Book Recommendations for a Friend

By: Dennis Moon & Diane Han | English Columnists

Why don’t we start off with a brief introduction. My name is Dennis, I’m a current 4th year Computer Science major

What about you?

Hello, I’m Diane. I am third year Economics and Art History double major. We are English Columnists from Berkeley Opinion.

So our English Column editor gave us a small project to do, can you explain what it was?

We were supposed to go to a bookstore and recommend a book to each other. Last Wednesday, we went to Moe’s Books on Telegraph together. Was it your first time to Moe’s?

Yup, I used to live on Telegraph, so I passed by it frequently but I’ve been never been inside. It was a lot larger than I expected, with four floors. You suggested we go here, did you have a particular reason?

Honestly, I chose Moe’s because it is literally half a block away my house. But don’t you think it is a really fun place to look around? You can find all sorts of cool things, like posters, not just books.

Haha, nice. I actually live pretty far away but it was good exercise. Heard you have big library at your place! Do you usually read a lot books?

Nope. But I like collecting books. Do you like reading?

Oh god no, the only books I read are for class. I really should read more. The few books I’ve read on my own are the popular fantasy fiction types like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and stuff.

Oh nice. Actually, I never had a chance to read or watch Harry Potter. Everyone tells me that I am missing out. Is fantasy fiction your favorite genre?

I’d have to say so at the moment. Since I haven’t really read too many, it’s the only genre I for sure enjoy. I have read a nonfiction called “Space Chronicles” by Neil G. Tyson. It outlined the state of space exploration and funding in the 21st Century, and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s interested in space, budgets, and politics. That was the first really nonfiction I’ve read, and I enjoyed it a lot, which makes me want to see what other kinds of genres I might like.

Awesome, let’s talk about the books that we chose for each other. You picked “Made in North Korea: Graphics From Everyday Life in DPRK” for me. It’s a really odd book to recommend to someone, although I really liked it. Why did you choose that book?

Oh yeah, it’s definitely not your normal “New York Times Bestseller.” I was browsing the shelves without much thought and the bright pink, hard cover of the book caught my attention. You also showed interest in a similar USSR Propaganda book as we walked in, so I thought you might like it.

I skimmed it there and I loved it. My housemate really liked it too. That night, my housemate and I spent whole hour flipping through the book and posting funny images on our Instagram stories. We were joking how others might think we are communists and report us.

Glad you liked it. I didn’t know you were an Art History double major until I picked the book. So I guess it worked out in the end. Would you recommend it to others reading our interview?

If you like the retro 80s vibe, I’d definitely recommend it. It was also really interesting to point out terms spelled in North Korean dialect and anti-America phrases and propaganda. That book was kinda expensive though. If anyone is interested, hit me up. I chose a comic book about the history of beer for you. Did you read the book I picked up?

No, unfortunately I haven’t had the time to yet, because you know... end of semester and finals. I do like comics, though. Usually, I lean more towards Korean webtoons or Japanese manga, so this American style comic seems refreshing. Also I just turned 21 recently; hopefully I can learn more about what types of beer I should explore in the future. I’ll recommend it back to you next year when you turn 21, haha.

I might borrow it from you sometime, haha. I think that pretty much wraps up our little bookstore expedition. It was such a wholesome time. Do you think you’ll be visiting bookstores more in the future?

Eh… honestly, probably not. But I got an iPad recently and found reading ebooks to be a lot more convenient than I expected. I might checkout more books that way. Well, thank you for your time and recommendation, and good luck on your finals!

Thanks and you too! If you get chances to read some good books after all your finals, please let me know! Thank you so much for your time.