“English Learning Tips Based on English Newspapers ENIE” by Yang Sung-jin; Surprise Publishing (272 pages, 15,000 won) English newspapers in South Korea have a long history. The Korea Herald, for instance, was founded in 1953. With English increasingly playing the role of an international language and mobile phones offering constant access to a vast amount of information, the number of those who can read and absorb news in English is on the rise.But for many Korean learners of English, newspaper

Evangelical Christians and reform-minded Protestants have reason to celebrate the recent publication of “Thinking the Think,” a book that critically engages their cherished beliefs and encourages them to live closer to the Bible. Written by Senior Pastor Lee Jae-hoon of Onnuri Church in Seoul, the 193-page book marks the fifth centennial of Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation in 1517, and introspects the beliefs and practices that dominate Christian lives today.Interwoven in a diverse spread

“Human Acts: A Novel” by Han Kang; Hogarth (224 pages, $22)In May of 1980, the South Korean government turned its guns on its own people, murdering hundreds in the city of Gwangju who had been protesting a military coup and the continuation of martial law.In “Human Acts,” Korean writer Han Kang -- winner of the Man Booker International Prize -- gives us their story, presented in this short novel through seven interwoven vignettes featuring characters who either died in Gwangju in 1980 or are now

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Curling up with a paperback may be a forgotten luxury for many thanks to today’s busy lifestyles, but listening to a book on the go, while shopping or jogging, is fast becoming the new norm.Gone are the cumbersome cassette sets that could cost three times as much as an old-fashioned book and often featured only excerpts to cut down on costs.Now, audiobooks are just a click away and can be uploaded onto a smartphone for the same, if not lower, price as the print edition.Mary Bet

“Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films” By Molly HaskellYale University Press (228 pages, $25)Film critics are not usually celebrated for their sense of charity. They’re not usually celebrated at all, actually. But the celebrated Molly Haskell is not your usual film critic, and she commits the first of her many acts of kindness toward Steven Spielberg in the very title of her new biography.“A Life in Films”? Not “A Life in Movies”? It’s a distinction that means something. It certainly would mean som

US magazine “Playboy” will start issuing a Korean version from June, a South Korean magazine publisher said Tuesday.Playboy Enterprises, the owner of the magazine, has signed a contract with Korea’s Kaya Media Corp. to publish the 63-year-old magazine here. Kaya Media also publishes fashion magazines Marie Claire and Esquire.The Korean edition will cover a wide range of topics including celebrities, social and political issues as well as lifestyle. The US magazine was launched in December 1953 b

Poet Ko Un will receive an award from Italy-based Fondazione Roma, Changbi Publishers said Wednesday.According to the publisher, the poet was chosen as the recipient of the annual award presented to an international poet at the foundation’s “Ritratti di Poesia” international poetry festival.  Ko Un (Changbi Publishers)Previous laureates include Carol Ann Duffy of the UK, Jacobo Cortines of Spain and Adam Zagajewski of Poland. Ko will receive the award at a ceremony to be held Feb. 3. The poetry

“Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire” by Julia Baird; Random House (696 pages, $35)Queen Victoria dominated an age and inspired a word, “Victorian,” to capture the spirit of her time. We tend to see her as a prisoner of that age: dour, unsmiling, repressed; in short, rather Victorian. Julia Baird wants to liberate her from that straitjacket.In her zestful biography, “Victoria the Queen,” Baird, an Australian journalist and columnist for the International Ne

Tributes lie beneath a mural of singer David Bowie by artist Jimmy C in Brixton, south London on Jan. 12, last year. (AP-Yonhap)“David Bowie: The Last Interview and Other Conversations” by David Bowie; Melville House (208 pages, $16.99)The introduction of “David Bowie: The Last Interview and Other Conversations” begins: “David Bowie gave a lot of interviews ... until he didn‘t.”Quirky, well-spoken and charming, the iconic music legend who died of cancer in January at 69 left behind a trove of in

Standing six stories high at the center of downtown Seoul, Jongno Books was Korea’s first multilevel bookstore, established in 1907. It was a haven for writers and thinkers, offering not only Korean books of every kind but also English and Japanese publications, rare in Korea at the time. Stationery and music albums lined a corner of the fourth and fifth floors. It was also the first place to offer fixed prices for books.　Businessmen from nearby offices and students would browse for hours; frien

I‘m ready to give the book the nine-lives prize. How many times has it been ruled obsolete? And yet, people are buying and enjoying print books more than ever.I’ve used an e-reader on occasion, but when it comes to the gift books featured below, there‘s nothing like the printed page for displaying their superior graphics, gorgeous illustrations and well-organized information. There’s something for everyone here, from the lighthearted (“The Aloha Shirt”) to the sublime (“Fireflies”). Browse this

BERLIN (AFP) -- Better known for its electronic music and street art, Berlin is now also home to a budding graphic novel scene in a country that has treated illustrated stories as children‘s literature.Hardly seen in bookstores just a few years ago, German-produced graphic novels now have their dedicated shelves, as not only homegrown artists but also foreign ones find inspiration in Berlin. “It was when I moved here that I felt a need to write,” said Spanish author Alberto Madrigal, who moved t