Are you looking for a virtual bookish space to connect and share your love of books with? Look no further than Reader Rendezvous!
Visit the Reader Rendezvous webpage for more information about the book club, how to join, your hosts and the monthly reads.
FEBRUARY 2026 BUDDY READ
8 LIVES OF A CENTURY-OLD TRICKSTER by Mirinae Lee
Joining the acclaimed ranks of Pachinko and A Woman is No Man, a riveting and genre-bending debut of love and survival, set in the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea. Life near the North Korean border is a zero-sum game, an ongoing battle in which you either win or you lose. This dangerous, shadowed netherworld is home to an unforgettable woman known only as the “trickster.” Inspired by the story of Lee’s great aunt, one of the oldest women to escape alone from North Korea, 8 Lives of a Century Old Trickster consists of eight dark and spellbinding chapters that follow this remarkable character and her family as they struggle to survive during the most turbulent times of modern Korean history. Mirinae Lee’s trickster is a shapeshifter—throughout the course of these interconnected chapters she is a slave, an escape artist, a murderer, a terrorist, a spy, a lover, and a mother—a woman who must often choose the unthinkable to survive war and conquest in Korea. Her story is a beguiling, complex tale of love and survival that will keep you riveted—and speculating—until the very end thanks to Lee’s brilliant talent for sleight of hand. A fascinating look at survival, trauma, and family, 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster is an incredible literary debut from a bright new talent.
*Description from Goodreads
Genre: Historical Fiction
Content Warnings: Rape, War, Sexual violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Suicide, Child abuse
Reading Breakdown
Discord channels are organized by part to minimize spoilers and keep the chat going while reading.
1 - Prologue to The 4th Life
2 - The 4th Life to The 7th Life
3 - The 7th Life
4 - The 8th Life and Final Thoughts
Add a comment to: Reader Rendezvous – February 2026 Buddy Read