First Steps: From the Couch to the Public Library

by David · February 13, 2017

This weekend, I stood up from the couch, laced up my shoes, and took my first steps in the Couch to Korean Challenge. These first steps took me straight to my local Public Library, which is always the first place I go when I am studying a new topic and looking for books on the topic. At heart I am a cheapskate (“someone who avoids spending money,” but interestingly, the skate part of cheapskate means “a contemptible person” and likely comes from the Old Norse skíta, meaning “to defecate”). Maybe I’m better off just being thrifty (from the Old Norse þrift, meaning “thriving condition, prosperity”). Either way, if I can borrow a book from the library for free rather than pay $50 for it, it is a no-brainer.

And the Public Library never disappoints. In the foreign language section I found a big pile of books on the Korean language. Our public library is also a member of a large regional library network, and I can request any book from any of the 43 local libraries in the network and pick it up at my library when it comes in; I have yet to see a book for sale on Amazon that I can’t request from the local public library network.

To start with, I checked out 4 basic Korean language guides to add to the books that Carlos is loaning me from his stash of Korean language books. My nightstand now looks like this:

In the Children’s Room at the library I also found a shelf with children’s book in Korean:

Once I master the alphabet and learn a few words, I will head back to the library to check out some basic Korean picture books and early readers.

I have created a Korean Resources page on the Lexplorers site to organize all the books and online resources I encounter along the way. I will add details and possibly full reviews as I dig deeper into specific resources during the Couch to Korean Challenge.