I cry pretty frequently at character deaths. It's kind of embarrassing, because I can't help myself even in public, so I've found myself sitting on my lunch break at work sobbing into the pages with my nose running. Did I mention I'm a programmer and most of my coworkers are blokes? :P

I don't think it's necessarily an indication of particular investment in the book, though, because I'm just an easy crier in general. I mean, at the right time of the month I've been known to tear up at *commercials*.
My recent post Fantasy Worlds and Reader Assumptions

Oh, that's interesting to know about the use of last names in Korean culture. But, yes, that's completely different from using a surname as a given name.

I totally get what you mean about putting a show on with the culture instead of actually bringing the culture to light. My fiancé refers to books like Outlander as 'shortbread tin' representations of Scotland because they seem more like the twee pictures you get on a tin of shortbread than actual representations of Scottish culture. They don't feel like Scotland; they feel like a foreigner's idea of what Scotland might be like. These kind of representations tend not to be downright offensive in the way Eleanor & Park is, but I think there's a similar divide between actual representations of a culture and, as you put it, putting on a show with it (which is a very good way of describing it!), so I understand what you're getting at there.
My recent post Fantasy Worlds and Reader Assumptions

Wait, Park's his FIRST name?! I haven't read the book (contemporaries aren't really my thing), so basically all I know about it is it's set in the 80s and the male love interest is Korean-American, but I assumed that Park was his last name and there was some story-/character-related reason for it being used rather than his first name (although having read what you said about surnames being important in Korean culture now I'm not sure that'd be okay, either).

Anyway, thanks for writing this post. Even though I hadn't any plans to read E&P (and still don't), as a white reader I appreciate people like yourself taking the time to point out casual racism in books that purport to promote diversity; I know almost nothing about Korean culture (except that Park's a family name, which is, apparently, more than Rowell knows) and so, while I might get suspicious of an obviously offensive stereotype, there are a lot of other things that I wouldn't recognise as stereotypes as opposed to elements that were based off of actual research. And that's why it's so important to do the damn research, because it influences people's perception of the culture you're supposedly portraying.
My recent post The “Women’s vote” is sexist and has no place in the EU debate

I used to feel guilty about this, but when I asked myself why I realised I really had no idea why I was feeling guilty about skipping posts I'm not interested in. It's not like I'll have anything constructive to say about it, after all; I'll read it and then move onto my next email without the poster having any idea I read it at all.

Besides, I certainly wouldn't want people forcing themselves through posts on my blog out of a sense of obligation! If someone likes my posts enough to be subscribed to my blog, I'll take that as a win; they don't need to make themselves to read posts they're not interested in, too. I figure most bloggers feel the same; we want our posts to be enjoyed, not endured.
My recent post Equality in Worldbuilding