Local authors offer new short stories, humorous tales and an ode to audio technology, along with an attractive journal for jotting notes.

“Made in Hawaii”

Cedric Yamanaka

Guernica, $17.95, 222 pages

Sad, funny and memorable characters fill the pages of “Made in Hawaii,” the second collection of short stories by Cedric Yamanaka, a former journalist who now works in communications at The Queen’s Medical Center.

They include a father taking his son fishing to share difficult news; a woman lost at sea while walking a reef; and a real estate agent and a martial artist who develop an unlikely relationship.

Yamanaka is currently working on a novel. His first short story collection, “In Good Company,” was published in 2001.

He is a recipient of the Helen Deutsch Fellowship for Creative Writing from Boston University, the Ernest Hemingway Memorial Award for Creative Writing from the University of Hawaii, and the Cades Award for Literature.

— Pat Gee, Star-Advertiser

“Mark Twain’s Hawaii: A Humorous Romp through History”

John Richard Stephens

TwoDot, $26.95, 472 pages

Local resident and author John Richard Stephens accompanies Mark Twain as the quintessential American writer and humorist journeys throughout ­Hawaii for the first time. Twain is clearly enamored.

In “Mark Twain’s Hawaii,” Stephens expands on Twain’s written accounts as he explores the islands in 1866, fleshing out historical details and putting the visitor’s comments into cultural perspective. He incorporates personal reminiscences by others who met Twain at the time.

In one passage on multiple diners sharing a big bowl of poi, Twain describes the unsanitary dipping of fingers into the Hawaiian staple with exaggeration, surmising that everyone’s germs added to its flavor, but a companion later noticed that Twain seemed to relish it on an overnight stay with a local family.

Stephens is the author and editor of 23 books, including “Wyatt Earp Speaks.”

— Pat Gee, Star-Advertiser

“Petroglyphs of Hawaii, Na Ki‘i Pohaku (Art on the Rocks)”

Lynn Cook

Bess Press, $18.95, 144 pages

Those who enjoy writing down their thoughts or keeping notes in a nice journal will find interesting facts and simple drawings alongside the blank spaces in Lynn Cook’s “Petroglyphs of Hawaii, Na Ki‘i Pohaku (Art on the Rocks).” Cook’s illustrations hark back to an ancient world that honors Hawaii’s past. For more information, call Bess Press at 808-734-7159.

— Pat Gee, Star-Advertiser

“The Perfect Sound: A Memoir in Stereo”

Garrett Hongo

Pantheon Books, $30, 544 pages

There are surfers who travel the world searching for the perfect wave. Garrett Hongo, an academic and poet by profession, tells the story of a comparable search with “The Perfect Sound.” Audiophiles who share Hongo’s passion will enjoy his detailed account of his search for the perfect sound system, his encounters with collectors of vintage audio equipment and the larger history of audio technology.

There is a second story of more general interest here as well. Hongo, 71, was born on the Big Island but grew up in Los Angeles in the 1950s and ’60s where Asians were a minority. Music became his point of contact with like-minded people across ethnic and racial lines.

The small print advises readers that some individuals’ names and certain identifying details have been changed to protect their privacy. Whatever the changes may be, they don’t change the vividness of Hongo’s storytelling.

— John Berger, Star-Advertiser