240110 r/bangtan Books with Luv: Another Year, Another Book. We’re Back with Reader’s Choice of the Month!

Hello [bibliophiles](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c7/7f/50/c77f506afd7dc0782f768d8f36196ce3.gif) of r/bangtan!

It’s been a whirlwind of a December. We took a moment to breathe (and to compose ourselves) but we’re back! And it’s a brand new year so that means more books to choose from! Before we [dive](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/31/3e/64/313e64a83fbaa17c10eb12fffe60b0db.gif) into that, we wanted to say thank you to everyone who joined us to chat about Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. Discussion is [still open](https://www.reddit.com/r/bangtan/comments/180wtbn/231122_rbangtan_books_with_luv_november_book_club/) so feel free to drop your thoughts if you haven’t yet.

We are back with five BTS-adjacent books to choose from. These books were either seen on a member’s shelf/in their luggage, recommended by them, they were seen reading them or is a book about BTS and their music. Our *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 January’s picks and let us know what we should read next!

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*Some key dates to remember*

(all dates/time are in KST)

| Date | Event |
|:-|:-|
| Jan 10 | Poll opens now – ends Jan 14 11:59pm |
| Jan 15 | Voters choice book announced |
| Jan 31 | Books with Luv meeting |

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# Did you see my bag, did you see my bag…my giant bag of books…

*These are the 5 books you get to choose from for the month of January!*

| Title – BTS Connection | Description |
|:-|:-|
| [The Miracles of the Namiya General Store by Keigo Higashino (2012)](https://www.amazon.com/Miracles-Namiya-General-Store/dp/1975382579) – [Jin was spotted reading this during Memories 2018 and mentioned it at 5th Muster](https://twitter.com/JooniesLibrary/status/1599198183883943936) | Through the lens of time, three delinquents holed up in an abandoned general store share insights with those seeking guidance, and by morning none of their lives will ever be the same.|
| [The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943)](https://www.amazon.com/Little-Prince-Antoine-Saint-Exup%C3%A9ry/dp/0156012197) – Jung Kook recommended this on the BTS fancafe | The Little Prince visits various planets, including earth and touches on themes of loneliness, friendship, love and loss. Through his travels, the Little Prince makes observations about life, adults and human nature. |
| [Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (2002)](https://www.amazon.com/Kafka-Shore-Haruki-Murakami/dp/1400079276) – [On May 5 2015, BTS received their first music show win for “I NEED U”, the title song that began “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life” trilogy, which included “Butterfly”, where Namjoon mentioned the book.](https://youtu.be/FeK-hZO4YHs) | Explore the concepts of time, fate, chance, love and the very nature of human reality through the alternating stories of Kafka Tamura, a fifteen year-old runaway trying to escape an awful oedipal prophecy, and Nakata, an ageing and illiterate simpleton who has never recovered from a wartime affliction.|
| [Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 (2016)](https://www.amazon.com/Kim-Jiyoung-Born-1982-Novel-ebook/dp/B07TK2N3FZ) – [In a 2017 Vlive, RM mentioned he had read the book and that it was thought-provoking](https://x.com/JooniesLibrary/status/1389921385766662144) | Hailed by both critics and K-pop stars alike, Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 follows the one woman’s psychic deterioration in the face of rampant misogyny. As she plunges deeper into her psychosis, her concerned husband sends her to a psychiatrist. But can her psychiatrist cure her, or even discover what truly ails her?|
| [The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (2020)](https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Library-Novel-Matt-Haig-ebook/dp/B085BVSXS9) – [On October 15, 2021, still coping with the pandemic and trying to get back to “normal”, we watched BTS take to the forest again where they took time to relax, play, eat, and we see Namjoon reading this book.](https://x.com/joonfanpage/status/1651216478140596228) | Follow the life of Nora Seed, who finds herself in a library between life and death, with the opportunity to try out alternate versions of her life and find the one where she truly belongs. |

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# Don’t need to talk the talk…

*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 own leisure time) to help feel less sad after reading.

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# End Ments…

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:

– u/EveryCliche
– u/moonisme
– u/mucho_thankyou5802

And the r/bangtan Mod Team

# Vote early and vote often…actually just vote once, please…

*Vote for the book you would like to discuss in the next book club!*

[View Poll](https://www.reddit.com/poll/192h8bd)

by munisme