When did you last read a good book whilst living in Thailand?

[GBW]

25 minutes ago, nikmar said:

imreally enjoying this thread. Due to my aversion to Thai tV and the rubbish my missis sits in fronmt of, books are a bit of a life line for me  so Im picking some ideas from here.

 

Im suprised no ones mentioned the John Connolly "Charlie Parker" series. Good detective stories with a bit of supernatural thrown in as well.

Author Robert G Barrett....   series of books about 'Les Norton' and his antics.  Also, autobiographies by Jimmy Barnes,  'Working class boy'and 'Working class man'. thats if you are in to the Australian music...

Cheers GBW 

[edandpranee]

Mitchner, Anthony Gray, James Cavelle, Wilbur Smith, James Patterson, Eric Lustbader, Nelson Demille, John Grisham, 

Brad Thor, Jack Silkstone, Clive Cussler, Anne Rice and Ken Follett are some of my favorite authors I've read while in Thailand.  I might also add altho I forget the author"The girl with the Dragon Tattoo"  it's the first of 4 books.  I read on a Kindle and download my books from Amazon

 

[PaulDee]

Given the quality of TV programming here, reading has become my favorite pastime. Haven't gone wrong yet with Harlan Coben, Michael Connally, John Sandford (thanks for the tip, Psimbo!), John Grisham, Nelson DeMille and Robert Tanenbaum. All talented, prolific writers who keep them coming.

[bender92]

Anything by Lee Child

[TigerandDog]

Try Private Dancer, it's a pretty good read, and could almost be classed as non-fiction. It's in both Thai & English, so have your Thai partner read it with you.

[newnative]

6 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

I recently read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi really enjoyed both. Even better that at the time they were both on 50% discount at Asia Books

The Kite Runner by Hosseini is also wonderful.

[Skeptic7]

While I don't read much fiction, I found The Vampire Of Siam by Jim Newport a real page turner. He made it into a trilogy and they were all excellent. Fun and exciting reads with a real local flavor. Give them a go. 

[newnative]

I always have a book on hand. Agree, anything by Lee Child.  I also like the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly.  Jo Nesbo's series with Oslo police detective Harry Hole is also good.  Also like Jeffery Deaver, Elizabeth George, Ken Follett, John Sandford, and Daniel Silva.  The Mr. Mercedes series by Stephen King was also good. If you've never read John D. McDonald, he is great and some of his books might be found at a used books store.

[potless]

If I was cast away on a desert island {my missus is working on it} and could have one book with me, it would have to be"Ringworld" by Larry Niven. Brilliant. Dont know if it is even still available. Top quality sci fi.

[Jonnapat]

Try the popular Scandinavian authors like Nesbo, Mankell etc.

In my opinion the stories are usually better than the  Brit/American equivalent.

They make great tv series also.

[Laza 45]

Reading is one of my favorite pastimes.. Christopher G Moore.. the 'Calavino' series is excellent... insight into Thai culture .. crime fiction at its best..  http://www.heavenlakepress.com/order-th.htm

 

'Shantaram' is another old backpackers classic..  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Shantaram&i=stripbooks-intl-ship&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

Amitav Ghosh is another author I enjoy..  'The Glass Palace' is a good place to start..  The Ibis Trillogy ..River of Smoke etc is excellent as well.. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Amitav+Ghosh&i=stripbooks-intl-ship&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

Richard Flanagan's 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' is a good read if you are interested in the Burma Railway saga.. While on the Burma theme.. George Orwell's 'Burmese Days' is a must read if you haven't already read it..

 

An aside..  A few shops down from the Rambutrie Village Inn.. Soi Rambutrie, Banglampu (khao San Rd area).. there is an excellent 2nd hand bookshop with a great collection ...many classics.. lots on SE Asia & China etc.. they give 50% back on returns too.. I always go in there and come out with a stack of books when I'm in town.. the guy who runs it knows his stock well.. ask for something and he can tell you if he has it.. 

 

 

[billd766]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Last night. I have hundreds of books on my iPad. Love it. Reading them constantly. What is life without good books? Are we ever too old to continue learning and expanding our minds? 

I don't know about being too old but I had a children's library card back in the UK when I was about 11. I have always carried or bought second hand books wherever I have worked in the world.

 

That is about 64 years of reading.

 

The only country I never found books in English was Angola.

[RocketDog]

If you like sci-fi 'The Three Body  Problem' trilogy by Liu Cixin.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem

The War Planners is also a trilogy about conflict between China and America as China plots an invasion. I found it interesting and contemporous.

 

[shaurene]

Have read a few. Good adventures, like Papilion quite a few years back when I read that and the movie in 73 with Steve McQueen. 

Good adventure books are from Lee Child the Jack Reacher adventures first one that made the movie "One Shot" is good. I would say all,his books are bit nail biting. Also Wilbur Smith, southvAfrican author. 

I am also an author have my first book published as an Ebook'. 6 months ago downloaded 280+ I have just not long ago put it on special at free price for short time.

SkiFi adventure "The Earth God Cometh" nothing religious. 150k words. Google it and download it from Smash words or Apple books.books 

it is part of a planned trolojy close to finnishing book 2. Mostly fiction but also part true. Good adventure.

[masuk]

7 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

Does someone reading me an audio book count ?  Still experiencing the story but I can do it driving, walking etc and I dont need to find my reading glasses.

