A Kim Jong-Il Production

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power | Paul Fischer

I feel like I'm posting a lot today! Sorry guys. 🙈

But, I finished a book so I got to pull a new one from the TBR jar! Next up is A Kim Jong-Il Production. This is a true story about the orchestrated kidnappings of a famous movie star and film maker by Jong-Il. I'm a couple chapters in, and this book is interesting at hell and very well written. 🤓

Clare-Dragonfly The podcast Criminal did an episode with this couple. It was such an interesting and scary story—I‘ll have to look for the book! 5y

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ReadingEnvy

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power | Paul Fischer

So this is my book club's first read of the season and I've had such a hard time getting started. We've read some great North Korea books already and this doesn't suit my mood but we meet Monday so I must. Anyone else in a book club that has to go through this?

myellenbee I've had that experience. It's harder to get started on those book club books. I have usually been glad I did because some I would never have picked up otherwise. What other North Korean or South Korean books have you read? 6y

Kboltz I think that this book club you fake read and just go for the drinks/food/company. 6y

ReadingEnvy @Kboltz we really do discuss the book but maybe I can do that this time, it will be a big group since it‘s the first of the year. 6y

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ReadingEnvy @myellenbee we did

The Orphan Master's Son: A Novel

ReadingEnvy @myellenbee also

Pachinko

ReadingEnvy @myellenbee and before I joined they read

Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West

myellenbee Thanks I'll look into them. 6y

Centique I go through this A LOT. I think I need a new book club. 🤔We take turns choosing books and the others choose very similar books all the time.... which is not to say they aren‘t good books, it‘s just hard to get them reading more diversely and then we get together and no one talks about the book. Aarrggh! 😂😂😂 6y

ReadingEnvy @Centique I think I'm still feeling bitter that zero of my books made the cut for the season. And I think we read too much non fiction (about half and half.) We do talk about the book, though, or it wouldn't bother me so much that I can't get into it. Sigh. 6y

Centique @ReadingEnvy I‘m glad I‘m not the only one with ‘book club feels‘. I‘m still a little bitter that none of them liked or finished the book I chose last time

Love Medicine: A Novel

ReadingEnvy @Centique one of mine was universally hated (I thought it was hilarious)

Potbellied Virgin

Centique @ReadingEnvy sounds great! I‘m stacking it 👍 6y

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KiskyLuella

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power | Paul Fischer

pick

This book is fascinating. Fischer does an amazing job researching an event that has been denied for years. His humor and pacing helped this history read like a novel which, for a reader like me, is always appreciated. Takeaway: North Korea is fucking bonkers.

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Martta

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power | Paul Fischer

Preparing for my #secretsantagoespostal and had to visit a bookstore today again. While I was doing that I got this really weird epiphany where I realized how much I actually enjoyed reading "Nothing to envy". So when I accidentally found this from the bookstore I just couldn't leave it there. In Nothing to envy they mentioned the events of this book and that left me curious. Luckily now there is an answer to that.

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Verity

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power | Paul Fischer

pick

Crikey. Never was there more proof if that essay question I had to answer at university: "literature has to be plausible. History only has to be true." Some of this book will boggle your mind - and not only the bits about North Korea. Well worth a look if you get a chance.

Merethebookgal Just read the synopsis, what a crazy story! 8y

Verity @Merethebookgal it is truly bonkers. And the book is also a great primer on the two Koreas and just generally what's happened there. Made me v glad I wasn't born in N Korea! 8y

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LouLouLane

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power | Paul Fischer

I need one more hour of weekend. Great book!

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Verity

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power | Paul Fischer

Tonight's reading: a bit of non-fiction about something I know very little about: North Korean shenanigans.

Laura317 This sounds awesome! I follow what I think is the real North Korea on Twitter. The feed is absolutely hysterical. @Verity 8y

Verity I follow one as well @Laura317 - it says it's official and a bunch of proper journalists follow it too, but it's so bonkers sometimes I can't believe it! And so far the book is nuts! 8y

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Pentapod

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power | Paul Fischer

pick

This book is amazing. Gripping and eye opening, it reads like a political espionage thriller but is the true account of the kidnapping of South Korea's most famous actress and film director by North Korea dictator and cinema fanatic Kim Jong-Il. Crazy, gripping, sad, fascinating, highly recommended.