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I just wanted to read the first few pages out of curiosity, but wow Jeon Gun-woo’s books always pulls you right in. I’m really excited about this one, the beginning sounds so great and intriguing, I wish I had time to read more today…

I chose my next Korean book, and I decided to read Jeong Gun-woo again. There’s really something comforting to go back to one of your favourite authors. I feel like the novel in question, 흉담, has been sitting in the bestseller shelves since it came out. In any case, I keep seeing it.

Started the next story, this one had some technical explanations that were a bit difficult, but it’s fine still. Loving this one too, I wonder where it’s going to lead to, as everything seems more or less solved already!

[Sometimes a book just doesn’t work for you, and it’s hard to tell why exactly. I mean, there are a couple of things I didn’t like in the novel, but I’ve never felt involved nor interested in the story, even right at the start. I don’t know, I guess it happens, characters don’t speak to you, or you were not in the right mood for this kind of story…

I think the main thing that bothered me is that, in my opinion, the novel has neither compelling characters nor a plot intriguing or complex enough. Some novels have both, which is fantastic, but I also love mystery novels that have a suspenseful plot even if it means characters are whatever. Similarly, I don’t mind uninspired plots if the characters are well written, have a lot of depth and complexity, and make the reader anxious about their fate.

In this novel, I found that the plot and the characters were both good, but to me they lack that something that would grab me. The plot is interesting, but very simple and straightforward, it just goes towards its resolution without any twist and the identity of the culprit is obvious, although hidden from the reader for a long time. It also feels very diluted, the plot is not very complex and it feels like the story is turning around it in circles for most of the time, with some parts that felt a bit repetitive.

The characters left me completely indifferent, it might just be me though… The narrative parts with Chiharu were the most interesting, because they are describing how the community works, but the fact that the narration is so detached, as if Chiharu was talking about someone else entirely, felt a bit strange to me.

Overall, the topic of peer pressure and the toxicity of the community were really interesting, but I would have loved the novel novel more if it had shown how the system affects characters, especially newcomers like the Kimoto were, the psychological pressure it puts on them and how it eventually changes their personality (the husband was a good example of this, but we don’t get to see the process or know what he thinks). This idea that some characters embrace the system, that some are reticent but passive and that some reject it was the most fascinating part of the novel, but I wish the novel had spent more time on the community.

I think the book is good overall, and it reads very easily too, it just didn’t work for me…

Finished it today! It took me quite some time to read…

Every single chapter is so intense and engrossing, and reading just one per day feels so slow!

It’s so much easier to remember yàn 艳 (gorgeous, beautiful, glamorous, attractive) when knowing its traditional form is 艷. I’m glad my flashcards now have both simplified and traditional characters.

50 books was my reading goal for 2026!! We’re still in October and I just finished my 50th book. So I’ve read more this year than any other year since I focus on reading mystery novels in foreign languages. Quitting social media has given me so much time back, and I’m not constantly stressing over unimportant things and overthinking everything.

I’m curious to see how many books I’ll read by the end of the year. I know it’s not important, but I like stats and numbers, I find it motivating and interesting to look at.

Oh and this whole thing started with the language competition idea. It’s almost even! It’s really cool to see I have read in the three languages this year!

난사 사진부와 죽은 자의 마지막 피사체 is a really nice mystery with an interesting setting and background. The plot is very intriguing too: a student went to an island in the South Sea to take photographs but died there without taking any. A group of students belonging to a photography club go there to solve the mystery: what did Gyo-min intend to photograph? The pace is then very fast as our four friends tackle the island’s secrets.

I found the novel really good, it’s very short and can be easily read in one sitting as it’s both engrossing and easy to read.

Personally though, this kind of protagonists is not really what I enjoy reading the most when it comes to mystery. It’s a just personal taste, I prefer police procedural over private detectives, and in the domain of private investigator, I prefer professional ones to the casual and cosy vibe of amateur detectives. And if it really needs to be amateurs, then I think I like the student/high school vibes the least.

This didn’t prevent me from enjoying the story a lot!

I finished it, and reading the author’s afterwords made me realise why this photography club sounded so familiar! I couldn’t remember where I had read something similar, but it sounded similar because it’s the same author! It’s the short story 작당모의 카페 사진동아리의 육교 미스터리 featured in the collection 허실시 일상신비 사건집, and it features the same characters. I read this collection years ago, I only have vague recollection of the short stories, but the idea of the common fictional city as background for the stories (all from different authors) was really cool.

Aargh, it ends on a cliffhanger! But one chapter a day is the rule!

I finished the Archon Quest, it was incredible!!! Is Act IV the best act ever? It was so suspenseful, and there were many unexpected things too. It was very well written, not a single filler dialogue, everything was sharp and impactful. The lore was insane, I feel like we finally got a key that suddenly allows everything around it to make sense.

I have all the closing quests to do now, but I’m a little sad it’s over.

Just a few pages for today. I’m completely detached from the story now, I’ve never been engrossed in it, but for now it’s mostly a matter of finishing the book. I find the end underwhelming, especially the way it’s presented, it’s pretty straightforward and goes exactly in the expected direction. Still 20% to go though, so anything could happen!

I wanted to make good progress on my Japanese novel today to finish it this week, but I read a Korean book instead. I’ll still try to read some pages, there’s still time today, but there’s other things I want to do.

I thought I’d continue a little and just like that reached 74%. It’s a very short novel. I’ll keep the end for tomorrow!

I read the first 45% in a row, it’s quite engrossing and very easy to read!
I’m trying to remember what other book I read where the protagonists were also members of a photography club, but I can’t remember. Anyway, I like the island setting and the rural village that seems to be from another time entirely. The plot is also quite intriguing.

So I did buy 난사 사진부와 죽은 자의 마지막 피사체 first, and given that I probably won’t want to read the same author twice in a row, I’ll read something else when I finish it, and then the other one might be available as ebook. Or I might just forget entirely and read other authors for a while before remembering I wanted to read 해신당의 살인.

In any case, 난사 사진부와 죽은 자의 마지막 피사체 belongs to a series called 고블 씬북, a collection of “thin books” that are mostly genre fiction. They’re short and meant for entertainment and easy, fast reading.

I can confirm, because I already read almost half of the book!