This was my first time participating in a book club other than for development books, and it was so much fun!!! As mentioned in the challenge introduction, it was a time to deeply reflect on how I, as an individual, should live in the AI era while reading the books. Especially during the process of sharing thoughts based on the questions prepared by Hyangro, I was able to naturally encounter other people's perspectives, which helped me look at my own concerns in a more positive light! It also helped me think about the direction of my life!!! If I had read the assigned books alone, I probably wouldn't have been able to contemplate them as deeply, but thanks to the group, I was able to engage in deep reading even with just one book. If you're worried that the meeting might be burdensome, you don't need to worry much about that. Hyangro leads the sessions very comfortably and prepares great questions to share, so you can participate naturally! (No forced answers X) If you usually enjoy reading or are interested in sharing thoughts with others, I highly recommend taking on this challenge at least once!!! And if you are contemplating your life and direction as a developer, I think it will be an even more meaningful challenge!

While browsing courses on Inflearn, the title "Book Club Season 1 with Hyangro" in the Challenge menu caught my eye. Having participated in a few live sessions through previous challenges, I assumed this one would also involve watching live streams, communicating via real-time chat, and submitting book reports. However, once I joined, I was a bit surprised to find it was a book club where we took turns discussing the book and sharing thoughts with Hyangro and the other members. Nevertheless, I felt truly grateful to be part of this first season, and it was a very precious time for me. Looking at the discussion topics Hyangro prepared, I could feel that he had put a lot of thought and sincerity into them, and I was thankful for how he listened attentively to each person's thoughts and opinions. It was a truly meaningful experience to be part of this book club with Hyangro and such wonderful people. Through the four books we read together, sharing our thoughts and emotions provided a warm opportunity for each of us to build inner strength. With the emergence of AI and the daily shifts in technological trends, I often felt lost and anxious. However, through this book club, I was able to realize once again that while technology is important, what matters even more are my own thoughts and emotions, and the act of expressing the thoughts in my head through writing. I was truly joyful and happy to be with you all over the past eight weeks. Thank you!

[Book Club Review: The Story of How an Outsider Returned to the People] "Da-hee, I want you to practice trusting your teammates and voicing your opinions. It’s okay to be wrong. We’re a team, after all." These are the words my former manager, whom I deeply respect, told me for three years. Having started my career in a conservative company, I was constantly intimidated. My manager always taught me that our current team was a safe place to fail, so I should speak up with confidence. However, back then, I was always the one hovering on the fringes of the team. Because I had made many slips of the tongue and had been misunderstood often at my previous job, I felt inadequate and was terrified of being disliked by my colleagues.   During those stumbling days, I happened upon a book club by pure chance. "Learning a new skill doesn't make the anxiety about life disappear. You must become a solid person yourself." Reading the introduction to the book club written by Hyang-ro, I applied with the hope that I, too, could become a solid person. Fortunately, I was able to participate. I met precious people, shared my life, and discussed the parts of the books that resonated with me.   There is a moment that stays with me. One member said, "The life of the Little Mermaid isn't just a story of a woman who loved a prince; it's the very embodiment of the desire to become human." They said they wanted to emulate that. To me, this book club was that kind of existence. To someone like me who grumbled, "I’m the only one having the hardest time in the world, and I’m the only one struggling to grow," the team members showed me how they were quietly living their lives in their respective places. For someone who loves people, it was a stroke of great luck.   I liked the team members so much that I tried mimicking their words, and I spent eight weeks highlighting passages from books we enjoyed together. How to love, The meaning of work, The reason for working together, Living steadily at my own pace. While sharing stories on these topics, I found myself becoming a bit more solid without even realizing it.   I learned how to look into someone's eyes with a smile without fearing criticism at work. I gained the composure to offer a cup of coffee and listen to a senior colleague who was sighing. Even when faced with opinions different from mine, I found the courage to say, "I think a bit differently, but I want to try to align with you. Please help me."   When people hear 'becoming a solid person,' they might think of 'becoming a high performer' or 'becoming someone with high self-esteem.' However, the eight weeks of the book club were a time to talk about and learn how to live happily and humanely together.   I talked a lot of nonsense and joked around often. But it was a time when I shook off the gloom of last year and allowed myself to bloom. I am grateful to all eight members of the book club who were with me. I am rooting for your constant happiness.   Lastly, if there is anyone hesitating, I really want to tell you this: I am not good at reading. I tend to dig deep only into books I like, so some of the books were difficult for me. Even so, thanks to the members encouraging me and asking if I was reading well, I was able to finish them and submit my book reviews. While transferring and editing those reviews on my blog, I was able to organize my thoughts once more.   It’s okay if you’re not a good writer, and it’s okay if you don’t like books. This book club isn’t about becoming perfect; it’s a time to love and understand yourself and have a deep conversation with yourself. To those who are still scared and wondering, "Can I finish this?" I want to share a quote from my favorite drama, <When Life Gives You Tangerines> (You Have Done Well):   "If things go sideways, just back out."   If a book is hard, grumble that it’s hard, and feel free to experience a mental breakdown. Just as our lives always are, the book club will have its ups and downs, but for us in the 1st cohort, it was a time to return home with our own realizations. I truly hope those reading this will experience that happy time for themselves.   Thank you. Fighting!

I was able to organize my thoughts by expressing vague ideas through writing and speech and by engaging with the stories of others. For example, after reading Murakami Haruki's essay on running, I discovered that a certain level of anxiety actually helps me achieve something. I was recently impressed by author Kim Ae-ran's remark that "the true value of literature may lie in its form rather than its content." There were also forms I liked in this book club. I appreciated that it didn't just cover the designated book but also introduced related books as if encouraging the participants' next actions. Also, the format evolved flexibly according to the flow—from answering every prompt to designated responses by the host, and then to voluntary responses where guests chose the questions they wanted. Thanks to these improvements, I was able to immerse myself more comfortably. Above all, I liked that you posed questions that made me think for myself, such as "What kind of personality traits might have prevented colleagues from giving feedback?" In conclusion, through this book club, I have come to want to practice 'good listening'—asking questions that make the other person think for themselves or reacting comfortably so they can bring out and organize their honest feelings. The things we shared in the book club feel like scenes from a travel destination that I'll remember from time to time; they will likely pop into my mind at certain moments during my daily life. I recommend this book club to anyone who wants to encounter new thoughts through books, as if traveling to an unfamiliar place with others!

This was my first time participating in a book club, but being with Hyangro-nim and meeting such a diverse group of new people made it a truly enjoyable experience. I haven't usually enjoyed reading non-development books, but I managed to finish four books in two months. It was wonderful to actually voice the various thoughts that come to mind while reading and to hear how others think. The curriculum wasn't just a simple list of recommended books; it was a two-month journey. It started from loving oneself, moved to spreading influence to those around us, and concluded with how to maintain that consistency. Through this, I was able to reflect on myself, nurture my growth, and gain the strength to move forward. Through this challenge, I feel I've had the time to find some direction on how to navigate the future—both as a developer, who is also just an ordinary person, and in terms of my career. I feel like I'm learning that even though I'm laying bricks on a riverbed, it hasn't been in vain! Reading can be exhausting and difficult, but while the first mission was hard to start, I felt only regret as the final fourth mission came to an end. It was a truly fun challenge 👍 !