Jae-Ha Kim

A resident of Santa Barbara, Calif., Chynna Phillips competed last year on “Dancing with the Stars.” She has also released music as part of the Christian pop duo Chynna and Vaughan and does charitable work for organizations such as the Los Angelitos Orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. An accomplished cook who enjoys preparing meals for her children and her husband William Baldwin — even when they’re traveling — Phillips says she doesn’t like to admit she’s 44 years old because “I’m still 21 at heart.”

With multiple best-selling books under the belt, Kyung-sook Shin has rock star status in her native South Korea. Now the 48-year-old author is ready to enter the international market with her latest book, “Please Look After Mom” (Knopf, $24.95). The touching novel — about a family that doesn’t appreciate their mother until after she has mysteriously disappeared — sold more than a million copies in Korea. It has since been released in more than 20 countries and debuted May 1 at number 14 on the New York Times Best Sellers list.

After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, Jordanian pianist Zade Dirani — who is known simply as Zade — began a grassroots effort to let the world know that what the hijackers did was not representative of his people or religion. His four-year tour included performances in synagogues, churches, community centers and homes, as well as the more traditional concert venues.

Sports Illustrated writer Peter King knows his football. The winner of this year’s Dick McCann Memorial Award for his coverage of the game, King has written a new book — Sports Illustrated: Monday Morning Quarterback: A Fully Caffeinated Guide to Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the NFL, which will be in stores Oct. 13. The 52-year-old Boston resident includes his list of all-time favorite players in the book. But here, King tells us about some of his favorite places to travel.