Shanna Tan

Bad men make excellent fertilizer ... The cult Korean psychological horror tale of revenge, reinvention, and what it takes to grow back. Perfect nutrients for fans of CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN and MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER In the heart of a quiet town, a young woman tends to her plant shop, but beneath the soil of her lush, green sanctuary lies something far darker.... Every garden needs a little weeding ... Tucked away in the corner of a neighbourhood in Dosan, South Korea, is the Plant Shop. Its owner Yoohee has started anew, while her meticulously grown foliage thrives under her tender care. The shop is her refuge, where petunias and marigolds bloom and the air itself is like an elixir of peace. By day, Yoohee dispenses gardening advice, but she also finds herself offering a special service out-of-hours. Women in desperation come to her about a man they hope might disappear from their lives. Because Yoohee has encountered these kinds of men in her own life, men who treated her (and her beloved plants) with utter disrespect. So as night falls, Yoohee trades her apron for a shovel and a hoe and vanishes into her moonlit garden. There, she buries not just the remains of the day, but also the bloody remnants of a few unfortunate incidents. As more men are reported missing, a determined young detective comes knocking ... Atmospheric and haunting, PLANT LADY is a subtle, humorous story of dangerous obsession and misogyny that will fertilise your deepest fears and keep you rooted right to its chilling last page.

If you're lost, you'll find The Memory Bookshop Where the shelves are endless. The books, strangely familiar. And where memories are bound in pages. When Jiwon cautiously crosses the threshold, she's met by Manager K. and offered no explanation, only a mysterious hourglass and a rare opportunity: to travel back to three chapters of her life. But returning to the past isn't without risk. In exchange, Jiwon has to give up time in her future. As she wanders between the shelves, the bookshop humming with memories and regrets, she must ask herself: can the past truly be rewritten? Or does the real magic lie in the life she's yet to live? Warm, wise and full of wonder, The Memory Bookshop is a story about the power of books to carry us home. Step inside the bookshop…

We will wash away your pain and iron away any creases in your heart. Overnight, in the village of Marigold on top of a hill, old Jieun has conjured up a magical Mind Laundry, where she cleanses painful experiences from her customer's hearts, transferring them into stains on a T-shirt and transforming them into dazzling red petals. We meet five of Jieun's customers to her laundry: a frustrated young filmmaker; a tortured social-media influencer; a distraught mother who has discovered her husband’s other family; a young woman two-timed by her lover, and Yeonghui, a victim of bullying, who works as a delivery man to escape his pain in routine. After washing away their pain and ironing out their creases, Jieun discovers an astonishing revelation about memory, pain and moving on. As we laugh, wonder and grow with the vivid characters in this book, MARIGOLD MIND LAUNDRY shows how we too can tap into the positivity and magic that lies in us all. Which bad memories would you like to wash away?

Welcome to Soyangri Book Kitchen, where a woman leaves her busy life in Seoul to open a bookshop café in the countryside where guests can stay overnight. The irresistible, escapist and cosy read to curl up with this autumn, for fans of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. In a peaceful village in the countryside, far from the bustling heart of Seoul, lies a book lovers' paradise. With its wafts of delicious food and book-filled shelves, Soyangri Book Kitchen is managed by its plucky proprietor Yoojin. Her aim? To create a sanctuary for weary souls like herself. But the book kitchen is more than just a place to eat or read - it's a place which offers its guests a true escape, not just inside the pages of its many books, but in the warm embrace of an overnight bookstay. Over one year, seven people at a crossroads in their lives find their way to Yoojin's book kitchen. Among them are Da-in, a singer grappling with an identity crisis, Sohee, a promising lawyer confronted with a daunting medical diagnosis, and Soohyuk, a young musical director whose dreams have been stifled. As they arrive in Soyangri, each of them will find their life subtly transformed by the magic of its books and the kindness of its people.

Your next summer read! The feel-good Korean bestseller about small-town life and chosen family. FROM THE TRANSLATOR OF WELCOME TO THE HYUNAM-DONG BOOKSHOP AND MARIGOLD MIND LAUNDRY. 'When will I get to be the main character in my own life?' Burnt out by life in Seoul, Jebi has come to Jeju Island for a much-needed summer holiday. But on the last day of her trip, she loses everything: phone, credit cards, plane ticket. Looking for help, she stumbles across a tiny photography studio. Then and there, she makes a choice that will change her life forever. Jebi accepts the offer of a job from the studio's frazzled owner, Seokyeong. The photos they take together capture the magic of the island and its people. From the young couple struggling with cold feet before their wedding, to the ex-cop haunted by secrets from his past, and the geologist who discovers a precious fossil on one of Jeju's pristine beaches, each has a story to tell. By following her dreams, Jebi finds the family she never had.

Situated at the heart of a rapidly gentrifying district of Seoul, the Yeonnam-dong Smiley Laundromat is a place where the extraordinary stories of ordinary residents unfold. It is already a haven of tranquility and reflection for locals, but when someone leaves a notebook behind, the laundromat becomes a place that brings people together. One by one, customers start jotting down candid diary entries, opening their hearts and inviting acts of kindness from neighbours who were once just faces in the crowd. But there is more to the diary than first appears, and before long the laundromat's regulars are teaming up to solve a mystery and help the notebook's former owner find peace. A heartwarming, healing debut that instantly captured the hearts of Korean readers, this is a novel about the preciousness of human relationships and the power of solidarity in a world that is increasingly cold, fast-paced and virtual.

The million-copy international bestseller from Korean sensation Taewoan Ha 'Never give up Your every moment is meaningful' In Every Moment Was You, Taewoan Ha reflects on the little things that make up a relationship - the secret exchanges, the shared glances, the laughter and the silence. Immediate and moving, his short mediations capture the beauty of youth and the growing pains that come with it. From the blooming of first feelings, to heartbreak and acceptance, Taewoan's writing explores the complexity of love, and the meaning to be found in the ordinary. Every Moment Was You is a soothing balm to deal with the pain, stress and sadness that come with modern life, and a gentle reminder that even in our most vulnerable moments, we can find the strength to move forward.

Yeongju did everything she was supposed to, go to university, marry a decent man, get a respectable job. Then it all fell apart. Burned out, Yeongju abandons her old life, quits her high-flying career, and follows her dream. She opens a bookshop. In a quaint neighbourhood in Seoul, surrounded by books, Yeongju and her customers take refuge. From the lonely barista to the unhappily married coffee roaster, and the writer who sees something special in Yeongju - they all have disappointments in their past. The Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes the place where they all learn how to truly live.