 

Wilber Smith has always been a good read/listen.

maybe Wilbur Smith if you're doing a search.  I agree that this guy can write incredible stories.

I've now downloaded all 21 books by Patrick O'Brian onto my Kindle.   If you're into sailing ships and a good bit of historical novels, these are thoroughly readable. 

[Skeptic7]

The End Of Faith by Sam Harris

[Laza 45]

5 hours ago, billd766 said:

Up to you but you may miss out on a lot of good reads.

Yes... Margaret Atwood  and Barbara Kingsolver are a couple of my favorites... Isabel Allende too.. 

[Skeptic7]

More great fiction. Get lost in a fantasy. Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy...

The Crystal Cave

The Hollow Hills

The Last Enchantment 

[Laza 45]

8 hours ago, dabhand said:

I am into non fiction about WW2, particularly SE Asia and Pacific theatre related. My recent reads were:

 

The Last Mission - The secret history of WW2's final battle: Jim Smith & Malcolm McConnell

An intriguing insight into the events surrounding the Japanese surrender.

 

Singapore Burning: Colin Smith

The actions leading up to the capitulation of 'fortress' Singapore in February 1942.

 

If you haven't already read it I am sure you would enjoy Richard Flanagan's 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North'..  https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jun/28/narrow-road-deep-north-richard-flanagan-review

 

It isn't a war book but very interesting.. Where China Meets India.. Thant Myint-U (grandson of U-Thant.. second Secretary General of the UN)..  https://www.amazon.com/Where-China-Meets-India-Crossroads/dp/0374533520

[AgMech Cowboy]

Constantly reading a book, especially at night. Dream West, by David Nevin and I just finished the 8 book set by John Jakes about the Kent family chronicles.

Edited May 8, 2019 by AgMech Cowboy

[mauGR1]

I would recommend Peter Hoeg , Haruki Murakami and Jorge Amado, as i didn't see them mentioned.

Among female writers, Isabel Allende and Almudena Grandes are great !

Recently enjoyed "Sapiens", a brief history of humankind, by Y.N. Harari,

And finally a mention for J.R.R. Tolkien, whose "Lord of the rings" is one of my favourite books, read it many times, always amazing.

[pgrahmm]

I have a couple hundred in my book case.....Really too many authors to cite.....

 

Read daily.....David Baldacci & his Amos Decker, memory man series is my recent reading....Also have a Harry Bosch book going....

 

I need to order up more - Asia books online makes it easy to order....I work their wish list - then I check them against my books arranged by author so I can stay current, but not duplicate....

 

Pet peeve is buying something on the go, like in an airport store, & discovering 20 pages in that I've already read it....

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, RocketDog said:

If you like sci-fi 'The Three Body  Problem' trilogy by Liu Cixin.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem

The War Planners is also a trilogy about conflict between China and America as China plots an invasion. I found it interesting and contemporous.

 

The Eric Flint sci-fi of the Jao conquest of Earth is a very readable trilogy, starting with "The Course of Empire". Also his alternative history "1632" about a modern American province transplanted into the Hundred Years War in medieval Germany.

[mamypoko]

The Haj

[seabear]

Krakauer:  Into thin air.

Jonas Jonasson: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.

Arto Paasilinna: The howling Miller

[Mansell]

I don't read much fiction mainly because it isn't well written. An excellent book is, A World Lit Only By Fire by William Manchester.

About the time when people only had fire etc to live by......some fascinating insights into that period.....things like, back then villages didn't have names, it could be called the village by the stream and by the Oak tree. Nobody ventured very far from their homes, and when young men went off to war and tried to return home they couldn't find the place because there wasn't a real name and they didn't know much about the area etc and were basically lost.

[SpokaneAl]

Im bored with the internet and have resorted to reading novels again. Im currently reading a fantastic novel 'Papillon by Henri Charriere'. Based on a true story. He was sentenced to life on a penal colony in French Guiana (South America). Its hard to put this book down. 
 
Please recommend 1 book that you 'could not put down' because it was that good. After Papillon I want another one. Its good for the brain to be away from the www.
 
thanks

I read a variety of fiction and non fiction via my Kindle and always have a number of books on it waiting and ready. I scour best of lists, and am always adding books to my Amazon Wish List where I can almost instantly download another book or books.


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[Lancelot01]

23 hours ago, KiChakayan said:

"One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez sprung to mind.

A brilliant book. Just finished reading it.

[AlexRich]

1 minute ago, Lancelot01 said:

A brilliant book. Just finished reading it.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez also wrote a non-fiction book called “News of a Kidnapping”, about the victims of kidnapping in a South American country. A good read.

[Mansell]

A great book is The Knife Man by Wendy Moore. About the father of modern surgery, a Scot who changed many things about operations in a time that blood letting was considered the answer for every malady. If you have had surgery then your life was probably enhanced or saved by this doctor. Many of the internal body parts were named by this doctor and are still used today. 

The author did a great job writing about a very complex man and an extremely complicated subject involving not only human bodies, but also animals. It takes place in a time when the doctor paid for newly buried bodies for his research to be dug up from graveyards. His work dissecting the bodies had to be done quickly because of the heat and no refrigeration or ice available in those times. Fascinating man changing the medical profession in many ways.....remember this was a time when barbers also did surgeries, hence the red and white barber's poles. Great read.