[This Week's Books] Life Comeback 'Quitting' and More

Quitting

In today’s highly competitive society, perseverance is regarded as an essential virtue for success. The author opposes this common belief and argues that sometimes quitting is necessary. They emphasize that quitting is needed to make room for new things in life. Drawing advice from over 150 experts worldwide, including neuroscientists, evolutionary biologists, and psychologists, on how quitting affects humans, and sharing stories of people who found new paths through quitting, the book discusses the usefulness of quitting. (Written by Julia Keller / Translated by Park Ji-sun / Dasan Books)

Traveling to Nordic Art Museums

This book introduces 30 art museums and cultural spaces in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands. It features unique museums little known domestically, such as the Kistefos Museum located in the dense forests of Norway and the Euyoen Prince Valdemarsudde where a Swedish prince once lived. The author interestingly unfolds the representative works and hidden stories of each museum. The reason for focusing on Nordic art museums is that the happiness index of Nordic countries’ citizens is high. The author emphasizes that cultural and artistic spaces enrich their daily lives. (Written by Lee Eun-hwa / Sangsang Publishing)

The Shortest Motivation Lesson: 10 Minutes a Day

This book teaches 11 ways to efficiently manage energy and continuously remind oneself of goals to avoid burnout. It stresses that the core of motivation lies in not getting exhausted until reaching the goal. Even with clear goals, energy depletion over time can lead to forgetting the goals and falling into burnout. The book dispels misunderstandings about motivation and reveals how the world’s top talents use their energy. (Written by Teresa Emberville et al. / Translated by Park Joo-mi / Wisdom House)

Linguist Kim Su-gyeong Who Went North

A Japanese scholar examines the life and academic world of linguist Kim Su-gyeong, who greatly influenced North Korea’s language policy. Kim drafted the “Chos?n Language Orthography,” which became the basis of the current North Korean spelling system, and authored the “Chos?n Language Grammar” published in 1954, widely taught to ethnic Koreans in China and Japan. He was a linguistic genius who conceived more than ten languages and believed that abolishing the initial sound rule was much more beneficial for language use. (Written by Itagaki Ryuta / Translated by Ko Young-jin and Im Kyung-hwa / Pureun History)

Hard Times

A novel published in 1854 by British author Charles Dickens, famous for “A Christmas Carol.” Set in the industrial town of Coketown during the Industrial Revolution in England. The protagonist, Gradgrind, is a Member of Parliament who emphasizes utilitarianism. However, the utilitarianism he stresses tramples on individuals’ innate conscience and natural emotions, impoverishing the lives of the characters. Gradgrind’s daughter Louisa enters a loveless marriage with a capitalist, and his son Tom falls into a dissolute life, becoming involved in gambling and robbery. (Written by Charles Dickens / Translated by Jang Nam-su / Changbi)

Museum Essays for Youth

Written by five current and former staff members of the National Museum and two education experts. It provides cultural knowledge related to museums from various perspectives. It explains the difference between museums and art galleries and explores the history of how museums, once spaces only open to a few, became places where the public can enjoy culture. It also discusses the future of museums evolving through cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), as well as various museum-related professions like conservation scientists, archivists, and educators. (Written by Kang Seon-ju et al. / Haenam)

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