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Icha – Books & Literature

@chaptersinlit

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August means celebrating #WomeninTranslation Month.
I picked up books in my collection that are written and translated by women.
I might miss other books but this spread is hopefully passable to represent WIT. Books on the first slide include:

- Human Acts by Han Kang, translated from Korean to English by Deborah Smith.

- I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, translated from French to English by Ros Schwartz.

- Welcome to The Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum, translated from Korean to English by Shanna Tan.

- Musim Prahara by Fernanda Melachor, translated from Spanish to Bahasa Indonesia by Astrid Wasistyanti.

- Wanita Rembulan by Jokha Alharthi, translated from Arabic to Bahasa Indonesia by Zulfah Nur Alimah.

While these two books are translated by men:
- Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi, translated from Arabic to English.
- Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, translated from Japanese to English.

This month is the time to honour amazing writers & translators who deliver diverse culture, traditions, experiences, and voices to global audiences.
Which translated literary work you want to read or recommend during this month?

#womenintranslationmonth #bookrecommendation #bookstagram by @chaptersinlit

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2 months ago

A mix of recently-read, current reads, and next-read spread.
Truth be told, I haven't decided what to read next yet. My choices are Jane Eyre, East of Eden, or The Picture of Dorian Gray. However, I'm leaning toward a Brontë sisters' work for now, since I already got a taste of Steinbeck last year.
Are there any books on your TBR list that you keep pushing back for months?

#tobereadlist #currentread #bookstagram by @chaptersinlit

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3 months ago

We knew a number of facts about World War II, but how many of us knew about Wilhelm Gustloff?
I started reading this book without knowing anything about the plot apart from it took place during WW II. Turned out I learnt some new knowledge related to WW II, including Wilhelm Gustloff, Operation Hannibal and The Amber Room.

Salt to the sea follows four perspectives of young generation from different nationality during the end of WW II. As Soviet Union advanced Germany from east, civillians were forced to flee north towards the Baltic sea, where they hoped an evacuation will transport them to safety. But only certain citizens would be allowed to evacuate due to oppresive laws which singled out people categorized as 'undesireable'. The four main characters eventually intertwined with each other during their journey of trying to save their life. The author highlights untold stories from young people who are often overlooked in historical narratives. One of the themes explored in the book is agency & willpower. People's fate was already determined by the powerful & ruling one who labelled them into some groups. Despite facing war atrocities, the characters demonstrated the power of will and determination to live. They took charge of their own destiny against government who had strict ideas about who deserves to live. The book also shows the complicated feelings of the survivors that to live and survive means preserving the memory of the lost ones and carrying the guilt of being the alive.

In contrast to the heavy setting of the book, it has short chapters, making it very easy to read. The stories are based on the true events. The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff had surpirisingly not known by many while in fact it was the greatest maritime disaster in history with the loss of three times of that of Titanic's. It happened as part of Operation Hannibal which was a naval evacuation conducted on January – May 1945.
The message of the book is delivered at the end of Author's note:
'When the survivors are gone we must not let the truth disappear with them. Please, give them a voice.'

#bookreview #historicalfiction #salttothesea by @chaptersinlit

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5 months ago

January reading wrap-up that came a bit late 😁
Read total of 6 books in January but only finished 4 of them.

My best read was Kisah Seekor Camar dan Kucing yang Mengajarinya Terbang. It is such a heartwarming and funny story 🥹🤍 Entah karena lama gak baca fabel atau memang temanya bagus, rasanya bakal jadi buku yang akan kubaca ulang suat saat nanti.

Paya Nie —shortlisted for Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa 2025— was unexpectedly a little bit too boring for me, so after a week of reading with slight progress, I decided to pause it and started another book. Masih ingin membaca buku ini sampai halaman terakhir jadi gak masuk kategori DNF.

I enjoyed all the reading wrap-up you have shared.
May you have a fabulous reading time in February ✨️🥰

#readingwrapup #bookrecommendation by @chaptersinlit

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8 months ago

Selecting 20 + 26 books for 2026 meanwhile other people only use 26 as the number for the current year books seems too ambitious, right? 😆🙄
But I have to give myself a push to read from my TBR tower (if all the unread books are piled onto one).
Therefore this year reading challenge is reading from my physical TBR. As a mood reader I tend to deviate from planning unpredictably, at least let these 20 + 26 books be the catalogue I have to choose from.

Some books are already in my shelf for years and few of them are recently purchased. Three of them are the ones I read last year but failed to continue —not intend to throw them into DNF category— meaning that I want to try to re-read and finish them. Anyway, regardless the target for this year reading, I am trying to read as many as possible from this list.
Is there any book(s) also in your list too?
Happy Reading, book buddies 📚🤍

#readingchallenge #readinglist #bookstagram by @chaptersinlit

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9 months ago

2025 was the year of breaking out from reading slump for me. The last two years I barely finished one or two books and unintentionally in book buying ban mode. My focus during those times was not for reading and I was struggling to keep continue reading when opening a book.

Delightfully, husband gifted me a set of books on my birthday last year and that was the stimulus I need to start afresh. I start reading and book-shopping again to the point I need to restrain myself because the total number of books I bought during 2025 are beyond 150 😬

Finishing 26 books in a year after a couple of years of absence was not bad in my thought. There are several books that I put off —I refuse to categorise them in DNF— that I will read them later this year.

