Ideologies and familiesAn Appointment with My BrotherBy Yi Mun-yol(Jimoondang, 5,000 won)Based on author Yi Mun-yol’s personal family history and literary imagination, “An Appointment with My Brother” tells a moving tale of a Korean family separated by the two Koreas’ ideological differences.The narrator, whose father voluntarily defected to North Korea a few years after the Korean War, is a unive

Rarely does a writer immersed in the world of academia publish a first novel that becomes an international success, but that’s what happened to Kim Edwards.In 2005, the University of Kentucky creative-writing professor followed her award-winning 1997 short-story collection “The Secrets of a Fire King” with “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter,” which enjoyed 122 weeks on the New York Times’ bestseller li

Seattle-area writer Matt Briggs has published six books. In 1999 his first novel got a half-page review in The New York Times Book Review, the literary equivalent of winning the lottery.That’s the good news. Here’s the rest of the story:―The initial print run of his first book, “The Remains of River Names,” was 600 copies. Because of the national exposure it immediately sold out, but the publisher

CHICAGO ― When it comes to that ever-curious species, the human consumer, peering through crystal balls is a long-practiced and practically irresistible art. Especially when we’re entering a new year, and we’re itching to know what the days ahead might bring.In the food department, we’re eager to know what we might find on our plates, in grocery aisles and on the pages of all the foodie slicks tha

Sheraton Grande WalkerhillThe hotel offers a “Welcome 2011” package from Jan. 28 to Feb. 6. The package, at 158,000 won, includes a one night stay at the Douglas House and a buffet breakfast at the View. Another option starting from 178,000 won includes a one night stay in a deluxe room of the hotel’s main building, a buffet breakfast and a welcome gift of handmade LUSH soap. On Feb. 2, a day befo

Dozens of birds drank themselves to death in eastern Romania, reported Australia’s Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.According to the report, the incident occurred just few days after thousands of birds and fish died suddenly in the United States, Britain, Sweden, Italy and other parts of the world.  Dead birds on a street of Lousiana, US (AP)Romeu Lazar, head of the local sanitary and veterinary

A fronzen waterfall at Mount Huangsan in ChinaA frozen waterfall at Mount Huangshan, a celebrated scenic spot in East China's Anhui province, attracts a photographer on Jan 13, 2011. A mass icefall formed when temperatures dropped at Liuguijian Waterfall, the origin of three rivers in the Huanshan scenic area [China Daily / Xinhua]An icefall adds to Mount Huangshan's winter scenery on Jan 12, 2011

Hyundai's GrandeurHyundai Motor Co. released its fifth-generation Grandeur in Seoul on Jan. 13. The sedan, sold as the Azera in overseas markets, has two models with a 2.4-liter gasoline direction injection (GDI) engine or a 3.0-liter GDI engine. (Yonhap News)

Beijing resident Lily Liu has always liked driving fast, and she doesn’t mind spending to indulge that passion.Liu, 44, bought a gray Porsche AG 911 Carrera S two years ago for 1.2 million yuan ($182,000) and is shopping for an Aston Martin, the sports car made famous by James Bond movies. The construction company president said she is “quite proud” of being the center of attention when she motors

A number of women are “queuing up” to have sex with a Singaporean man after he posted recordings of him having sex with his female partners on his blog.Apparently, these women wanted to “check out” Gary Ng’s skill in bed after seeing what he was capable of.Sin Chew Daily said Ng, 28, was nicknamed Edison Chen after the Hong Kong heartthrob who was embroiled in a sex scandal two years ago which imp

Dangerous stunts using motorcycles and cars won’t impress viewers for much longer -- motorized action just got bigger with dancing bulldozers.  (Captured from a Telegraph video clip)In a short video clip published by The Telegraph website, bulldozer driver Cao Bing balances the front wheels of his vehicle while lifting the back wheels off the ground. Although Bing makes the moves look effortless,

Seoul’s fresh plans to control inflation announced Thursday would provide only temporary relief to the market as authorities could do only so much to stabilize price volatilities aroused by overseas supplies, economists said. A pan-government task force headed by the Finance Ministry unveiled a package of action plans mobilizing all administrative power to secure supply of crops and freeze public