“Lies are the only defenses the lowly have against the powerful.”
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“Sometimes too much mercy is as detrimental as too little.”
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"We are women, and nothing short of death stops us from doing precisely what we wish to do. That is what the laws and restrictions binding our lives breed: determination and cunning.”
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“Love wasn't all that I'd feared it to be. I had imagined that it was a wildfire that incinerated everything in its path. Instead, it felt as ordinary and extraordinary as waking up to a new day.”
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“Some dreams, I'd learned, were meant to fade away. And to let go of them didn't mean to let go of myself, but to release the life I'd imagined I wanted.”
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"Revenge begets revenge; the anger is unquenchable. We become the monsters we are trying to punish.
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Picked up ‘The Red Palace’ by June Hur for a bit of Korean historical fiction to complement the Korean history trip I was on. The YA read is inspired by the true story of Crown Prince Sado from 18th century Joseon and features a young palace nurse Hyeon and a police inspector Eojin working together to solve a gruesome murder mystery. I read in an interview that the author's ideal cast for the lead characters are Seo Yea-ji and Woo Do-hwan and I can totally see that working really well for a drama based on the book. I found this read really engaging, and I'm looking forward to reading her new Pride & Prejudice-esque YA historical novel ‘Behind Five Willows’ that's being released at the end of the month. #weehoursreads #readmorewomen #junehur #bookstagramsg #aapi
For a few months every year, Jibokjae 집옥재 / 集玉齋 in Gyeongbokgung and the adjoining Parujeong 팔우정 / 八隅亭 building are open to the public. Formerly used by King Gojong (1852-1919) as a study, it was later transformed into a library in 2016 and currently houses more than 1000 books about the Joseon Dynasty's history and culture. I managed to read a children's book about King Sejong and how he created hangul. Definitely worth a visit if you're in Seoul at the right time. #weehoursreads #jibokjae #bookstagramsg
"He who holds the pen tells the truth.”
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“Few things are as bottomless as the male ego.”
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"I’ve never understood the hostility between genres. They have more in common than what separates them. Fantasy. Horror. Thriller. Crime. They're all just, different models, varying backdrops for the characters and the conflict, constructs for the fear and the need and the suspense.”
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“Real life is full of chaos, isn’t it? It’s messy, and unfair. The heroes lose. The girl doesn’t get the guy… But when I write, I decide who wins. I get to decide what happens to the girl. I can give her the story she deserves.”
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‘The Ending Writes Itself’ by Evelyn Clarke (a pen name for bestselling author V.E. Schwab and YA author Cat Clarke) follows a group of authors competing to write the perfect ending for the final novel of the acclaimed Arthur Fletch in 72 hours. Two million dollars and a three-book contract are at stake, and somebody will stop at nothing to win. To top it off, the writers are effectively trapped on an inaccessible island and their devices have been locked away, providing the perfect conditions for a locked-room mystery to unfold.
When I was young, I played quite a bit of Cluedo and it was always fun picking up on the clues and figuring out who the murderer was. This book has similar vibes and we are given a peek into the psyche of the different authors and their respective motivations and struggles and are kept guessing every step of the way. Although it was a wee bit slow at the start, I enjoyed this read once the pace picked up and fans of Agatha Christie and her book ‘And Then There Were None’ will probably like this one.
Thank you, @dezziray_ and @times.reads for sending this over. I had fun with it!
ENHYPEN World Tour BLOOD SAGA d2 at KSPO Dome. I'm really too old to be standing non-stop, but I didn't manage to get any of the seated tickets. I guess this is technically my first time watching a concert overseas on my own. With BTS Goyang, I had a few friends watching on the same day, but we were all sitting separately, of course. The boys did very well, all things considered!
“The things I do alone, I remember, but the things I do with others become memories.”
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“Cooking for someone is a noble act that stems from pure goodwill. It’s a highly cumbersome task; the work of preparing all the ingredients, chopping them up, cooking them this way and that and, finally, arranging them nicely on a plate. That food enters our body, becomes our blood and flesh, and keeps us alive – what more could we ask for?”
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“People, too, possess their own climates and cultures, and spending time with someone is like exploring a new destination.”
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“A happy life isn't achieved by preparing for and avoiding pain, loss and agony. Without those, perhaps life wouldn't be life at all. Had I known about the difficulties of watching my cats grow old and sick, and the pain of saying goodbye, would I have given up the life that (we) have built together? But the moments before the farewell, the moments when we love with every fibre of our being, the memories that rekindle a loved one's peculiarity, and those that sometimes bring us pain - aren't those the pieces that make up the fabric of life?”
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“Even when women who are 'past their prime' are content with their lives, it seems there are people who like throwing pebbles into a perfectly still lake. Once I entered my thirties… people asked me about my plans for marriage as casually as they would talk about the weather or political relations between the North and South.”
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An easy read about two women living together with four cats. Sounds like a pretty amazing set-up, if you ask me. I really enjoyed reading this book and imagining an alternate universe where something like this could be my life. In reality, I am a difficult person to live with because I'm bad tempered, impatient, and extremely messy, so if I weren't married with kids, I'd probably be on my own with my many cats. #weehoursreads #readmorewomen #bookstagramsg #twowomenlivingtogether
“The more incompetent a man is, the more he likes to throw his weight around.”
