Most Popular
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
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Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
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Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
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Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
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[Graphic News] More Koreans say they plan long-distance trips this year
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[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
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North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
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Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
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Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
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Belgian author creates stir with tale of ice-cold revenge
FRANKFURT (AFP) - She's a literary sensation whose debut novel has sold over 100,000 copies, yet unless you speak Dutch you’ve probably never heard of writer Lize Spit. But all that's about to change as publishers line up to translate her dark tale of friendship and betrayal.Why would a traumatized young woman return to her hometown with a block of ice in her car?It is this question at the heart of “The Melting” that has gripped readers and caused a stir unlike any other Dutch-language debut in
Oct. 20, 2016
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Novel looks at life as damaged goods in violent Minnesota
“The Heavens May Fall”By Allen EskensSeventh Street Books (300 pages, $15.95)In Allen Eskens’ novels, Minnesota is a dark, violent place. His recurring characters routinely wrestle with loss, loneliness and loathing as they work their way through the carefully plotted mayhem imagined by the lawyer turned mystery writer.Eskens’ third book, “The Heavens May Fall,” is not exactly part of a trilogy, but it does follow a familiar pattern with familiar names. Minneapolis detective Max Rupert, who appe
Oct. 19, 2016
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French woman smitten by America in ‘Champagne Baby’
“Champagne Baby” By Laure DugasBallantine (316 pages, $26)In many a light memoir or novel, an American moves to Europe and is transformed. “Champagne Baby” upends that theme - and lots of cultural assumptions. Laure Dugas, who comes from a French winemaking family, moves to New York for what’s supposed to be a six-month job and finds herself surprised and smitten by America -- “Blasphemous!” she says playfully.Despite its bubbly title, her story is mature, thoughtful and well written. It’s half
Oct. 19, 2016
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Ready to start your fall reading list? 13 suggestions
There’s something about a crisp fall day that just makes you want to curl up in an armchair and read a good book, right? (Preferably, as is often the case at my house, with a purring cat squeezed in next to you.) Here are some fall reading ideas from the season’s new crop of paperbacks, perhaps destined for an armchair near you.Fiction“Harbour Street,” by Ann Cleeves (Minotaur Books, $16.99). This tale of a murder investigation during the holidays is the sixth installment in Cleeves’ popular Bri
Oct. 19, 2016
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A stranger-than-fiction tale of a murder conspiracy, among posh Brits
Suppose you had a secret. A secret that would cost you your career, your friends and your place in a very stratified society. The list of things you shouldn’t do is pretty basic: don’t put anything on paper, don’t tell anyone and don’t continually plan a homicide in earshot of your colleagues.Yet all of those are exactly what Jeremy Thorpe, a charismatic and nattily dressed Liberal member of Parliament, did, and he ended up “in the dock,” as the English say, on charges of conspiracy to murder, i
Oct. 19, 2016
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83-year-old US Supreme Court judge Ginsburg is pop culture icon
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Known for her lacy white collars and fastidious vocabulary, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg seems like a figure from a bygone era in the austere chambers of the US Supreme Court.Yet the “Notorious RBG” is a liberal trailblazer, championing progressive views that have made the 83-year-old a beloved pop culture icon.The doyenne of the venerable court has a new book out, “My Own Words,” a compilation of her writings and speeches that shine with finely crafted arguments.Its publicati
Oct. 19, 2016
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Nobel panel gives up knockin’ on Dylan’s door
STOCKHOLM (AFP) -- The Swedish Academy says it has given up trying to reach Bob Dylan, days after it awarded him the Nobel Prize in literature.“Right now we are doing nothing. I have called and sent emails to his closest collaborator and received very friendly replies. For now, that is certainly enough,” the academy’s permanent secretary, Sara Danius, told state radio SR on Monday.So far the American troubadour has responded with silence since he won the prize Thursday. He gave a concert in Las
Oct. 18, 2016
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Frankfurt fair shakes up book world with art, tech gadgets
FRANKFURT (AFP) - There will still be more books than you could ever read, but visitors to this week’s Frankfurt Book Fair will also be invited to don virtual reality goggles, visit an interactive classroom and discover 3-D-printed art as publishers plug into new technology.Organizers of the world’s largest publishing event say the focus on art and technology is a logical next step as the creative industries become ever more connected.The fair, which opens on Wednesday and is expected to draw so
Oct. 17, 2016
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Lawrence Ferlinghetti on Nobel: ‘Bravo for Dylan’
NEW YORK (AP) -- Lawrence Ferlinghetti, one of the last links to the early days of the Beat poetry movement, never doubted the artistry of Bob Dylan or his worthiness of the Nobel prize.“Bravo for Dylan, Nobel Laureate!” the poet, publisher and bookstore owner told the Associated Press in an email Friday, a day after Nobel judges stunned, delighted and also dismayed the world by making the singer-songwriter its latest winner of the literature prize.Dylan was close to Allen Ginsberg and other Bea
Oct. 17, 2016
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Cho Chong-nae’s ‘The Human Jungle’ available in English
