Chilling look at pedophile rings

Catch Me By Lisa Gardner (Dutton)Lisa Gardner’s talent for showing ordinary people caught in the worst time of their lives and then dangling them over a precipice of more danger is polished to a high gloss in the involving and highly entertaining “Catch Me.”Gardner’s 16th novel melds a thrilling police procedural with a gripping personal story of a woman who refuses to be a victim. “Catch Me’s” brisk pace is matched by Gardner’s attention to believable characters. As usual, Gardner peppers her n

Feb. 10, 2012

Eye Read

Glimpse into Joseon’s royal culture Joseon Royal Court Culture Ceremonial and Daily LifeBy Shin Myung-ho(Dolbegae Publishers)Ever wondered what it would be like to be a king during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897)? According to scholar Shin Myung-ho’s intriguing historical account “Joseon Royal Court Culture Ceremonial and Daily Life,” you would very often suffer an eye disease, as you’d spend most of your time reading all sorts of documents, and no one would dare look at your face without your ap

Feb. 10, 2012

Harlem Renaissance collection contains surprising groundbreakers

Last fall, the Library of America released two volumes featuring authors who wrote during the Harlem Renaissance, that vague early 20th-century era when black novelists, artists, poets, musicians, essayists and even publishers pushed black culture to the forefront.The Harlem Renaissance served the purpose, awakening whites to the injustice of racism and assuring blacks that they weren‘t alone.But the stories of the time were often what is now standard fare for Black History Month in February. Di

Feb. 10, 2012

‘Kosher Jesus’ book raises furor

For an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, Shmuley Boteach has a deeply unorthodox streak.The best-selling author and TV host has written books on “Kosher Sex,” “Dating Secrets of the 10 Commandments” and his relationship with the late pop star Michael Jackson.But nothing he has done in a career as one of America’s best-known rabbis has caused quite the stir of his latest book. Even before its publication this month, Boteach came under withering attack in his own Orthodox community, with critics accusing him

Feb. 10, 2012

[Herald Interview] KLTI reaches out to global literary market

Translation institute’s new director Kim stresses importance of international promotion of Korean literatureMore international networking and aggressive marketing are needed to better promote Korean literature overseas, said the newly appointed director of Korea Literature Translation Institute on Wednesday.“What local critics consider as an exceptional piece of literary work here may not be regarded the same way overseas,” Kim Seong-kon told The Korea Herald in his office in Samseong-dong, Seou

Feb. 9, 2012

[Herald Interview] KLTI reaches out to global literary market

Translation institute’s new director Kim stresses importance of international promotion of Korean literatureMore international networking and aggressive marketing are needed to better promote Korean literature overseas, said the newly appointed director of Korea Literature Translation Institute on Wednesday.“What local critics consider as an exceptional piece of literary work here may not be regarded the same way overseas,” Kim Seong-kon told The Korea Herald in his office in Samseong-dong, Seou

Feb. 9, 2012

Book details JFK affair with teen White House intern

NEW YORK (AFP) ― John F. Kennedy carried on an 18-month-long affair with a teenaged White House intern, according to a new book by the woman who claims to have been the late U.S. president’s lover.Excerpts of the shocking memoir, “Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and Its Aftermath,” were released Monday by the New York Post, which said it purchased a copy of the book at a local bookstore, although it is not scheduled for publication until Wednesday.In her tell-all mem

Feb. 7, 2012

Kim named new director of literature translation agency

Professor Kim Seong-kon of Seoul National University has been appointed the new director of Korean Literature Translation Institute, the Culture Ministry announced on Tuesday.Kim, who has been teaching the University’s English literature program since 1984, also served as the director of Seoul National University Press, Seoul International Forum for Literature, and International Association for Contemporary Korea Studies. He also served as the president of the Korean Association of Modern Fictio

Feb. 7, 2012

Went to film school, wound up with a book

Film School By Steve Boman(BenBella Books)I’ve always thought of advanced degrees in filmmaking as finishing school for misfits. Brilliant misfits, some of them. But misfits just the same.Into the film school world stumbles Steve Boman, a former reporter seeking a midlife U-turn. Astoundingly, even to him, the father of three has been accepted into the graduate program at the University of Southern California’s esteemed School of Cinematic Arts, where he will compete against hipsters half his ag

