Five books to savor during the rainy season

For architect Kang Mi-hyun, the rainy season brings to mind Hwang Mi-na's science fiction comic 'Red Moon,' a work she and her siblings eagerly shared during their youth. She recalls reading the comic on the veranda while eating corn, the sound of rain on the roof a vivid backdrop. This sentiment of finding a perfect book for a rainy day is shared by others across various professions. Yang Sang-gyu, owner of the independent bookstore 'Eoseoseo' in Gyeongju, recommends poet Park Joon's collection 'We Might Even Watch the Rainy Season Together.' He describes the poetry as a quiet reminder of the warmth found in simply watching the rain together, rather than waiting for it to stop. Yang also suggests it to customers who enjoyed Park's first collection, 'I Gave Your Name to You and Ate for Several Days.' Poet Seo Yun-hu, an editor at the publishing company 'Achimdal,' chooses Japanese author Motojirō Kajii's 'Lemon.' Despite its depiction of a patient's anxiety and melancholy, the collection ultimately affirms life. Seo finds solace in the line, 'After calmly shedding a sweet tear, it was a refreshing melancholy,' which helps him view the rainy season as 'washing one's face for a long time,' followed by a feeling of clarity, like a lemon. Translator Noh Seung-young, known for translating works by László Krasznahorkai and others, recommends 'Funes the Memorious' from Jorge Luis Borges' 'Ficciones.' The story explores the blessings and curses of memory through a protagonist who remembers everything he sees. Noh relates to Funes when feeling frustrated by the inability to recall specific faces or events while gazing at the rain, finding comfort in the character who paid a price for his perfect memory. Veterinarian Kim Jeong-ho from Cheongju Zoo suggests Ed Yong's science book 'I Contain Multitudes,' which explores animal senses. Kim notes that while humans perceive rain as obscuring vision, owls, which hunt by sound, see the world more clearly through the rain, with outlines revealed by the intensity of raindrops. He finds this book a travel guide, sparking imagination about the wondrous senses of animals that transcend human perception, countering the common question of whether working at a zoo is boring.

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When it rains, the raindrops pattered on the roof, and water flowed from the eaves all day. I still clearly remember reading comics with my older sisters and younger siblings, lying side-by-side on the wooden porch and eating steamed corn, the memory vividly comes back with the sound of the rain.