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RM or Kim Nam-Joon, is the leader of the supergroup BTS. He is a nature and art lover, and an avid reader. He has spent multiple V Live sessions talking about his favorite books and music, and recommended some to ARMYs as well.
Bookstores around the world now have a special dedicated corner for the books RM has read to make it easier for ARMYs and others to find and buy their own copies.
RM is always spotted with a book, whether he is resting in between schedules or during a vacation. He even has a library in his house.
ARMYs learn a lot from BTS members, and RM's love for books is something they surely want to imbibe. They are currently taking part in a book challenge organized by @rmbookchallenge/Twitter where every month in the year of 2022 they read one book that he has read.
5 book recommendations by BTS' RM: How many have you read?
1) Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
RM spoke about this book on a V Live and stated that it had implications unlike any other. He was very impressed by this thought provoking book. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is an internationally best-selling book, translated in English by Jamie Chang. It is a well-known feminist literature which describes the life of an ordinary woman Kim Ji-Young and the lives of women she knew, their hardships, and life in South Korea.
Many people, especially K-pop idols who have read this book, received a lot of criticism from internet trolls for being feminists. None of that truly deterred RM from openly praising and recommending it to millions of people.
2) Almond by Won-Pyung Sohn
This book was translated into English by Sandy Joosun Lee, and shows the contrast between a boy who does not feel enough and a boy who feels too much. Further, it reflects the friendship between the two. One out of the two protagonist has a disorder called Alexithymia which prevents him to feel emotions like empathy, fear, and anger.
BTS' RM, J-Hope, and SUGA have all been spotted reading this book. Due to their influence, it even rose on the charts of best-selling books in Korea.
3) Soul of a Tree: A Woodworker's Reflections by George Nakashima
RM was seen reading this book in a behind the scenes video of a RUN BTS episode. This book is Nakashima's journey to understand the meaning of his life and how he eventually finds his passion in woodworking.
George Nakashima is RM's favorite woodworker, and he even owns a coffee table made by him and a lamp made by his daughter, Mira Nakashima. These were custom designed for RM and he personally went to Nakashima's workshop to select the kind of wood he wanted for the same.
4) Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
RM enjoys a variety of genres in books just like his music, and this book shows that he is a romantic at heart. In an interview in 2015, he mentioned reading Me Before You and went on to talk about how deeply it impacted him.
The book is about a quadripleigic man, once an adeventurous person, who suffers from depression and his caregiver - a woman who is stuck in a poor financial situation. The story is about their bond and the many faceted meanings of love and romance.
5) 1984 by George Orwell
1984 is a book that RM has recommended multiple times and it's also one that he enjoys re-reading quite often. He said in an interview that every time he reads it, it provides him with a new and different perspective on the book.
The book speaks of a man's life in a dystopian, war-ravaged, totalitarian world where the government is keeping an eye on everybody. It is a narration of the man's experiences under mass-surveilence and loss of feedom.
RM's influence is heavily appreciated in the book industry. He singlehandedly revived the printing of Cho Young-Hoon's Early Death, a book that had been out of print for a decade, when he recommended the book.
During In the Soop season 2, the BTS leader was seen reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. This led to other members also following his steps and reading the aforementioned book. Some ARMYs speculate it could be a hint for their upcoming album.
