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Post by nuwildcats on Sept 24, 2013 16:19:57 GMT -5
Saw a flyer advertising the Chicago Public Library's monthly Korean Book discussion and talked to Young Park at Bezazian. She's a former anchor at KBC and has fond memories of this Fan Club. She's forwarded a couple of flyers (in Publisher) but it won't post here because "file size is too large."
Suggestions?
The flyer reads, The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee...
"As part of the Chicago Public Library's Celebrating Diversity programming, we will be reading this Korean-American author’s debut novel. This tale of the love triangle of two women and an English man who had fallen in love in different periods between 1940 and 1950 in Hong Kong. You will learn about the mixing of the West and the East, the rich and the poor, the loyal and the betrayed, and war and peace in the melting pot of Hong Kong in this historical era. Come and enjoy a lively book discussion with new friends and neighbors. The book is available in English and in Korean."
Disappointing that 2013's selection chooses locales outside of Korea.
The monthly Korean (only) Book discussion takes place at only two CPL branches: Bezazian, 1226 W. Ainslie Street, (312) 744-0019, contact: Young Park, email: ypark@chipublib.org -- and, Budlong Woods, 5630 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60659, (312) 742-9590, contact: Hyo-kyoung Suh, email: hsuh@chipublib.org
Bezazian's Young Park appreciates the avid interest here in historicals -- and is extremely affable, so potential interested readers could work with her on 2014's bilingual book selection.
Bezazian's next Korean-only book discussion: Kaeguri by Mo, Yen on Saturday, Oct. 5, 10:30 till noon
Budlong Woods' next Korean-only book discussion: Tchillekkot by To-sang Chong on Oct 12 at 11 am. Published 2008, Tchillekkot is about a North Korea defector.
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Post by Knov1 on Sept 24, 2013 16:51:24 GMT -5
I've been to Budlong Woods. It's on the corner of Lincoln and Bryn Mawr. The parking lot in the front is kinda small. You might have to park on the street. The Lincoln bus stops right there (going North or South) but only runs from the Brown line (Western) to Howard/McCormick.
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Post by nuwildcats on Sept 26, 2013 12:29:49 GMT -5
I just got this note from Bezazian's Young Park: "The Korean/English Bilingual book discussion is held at the Bezazian only. It was produced and held at the Albany Park branch (Kimball & Foster) since 2010, but it is transferred to Bezazian as the Albany Park branch is on construction after fall, 2012. "We have the bilingual book discussion at the Bezazian branch twice a year in May and in November to celebrate Asian/Pacific American Heritage month in CPL. However, the Budlong Woods branch has a monthly Korean book discussion, as well as Bezazian. "Next Korean (only) Book Discussion: Kaeguri by Yan Mo, the winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature Date: Sat. October 05, 2013 Time: 10:30 am Location: Bezazian, Chicago Public Library 1226 W. Ainslie Street 60640 About this event: www.chipublib.org/events/details/id/114083/ " I want to reiterate that Young Park's background is media (KBC and Korean radio) and she's had a past relationship with CKDFC that she remembers fondly. So the door is open with her, I'm sure, to suggestions or communication from readers here. |
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Post by ajk on Sept 26, 2013 14:49:52 GMT -5
Thanks for all the good info, nu. You might ask that person why her relationship with this site is a past one. Just curious. She's more than welcome to come back.
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Post by nuwildcats on Sept 26, 2013 17:14:11 GMT -5
ajk, let me correct the impression I gave. Young was only associated with CKDFC because of her occupation in Korean media. Now ... well, she's an adult librarian with responsibilities for Asian-oriented branch events.
She just emailed me back with more detailed information.
Occasionally, there are problems getting through Library phone line, but better during open hours. Bezazian's hours are:
Mon 12:00 PM-08:00 PM
Tue 10:00 AM-06:00 PM
Wed 12:00 PM-08:00 PM
Thu 10:00 AM-06:00 PM
Fri 09:00 AM-05:00 PM
Sat 09:00 AM-05:00 PM
Sun CLOSED-
Young will be in Seoul Oct. 11 - Oct. 25 attending the 2013 Overseas Koreanology Workshop. I'll post if anything interesting is said about this upcoming Workshop.
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Post by nuwildcats on Mar 11, 2014 18:23:09 GMT -5
next Bilingual Book Discussion: Sat, May 10, 2014 - 2:00pm-3:30pm at CPL's Bezazian branch, 1226 W. Ainslie St.
(note: Albany Park's library branch re-opens this summer and Korean events will return to that location)
The Surrendered, by Chang-Rae Lee, is about the lives of three characters during the Korean War. Nominated as a finalist for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Selected by The New Yorker as one of the "20 Writers for the 21st Century," Mr. Lee is director of Princeton's Creative Writing Program.
Reviews:
"The most ambitious and compelling novel of his already impressive career...A gripping and fiercely imagined work." (The New York Times)
"Epic in scope, masterful in execution, heart stopping at times, and heartbreaking at others...Lee understands that in art and in stories what is perhaps most valuable is not what can be explained but what can be felt." (The Boston Globe)
Check your local library for Korean or American copies.
