Hello Army wives of /r/bangtan! How we feeling, did we all get back from the ballpark ok? Having the members out and about and enjoying LA really has made me so happy and I know we’re all looking forward to whatever comes out of their song camp! Another thing to look forward to? These two cuties’ birthdays! With our discussion taking place later in September, we’ll be focusing on a Namjoon-related book, because what better way to celebrate Namjoon than by Namjooning, amirite?
Here are five RM-adjacent books to choose from. These books were either seen on a member's bookshelf/in their luggage, were seen being read by them, are books about BTS and their music, or recommended by and/or for them.
The ult-list is much longer but we used a randomizer to choose these 5 for the poll and we'll have fresh choices for you each month. Take a look at September’s picks and vote on what we should read next!
Some key dates to remember
(All dates/time are in KST)
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Aug 29 | Poll opens now – ends Sep 1 at 11:59pm |
| Sep 2 | Voters’ choice book announced |
| Sep 23 | Books with Luv discussion meeting |
Persona, who the hell am I
These are the 5 books you get to choose from for the month of August!
| Title – BTS Connection | Description | Page Count |
|---|---|---|
| The White Book by Han Kang (2016) – Seen in Namjoon’s giant stack of books during his All Day Vlog | While on a writer’s residency, a nameless narrator wanders the twin white worlds of the blank page and snowy Warsaw. The White Book becomes a meditation on the color white, as well as a fictional journey inspired by an older sister who died in her mother’s arms, a few hours old. Kang offers powerful philosophy and personal psychology on the tenacity and fragility of the human spirit, and our attempts to graft new life from the ashes of destruction. | ~160 pages |
| 1984 by George Orwell (1949) – Recommended by Namjoon in the fall of 2017 during LY: Her promo. | George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel tells the story of one man’s nightmare odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory. | ~328 pages |
| Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord (1967) – Book club recommendation for RM | The Society of the Spectacle is a 1967 work of philosophy and Marxist critical theory by Guy Debord where he develops and presents a stinging revolutionary critique of contemporary society, the concept of the Spectacle. The book is considered a seminal text for the Situationist movement, an international organization of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and political theorists. | ~132 pages |
| Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto(1988) – Read by both RM and Suga, mentioned during a 2018 interview. | Kitchen is an enchantingly original and deeply affecting book about mothers, love, tragedy, and the power of the kitchen and home in the lives of a pair of free-spirited young women in contemporary Japan. | ~ 226 pages |
| In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan (1968) – Book Club Recommendation for RM | Set in the aftermath of a fallen civilization, it focuses on a commune organized around a central gathering house which is named "iDEATH". iDEATH is a place where the sun shines a different color every day and where people travel to the length of their dreams. Rejecting the violence and hate of the old gang at the Forgotten Works, they lead gentle lives in watermelon sugar. In this book, Richard Brautigan discovers and expresses the mood of the counterculture generation. | ~138 pages |
다시 Run Run Run… to our monthly poll post
To vote for the book you would like to discuss in the next book club, CLICK HERE
Please note, it may say “Your Name Will Be Shared” below the poll. To maintain anonymity, don't login to your Canva account, should you have one. That way your name and email will remain anonymous and we will only see the poll response count.
I just miss that, sometimes all those, our chit-chat
Below is a discussion guide. We will also be preparing some questions for you!
- Book specific questions: TBA
- Fan Chant: Hype/overall reviews
- Ments: favorite quotes
- ARMY Time: playlist/recommendations of songs you associate with the book/chapters/characters
- Do The Wave: sentiments, feels, realizations based on the book
- Encore/Post Club-read Depression Prevention: something the book club can do afterwards (on one’s own leisure time) to help recover from the book hangover.
One time for the present, two times for the past
Thank you to all who participated in our August discussion of “The Book of Form and Emptiness”. If you haven’t gotten a chance yet, feel free to share your thoughts!
As always, if you have questions or suggestions on how we can make discussions even better please let us know. You can post it here or feel free to reach out to any of our lovely volunteers and mods!
With luv,
Our book club volunteers:
And the r/bangtan Mod Team
by mucho_thankyou5802
3 Comments
So many good choices this month!!
Love the new poll!
Loveeee the new poll look!! Joonie looks so cute.