A ghostbusting mystery

Help for the HauntedBy John Searles (William Morrow)The title of John Searles’ captivating third thriller, “Help for the Haunted,” refers to the headline of a personal ad run by the late Sylvester Mason when he and his wife set up shop as Christian ghostbusters. In the years preceding their shooting in a church ― a scene that opens the book ― the couple became well-known due to a muckraking book by a local reporter.The events surrounding her parents’ murder are narrated by Sylvie, 14, now in the

Sept. 26, 2013

The Ephron sisters, united by words

 Sister Mother Husband Dog: EtcBy Delia Ephron(Blue Rider)When filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron was in the hospital last year undergoing treatment for leukemia, she sent her younger sister, Delia Ephron, a bouquet of flowers ― not just any flowers, but “two-dozen gorgeous plump peach roses in full bloom,” as Delia recalls in her new essay collection, “Sister Mother Husband Dog: Etc.”The gesture was thoughtful, but it was also, according to Ephron, “a heartbreaking way to have a bit of control” ―

Sept. 26, 2013

A wistful romance in the City of Light

It’s Not Love, It’s Just ParisBy Patricia Engel (Grove)Patricia Engel sets her first novel in late ’90s Paris, where recent college graduate Lita del Cielo arrives to take language classes for a year. It’s a respite of sorts as she attempts to forestall the expectations of her Colombian immigrant parents, who arrived in the United States with nothing and built a Latin food empire in short order.Twenty-year-old Lita is to live in the House of Stars, a crumbling old mansion on the Left Bank. Her l

Sept. 12, 2013

‘Deceived’ explores dark side of fishing

DeceivedBy Randy Wayne White (Putnam)Randy Wayne White has made Florida’s Gulf Coast an iconic part of crime fiction with his novels about Marion “Doc” Ford.His new heroine Hannah Smith, introduced in last year’s “Gone,” isn’t a substitute for Ford. But she is an intriguing enough character to make readers look forward to her second appearance in the suspenseful “Deceived.” Smith, a Gulf Coast fishing guide who inherited a nearly defunct private detective agency from her uncle, lives near Ford’s

Sept. 12, 2013

Maya Angelou to receive honorary book award

NEW YORK (AP) ― The book world is finally honoring Maya Angelou.The poet and author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” will be this year’s recipient of the Literarian Award, an honorary National Book Award for contributions to the literary community, the National Book Foundation announced last Thursday. It is the first major U.S. literary prize for the 85-year-old Angelou, who has been celebrated everywhere from the Grammy Awards to the White House. She has received three Grammys for best spok

Sept. 12, 2013

Salinger gone awry: an explanation

When news emerged three years ago that filmmaker Shane Salerno and writer David Shields were working on a lengthy oral biography (with accompanying documentary) about J.D. Salinger, I assumed it would be all smoke and no fire. Salinger, after all, had gone to ground after the publication of his novella “Hapworth 16, 1924” in the June 19, 1965, issue of the New Yorker; even in the wake of his death, in January 2010 at age 91, his estate had preserved the silence of his final 45 years.What had he

Sept. 12, 2013

Pessl’s strange ‘Night Film’ mesmerizes

Night FilmBy Marisha Pessl (Random)Labeling the films of enigmatic director Stanislas Cordova “scary” is a grotesque understatement. Cordova ― the unseen, menacing, malignant force at the heart of Marisha Pessl’s new novel ― makes movies that are terrifying, catastrophic; they are hypnotic black holes into which viewers plunge and emerge shaken and obsessed.“Maybe your next-door neighbor found one of his movies in an old box in her attic and never entered a dark room alone again,” the prologue s

Sept. 5, 2013

‘Year of What Now’ is really a ‘what if?’