Genre-wise, what I read the most was Historical fiction and I have a prediction that it is still going to be on top 3 of the list for the next years. I am glad that I tried a relatively unfamiliar genre for me: Crime, Thriller, & Mystery. Don't get me wrong, I am not new to this genre, but I am more into crime, detective, and investigation theme and usually avoid thriller & suspense. After running a bookstagram account and joining whatsapp group for live shopping, I was introduced to numerous titles and bought more CTM books which I will read this year.

I 'met' many authors (through their work) that I first read in 2025 and want to read more of their works. There are some authors whose book I want to read last year but could not managed to.

To sum up, 2025 was the re-discovery year for me. I was exposed to many books and could not stop purchasing books as I somehow felt behind in recognising plenty of great books. What I regret is my reading journey in 2025 was poorly documented. Hence, the next task will be reading books I have purchased to reduce the piles of TBR books and improving the documentation of my reading. by @chaptersinlit

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9 months ago

A little late of November Wrap Up.
After two first weeks of drowning in 📖 The Forty Rules of Love which I have started in October, I finally finished it almost simultaneously with 📖 The Thursday Murder Club, a cozy crime series that is apparently too cozy and laid back for my liking.

I did not regret picking up 📖 Korpus Uterus, for it was supposed to be read ealier and on the contrary felt a bit of regret on why I read 📖 Tutur Dedes just now because I found it poignant & novel in delivering the narrative from Ken Dedes view.

For the rest of November, 📖 I Who Have Never Known Men was the sole book I spent time on. It was thought provoking and peculiar because I never read a book like this.

I feel a bit proud of myself for being able to reading more books than the preceding months and I hope it will continue to improve over time.

#bookrecommendation #bookwrapup by @chaptersinlit

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10 months ago

To be part of the global resistance to the genocide of the Palestinian, I always want to participate in Read Palestine Week, despite the fact that I started late as the week start on November 29 – the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
I pick 📖 Against The Loveless World which has been on my TBR list since few months ago. I was supposed to start reading on last Sunday, but my previous reading was a bit dragging and I just finished it last night, thus the delay.
Nonetheless, it is better late than nothing, right? 😃

Let's read, share free reads, and recommend books about Palestine 🇵🇸

#ReadPalestineWeek by @chaptersinlit

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10 months ago

As the year is near to end, I realise there are many books in my possession that have not been read yet. Therefore, to give a push to myself, I display them here, as a wall of shame 😂
Do you have any book that you have been meaning to read but still did not manage to or any book that has been sitting in your TBR list forever? 😆

#54321challenge #bookchallenge #booktrend #bookstagram by @chaptersinlit

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a year ago

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙. '𝙄 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙥.'
Those sentence on the back cover of the book intrigued me enough to start reading. As someone whose long-held dream is to run a bookshop, I expected to relate to the story.

The story highlights how modern society pushes people to meet societal expectations and how The Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes a refuge for various characters from the intensity of daily life and a space where they can spend their day comfortably.
While the plot is somewhat simple and predictable, the strength of this book lies in its narrative about the interactions of the characters discussing topics stemming from capitalism, especially in South Korean culture: the expectation of applying to university after high school, securing a decent job with good salary, and achieving a happy and satisfying relationship or marriage. The lack of remarkable plot twists in the storyline might bore some readers, but I found it engaging nonetheless. The practical explanations about establishing an indie bookshop are noteworthy and useful. Additionally, details like references to Na Yeongseok PD's variety shows make the story more relatable for someone like me who used to watched numerous Korean variety programs 😁

This book is suitable for those experiencing burn-out who need a pat on the shoulder and reassurance that it's okay to go at our own pace. It is easy to read and follow yet there are many insightful and heartwarming quotes that makes readers feel seen and heard.

#bookreview #koreanliterature #welcometohyunamdongbookshop by @chaptersinlit

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a year ago

September was definitely not my best month in terms of reading. While I could not get much reading done, I experienced some new trivial things for the first time which I enjoyed immensely. Last month I took a step back and allowed myself to take it slow. Having a short getaway surely helped myself to take a pause and spending time in a open space like park was a great way to refill my energy on weekend.

At the beginning of the month I picked up 📖 1984, thinking I was ready for the theme, but it took me two weeks only to reaching the first 50 pages. Knowing it would not go anywhere, I put it back to the shelf and started 📖 White Nights which has less than 100 pages. But even a thin book cannot ignite my reading spirit 😔
After managed to finish it within a week I moved on to 📖 Salvation of A Saint (and still reading it when this is posted). Around the third week of September, I started to listen to 📖 Forty Rules of Love audiobook mostly during afternoon walk and found that I want ro read it in paper.

What I found ridiculous was in contrary to my reading pace, my 'appetite' for book shopping did not decrease even a bit 😬😂 by @chaptersinlit

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a year ago

Joining #BlueBooksforPalestine which was initiated by @eternaldelicacy to raise funds for a family in Gaza.
For every post of #BlueStackforPalestine they will donate and the event is until the end of this month.

Let's collect and stack your blue books for a noble cause 💙
May freedom be granted for Palestine and we all are able to witness that soon! 🍉

P.S. These are not all of my blue-cover books but I think this stack will do. by @chaptersinlit

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2

a year ago