For many, reading for leisure feels like an impossible feat, what with the little free time we have and the constant temptation to spend it doomscrolling on social media. A habit most, if not all of us are guilty of. While life does get busy at times, it ultimately boils down to choice and interest—after all, we are responsible for building consistent reading habits no matter how chaotic things become.
Some of our favourite celebrities make fine examples of this, from movie stars to singers who cherish every opportunity to bury their noses in a book between blockbuster shoots and sprawling world tours. This includes K-pop idols, who are notorious for having hectic schedules that run from dusk till dawn. And as we settle into 2025, it’s time we take a page out of our beloved idols’ books to hit those reading goals—and what better way to do so than to check out some of their favourite reads?
Some of the biggest K-pop stars in the world are known to be massive bookworms, with idols like BTS’ RM often sharing his latest reads and recommendations with fans on variety shows and social media, (a habit shared by the late Jonghyun of Shinee) or Nmixx’s Lily, who regularly hosts her own book and film club livestreams with fans. While others like Red Velvet’s Yeri and Le Sserafim’s Huh Yunjin aren’t as vocal about their reading habits, they are rarely spotted without a book in hand, whether in the glam room or the airport.
There’s also a wealth of diversity when it comes to our favourite idols’ genres of choice. NJZ‘s Hanni seems to favour non-fiction books that delve into topics like psychology and emotion, while IU’s recommendations include a long list of literary fiction, with genres ranging from magic realism to romance. Meanwhile, Stray Kids member Lee Know enjoys a good self-help read.
To reignite the reading flame or simply peer into what their literary tastes are like, see the best books co-signed by your favourite K-pop idols below.
1 / 10
Le Sserafim’s Huh Yunjin: ‘Breasts and Eggs’ by Mieko Kawakami
An intimate portrayal of womanhood, this best-selling psychological fiction novel centres around three women: struggling writer Natsuko, her sister and aging bar hostess Makiko and the latter’s teenage daughter Midoriko. Told through the lens of Natsuko, it explores the trio’s desires and heartbreaks as they navigate body image, motherhood and sexuality under oppressive societal and cultural expectations in Japan.
2 / 10
BTS’ Suga, RM and J-hope: ‘Almond’ by Won-pyung Sohn
‘Almond’ is an affecting fiction novel following Yunjae, a young Korean boy with an underdeveloped amygdala—the part of the brain responsible for emotional responses, particularly those involving fear and rage. While his condition makes it difficult to make friends, he grows up content with the warmth and understanding of his loving mother and grandmother. When a shocking act of violence rips his family away from him, Yunjae struggles to understand and cope with the pain of the tragedy.
3 / 10
NJZ’s Hanni: ‘Connections’ by Karl Deisseroth
In ‘Connections’, renowned psychiatrist and neurologist Karl Deisseroth examines the origins of emotion through a series of case studies from his experience as an emergency psychiatrist. The non-fiction book addresses universal questions about the human condition and what we know of the human brain, transforming the way we understand common psychiatric disorders like depression, schizophrenia, sociopathy and their roots.
4 / 10
Shinee’s Jonghyun and Red Velvet’s Yeri: ‘The Metamorphosis’ by Franz Kafka
One of Kafka’s best known works, ‘The Metamorphosis’ is an absurdist novella about Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman who awakens one day to find that he has inexplicably transformed into a giant insect. Shunned by his loved ones and struggling to adjust to his new body, he becomes increasingly alienated.
5 / 10
Nmixx’s Lily: ‘A Monster Calls’ by Patrick Ness
‘A Monster Calls’ is a young adult fantasy novel about a young boy named Conor struggling to cope with isolation and loneliness as his family deals with his mother’s illness. Night by night, a monster calls to him from outside his window and tells him fantastical tales he claims to be true, demanding Conor tell him one true story in return. As his mother’s illness worsens, his encounters with the monster also begin to escalate.
6 / 10
IU: ‘Pavane for a Dead Princess’ by Park Min-gyu
A cutting commentary on beauty standards in popular culture, especially that of South Korea, Park Min-gyu’s ‘Pavane for a Dead Princess’ details the romantic relationship between a conventionally handsome young man with idol-worthy good looks and his co-worker, who is cruelly dubbed the “ugliest woman of the century.”
7 / 10
Red Velvet’s Yeri: ‘The Girl You Left Behind’ by Jojo Moyes
A tale told across two timelines, ‘The Girl You Left Behind’ follows two women connected by a painting in different places and time periods—Paris during World War I and modern day London—as they navigate love and loss. The former, Sophie, a young woman who must keep her family safe while her husband joins the battle, becomes the single-minded obsession of a German commander after he sets eyes on a portrait of her painted by her husband. The same painting hangs a century later in Liv’s home, a gift from her late husband, whose ownership becomes contested after its value comes to light.
8 / 10
GOT7’s Jinyoung and BTS’s RM: ‘Human Acts’ by Han Kang
Set during the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, Nobel Prize winner Han Kang’s ‘Human Acts’ is a reflective and devastating window into one of the darkest chapters of South Korean history. Anchored by the shocking death of a young boy named Dong-ho, the novel explores the perspectives of those involved in the democratisation movement around him as the tragedy unfolds.
9 / 10
Stray Kids’ Lee Know: ‘On Fire: The 7 choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life’ by John O’Leary
Part autobiography and part self-help book, ‘On Fire’ is written by John O’Leary, who survived a near-fatal fire as a child. The book is divided into seven choices O’Leary considers pivotal in survival, overcoming tragedy and leading a life filled with hope and possibility.
10 / 10
Aespa’s Ningning: ‘To Live’ by Yu Hua
Set during the most tumultuous years of modern Chinese history, ‘To Live’ is a decade-spanning fiction novel chronicling the life of Fugui, a spoilt son of a wealthy landowner who squanders his family’s fortune and is forced to become a peasant. Only the beginning in a chain of tragic events that unfold throughout his life, Fugui experiences unimaginable grief and loss, transforming him from a pampered young man to a farmer with a heart of gold.
