[Chungmuro Book Cafe] "There's Half a Glass of Water"... The Lesson from a Satisfied Life

Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ina's New Essay Books Enter Rankings... Special Limited Edition of 'The Boy Is Coming' for the 40th Anniversary of 5·18 Draws Attention

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The Asia Economy bestseller list has undergone a major reshuffle. Compared to the previous tally (on the 14th), five out of ten books are new entries in the rankings. Many self-development books have been pushed out of the rankings, with only one maintaining its position. That book is "The Having," which has held the number one spot for a long time. "The Having" has secured first place three consecutive times in the Asia Economy bestseller rankings, which are compiled every two weeks.

Asia Economy selected the bestsellers from books sold between the 20th and 26th. The rankings are based on sales data from major online and offline bookstores such as Yes24, Kyobo Bookstore, and Interpark, combined with ratings from the newspaper’s culture department reporters to create a comprehensive ranking.

The message from the long-reigning "The Having" is clear. When looking at a glass half-filled with water, do not think there is only half the water, but rather appreciate that there is still half. It advises letting go of obsession and having a comfortable mindset that appreciates what you currently have. It emphasizes that by doing so, everything will flow smoothly, and wealth can actually increase.

The newly ranked book at number three, "Corona Investment War," stands in stark contrast to the message of "The Having." Its subtitle is "The Largest Liquidity in the History of Global Finance." The author advises paying attention to the fact that the risk of a global economic recession has increased due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and that governments worldwide are injecting massive amounts of money. The book suggests that actively engaging in the market during this time can turn the crisis into an opportunity to grow wealth.

Eight economic analysts and professional investors, who host the podcasts "With the God of Economy" and "Sampro TV," provide forecasts on the asset market after COVID-19. They state that a global recession has never been as clearly predicted as it is now and diagnose COVID-19 as both a matter of life and a matter of wealth and poverty.

The book "Uncontact," ranked fifth, also analyzes the impact of the new lifestyle of non-face-to-face and contactless interactions triggered by COVID-19 on society as a whole. It was ranked tenth in the previous tally but has significantly risen in the rankings this time.

Among the newly ranked books, essays showed a strong presence. The new book "Effortlessly and Comfortably," released after four years by author Kim Soo-hyun, who previously received great acclaim for "I Decided to Live as Myself," immediately drew attention and rose to fifth place. Kim Eana, who has recently increased her public recognition through various broadcasts, quickly established her essay "Ordinary Languages," published after five years, as a bestseller. Kim Eana is also a lyricist who has created over 300 hit songs.

The travel essay "The Long-Prepared Answer" by novelist Kim Young-ha, which debuted at third place in the previous tally, settled at tenth place, making essays three out of the ten bestsellers.

It is also noteworthy that Han Kang’s novel "The Boy Is Coming," published in 2014, entered the bestseller rankings. May 18 marked the 40th anniversary of the Gwangju Democratization Movement. "The Boy Is Coming" tells the story of the events during the ten days starting May 18, 1980, through the eyes of Dong-ho, a third-year middle school student, and the stories of those left behind. Changbi Publishing released a new hardcover special limited edition of "The Boy Is Coming" to commemorate the 40th anniversary of May 18.

The popular children’s book series "Magic Thousand-Character Classic" rose to second place immediately after the release of its 48th volume. "The Power of Geography," which discusses the influence of geography on politics and economics, dropped four places to sixth. "Loonshots," which contains cases of overcoming crises in war, disease, and business with seemingly absurd ideas that most people ignore or dismiss, also fell three places.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.