Book clubs deliver curated selections to doorstep

Choi Ina Books / Courtesy of Choi Ina Books

By Kwon Mee-yoo

• Published Mar 12, 2020 6:20 PM KST
• Updated Mar 12, 2020 6:45 PM KST

By Kwon Mee-yoo

In an age when the reading population continues to decline and those who purchase books head to convenient online bookstores, small brick-and-mortar bookshops are striving to engage local customers with a distinctive selections of books.

As the COVID-19 outbreak has forced Koreans to keep a “social distance” to prevent spread of the disease, book club services at unique bookstores could be a safe way to explore uncharted territory in reading.

Choi Ina Books, a bookstore in southern Seoul, was founded by Choi Ina, a former executive of Cheil Worldwide, one of the largest advertising companies in Korea.

In addition to a spacious bookshop and cafe suitable for browsing and reading books, Choi Ina Books also operates a book club, offering recommended books from experts and bringing new perspectives to reading habits.

"When I opened a bookstore, I thought a lot about when people look for books. I concluded that people seek books when they have problems in their life or feel unsettled. So I made a shelf dedicated to recommended books by my friends and colleagues. I asked them certain questions such as which book provided them with solutions when they felt burned out or under a lot of stress. Those recommended books are displayed with the nominator's name and reason," Choi said at an e-mail interview with The Korea Times.

"This recommendation shelf is one of the most popular spots in the bookshop. Visitors stay in front of this shelf longer than you'd expect. Many of them say they would never be interested in such fields, but they discovered answers from those books suggested by people who had similar concerns. This provides people reasons to read."

Believing that a bookshop should connect books to readers, Choi launched the book club service.

"Many people say they want to read more books, but end up choosing those similar to what they have been reading or simply do not know which book to pick up. So we started the book club to enrich the reading experience," Choi said.

The book club is subscription based and members can sign up for either six months or 12 months. Every month a book, handpicked by Choi and business partner Jung Chi-hun, is sent to club members with a letter explaining why the book was chosen for the month.

"The monthly book is chosen from new books published within the last two months. We have two criteria ― 'Does the book throw a question worth noting?' and 'Can readers get insight from the book?' The genres range from literature and the humanities to business. When a member says he or she is waiting eagerly for this month's book, it is rewarding for us," Choi said.

In February, Choi picked "Jobs ― Chef" as she hoped readers would reflect on their occupation by reading about the life of chefs.

"For March, we chose Korean language professor Jeong Jae-chan's The Things We Call Life as we wanted to soothe those experiencing anxiety amid the COVID-19 outbreak," Choi explained.

In addition to the monthly delivery, Choi Ina Books offers a discussion session on the last Saturday of each month, inviting in the author or editor of the monthly book, which makes the experience richer.

Over 600 people signed up for Choi Ina Books' book club and their reasons for joining vary.

"Some gift themselves with this monthly book while others seek recommendations when they are not sure what to read. What they have in common is a favorable impression toward our bookshop since the selection is made by us," she said.

Choi said she wants to help adults grow continuously with books.

"Not only do children grow, but adults should keep on growing too. If they don't grow, they become stagnated, turning into a 'kkondae' (close-minded person). Reading requires readers to be actively engage throughout the experience, training the power of the mind," she said. "I believe that reading gives birth to new, diverse ideas as the author's thoughts meet those of the readers. Choi Ina Books' book club will provide the time to ponder on the important questions about life in this busy world."

Daegu bookshops join hands to fight depression

The southeastern city of Daegu has become the epicenter of the recent coronavirus outbreak, with over 5,800 cases as of Thursday. As people keep themselves indoors to prevent COVID-19's spread, the city's businesses are suffering a serious blow.

Three local bookstore owners in Daegu ― Coffeexchaeg's Lee Jea-eun, Anotherbook's Choi Yoon-kyung and Coffee & Books' Kim In-suk ― joined together to launch a one-off secret book delivery service as an attempt to overcome the recession.

Choi of Anotherbooks, which occasionally offers a package of books and related items at the beginning of the year or holiday season, first suggested the idea of bringing the three bookshops together.

"The sales dropped sharply as people of Daegu avoided going out because of the coronavirus. We thought if three bookstores co-create a package of books, it would create a solidarity with more diverse books," Kim said on behalf of the three.

The package, which includes three books selected by each bookshop with two tea packets to accompany with the reading time, will be sent out Sunday.

Lee said she felt reassured to collaborate with people in the same field. "I was also pleased to have a peek in what other bookshop recommends with their explanations," Lee said.

Choi said those who are interested in small bookshops outside Seoul but could not visit physically signed up for the package as it provides a chance to better understand all three bookstores.

"There also are people sending encouragement and support to Daegu amid its COVID-19 surge," Choi said.

These bookshops showcase the owner's characteristics as they select and stock the shelves. "Coffeexchaeg generally features literature by young Korean authors, who are the voice of this day and age. However, many of our customers hover over poetry collections," Lee said.

Choi said it is important to have bookshops in a neighborhood as a book “guides a way of living” and provides information.

"Much of Korea's infrastructure is concentrated in Seoul and outside the capital it is hard to find bookstores in your neighborhood unless you live downtown. Not everyone purchases books online or can go downtown. That is why we need local bookshops," Choi said.