You have to check out the Exclusive Books Nam-joon’s Bookshelf selection

BTS are the hottest musical group of the moment. For the past six or so years, the group’s popularity has been rising – culminating in international recognition through awards and records of all kinds. A lot of this popularity can be attributed to their fans ARMY (which the group has said many times) but also the group’s intelligent and meaningful songs created by leader RM and the rest of the members (Suga, j-Hope, Jungkook, Jimin, Jin and V). RM (Namjoon) is an avid reader with the messaging of the books he reads often ending up in their songs. To celebrate this, South African book company Exclusive Books have put together a Nam-joon’s Bookshelf selection. 

The Daily Vox team spoke to Shakti Pillay, a content collaborator about the selection. 

BTS are a K-pop group from South Korea who have a huge fan base around the world including in South Africa. From the members’ close bond to their music and messaging, it’s easy to see why. One of the things fans of the group are particularly fond of is leader Namjoon (RM)’s intelligence. RM, who is responsible for many of the group’s songs and lyrics, often speaks about where he finds his inspiration. Many of the groups’ songs are inspired by literature and authors such as Haruki Murakami, Hermann Hesse and Kim Chunsu amongst others. 

RELATED:

Presenting BTS: What You Need To Know About Each Member

Pillay said once Namjoon uploaded a picture of his bookshelf, many fans, followers and media houses were excited with this information. Barnes and Noble, a seasoned American book retailer, was first to jump onto Namjoon’s list. 

As to where Exclusive Books fits in this, Pillay said the company is known for being a pioneer in forecasting book trends locally, by extending their lens through an international scope.

“Books are a source of escapism; a dynamic interpersonal place to pause and ponder; to map your journey through the contours of words and to submit to the realism of imagination. Music is the poetry of words, with its cadence and meaning they echo with harmony when strung into feel-good lyrics,” Pillay said. 

Related:

Here’s Why BTS Has Such A Strong ARMY In South Africa

After Exclusive Books had been tagged in many posts on Twitter asking them, “When will Exclusive Books have a Nam-joon table?”, they decided to do their research. 

The company consulted a variety of articles and visited many online accounts on Twitter dedicated to Nam-joon’s reading logs to formulate their selection. They received an enthusiastic response from South African fans of the group “with an outpour of gratification that K-pop culture was being embraced through this medium”. The image that is featured at the top of the selection was inspired by the picture that Namjoon uploaded onto his Instagram account. (the post has since been removed/deleted)

RELATED:

How Korean boyband BTS created a social movement

The company has also been invited by the fanbase BTS Army South Africa, to attend their various festivals hosted around the country where Exclusive Books will have their own table of Nam-joon’s reads on offer.  

Some of the books on Nam-joon’s Shelf:

Here is the full selection from the Exclusive Books website.

On Twitter, @JooniesLibrary have curated an extensive list of all the books that Namjoon has read. The account keeps a “growing and detailed list” of all the books the artist has read.

Author’s note: the piece has been updated with information from Joonie’s Library.