[One Day Ten Thousand Steps, One Day One Thousand Characters] Books Recommended by Kyobo Bookstore MDs for Transcription Practice

“Harumanbo Harucheonja” is an annual health campaign by Asia Economy. The purpose is to promote physical health by walking 10,000 steps a day and to take care of brain health by writing 1,000 characters by hand. Although handwriting is often considered inefficient in an era dominated by typing, brain experts advise that handwriting greatly influences cognitive ability, thinking skills, and learning capacity. The act of writing stimulates the frontal and parietal lobes, which govern language functions, making it highly effective in preventing dementia. The insights gained incidentally while copying famous passages are also significant benefits. So, which books contain insights that maximize the effects of copying? We asked Kyobo Bookstore MDs, who are closely familiar with books, for their recommended books for copying.

Kim Hyunjung, in charge of bestsellers, recommended “The Book of Plants” by Lee Soyoung, a botanical illustrator. It tells stories about urban plants that are always nearby but not well known, such as pine trees, ginkgo trees, forsythia, monstera, and strawberries, accompanied by detailed illustrations. It introduces the journey of plants that once lived in forests and even deserts but have come to live in the cities we inhabit, including ginkgo and cherry blossom trees planted as street trees, Korean pine and yew planted as garden trees, Tillandsia hanging from caf? ceilings, and apples and grapes on dining tables. Kim Hyunjung said, “This book tells the stories of plants coexisting with humans not in forests but in the city,” and recommended, “By copying the detailed descriptions of plant names and forms, you can gain not only botanical knowledge but also the wisdom of life conveyed by wildflowers.”

Goo Hwanhee, the MD in charge of novels, recommended “Cai Gen Tan,” known as the greatest wisdom book of the East. Written around 1610 by the Ming dynasty scholar Hong Zicheng, it has long been loved as the essence of aphorisms on worldly conduct and self-cultivation. As the title suggests, “If a person can chew on grass roots, they can do anything,” it encourages living with a mindset of endurance and not giving up even in extreme circumstances. It began to be known after being translated by Manhae Han Yongun in 1917, and this edition was translated by Chinese literature scholar Ahn Daehwe. Goo Hwanhee said, “Ahn Daehwe reestablished ‘Cai Gen Tan,’ the greatest wisdom book of the East, as an authoritative text and translation through rigorous verification and research. He added a plain translation (reinterpretation from the translator’s perspective) to a translation that could be a milestone in translation history. I highly recommend copying one rule a day.”

Han Jisoo, MD for poetry and essays, recommended two books. First, “Lee Eoryeong’s Last Lesson” contains the words and thoughts left by former Minister Lee Eoryeong before his passing. As the late minister said, “If my words and thoughts remain, it means I live longer,” his views on “life and death” provide great comfort and inspiration beyond death to those left behind. Through interviews and sixteen conversations over a year with reporter Kim Jisoo, it discusses “death within life” and “life beside death.” Han Jisoo said, “In this book, the teacher introduces his newly made friend called ‘death’ and traverses various topics such as love, forgiveness, religion, and science, delivering wise answers about life to the remaining generations,” recommending copying it.

The second book recommended by Han Jisoo MD is “The Life Book Nobody Lends” by Gaur Gopal Das. It is the first book by the author, who is regarded as one of the most influential spiritual mentors and life coaches not only in India but worldwide, and has held the top spot on India’s Amazon bestseller list for the past five years. The author blends humor with the teaching that happiness heals the world, encompassing various aspects of life and the human condition. He says, “Happiness is not something made to a fixed standard like a ready-made product but is realized entirely through one’s own actions,” and encourages cultivating “happiness habits.” Han Jisoo MD said, “This book, which contains the secrets to making happiness a habit and covers various aspects of life and the human condition, will help readers experiencing negative situations in life find clues to overcoming them.”

Park Jeongnam, team leader of Brand Marketing TF, recommended “The Essential: Albert Camus,” a book that compiles Albert Camus’s representative novels and essays in one volume. Camus, a leading existentialist writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature at the young age of 44, is represented here by his masterpiece “The Stranger” and three essays from his youth?“Inside and Outside,” “Marriage,” and “Summer”?which reveal his keen intellect. Park Jeongnam said, “The essay ‘Inside and Outside’ is practically Camus’s first work, published in 1937. As Camus said, ‘There is no love of life without despair about life,’ this work contains Camus’s affection for the small details of human life,” recommending copying it, adding, “As you copy each character, you will realize that both pain and joy are ultimately one and the same.”