The Stranger Within Sarah SteinBy Thane Rosenbaum (Texas Tech University Press)Young adult novelists are increasingly tackling darker subjects: kidnappings, drugs, rape. But few have delved into so many dark subjects as novelist Thane Rosenbaum, who ventures into YA territory with his latest, “The Stranger Within Sarah Stein,” a novel revolving around divorce, Sept. 11, homelessness and the Holocaust.What might be most odd about this combination of subjects is that the book isn’t glum at all. To

Most children want to be recognized as someone special. In “The False Prince,” Jennifer A. Nielsen takes that desire to an extreme with a romp of a medieval-themed, middle-grade novel. This kickoff to her new “Ascendance Trilogy” is a swashbuckling origin story about orphans forced to compete with one another for a chance to take the crown.The book opens with a boy running through the streets being chased by a cleaver-wielding butcher hoping to retrieve a stolen roast. The thief is Sage, a misch

“Lately I have been overcome by an urge to put my affairs in order,” Peter Freund read, and within moments another world began to materialize in Sandmeyer’s Bookstore.It was postwar Europe, a place of deception and danger for a Romanian Jewish couple masquerading as Catholics in the German town of Dachau.In this and in Freund’s other stories, people try to glue together the shards of shattered worlds and lives. They fight for lost fortunes, outwit Swiss bankers, encounter spies and betrayers, ar

Need a bottle of kosher wine for the holidays? Look no further than this second vintage of Red C Sauvignon Blanc from Covenant Wines. Made with fruit from the Dry Creek Valley’s Allan Nelson Vineyard, this is a beautiful example of Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc. Jeff Morgan just let the natural yeasts do their thing, and the 2011 Red C is grassy with ripe golden fruit tempered by a bright thread of acidity and an appealing minerality.● Price: About $22● Style: Crisp and nuanced● What it goes with: Smok

Sogalbigui is a dish of beef ribs that are pre-marinated with soy sauce seasoning, then grilled over a charcoal fire. This is a favorite dish for many Koreans. Sogalbigui may have originated from maejeok which was a method of barbecuing skewered pre-seasoned beef over a charcoal fire. Ingredients● 4 ea beef short ribs on the bone ● minced garlic, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tbsp sesame salt, 1 tbsp sesame oil ● 1 tbsp edible oil, 1 tbsp pine nuts ● seasoning (1): 40 g pear juice, 1 tbsp ref

The Henry Ford Museum is readying a sold-out dinner for 400 as it opens “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition,” which begins a long run in Dearborn, Mich., on March 31. In Royal Oak, Mich., a Titanic dinner will kick off the Stagecrafters’ production of “Titanic: The Musical.”The Kirby House, a bed-and-breakfast in Saugatuck, will put on its annual Titanic dinner, and in Alma, the public library will be turned into a ship’s dining hall for a buffet-style affair for 125.Titanic enthusiast David McMac

Seasoned chef’s hotspot attracting crowds with good food in picturesque settingIt is hard for a restaurant to get everything perfect. In an ideal world, decor, food (from savory to sweet), service, pricing and surroundings would all blend seamlessly together to create the ultimate dining experience. Alas, in reality, that is no easy feat.Newly minted hotspot Cuisson82, however, comes pretty close to it. Given its idyllic location near Yangjae Stream, its rustic French fare and well-mannered staf

Scandinavian designs hot in furniture and household itemsIt is not difficult to detect a notable trend in the living section in department stores and in design magazines: a lot of things have gone extremely simple, eco-friendly, with few vivid accent colors. Because most of the popular furniture and warm and cozy household items like lamps and rugs with such designs are made by brands based in northern European countries, they are summed up as “Scandinavian” or “Nordic” designs and are stirring

Singer Kim Jang-hoon and Sungshin Women’s University professor Seo Kyoung-duk placed an advertisement in the New York Times on Wednesday, requesting compensation or a public apology from the Japanese government to former sex slaves for the Japanese military. Headlined “Do You Hear?,” the ad shows a photo of Korean elderly women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II and explains that they have been holding weekly protests outside the Japanese Embassy in

Lee Young-hye, head of publishing company Design House, was appointed as director of 2013 Gwangju Design Biennale on Wednesday. Lee started her career as a reporter at monthly magazine Design and later became the publisher. Leading one of the biggest art and lifestyle magazine publishing companies, Design House, Lee published many art and lifestyle magazines including “My Wedding,” “Enfant” and “Luxury.” The company also runs “Seoul Living Design Fair” which has been held every spring since 2002