Soyangri Book Kitchen

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.

Perfect to read over your holidays. For fans of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, celebrating the power of books to heal.


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.

About the Author

Kim Jee Hye (Author)
Kim Jee Hye studied Journalism and Broadcasting, and she now runs an independent bookshop in South Korea called Walking on the Clouds. Soyangri Book Kitchen is her debut novel.

Shanna Tan (Translator)
Shanna Tan is a literary translator working from Korean, Chinese and Japanese into English. Her translations include the bestselling Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum. Born and raised in Singapore, she is currently spending some time in Bangkok.