Hello book club of r/bangtan! We’re almost at the end of August and the end of the NA leg of the tour and I feel like this month’s discussion just floated right on in (GIF). Ready or not, experiencing PCD or excited for your city’s show, come chat with us about this month’s pick, inspired by “Filter”(YouTube) and the theme Duality!

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Na na na, nanana na na na… Here’s. Your. Questions (GIF)

Below is a discussion guide. Some book-specific questions and some sharing suggestions!

You can scroll down this thread to see the question and reply to them in the comments!

Book Specific Questions

• Which character did you like the most and why?
• Why do you think the author chose to tell the story from multiple points of view? How did this impact your reading experience and connection to the characters?
• Kyuri says, “Even as a girl, I knew the only chance I had was to change my face.” What role does beauty play in this story? In what ways are beauty standards in Cha’s portrayal of Korea different or similar to those in your country/culture?
• What did you learn about Korean culture from this novel? How did the setting impact the story?
• How does Cha explore Korean gender stereotypes, and how do they compare to those in your country/culture?
• This month’s theme was Duality . Do you think “If I Had Your Face” fits that theme? Why?

B-Side Questions/Discussion Suggestions

• Fan Chant: Hype/overall reviews
• Ments: favorite quotes
• ARMY Time: playlist/recommendations of songs you associate with the book/chapters/characters
• Do The Wave: sentiments, feels, realizations based on the book
• Encore/Post Club-read Depression Prevention: something the book club can do afterwards (on one’s own leisure time) to help recover from the book hangover.

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”If I Had Your Face” by Frances Cha

A riveting debut novel set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, about four young women - Kyuri, Miho, Ara, and Wonna- making their way in a world defined by impossible standards of beauty, after-hours room salons catering to wealthy men, ruthless social hierarchies, and K-pop mania. Together, their stories tell a gripping tale at once unfamiliar and unmistakably universal, in which their tentative friendships may turn out to be the thing that ultimately saves them.

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I can be your genie…

As always, if you have questions or suggestions on how we can make discussions even better please let us know. It may be August, but it’s still really hot out there for a lot of us, and if you’re headed out (especially for concerts) please take care of yourselves and stay hydrated (GIF). And please tell us if there are any books you’d like to add to our TBR list. You can post them here and tag any of the BWL Volunteers and mods like so u/mucho_thankyou5802. If you feel more comfortable reaching out to us directly, please don’t hesitate to do so

with luv (GIF),

• u/EveryCliche
• u/energysavermode
• u/mucho_thankyou5802
• u/repressedpauper

…and the r/bangtan Mod Team

Hi hi book club (GIF) of r/bangtan 👋🏼 It has been a bit of a whirlwind of a week, finally getting back to somewhat normalcy post Baltimore stops, hence why this reminder post is so late! There’s still time to read our August book club pick if you haven’t yet. Come join us this week, the discussion should be really interesting. . . . If you’d like to join us next week or be tagged when the post drops, let us know in the comments!

📖 📣Discussion on ‘If I Had Your Face’ starts on August 19

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What do you think, are you getting the idea? (GIF)

Below is a discussion guide. Some book-specific questions and some sharing suggestions!

Book Specific Questions

• Which character did you like the most and why?
• Why do you think the author chose to tell the story from multiple points of view? How did this impact your reading experience and connection to the characters?
• Kyuri says, “Even as a girl, I knew the only chance I had was to change my face.” What role does beauty play in this story? In what ways are beauty standards in Cha’s portrayal of Korea different or similar to those in your country/culture?
• What did you learn about Korean culture from this novel? How did the setting impact the story?
• How does Cha explore Korean gender stereotypes, and how do they compare to those in your country/culture?
• This month’s theme was Duality . Do you think “If I Had Your Face” fits that theme? Why?

B-Side Questions/Discussion Suggestions

• Fan Chant: Hype/overall reviews
• Ments: favorite quotes
• ARMY Time: playlist/recommendations of songs you associate with the book/chapters/characters
• Do The Wave: sentiments, feels, realizations based on the book
• Encore/Post Club-read Depression Prevention: something the book club can do afterwards (on one’s own leisure time) to help recover from the book hangover.

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"If I Had Your Face" by Frances Cha

A riveting debut novel set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, about four young women - Kyuri, Miho, Ara, and Wonna- making their way in a world defined by impossible standards of beauty, after-hours room salons catering to wealthy men, ruthless social hierarchies, and K-pop mania. Together, their stories tell a gripping tale at once unfamiliar and unmistakably universal, in which their tentative friendships may turn out to be the thing that ultimately saves them.