Feb. 3, 2012

Analyzing Elizabeth Taylor as a feminist

The Accidental FeministBy M.G. Lord (Walker & Co.)Elizabeth Taylor was many things: a talented actress whose first star turn came at age 12 in “National Velvet”; an international celebrity whose eight husbands included her “Cleopatra” co-star Richard Burton twice; an AIDS activist long before it became fashionable; a recovering addict, diet book author and friend of Michael Jackson; and a voluptuous, violet-eyed, raven-haired beauty for the ages. But was she a feminist?In a new book published al

Feb. 3, 2012

Scholar delves into the world of Korean tea

The Book of Korean Tea:A Guide to the History, Culture, Philosophy of Korean Tea and Tea Ceremony By Yoo Yang-seok (MyungWon Cultural Foundation) For those familiar with the well-known tea culture of India, China or Japan, it would be surprising to discover Korea’s rich history in tea ceremonies and culture. Known as “darye” in Korean, the ceremonies have been practiced by Korean people for some two thousand years since the ancient Gaya Kingdom (42-562 A.D.). For any tea lover who’d like to expl

Feb. 3, 2012

Two approaches to book criticism

Partway through “Higher Gossip,” the seventh and final collection of reviews and occasional pieces by the late John Updike, I began to understand the problem I’ve always had with the author’s work. It’s pleasant enough ― congenial, intelligent, fluidly written ― but only rarely is it great. As to why this is, “Higher Gossip” offers an unintended answer by revealing not so much the range of Updike’s interests as the chatty conventionality of his ideas.The title, editor Christopher Carduff notes,

Feb. 3, 2012

Late author Park’s life and works once again under spotlight

Special edition Park Wan-suh novels hit bookstores a year after her deathIt’s been exactly a year since the death of celebrated author Park Wan-suh, but her works continue to appeal to readers, scholars and even theater producers.Commemorating the one-year anniversary of her death, the month of January has been filled with Park Wan-suh themed events and publications. Leading publishing houses have been releasing special editions of her works, while the performing arts scene is celebrating her sh

Jan. 31, 2012

U.S. author traces Rimbaud’s mysterious Java journey

KEROBOKAN, Indonesia (AFP) ― In 1876 French poet Arthur Rimbaud joined the Dutch colonial army, sailed to the Indonesian island of Java and then deserted and fled into the jungle. No one knows what happened next.More than 130 years later, an American author followed in the Frenchman’s footsteps to try and solve the mystery.“It’s like a Sherlock Holmes story,” said Jamie James, alluding to the detective work needed to trace where the enigmatic Rimbaud, who was born in 1854 and died just before tu

Jan. 29, 2012

New books in ‘Insight into Korea Series’

New books in ‘Insight into Korea Series’Making the High-Speed Train Fly: Korean Global STI Strategy, Empowering Korea with New InnovationsBy Kim Suk-joon and others(Jimoondang)The Korea Herald’s “Insight into Korea” book series, which previously dealt with key Korean issues including Dokdo, the Korean Wave, and various social and financial topics, has published two more volumes ― this time about the challenges Korea faces in R&D and science and technology. The books ― “Making the High-Speed Trai

Jan. 27, 2012

Book explores handaxes from the early Paleolithic Asia

Handaxes in the Imjin BasinEdited by Yi Seon-bok(SNU Press)Many things remain a mystery about the early Paleolithic period, especially the one of East Asia. Many of the Paleolithic remains found in the region have added to such questions. Most importantly, hand axes, which had been considered some of the most significant remains of the early Paleolithic in Europe and Africa, were not found in Asia until the late 1970s.Yet as the first set of Acheulian-like hand axes were found in Korea’s Imjin R

Jan. 27, 2012

Fresh portrait of a monarch

Sure, why not. Let’s have yet another biography of Elizabeth II, this one as she’s about to mark 60 years on the throne.So what is new to justify Sally Bedell Smith’s massive “Elizabeth the Queen”? What is left to uncover, and what should be left uncovered and unknown in the life of this exemplary lady whose predetermined existence of regal obligation is yawningly unenviable, however bejeweled the box it comes in?Smith’s book answers those questions with a double yes ― yes, there are mercifully

Jan. 27, 2012