What a joy to find a whole series of reading-related essays. In case you haven’t come across it already, here’s ‘Every Day I Read: Book Review.’

Hwang Bo-Reum wrote these pieces years before publication of her best selling debut novel ‘Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop,’ which describes the revelations and redemption of an independent book store owner.

So it’s no surprise that each essay in this book is a nugget mined from the library of Bo-Reum’s reading experience, preceding the fictional writing to come.

I love how she expresses gems of wisdom and observation in short, two-and-a-half page, relatable chunks. Touching on philosophy, self-help, history and holidays, reading aloud and reading with friends, “Every Day I Read’ will remind you why you’re a bibliophile, and prompt you to read (and maybe write) more!

Shortly after graduating from the MA Book Arts course at Camberwell, an incredible opportunity arose to exhibit at the Seoul International Book Fair. Thanks to the generosity and hard work of a fellow student, a small group of UK book artists were not only given a free stand to present their work, but a translator too! It was an extraordinary time, fond memories of which this book has rekindled.

Every Day I Read, by Hwang Bo-Reum, is published by Bloomsbury.

Read a ten question interview on the subject of ‘Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop’ here.

Buy your copy of ‘Every Day I Read’ from Golden Hare Books with a 10% discount, by using this code –bookbinderbookreview52 – valid until 15th December 2025.