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Put me on your "shelf"

See below for options on how to get the book

Author: Frances Cha	Publisher: Ballantine Books
Original Publication Date: April 21, 2020	ISBN-13:9780593129463
Local libraries (where applicable)	Amazon
Google Books	Barnes & Noble
Audible Audiobook	Spotify (included in Premium)
Libro.fm

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I will wrap you in my arms like your dream (GIF)

Friends, please take care! Sending you hugs and love. Please check out the BIG FEELINGS Megathread (Reddit), if you need it; thank you, Mods, for setting that up for us. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the book or the thread, feel free to tag me or any of the mods or BWL Volunteers.

• u/EveryCliche
• u/energysavermode
• u/mucho_thankyou5802
• u/repressedpauper

…and the r/bangtan Mod Team

Hi hi hi book club of r/bangtan! The boys are back in the US, I have to go panic pack before my shift so I can go see them tomorrow, and we have a new book for the month to help keep us grounded while we got all this (and then some!) going on in the background/on stage! So here we go! Without further ado, our pick for this month is….

"If I Had Your Face" by Frances Cha

A riveting debut novel set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, about four young women - Kyuri, Miho, Ara, and Wonna- making their way in a world defined by impossible standards of beauty, after-hours room salons catering to wealthy men, ruthless social hierarchies, and K-pop mania. Together, their stories tell a gripping tale at once unfamiliar and unmistakably universal, in which their tentative friendships may turn out to be the thing that ultimately saves them.

Put me on your shelf

See below for options on how to get the book

Author: Frances Cha	Publisher: Ballantine Books
Original Publication Date: April 21, 2020	ISBN-13:9780593129463
Local libraries (where applicable)	Amazon
Google Books	Barnes & Noble
Audible Audiobook	Spotify (included in Premium)
Libro.fm

Put it on your calendar

Schedule for the month

Date	Event
Aug 2	Readers’ Choice book announced
Aug 22	Books with Luv discussion meeting

Below is a discussion guide. We will also be preparing some questions for you!

• Book specific questions: TBD

• Fan Chant: Hype/overall reviews

• Ments: favorite quotes

• ARMY Time: playlist/recommendations of songs you associate with the book/chapters/characters

• Do The Wave: sentiments, feels, realizations based on the book

• Encore/Post Club-read Depression Prevention: something the book club can do afterwards (on one’s own leisure time) to help recover from the book hangover.

Hey Army, you nice keep going

Drop a line below to let us know if you’ll be joining! Share what you’re looking forward to about this book. Did the book you voted for get picked? Or were you hoping for another book? We’d love to hear it all. See you at the discussion meeting, and NY Army? You know what to do!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the book or the thread, feel free to tag me or any of the mods or BWL Volunteers.

• u/EveryCliche
• u/energysavermode
• u/mucho_thankyou5802
• u/repressedpauper

…and the r/bangtan Mod Team

Hi hi book lovers (all links lead to giphy, unless stated otherwise) of r/bangtan! We ready for Arirang Tour, US Leg 2? We feeling good, we feeling normal, we feeling hype? So excited for them to come back stateside so I can be distracted from daily life with endless fancams 😆!

We are back with five BTS-adjacent books to choose from: each month our options are based on a group/member song and connected theme. Over the last few years, we’ve concentrated on books that were either seen with or being read by a member, recommended by or for them, or books about BTS and their music. We thought they might be too restrictive on the chosen theme (our boys love themselves some self-help!), so we’ve expanded our options but you may still see them throughout the year as our ult-list is quite long.

This month’s song and theme are: Filter (YouTube) & Duality. Take a look at August's picks and vote on what we should read next!

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Some key dates to remember

(All dates/time are in KST)

Date	Event
Aug 2	Voter's Choice Book announced
Aug 22	Books with

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Which of me do you want?

These are the 5 books you get to choose from for the month of August!

Title	Description	Page Count
Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse (1927)	At first glance, Harry Haller seems like a respectable, educated man. In reality, he is the Steppenwolf: wild, strange, alienated from society, and repulsed by the modern age. But as he is drawn into a series of dreamlike and sometimes savage encounters—accompanied by, among others, Mozart, Goethe, and the bewitching Hermione—the misanthropic Haller undergoes a spiritual, even psychedelic, journey, and ultimately discovers a higher truth and the possibility of happiness.	224 pages
Surrounded by Psychopaths: How to Protect Yourself from Being Manipulated and Exploited in Business (and in Life) by Thomas Erikson (2021)	Charming, charismatic, and delightful or manipulative, self-serving, and cunning? Psychopaths are both and that’s exactly what makes them dangerous. Bestselling author of the international phenomenon Surrounded by Idiots, Thomas Erikson reveals how to identify the psychopaths in your life and combat their efforts to control and manipulate. By understanding your behavior as well as the tendencies and strategies of psychopaths, Surrounded by Psychopaths will teach you to protect yourself from manipulative influence in your workplace, social life, and family.	272 pages
White Teeth by Zadie Smith (2000)	At the center of this invigorating novel are two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal. Hapless veterans of World War II, Archie and Samad and their families become agents of England’s irrevocable transformation.Set against London’s racial and cultural tapestry, venturing across the former empire and into the past as it barrels toward the future, White Teeth revels in the ecstatic hodgepodge of modern life, flirting with disaster, confounding expectations, and embracing the comedy of daily existence.	448 pages
The Gilded Years by Karin Tanabe (2016)	Passing meets The House of Mirth in this historical novel based on the true story of Anita Hemmings, the first black student to attend Vassar, who successfully passed as white—until she let herself grow too attached to the wrong person. Set against the vibrant backdrop of the Gilded Age, Tanabe has written an emotionally compelling story of hope, sacrifice, and betrayal—and a gripping account of how one woman dared to risk everything for the chance at a better life.	379 pages
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha (2020)	A riveting debut novel set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, about four young women - Kyuri, Miho, Ara, and Wonna- making their way in a world defined by impossible standards of beauty, after-hours room salons catering to wealthy men, ruthless social hierarchies, and K-pop mania. Together, their stories tell a gripping tale at once unfamiliar and unmistakably universal, in which their tentative friendships may turn out to be the thing that ultimately saves them.	288 pages