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“The fact that it was so popular put her off… if a book was a bestseller, it meant people who didn't usually read were buying it, which, to her, meant it probably wasn't literature.”
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“The grief of losing family. The loneliness. The hollow emptiness that never really goes away. The despair. And the will to move forward.”
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“She had her own personal BL theory. Girls who grew up in all-girls schools never experienced gender-based discrimination first-hand. But once they entered university or the workplace, reality hit them hard – inequality in relationships, double standards, everything. BL, with its fantasy of two men in a perfectly equal relationship, was a soothing escape.”
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Happy World Book Day! This year, I've read quite a few books set in bookstores, but this particular one gives much-needed insight into the complex nature of running a bookstore and how the publishing industry selects and promotes books. The ‘Bookstore Girls’ in the title are two very different women employed by the same bookstore, and while they initially clash, they eventually resolve the tension between them and work together to try and save the bookstore from closure. There are several astute observations about the unequal roles of men and women in the family and the workplace in patriarchal Japanese society, and the value of women's work and interests (e.g. BL novels and manga). Once again, I'm confused by the unfairly low rating on Goodreads. This is the first of seven bestselling books, and the series has been made into a TV show. Really hope that the other books in the series will be translated as well! #weehoursreads #readmorewomen #bookstoregirls #bookstagramsg
BTS World Tour 'ARIRANG' in Goyang! I was there on Day 3 and it's definitely one of the best experiences of my life. This was my first time watching all 7 of them together, even though I was fortunate enough to see J-Hope in Singapore last year, and it was EPIC. I wore my Spring Day cherry blossoms dress in full confidence that they would sing my favourite song. And they did! I think getting a new phone (S26 Ultra) was a smart move and it made so much difference to the short clips I took. To be clear, I spent infinitely more time watching them with my own eyes than recording because that's the whole point of being there in person. I already had high expectations for my first BTS concert but they were even better than what I imagined. Their live singing was amazing and I was blown away by their dance moves. So happy to be in my fangirl era. Manifesting tickets for anyone reading this! 💜🌸 P.S. The short clips can be seen in reels. #weehoursreads #btsarirang
"Even before you press the shutter, you know if a photo is going to be great. That feeling is amazing... do you know this word - yeolhwa? Yeolhwa means white-hot fire. Sometimes when I take photos, I can feel an intense heat inside me, as though my heart is in flames."
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"Parents will always say they love their children equally, but it isn't true. There'll always be one they love more... But you must bear this in mind... Even if you are the child they love less, they'll still love you more than anyone else could."
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"It's a fact of life that flowers bloom and wither, and in their place, fruits grow. To hope for flowers and fruits at the same time is foolish, greedy."
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"When you have a haenyeo as your mum, you're expected to know how to swim and dive practically from birth. All of us haenyeos are on our own; we have to find the courage to dive every day into the dark, cold water, as if entering the afterlife."
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I seem to be making a habit of reviewing books that have a relatively low rating on Goodreads (3.56 for this) but Hakuda Photo Studio written by Her Tae Yeon and translated by Shanna Tan is a charming and heartwarming read that deserves better. Perhaps it's because I just returned from Jeju recently and the beauty of the island is still fresh in my mind. As cozy reads go, this book about a photo studio capturing precious memories in Jeju doesn't have any whimsical magical elements, or cats, but like most healing fiction, it focuses on human connections, overcoming obstacles, following dreams, and holding firm to beliefs. Although the pacing and character development are a wee bit uneven, I found it a moving read set in a lovely place and more engaging than similar books. #weehoursreads #readmorewomen #bookstagramsg
On Jeju, the Island of Books, you can go for a cup of coffee in the middle of nowhere (or what seems like it) and find an art book shop on the second floor. This is Terarosa Coffee Jungmun Eco Lounge. #weehoursreads
Glad I managed to see Dancing Snail in person! I read 'I'm Not Lazy, I'm on Energy Saving Mode' in Chinese back in 2022 and was charmed by it. Her current book 'It's Okay Not to Get Along with Everyone' is so relatable it feels like she took a peek into my mind. Just based on the cover reveal for her new book, I'm really looking forward to reading it when it comes out in November. So thankful for these author sessions where we get to hear about the author's writing process, and for the people that make them happen. #weehoursreads #dancingsnail #bookstagramsg
Visited bonte museum in Jeju last week for some Namjooning. RM shared pictures of this museum back in 2019 and it was my first time here even though I’ve been to Jeju a few times. While Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Pumpkin’ and ‘Infinity Mirrored Room’ are the usual standout pieces for most visitors to this place, I was also fascinated by the traditional Korean cultural artefacts of daily household items in Gallery 1, as well as the funerary items in Gallery 4.
As I was walking around with Arirang constantly on my mind, I couldn’t help but see BTS wherever I looked. I mean, that lacquered round dining table with the red circle looks like part of the new album design, doesn't it?
The museum building was designed by Tadao Ando in 2009 and a recent expansion as of March 2026 unveiled a new wing ‘bonstar’ with a special opening exhibition ‘Tadao Ando: Sea – Jeju Island and Naoshima’, showcasing models, drawings, and videos of his projects around the world. Definitely worth dropping by when on Jeju Island. #weehoursreads #bontemuseum #namjooningsg
