Most Popular
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[Weekender] Geeks have never been so chic in Korea
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict
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[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea
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S. Korea's exports of instant noodles surpass $100m for 1st time in April: data
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[Herald Interview] Byun Yo-han's 'unlikable' character is result of calculated acting
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US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies
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[Photo News] Seoul seeks 'best sleeper'
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[KH Explains] Why Korea's so tough on short selling
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US expert says N. Korea might ignore Trump if he returns to White House
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Hiaasen woos young adult readers
Skink ― No SurrenderBy Carl Hiaasen (Knopf)Incisive social commentary akin to Jonathan Swift’s, wrapped in a sly wit and capitalizing on the “only in Florida” goings-on have won Carl Hiaasen legions of fans. And his ability to write the kind of books that appeal to children won him a Newberry Award.Now Hiaasen smoothly transitions his writing to appeal to readers ages 12 and up with “Skink ― No Surrender,” his first young adult novel.“Skink” rightly doesn’t have some of the very adult situations
Oct. 23, 2014
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Compelling study of Dylan’s later life
The second installment of Ian Bell’s two-part biography of Bob Dylan, “Time Out of Mind,” is a compelling, focused examination of the latter half of the elusive singer-songwriter’s life and career, starting off with his acclaimed “Blood on the Tracks” album in 1975 and bringing readers close to the present day. For Dylan’s many obsessive fans, who have been offered a wealth of analyses of this singular artist over the years, Bell delivers the goods. Chapters are heavy with engrossing and sometim
Oct. 16, 2014
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Chicago and ‘The Birth of the Pill’
Chicago journalist Jonathan Eig got the idea for his new book, “The Birth of the Pill,” from a sermon his rabbi gave many years ago.“He was claiming the (birth control) pill was a bigger deal than the airplane, than the A-bomb,” Eig said of Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, then of the Anshe Emet Synagogue on Chicago’s North Side. “At first, I thought he was crazy. Then I came to think maybe he was right.”Eig wondered how the history of something so important could be so quickly forgotten, especially in Ch
Oct. 16, 2014
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‘Full Measure’ is realistic on every level
Full MeasureBy T. Jefferson Parker (St. Martin’s Press)T. Jefferson Parker, known for his crime novels, delivers an emotional and gut-wrenching literary departure that’s miles away from what his fans and readers would expect in “Full Measure.” Patrick Norris returns home after a military tour in Afghanistan. He has been forever changed by the horrors he faced, the people he was forced to kill and the friends he watched die. Patrick is happy to see his family and start a small sport fishing busin
Oct. 16, 2014
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Couple finds lost spark in ‘Brightwell’
Murder at the BrightwellBy Ashley Weaver (Minotaur)At the heart of this light, energetic tale of a group of wealthy eccentrics on holiday at a seaside resort in England emerges a story of a marriage. Yes, there’s a juicy scandal, snobbish comments and petty disagreements among people of a certain class feeling carefree and insular in 1932 Kent. It’s all very Downton Abbey. But “Murder at the Brightwell” by Ashley Weaver also proves to be an insightful look at a marriage that started with a stron
Oct. 16, 2014
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‘Truth Be Told’ has romance, humor
Truth Be ToldBy Hank Phillippi Ryan (Forge)Hank Phillippi Ryan’s latest entry to feature investigative reporter Jane Ryland showcases the author’s ability to balance humor, gripping drama, romance and contemporary issues. In “Truth Be Told,” Ryland is investigating families who have lost their homes due to foreclosure. While onsite at a house that a bank is taking away from a family, Ryland sees police and then the medical examiner arrive. When Detective Jake Brogan arrives on the scene, Ryland
Oct. 16, 2014
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New history of ‘Star Wars’
How Star Wars Conquered the UniverseBy Chris Taylor (Basic Books)“How Star Wars Conquered The Universe” by Chris Taylor is an immensely readable look at the worldwide impact of the “Star Wars” saga over the decades. He calls it “a biography of ‘Star Wars.’”The book covers more than the six movies, cartoons and authorized adaptations. The history includes the fans and their vast creativity and explores the franchise that has become a cultural touchstone with worldwide reach.“I was really very con
Oct. 16, 2014
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Australia’s Flanagan wins Booker fiction prize
LONDON (AP) ― Australian writer Richard Flanagan won the Booker Prize on Tuesday with a visceral book about wartime brutality and its aftermath ― a novel the head of the judging team said was as powerful as a kick in the stomach. Flanagan drew on his father’s experiences as a World War II prisoner of the Japanese for “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” which centers on the Burma Death Railway, built with forced labor at the cost of tens of thousands of lives. Named after a classic work of Japan
Oct. 15, 2014
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Choi In-ho’s novel published in English
The late beloved Korean novelist Choi In-ho (1945-2013)’s novel “Another Man’s City” was published in English in the United States this week. “Another Man’s City” is the author’s last full-length novel written in 2011 before he died in September 2013 at age 68 after a long battle with cancer. The novel centers on protagonist K, who experiences gradual and increasing shifts and changes in everything he believed to be true. Choi In-ho’s “Another Man’s City.” (Dalkey Archive Press)The scenario of t
Oct. 15, 2014
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Finding home in words: Book club serves homeless
MADISON, Wisconsin ― Sipping coffee and nibbling slices of cake, book club members paged through tattered copies of Alice Walker’s novel “Meridian” and discussed the death imagery throughout the first few chapters of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s work.They took turns reading out loud, helping those who had difficulty deciphering some words.All of the paperbacks had been donated. These book club members can’t afford to buy books. And none has bookshelves at home.They don’t have homes.The ho
Oct. 15, 2014
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Tory Burch book gives look at what inspires her
DALLAS (AP) ― Tory Burch’s new book is all about color, a compilation of the influences that inspire her, from people to music to art to culture to travel to home design.“It’s this eclectic mix, and that’s really what our company’s about as well, so it made perfect sense. It was really taking all the references that inspire us,” Burch told The Associated Press while in Dallas for an event Friday to kick off the release of her first book.“Tory Burch in Color,” set to be released Tuesday by Abrams
Oct. 14, 2014
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Nobel prize boosts Modiano’s book sales
Following the announcement of French novelist Patrick Modiano as the recipient of this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature, on Oct. 9, domestic sales of his books have boosted. Modiano’s titles, including his renowned 1978 novel “Missing Person” had been introduced in Korea, but never appeared among the top-selling titles in the past. According to Kyobo Bookstore, the country’s largest book chain, a total of 1,200 books written by Modiano have been sold since last Thursday ― 300 in stores and 900 o
Oct. 13, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Young writers debut on global literary scene
When people think of Korea, many identify the country with K-pop, TV dramas and, to a lesser extent, films. As the Korean wave, or Hallyu, has been shaped around the popular Korean culture, the country is taking the chance to prove the excellence of other aspects of Korean culture. This time, young Korean writers and editors have gathered to introduce contemporary Korean literature. Under the title “K-fiction,” the project has released Korean-English translations of short stories by young, emerg
Oct. 9, 2014
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Kim Young-ha probes into modern Korean society in new essay
Kim Young-ha, one of South Korea’s most celebrated novelists of his generation, has published a book of essays titled “See,” collating his thoughts and observances of changes in Korean society since his return from New York in 2012.The much-awaited book came five years after his previous collection of essays “Remember What You Have Lost” was published in 2009. “I used to live like a radio station from a government in exile,” Kim wrote of his motivation for the book. “I once believed that my job
Sept. 22, 2014
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Journalist’s memoir lacks personal insight
Foreign Correspondent: A MemoirBy H.D.S. Greenway(Simon & Schuster)A memoir is defined as a written account in which someone describes past experiences. Longtime journalist David Greenway certainly does that in “Foreign Correspondent: A Memoir.” Working for Time, The Washington Post and others, he covered nearly every significant historical conflict during the past half-century from Vietnam and Israel to Afghanistan and Iraq. Greenway’s book serves as an excellent primer to America’s history of
Sept. 18, 2014
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Professor looks at economics of slavery
The image of the genteel, benevolent Southern slave owner was the creation of early 20th century artists and writers like D.W. Griffith and Margaret Mitchell. Life on the antebellum plantation, they led us to believe, was as languid as a slow-moving river winding through magnolia trees.At about the same time, American historians were writing the first analyses of slave-centered Southern society. Slavery was an economically inefficient institution, they argued. For slave owners, profit was a seco
Sept. 18, 2014
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‘Hold the Dark’ no simple crime story
Hold the DarkBy William Giraldi (Liveright) If dark, violent novels aren’t usually my cup of tea, why did “Hold the Dark” exert such a hold over me, right from the start? “Hold the Dark” begins simply enough ― wolves have taken three children from a tiny Alaska hamlet. Medora Slone, mother of the most recent missing child, beckons Russell Core, a nature writer who has become a wolf expert after living with them for a year in Yellowstone, to her village that is so far off the grid that it doesn’t
Sept. 18, 2014
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Novel with vivid sense of Japan
Tokyo KillBy Barry Lancet (Simon & Schuster)Art, social issues, culture and, yes, war ― all the things that make or break a society ― converge in Barry Lancet’s exciting second novel about antiques dealer Jim Brodie, who inherited his father’s Tokyo-based private investigation and personal protection firm. Lancet delves deep to illustrate the intricacies of Asian culture in “Tokyo Kill,” while also delivering a believable, action-packed plot. The combination of Brodie’s occupations might seem od
Sept. 18, 2014
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‘Blind Spot’ picks up Jesse Stone novels
Robert B. Parker’s Blind SpotBy Reed Farrel Coleman (Putnam)Although Robert B. Parker died in 2010, stories about iconic Boston private eye Spenser have continued through novels by Ace Atkins. Now award-winning author Reed Farrel Coleman takes up the mantle by continuing the Jesse Stone novels with “Robert B. Parker’s Blind Spot.” In his first outing with Jesse Stone, Coleman deftly captures the nuances of this character who Parker introduced in 1997 and featured in nine novels. Parker was caref
Sept. 18, 2014
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Historic fantasy to inspire youth
Most people in their 70s slow down when it comes to work and settle into the comfort of retirement ― but not Daisy Lee Yang. Instead, the former teacher, doctorate in comparative and international education, diplomat’s wife, and loving grandmother pursued a new chapter in her life. She decided to write a novel with a superhero whom her grandchildren can look up to. The result is “Lady Bora from Diamond Mountain,” a historical fantasy novel of a super heroine during the Joseon era (1392-1910). Th
Sept. 18, 2014