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Girl you have your chance… to pick this month’s book!

Vote for the book you would like to discuss in the next book club!

To vote for the book you would like to discuss in the next book club: CLICK HERE Canva)

Link leads to Canva poll. Please note, it may say “Your Name Will Be Shared” below the poll. To maintain anonymity, don't login to your Canva account, should you have one. That way your name and email will remain anonymous and we will only see the poll response count.

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Let me know your type aka thoughts!

As always, if you have questions or suggestions on how we can make discussions even better please let us know. You can post it here or feel free to reach out to any of our lovely volunteers and mods!

With luv,

Our book club volunteers:

• u/energysavermode
• u/EveryCliche
• u/mucho_thankyou5802
• u/repressedpauper

And the r/bangtan Mod Team

Hey hey party people (GIF), how we doing?? I hope we’re enjoying FESTA and all it’s fun times - I can’t get over Yoongi’s face in this photo (ImgBB)! Speaking of photos, remember how when they were away on hiatus the members would constantly be like “Don’t forget about us!” and we’d be like “as if we ever could!” while looking at a picture of a squirrel. In honor of those fun times, we have an IRL photo scavenger hunt: show us your Everything Reminds Me of BTS moments!

Use the image feature to upload your image in the comments. And if you are sharing a link that leads to outside Reddit, be sure to mention where it leads to! Note that Imgur seems to not work as well in the UK, but feel free to try ImgBB instead.

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Gotta catch ‘em all(ImgBB)

• A pic of a member in an unexpected place, eg. not in an associated brand campaign, movie poster, etc.
• An object in their old mic colors: blue, pink, black/silver, light blue/red, gold, green, purple (find all 7, if you can!)
• One of the member emojis: koala, hamster/alpaca, cat, squirrel, chick, tiger/bear, bunny
• Rubber ducks/ducktan (swim, swim…(ImgBB))
• The numbers 7 or 613
• Literally anything purple (#borahey!)
• Fish/tuna, in can or other forms
• A cool BTS-inspired tattoo or full tattoo sleeve
• A motorcycle, bicycle scooter, or muscle car(ImgBB)
• Mint choco, peaches, perilla leaves (in honor of some of the best debates we’ve ever seen)
• A lyric/song title in the wild
• Something that looks like the BTS/ARMY shield logo (but isn’t)

Hello lovelies and happy FESTA! (Giphy) This is the second installment of our FESTA-vities for the week! The mission for today is to share and appreciate just how global ARMY really is. We know we come from all 4 “corners” of the globe, we speak different languages and connect across timezones! And though this gif will never not be funny, we’re all connected by our love of BTS!

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Something that we all love about BTS is how much they love and are proud of their Korean heritage, constantly and consistently saying they are Korean, and infusing bits of their culture in all they do - whether explicitly, like in “Body to Body”, “Aliens”, “Idol” or you, know, the whole “Arirang” concept, or more subtly, like wearing modern norigae (ImgBB) to their interviews and NA promos.

The caption of this video (IG) reads, “the song hits more when you know what it means to grow up surrounded by so much culture”. It features clips of people dancing in folkloric/traditional costume from many different LATAM countries with the “Arirang” sample from “Body to Body” as the audio.

As people have planned their tour outfits and freebies, choreographed traditional dance styles to the tracks, and remixed to new genres or instrumentations, ARMY has connected Arirang with their own personal culture and heritage.

What does your Arirang sound like? (Giphy)

Or what might it look like?

From traditional outfits to songs every ‘-an’ knows, from famous festivals to classic food items, share your family/country/hometown pride, how you connect with it (or would like to) and if, in any way, this album has inspired you to dive deeper(Giphy)!