The Year of What NowBy Brian Russell (Graywolf)On the surface, Brian Russell’s first book of poems, “The Year of What Now,” seems nothing if not traditional.Winner of this year’s Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference Bakeless Prize, it reads as a confessional, a sequence of reflections by a man whose wife is undergoing treatment for cancer.But if part of Russell’s purpose is to explore the dynamics of a relationship stretched by crisis, there is something else at work here also ― an exploration of genr

Sept. 5, 2013

PEN to honor Joan Didion

What do Harrison Ford and Joan Didion have in common? They’ll both be at the PEN Center USA awards dinner in October, where he will present her with the lifetime achievement award. Their connection is personal rather than literary: The actor and author have known each other since 1971, when the not-yet movie star built her beach house.“He was a carpenter,” she explains by phone from New York. “I was happy with his work ― and even happier with his presence in the house because he was a great mora

Sept. 5, 2013

Book explores retirement trends in Korea

A recently published collection of academic papers explores retirement trends in the Korean job market, focusing on the impact of forced retirement at a young age ― mid-50s for most workers ― and how it affects individuals. Coedited by scholars Thomas R. Klassen and Yang Yun-jeong, the book, titled “Korea’s Retirement Predicament: The Aging Tiger,” comprises a total of 10 academic papers regarding retirement issues in Korea and overseas, including income security for the elderly, retirement pens

Sept. 5, 2013

Civil Rights struggle brought black literature to fore

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― In the half century since Martin Luther King’s march on Washington came to symbolize the Civil Rights struggle, black literature has found its place at the heart of American culture.Before the era of King’s march, which was marked on Wednesday when huge crowds returned to the scene of his speech on the National Mall, books by African Americans were little known and rarely studied or celebrated.But, as America learned to accept black citizens into its political mainstream and s

Aug. 29, 2013

Pinpointing contemporary nightmares

The Dying HoursBy Mark Billingham (Grove Atlantic)British author Mark Billingham’s talent for sculpting intensely dark police procedurals complements his skill at pinpointing believable contemporary nightmares.At the helm is Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, a good cop, an insightful investigator and often a loose cannon, going off on his own hunches. That he often is right still doesn’t sit right with his supervisors. But Billingham uses Tom more as a mirror reflecting the changing times, the hor

Aug. 29, 2013

Landlady snoops in ‘Affairs of Others’

The Affairs of OthersBy Amy Grace Loyd (Picador)“The Affairs of Others,” a debut novel by Amy Grace Loyd, former literary editor of Playboy, has such an intense and heady narrative voice that it recalls those occasions when a substance one has just ingested is a whole lot stronger than expected. One is overwhelmed by the scent of a gardenia, by disturbing sounds from the upstairs apartment, or perhaps by the features on the face of the policeman who has just knocked at the door.“ ... (H)e pulsed

Aug. 29, 2013

Countries in turmoil subject of Lonely Planet founder’s new book ‘Dark Lands’

NEW YORK (AP) ― Tony Wheeler wrote his first travel book with his wife Maureen in 1973 after driving across Europe and Asia. It sold 1,500 copies in a week and launched a guidebook empire called Lonely Planet. The Wheelers made a fortune when the BBC bought the company in 2007 before the recession, but the BBC sold the company earlier this year at a huge loss. Meanwhile Wheeler, 66, is still doing what he built the brand on: traveling the world and writing about it. His newest book, “Dark Lands,

Aug. 29, 2013

Between identity and assimilation

While literary works by Korean writers such as Shin Kyung-sook and Kim Young-ha are rising to prominence overseas, especially in the U.S., a scholar’s latest book focuses on something similar yet different: the works of literature produced by Korean immigrants in America and their descendants. A meaningful scholarly achievement in Korean Diaspora studies, the book explores the lives of Korean-American writers and their often multi-layered and autobiographical works.  The book, titled “Understand

Aug. 29, 2013

Comics + math = entertainment

Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book UniverseBy Tim Leong (Chronicle)“Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe” demands a soft toilet seat and, I estimate, 17.4 hours of your time. That’s a compliment. In fact, if you don’t own a bathroom, build one immediately so you may luxuriate for obnoxiously long, undisturbed stretches with artist Tim Leong’s self-described “love letter to the medium,” an absorbing, wonderfully unnecessary pairing of inventive, beautiful designs

Aug. 22, 2013