Lisa Richardson’s Shelfie
I've been a voracious reader as soon as I could read, but I experienced severe burnout several years ago from reading, blogging, and volunteering in book related spaces.
I tuned back in to my old love of kpop when one of friends messaged me out of the blue asking 'do you know BTS?'. I had heard of them, but had never been a fan. What I didn't realize at the time is that I'd fall down the rabbit hole and enter the BTS fandom, ARMY. All it took was accidentally catching a livestream of one of their concerts!
One doesn't have to collect albums or merch to be a BTS fan but I'm the type who loves having physical reminders of things I love. My lightstick (ARMY Bomb) has been to three concerts now with me, most recently for the eldest member Jin's solo concert.
One of my biggest regrets is that, despite being a kpop fan since 2010, I somehow missed out on knowing BTS for so long. But there is a saying in the fandom that BTS finds you when you need them most and that's certainly been true for me. Many of the songs in these albums talk openly about societal issues, mental health and the theme of loving oneself. Being a fan of this group has certainly helped me get through some of the hardest years of my life.
Borahae.💜
Lisa is a retired moderator of r/fantasy, lover of all things books, and a 2nd gen kpop veteran. You can find her at @lrich1024 and sharing book stuff @waytoofantasy
Shelfies is edited by Lavie Tidhar and Jared Shurin.
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