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The speaker shares his reading habits, noting that he read 72 books in 2016, 87 in 2017, and over 100 in 2018. He rarely abandons a book once he starts, though there are exceptions. He mentions a book that many people mistakenly consider good, but scientists around him view negatively.
Kim Beom-joon from Sungkyunkwan University introduces himself. He mentions his "watch in my bag" content where he stated he reads about 100 books a year, actually reading between 100 to 120 books annually. He will elaborate on his reading methods due to the significant interest shown by viewers.
Kim Beom-joon believes reading is essential. He notes the increasing number of young people reading, a trend called "text hip." MG generation are increasingly reading books, carrying them around, and writing about them, making book-related activities trendy.
He suggests this trend might stem from a return to analog sensibilities, similar to the resurgence of LP records and film cameras. However, he believes "text hip" is a niche market that complements digital content rather than replacing it.
Despite the popularity of his science content on YouTube ("범준의 물리다"), it hasn't significantly boosted his book sales. This suggests that consumers of science content in video format and book format are distinct markets.
Despite the rise of AI, Kim Beom-joon believes reading remains crucial. Both AI and humans acquire knowledge from various sources and create new ideas by connecting these pieces of knowledge.
He emphasizes that acquiring foundational knowledge is essential for creative output, and reading books is the best way to internalize the knowledge of others. He references an image of robots in an AI company (Entropic) learning from books.
He argues that books differ from videos because they require readers to imagine the described scenarios, fostering imagination. He believes books will remain valuable for developing imagination, which is crucial for intellectual growth.
Reading fosters imagination, a key element for intellectual growth, making it a valuable tool even in the age of AI.
Kim Beom-joon promotes his books, mentioning he has written ten single-authored books, with "범준의 물리다" being the most recent. He encourages viewers to purchase them online.
He clarifies that he reads between 50 to 110 books a year, revisiting his earlier statement of reading 100-120 books. He provides a breakdown: 72 books in 2016, 87 in 2017, 108 in 2018, 56 in 2019, 82, 96, 97 in 2022, 85 in 2023, and a significant drop to 51 in 2024, possibly due to starting "범준의 물리다". He estimates around 50 books in 2025 due to increased busyness.
He recalls enjoying reading from a young age, mentioning the "개몽사 소년 소녀 세계 문학 전집" he read in elementary school. In middle and high school, he read "삼중당 문고" (small, affordable literature books) and science books from "전파 과학사". In university, he diversified his reading, buying 400 books and reading 200, averaging about 50 books a year.
He describes himself as a "활자 중독자" (print addict), someone addicted to reading to the point of it affecting daily life. He always needs something to read, even in the bathroom. He recalls setting a goal to reduce reading during graduate school due to being busy with studies and research.
His primary reading location is the local library, a 5-minute bike ride from his home. He also reads on public transportation, preferring trains for long trips and座席 buses (comfortable buses with designated seating) for trips to Seoul.
He expands his reading scope by exploring books recommended or mentioned in the books he reads. He recommends this method to viewers. For example, after introducing a book by Joen Baker, he discovered and purchased "유레카" by Edgar Allan Poe and "미크로메가스" by Voltaire.
He notes that this method leads to an exponential increase in the number of books he wants to read, as each book recommends multiple others. He compares this to Malthus's theory of population, where the number of books he wants to read increases geometrically, but the number he can read increases arithmetically.
He writes short reviews or impressions of each book in Google Docs. He also collects memorable quotes in a separate file, which he finds useful for future reference and writing.
He mentions an increase in "의무 독서" (obligatory reading) due to his two paid reading clubs: "과학의 눈" at 트레바리 and "책범 클럽" with 채고집 in Suwon. These clubs require him to read and discuss two books a month.
He reads these books meticulously, underlining and making notes. He then rereads the books, focusing on the underlined sections, and summarizes them into 10-20 pages. He uses these summaries to create lecture materials for the book clubs and to write articles for 뉴스웰, where he contributes a column on science books twice a month since January 2025. This process allows him to gain a deep understanding of each book. He estimates he has done this for about 30 books.
He notes an increase in requests from publishers to introduce books and write recommendations, leading to more "의무 독서" (obligatory reading) and less time for books he personally wants to read.
He shows a photo of a heavily annotated book, indicating his messy reading style with underlines, stars, and different colored pens for each reading. He writes the date and his signature at the end of the book, marking favorite books with "Excellent."
He mentions a favorite book, "아악시만드로스" by Carlo Rovelli, an Italian theoretical physicist, which is being republished with his recommendation. He describes it as a meaningful introduction to science through the story of the ancient Greek scientist and philosopher Anaximander.
He shows a summarized document of the book (about 15 pages) and explains how he uses it to create lecture materials and write articles. He shares an article he wrote titled "인류 최초의 과학자는 누구일까" (Who is the first scientist of mankind?) for the media, based on Rovelli's book. He also includes discussion topics used in his book club.
He buys most books, preferring new, paper copies because he annotates them heavily. He borrows books from the library but buys them if he likes them. He uses secondhand bookstores, both online and offline, when new copies are unavailable.
He prefers 정독 (close reading) over 속독 (speed reading), which is aided by underlining. He doesn't use e-books or audiobooks, preferring paper books.
He has a personal rule to always finish any book he starts, even if it's difficult or boring.
He sometimes reads two or three books simultaneously, but he avoids reading books on similar topics to prevent confusion. He prefers to read books from different genres, such as novels and science books, concurrently.
He mentions that he has been reading Hegel's "정신 현상학" for 20 years, but it is still not finished.
He rarely abandons books, but he has dropped a few due to significant issues. He mentions 제레미 리프킨's "엔트로피" as an example, which he considers a bad book because it misrepresents the concept of entropy from a scientific perspective by adding value judgments.
He doesn't have specific genre preferences but focuses on different areas depending on the time. He enjoys various genres, including novels, philosophy, history, social science, and poetry, though he doesn't read poetry often.
He enjoys many novels, including those by Milan Kundera. He mentions 빅토르 위고's "레미제라블" as a book that had a significant impact on him during his teenage years, helping him with religious questions. He likes 백석's poetry and 김사인's "시를 어루만지다". For science books, he recommends "코스모스". In philosophy, he was deeply moved by a simplified version of Hegel's "정신 현상학" he read in college. He doesn't read many essays but enjoyed 마르쿠스 아우렐리우스's "명상록".
He mentions recent reads like 조현근's "암과 삼 사이에서" and 김경집's "괜찮은 어른이 된다는 것", both reflective essays. He also recommends 이상's "인류의 기원" and 김보영's SF novel "종의 기원담".
He acknowledges the difficulty in choosing from the vast number of books published.
He gets recommendations from the book review section in his daily newspaper (usually on Fridays), books sent by publishers, obligatory reading for book clubs, and recommendations from people around him. He trusts recommendations from scientists he respects on Facebook.
He defines reading as entering another person's mind and seeing the world through their eyes, providing indirect experiences.
He reminds himself that the world is different from books. Understanding a book doesn't equate to understanding the world. Books resemble the world, but they are not the world.
He encourages everyone to read diverse books to develop their unique perspective on the world.