[Edaily Reporter Yun Junghoon ] Novels are enjoyed in one’s personal library, while books on personal finance or self-improvement are read by underlining memorable passages. It has been found that readers’ consumption patterns of reading content are clearly diverging depending on the book genre and their purpose for reading.

Millie Seojae(418470), South Korea’s largest reading platform, released its “First Half of 2026 Reading Report” on the 27th, based on an analysis of user data—including books added to “My Bookshelf,” highlights, ratings, and “Life-Changing Books.”

According to this report, while literary works showed overwhelming dominance in the “Number of Books Added to My Bookshelf” category, economics and self-help books dominated the top ranks in the “Highlights (Underlining)” category, where readers seek practical information or advice.

Novels for “Reflection,” Practical Books for “Recording”… Polarized Consumption Patterns by Genre

In the “Number of Books Added to My Library” category—the overall bestseller list for the first half of the year—the top spot was claimed by Andy Weir’s science fiction novel *Project Hail Mary*, which became a hit following the release of the film of the same name. This was followed by Kim Ae-ran’s *I Said Goodbye* (2nd place) and Jo Hyun-sun’s *My Perfect Funeral* (3rd place), driving the popularity of the fiction genre.

In contrast, in the “Highlights” category—where readers save passages that leave a lasting impression—books on personal finance and self-improvement swept the top spots. *The Minimum Economics You Need to Survive in the Age of Capitalism* by Baek-ok-nam (Kim Wook-hyun) took first place, while James Clear’s *The Power of Tiny Habits* and Lee Kwang-soo’s *Stock Investing for Progress* ranked second and third, respectively. This result reflects readers’ demand for practical alternatives and investment insights amid an uncertain economic environment.

In the rankings of books with high star ratings—which indicate reader satisfaction—Choi TAESUNG’s general history book *The Essentials of the Three Kingdoms* took first place. It was followed by poet Na Tae-ju’s essay *Live While Cherishing Yourself* (2nd place) and Kim Na-eul’s novel *Baking Happiness Again Today* (3rd place).

A “reverse-trend” phenomenon driven by fan bases was also prominent. Following the renewed interest in *Choi Kang-rok’s Cooking Notes* last January due to the “Black-and-White Chef” craze, Jeong Yu-jeong’s *Shoot My Heart*, which was reissued in February, made a comeback on the charts. In March, *Meditations* by Marcus Aurelius rose to the top spot thanks to a recommendation by actress Moon Ga-young.

Shin Kyung-sook’s New Work Surpasses 140,000 Views on Milliroad

On “Milliroad,” the creative platform operated by Millie’s Library, the new work by master author Shin Kyung-sook, *Christina’s Trivial and Bold Life*, has emerged as the hottest topic. The work, which began serialization last November, surpassed 140,000 cumulative views and ranked No. 1 on Milliroad. It also received 1,450 “Milliroad Recommendations,” a metric reflecting reader support.

The work has been well-received by readers for its warm and humorous portrayal of the daily life of “Christina,” a grandmother who lived as a farmer in the countryside for over 60 years and moved to an apartment complex in Seoul after the death of her husband.

Lee Seong-ho, Head of the Reading Division at kt millie seojae, stated, “Looking at reading data from the first half of the year, we observed differences in how readers enjoy books depending on the genre—for example, readers tend to save novels in their personal libraries to savor later, while they take notes directly in economics and self-help books when needed.” He added, “Going forward, we will continue to expand reading experiences that allow members to discover new books based on their diverse tastes and trends and enjoy them in their own unique ways.”