Amanda Takes Off...

At the beginning of the year, I got rid of more than 100 books. My shelves had been bulging and it was time to admit that I just wouldn't (re)read some things.

I was trying to declutter. In the meantime, apparently the county libraries were doing the same. I kept receiving Korean book after Korean book from a co-worker's daughter. Wonderful! Such a great resource!

(A few weeks ago Diana said, "Amanda, if you don't mind, Min Gi's going to borrow some books from your Korean library." I didn't mind, of course. Diana laughed and said, "The funny thing is, it is your Korean library, not [Good Man]'s." Damn straight.)

One of the books I'm reading right now is a fairly easy book, 난 이제 꼬마가 아니야 (I'm Not a Kid Anymore).

The book is Very Korean. Grandmother lives with the family and dreams about a baby—with a pepper!—riding on a dragon. So they name the baby boy 미르, which is apparently the very unknown pure Korean word for "dragon."

One chapter is titled "Mother and Father Get in a Fight." In the chapter, Father comes home at midnight. He's had a lot to drink at a waysik and Mother is pissed! Hmm, I seem to recall having more than one argument like that.

Furthermore, Father goes to the bathroom and falls asleep in the bathtub! When I read that, I couldn't stop laughing because Good Man did something very similar once.

I handed the book to Good Man. I didn't tell him why I was giving him the book. "Read."

He was as amused as I was.

He handed me the book and said, "Yes, it is very Korean."

"If anyone gets killed in the last chapter, I'm giving up on your Koreans forever!"