Korean historical fiction writer Cho Chong-nae’s epic tome “The Human Jungle” has been published in English by Chin Music Press Inc., a San Francisco-based company. The novel, which portrays China through its turbulent struggle of being an industrial hegemon, has sold over 1.8 million copies in Korea. It is a muckraking drama as well as a transnational love story encompassing migrant workers, Korean manufacturers, high-flying venture capitalists, street thugs and shakedown artists. “The picture
Oct. 12, 2016
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Today will be different. Except, of course, it won't
“Today Will Be Different” By Maria SempleLittle, Brown (336 pages, $27)Maria Semple understands women on the verge -- she just likes to have a little fun at their (our?) expense. She’s empathetic, sure, but as a former television writer (“Arrested Development,” among other shows) with a formidable sense of humor, she can‘t help but reflect sardonically on bad decisions, questionable behavior, neurotic lapses and self-sabotage.In her first book, “This One is Mine,” a TV writer-turned-stay-at-home
Oct. 12, 2016
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More irresistible tails from a cat-loving man
“Close Encounters of the Furred Kind: New Adventures with My Sad Cat & Other Feline Friends” By Tom CoxThomas Dunne (265 pages, $24.99)Fans of cat man Tom Cox and his merry band of pets can rejoice -- his fourth book about life with four demanding cats is available on our shores. Those who don't know Cox or his wildly popular social media accounts (@MYSADCAT, @MYSWEARYCAT, @Cox _ Tom, plus Facebook and Instagram) will want to get better acquainted after reading this charming book.“Close Encounte
Oct. 12, 2016
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How pianist Van Cliburn captured Russian hearts
“Moscow Nights” By Nigel CliffHarper (452 pages, $28.99)In 1958, at the height of the Cold War, a gangly young Texan with an impressive mop of blond curls and an aw-shucks manner traveled to the Soviet Union to take part in the first International Tchaikovsky Competition. Sputnik had just been launched, and the Russians were swaggering.The music competition was intended as Soviet propaganda, and there was almost no question that a Russian would win. The event took place in Moscow; most of the ju
Oct. 12, 2016
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Nicholas Sparks debuts 20th novel, “Two By Two”
“Two By Two” By Nicholas Sparks(Grand Central Publishing)In 1996, Nicholas Sparks introduced the world to Allie and Noah in his best-selling novel “The Notebook.” Their story became an overnight sensation. Two decades later, Sparks continues to prove he's an expert in exploring real world challenges in a believable romantic genre. His twentieth work, “Two By Two,” extends his impressive collection of literary tales. Russell Green is living a dream life. His young daughter, London, is adorable; h
Oct. 12, 2016
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Caroline Leavitt writes of off-kilter ’60s America
For fans of Emma Cline’s best-selling debut “The Girls,” Caroline Leavitt’s “Cruel Beautiful World” offers another opportunity to spend time in the wild, off-kilter America of the late 1960s, the period when peace-and-love idealism began to curdle into something far less wholesome, a period reigned over in the collective imagination by Charles Manson. Leavitt‘s title and lovely period book cover get it just right.While Cline placed her teenage protagonist in the middle of a fictionalized Manson
Oct. 12, 2016
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Feminist icon Gloria Steinem talks about life on the road
Gloria Steinem was under the weather.Her famously level gaze that for decades could silently convey “Really?” looked only weary as she sipped pomegranate juice to ease a cough.Always svelte, Steinem now tips toward frail, yet padded about barefoot in the India-infused garden level of her New York City duplex, rocking a flamingo-pink T-shirt and black slacks.To update her famous retort about age: This is what 82 looks like.Steinem's hair, with its iconic middle part, mingles gray with blond. No,
Oct. 12, 2016
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Korean writer, translator launch US book tour
As part of a move to help promote Korean literature abroad, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea is hosting book launch events in various US cities.The books to be unveiled are Bae Su-ah’s “The Essayist’s Desk” and “Recitation,” which will be released by Open Letter Books in October and Deep Vellum Publishing in January next year, respectively. Korean novelist Bae Su-ah (Literature Translation Institute of Korea)The marketing events will be held between Oct. 5 and Oct. 14 in New York, S
Oct. 5, 2016
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Poetry of life’s paradoxes in ‘Belly Button Disc’
“Whether the cow is brown, black or spotted, its milk is all white,” Kim Dong-ho muses in “White Milk,” included in his newly published compilation of translated poems “Belly Button Disc.”The book comprises 56 selected poems originally written by Kim in Korean and co-translated into English by Kim Won-chung, professor of English literature at Sungkyunkwan University, and poet-translator Ko Chang-soo. In his work, 82-year-old poet Kim examines life’s mysteries and the world from a Taoistic persp
Oct. 5, 2016
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A writer’s wisdom of the ages -- at 60
“Sixty: A Diary of My Sixty-First Year: The Beginning of the End, or the End of the Beginning?” By Ian BrownThe Experiment (320 pages, $24.95)As a cranky wit and a wondrous observer, Ian Brown has a compelling take on the joys and agonies of growing older. His pleasures are your pleasures, and his fears will feel as familiar as old friends.Does Brown relish having turned 60? Hardly. He seems a little stunned by it — ambushed and wounded. It’s as if the thought of turning 60 caught up with him in
Oct. 5, 2016
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Pulitzer prize journalist takes on Donald Trump
Over an election season dominated by blatant flip-flops and lofty claims, there is one position that Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump has stood by firmly: He hates the media.But his strong and often times brutal disdain for reporters is surprising, given that in his four decades in the public light, no one has been able to take him down. Not a single newspaper article has prevented him from getting this close to the presidency, and for that he should be thankful.Because Trump has
Oct. 5, 2016