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Post by nuwildcats on Mar 13, 2014 0:06:42 GMT -5
I'm on the fence about The Surrendered. Given Chang-rae Lee's Princeton affiliation and high praises, I'm immediately drawn to read this. Then again, at about 400 pages, I ask myself, "can I commit to a War and Peace tome right now? My mind says "yes, I want to" and my body says, "oh no, don't." I'll see.
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Post by ginnycat5 on Mar 17, 2014 20:31:44 GMT -5
I'm on the fence about this book. Given Lee's Princeton affiliation and high praises, I'm immediately drawn to read this. Then again, at about 400 pages, I ask myself, "can I commit to a War and Peace tome right now? My mind says "yes, I want to" and my body says, "oh no, don't." I'll see. Is it heavy reading? Or do you have a long reading list for school? I checked Amazon for my favorite series (by Diana Gabaldon), to see the page count. Here it is: Outlander, 1992, Dell, 850 pages Dragonfly in Amber, 1993, Dell, 976 pages Voyager, 1994, Dell, 1104 pages Drums of Autumn, 1997, Dell, 1070 pages The Fiery Cross, 2005, Dell, 1433 pages A Breath of Snow and Ashes, 2008, Dell, 1488 pages An Echo in the Bone, 2011, Dell, 1200 pages The adventure is lots of fun, and not heavy going at all. Gabaldon includes history and herbal lore, and more. Another book is on the way, so I'm rereading the series again, now.  |
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Post by nuwildcats on Mar 27, 2014 12:30:37 GMT -5
I was referring to The Surrendered, CPL's bilingual book discussion selection. I'm not able to commit to sitting with a 400 pager and discussing it May 10th. But I have a hunch I'll be picking up the book later to experience his writing style.
I'm no longer in school and spend the majority of my time flying around, multi-tasking. So no more being chained to a chair and reading, at least not right now. Diana Gabaldon books seem interesting...but at 1104 pages, 1488 pages, yikes!, you must be an avid reader.
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Post by ginnycat5 on Apr 22, 2014 21:48:28 GMT -5
I was referring to The Surrendered, CPL's bilingual book discussion selection. I'm not able to commit to sitting with a 400 pager and discussing it May 10th. But I have a hunch I'll be picking up the book later to experience his writing style. I'm no longer in school and spend the majority of my time flying around, multi-tasking. So no more being chained to a chair and reading, at least not right now. Diana Gabaldon books seem interesting...but at 1104 pages, 1488 pages, yikes!, you must be an avid reader. Yes, at times I'm an avid reader. I'm nearing the end of The Fiery Cross now (again). The publication date has been pushed back to June 10, giving me time to finish the Fiery Cross and read the sixth and seventh books before the 8th comes out. They aren't heavy reading, but have a fair amount of detail about life in the 18th century. You can think about yourself living way back then, as you're reading, or read it quickly to see what's happening with the Frasers and their neighbors as the Revolutionary War approaches. :-) Edited to add, staying up past midnight isn't good to do very often, so May 10 is an awfully close deadline to read a long book. |
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Post by nuwildcats on Apr 23, 2014 0:44:13 GMT -5
Just checked Amazon for Fiery Cross reviews (am not familiar with Gabaldon) and the book got 1100 reviews, quite a lot for a non-commercialized book. Although I don't have Scottish ancestry, I've found myself in the last 4-5 years more and more attracted to Scotland. So who knows, after reading Amazon reviews (the majority gave 5 stars down to 3 stars), I may dip my toe into the pool. Thanks for introducing me to a new reading path!
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Post by ginnycat5 on Apr 30, 2014 20:53:58 GMT -5
Just checked Amazon for Fiery Cross reviews (am not familiar with Gabaldon) and the book got 1100 reviews, quite a lot for a non-commercialied book. Although I don't have Scottish ancestry, I've found myself in the last 4-5 years more and more attracted to Scotland. So who knows, after reading Amazon reviews (the majority gave 5 stars down to 3 stars), I ma dip my toe into the pool. Thanks for introducing me to a new reading path! You're welcome! I recommend that you read Outlander first; it begins the series and introduces the two main characters and their families. They're still filming Outlander for the Starz series, I think. I'm waiting not too patiently for the DVDs to be available for sale. (We don't have cable.) Years ago I went to a Scottish festival in North Carolina and more recently one in Illinois, outside of Chicago (forgot where, though). Aha, Google found it: Experience the best of Scotland without leaving Chicago at the 28th Annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games, June 20-21, 2014 at Hamilton Lakes in Itasca, Illinois. Grant Park has a Celtic Fest,too. I didn't see it on the schedule, but I only took a quick look. www.events12.com/chicago/may/ I'll have to bookmark this site. It has events outside of the city, too. |
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Post by nuwildcats on May 1, 2014 15:25:12 GMT -5
Wouldn't have thought Scottish festivities would be featured at a Celtic fest (but then I don't have Irish ancestry either (  ). I gave up my car for city living and problems with parking so most activities are CTA/Metra dependent. Outlander, btw, wss referenced THE MOST on Amazon's Gabaldon reviews, so I'm going to follow whereever you lead on book choices! Thanks again, ginnycat5! |
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