midnight. Then her whole family gets involved. Her brother-in-law starts to fantasize about her. Her sister is the only one who isn't gross but she doesn't understand what's going on with her sister. It's only marginally about being a vegetarian. It's really about mental health or lack thereof.

Read a Book With a Person on the Cover - I'll Be the One

This was cute. The main character is a teen girl whose Korean mom has always made her feel bad about being plus-size. Skye doesn't care. She does what she wants to do regardless. So she auditions for a reality TV show looking for the next KPop star. Some people are horrible to her about her size, but others are inspired by her self-assurance and confidence. Also, there's a romance. Duh. The book had a lot to say about fat shaming and self-esteem. I liked it.

Read a Book Featuring a Diaspora Korean Character - Almost American Girl

This is a graphic memoir about a Korean girl whose single mother decides they are going to visit a friend in Huntsville, Alabama. Then when they get there, she decides to marry the friend and they are staying. Robin suddenly has to learn English, try to get along with her new cousins and step-sister, and deal with bullies at school. Her story is heart-breaking, but also endearing.

Read a Book With Korean Mythology - Dragon Pearl

I couldn't finish it. I was getting short on time, and I liked the other one I was reading better. I'm not a huge fan of middle grade and I just didn't care. The main character was impulsive and didn't follow the rules. Not that I'm a huge rule follower, but she did really dumb things. So, I quit. And I'm not even hurt about it.

So that's my Koreadathon wrap up! It was fun to focus on a specific culture for a week, even if I'm not in a hurry to spend a lot of time there.