Every Day I Read
Authors: Hwang Bo-Reum
Translated by: Shanna Tan
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 2240
Format: Hardback
My Rating: ★★★★★
Translated by: Shanna Tan
Published by: Bloomsbury
Pages: 2240
Format: Hardback
My Rating: ★★★★★
From the internationally bestselling author of Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop comes a warm and reflective collection of essays about reading, language and life. Why do we read? What is it that we hope to take away from the intimate, personal experience of reading for pleasure?
Rarely do we ask these profound, expansive questions of ourselves and of our relationship to the joy of reading. But in this gentle, philosophical collection celebrating books, reading and language, Hwang Bo-Reum doesn’t just tell us, but shows us what living a life immersed in reading means. Every Day I Read provides many quiet moments for introspection and reflection, encourages booklovers to explore what reading means to each of us.
Rarely do we ask these profound, expansive questions of ourselves and of our relationship to the joy of reading. But in this gentle, philosophical collection celebrating books, reading and language, Hwang Bo-Reum doesn’t just tell us, but shows us what living a life immersed in reading means. Every Day I Read provides many quiet moments for introspection and reflection, encourages booklovers to explore what reading means to each of us.
My thoughts:
Ending 2025 with a book that felt like a conversation with a kindred spirit seems wonderfully fitting. Everyday I Read by Hwang Bo-Reum is an easy five-star read for me, and a genuine gift to anyone who loves books not just as objects, but as companions through daily life.
This essay collection is light on its feet yet quietly substantial. It is warm, contemporary, and immediately accessible, while still underpinned by thoughtful research and the author’s own personal experience as a lifelong reader. I found myself constantly underlining passages and quotes, annotating in the margins, and making notes as I went, which is always my clearest sign of a book that truly resonates.
Many of the reflections on reading habits, literary taste, and the small, intimate rituals of bookish life felt deeply familiar. What shines through on every page is Bo-Reum’s genuine love for books. It never feels performative or overly sentimental. Instead, it’s gentle, reflective, and deeply reassuring. There is something quietly joyful about reading a book written by someone who so clearly understands the comfort, curiosity, and meaning that reading can bring. While this is a book about books, at its heart is an attitude to life, one outside capitalism and climbing the corporate ladder.
Readers and non-readers will take away something from it, including a treasure trove of book recommendations blended seamlessly within.
Everyday I Read feels wonderfully cosy, yet it is also thoughtful, insightful, and consistently engaging. It invites the reader to slow down, to reflect on why we read, and to appreciate the role books play in shaping our inner lives. This is a book I know I will revisit again and again, dipping back into favourite passages whenever I need inspiration or reassurance, and I can’t think of a more fitting way to close out my reading year.
Overall reaction:
Ending 2025 with a book that felt like a conversation with a kindred spirit seems wonderfully fitting. Everyday I Read by Hwang Bo-Reum is an easy five-star read for me, and a genuine gift to anyone who loves books not just as objects, but as companions through daily life.
This essay collection is light on its feet yet quietly substantial. It is warm, contemporary, and immediately accessible, while still underpinned by thoughtful research and the author’s own personal experience as a lifelong reader. I found myself constantly underlining passages and quotes, annotating in the margins, and making notes as I went, which is always my clearest sign of a book that truly resonates.
Many of the reflections on reading habits, literary taste, and the small, intimate rituals of bookish life felt deeply familiar. What shines through on every page is Bo-Reum’s genuine love for books. It never feels performative or overly sentimental. Instead, it’s gentle, reflective, and deeply reassuring. There is something quietly joyful about reading a book written by someone who so clearly understands the comfort, curiosity, and meaning that reading can bring. While this is a book about books, at its heart is an attitude to life, one outside capitalism and climbing the corporate ladder.
Readers and non-readers will take away something from it, including a treasure trove of book recommendations blended seamlessly within.
Everyday I Read feels wonderfully cosy, yet it is also thoughtful, insightful, and consistently engaging. It invites the reader to slow down, to reflect on why we read, and to appreciate the role books play in shaping our inner lives. This is a book I know I will revisit again and again, dipping back into favourite passages whenever I need inspiration or reassurance, and I can’t think of a more fitting way to close out my reading year.
Overall reaction:
