The further they get from Jane Austen, the better the zombie mash-up books become. Enter “Dreadfully Ever After” by Steve Hockensmith, book three in a zombie trilogy that started with “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” which was a combination of Jane Austen’s classic novel of manners set in the early 1800s and contemporary zombie movie mania. The first in the series was “Dawn of the Dreadfuls” ...

Singer-songwriter’s new book tells story of fictional English composer John Wesley Harding is Wesley Stace. That is, Wesley Stace is John Wesley Harding. That is, they’re the same person. Folk-rocker Harding ― intelligent, bardic songwright ― is the nom de rock of Wesley Stace, novelist, whose splendid new book “Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer” is out now. As usual, all sorts of thi...

400-year-old translation still commands a loyal following CHICAGO ― On its 400th anniversary, the King James Version of the Bible is universally recognized as a literary masterpiece that profoundly shaped both modern Christianity and the English language. But at the Bible Baptist Church in Mount Prospect, Illinois, it’s accorded a much higher level of reverence. “Using anything but the King Ja...

A man torn by history Land of Banished By Jo Jung-rae (Jimoondang, 5,000 won) A heart-rending tale of a man warped by the hardships of the Korean War, Jo Jung-rae’s “Land of Banished” vividly portrays a victim of Korea’s checkered history. Mahn-seok, the protagonist, is born into a family of landless peasants in the late 1920s Korea. All the members of his family are servants of a nobleman c...

Journalist takes readers back to future Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live in Now Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Everything By David Sirota (Ballantine Books, $25) Ah, the 1980s. Those carefree years spent spinning the gears of Rubik’s Cubes, popping Pac-Man cartridges into Atari consoles, slipping on legwarmers or parachute pants, and checking out the latest episode...

A restlessness in her soul would not let Gloria House be. She was a graduate student in 1963 studying French at the University of California at Berkeley. But how could she study when four little black girls were blown to bits by dynamite that tore through their Birmingham, Ala., church? And when the bodies of three boys ― two white, one black ― who’d gone south to help black people, were found ...

Poet shares his view on Korea’s 2008 candle-lit protest and its significance Poet Kim Ji-ha thinks Korea’s 2008 candle-lit protest against U.S. beef imports was a crucial moment in world history. “It was the very first protest that was initiated by the most marginalized in the patriarchal society,” Kim said at a literary circle meeting held at the residence of Swedish Ambassador to Korea in Seo...

Essays on mountain, life Story of Dobong Mountain By Pyo Jae-doo (Hansom Publishing House Co., 10,000 won) Former journalist Pyo Jae-doo loves climbing mountains, especially Dobong Mountain in Seoul. He finds the mountain fascinatingly beautiful and therapeutic, offering opportunities for its visitors to connect with nature. Pyo’s newly released book, “Story of Dobong Mountain” consists of ...

Trauma and ethics Three Days in That Autumn By Park Wan-suh (Jimoondang, 5,000 won) Among the many Korean novels dealing with the Korean War (1950-1953), Park Wan-suh’s “Three Days in That Autumn” tells a rare and original account of a female protagonist who tries to overcome her personal trauma while faced with ethical questions surrounding her profession. Raped and pregnat with an unwanted...

‘Focusing on good books, experience: key to success’ As thousands of booksellers around the United States lose their jobs this month at bankrupt Borders, Nicola’s Bookstore buyer Bill Cusimano feels no pain. Here in the cramped back office at this profitable, American independent bookstore, Cusimano is swamped getting new orders in for rush customers, planning events such as the appearance of l...

There is a lot to like in “Couture in the 21st Century,” a collection of essays by prominent fashion designers edited by Deborah Bee, and produced in conjunction with the British department store, Harrods. It’s an excellent way to get a feel for the history of the century-and-a-half -old fashion industry started by Charles Worth in the mid-1800s. However, it also provides some stark contrasts b...