Books You Are Reading Now Or Highly Recommend.

[Xangsamhua]

History of Thailand and Cambodia by M.L. Manich Jumsai

Not a great read but very interesting, especially as I now live close to the Cambodian border. Also made me think that Thailand was very very lucky to have escaped European invasion. The British had their hands full in Burma and India, whilst the French always struggled to put down Vietnamese resistance. Knowing that the French could easily invade Thailand, but didn't quite have the resources and full backing from Paris, they were able to take Cambodia and parts of Thailand just by the mere threat of military force. The general feeling here is that it was skillful Thai diplomacy, but from the documents they had no allies and kept ceeding territory every time the pressure was turned up. The First World War rather saved the country.

rych

I'm skeptical of anything written by ML Manich. These books were written many years ago and are rather one-eyed. I'm not sure that Thai historians have a lot of academic freedom unless they concentrate on specialist areas where they're unlikely to offend. Having said that, the books by Chris Baker and Pasuk Pongpaichit, such as their recent History of Thailand, are critical and courageous. However, they focus on more modern Thai history and are less likely to offend traditional sensitivities by questioning nationalistic versions of the past.

I'd recommend the books on Thai history by David Wyatt (died last year) of Cornell University and the Baker and Pongpaichit history cited above.

[anonymouse]

With the low season at it's lowest at the moment, I'm going through about 3 books a week.

Working my way through Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series - excellent crime fiction set in Edinburgh, Rebus is your usual dysfunctional detective; drink problems, loner, bit of a maverick, all the usual cliches, but Rankin's writing makes Rebus come alive.

Just finished Derren Brown's Tricks of the Mind, he's very well know in the UK as a TV hypnotist and magician though these titles would do him an injustice, the book rambles a bit but it is worth reading alone for a great chapter on memory techniques.

[kmart]

Just finished "A short history of nearly everything" by Bill Bryson an excellent book not his usual travel blog but full of wonder, facts, humour and insights. Actually makes science interesting! Highly recommended.

I have most of Bryson's stuff and he could make paint drying seem interesting. He is a natural wit and raconteur, this is the best general book on science that I could recommend to anyone. Wonderful book.

Currently reading Ben Elton's "Chart Throb", a pretty funny and acerbic spoof of those horrendous tv talent shows; Pop Idol; American Idol; etc. All very cynical, but Elton delivers a lot of laughs too.

[BFD]

Yesterday, I sat in the Londoner and read J.M. Coetzee's 'Disgrace' from cover to cover. An amazing book. I don't often go through them in one sitting (one day, yes, but I usually at least have a break).

It's about a 50-something year old man's ruminations on gender difference and racial tension in South Africa.

I loved it.

BFD!

[Jet Gorgon]

Interesting, BFD. I did that in Ranong with "The Life of Pi". Sat at a friend's restaurant and read the book in one fell swoop. Lovely day.

[Scott]

Finding something interesting to read here can be hard. I went to the local library, but they said it had burned down and all three books were destroyed. Sadly, two of them hadn't been colored in yet.

So, now I am reading the telephone book. Rather hard going and I don't think the movie's going to be a block-buster either.

My favorite thoughis Hawkings "A Brief History of Time." It always makes me think and I learn--not a big fan of fiction.

[thedude]

reading the following at the moment.

1. shalimar the clown - salman rushdie (beautifully written, typical rushdie, like an oriental rug, lushly populated and woven with unecessarily complicated characters, not a page turner)

2. the muhammad ali reader - gerald early (fantastic collection of articles and short stories on ali written by norman mailer, h.s. thompson, a.j. liebling, tom wolfe etc.., a great read, not so much about boxing as it is about ali in the context of american society, civil rights and the black movement, war and the social conscience, media frenzy and pop culture in the 60s, 70s and 80s. very highly recommended!)

3. the king never smiles - paul handley (censored censored censored!)

4. anthony bourdain's les halles cookbook: strategies, recipes, and techniques of bistro cooking (love it, this one's a keeper)

5. the complete stories - franz kafka (allegorical, metaphorical, allusory mumbo jumbo, yawn...)

[Ulysses G.]

Yesterday, I sat in the Londoner and read J.M. Coetzee's 'Disgrace' from cover to cover. An amazing book. I don't often go through them in one sitting (one day, yes, but I usually at least have a break).

It's about a 50-something year old man's ruminations on gender difference and racial tension in South Africa.

I loved it.

BFD!

I loved it too.

It made me start reading Booker Prize winners again and then he won the Nobel Prize shortly afterwards!

[wileycoyote]

.

Working my way through Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series - excellent crime fiction set in Edinburgh, Rebus is your usual dysfunctional detective; drink problems, loner, bit of a maverick, all the usual cliches, but Rankin's writing makes Rebus come alive.

If you crime fiction based on cities ,I would recommed Jason Goodwin's "The Janissary Tree" & "The Snake Stone" both are set in 19th Century Istanbul.The Ottoman Empire is crumbling.corruption is rife ,it is difficult for an honest man to find a way.Yashim the Eunuch is an investigator,excellent cook and book lover.His milieu contains Poles,French,Greeks,Arabs and Armenians ,but the city of Istanbul is full of mystery.These are well written by a historian who weaves intrigue,but all the charachers are memorable and it makes a cracking read.

Also look out for 3 contemporary crime fiction novels by Stuart Macbride based on Aberdeen.

Wiley Coyote

[dogblower]

Another thats just come to mind...The famous Canadian author Robertson Davies "A Deptford Trilogy".....simply summarized, it follows the lives and circumstances of a towns people, and how they are all in some way affected by a single simple event.....the throwing of a snowball. The three novels are Fifth Business, The Manticore and World of Wonders.

I'm also a great fan and have read the Deptford Trilogy 2 or 3 times. Finally got my hands on the last of the Cornish Trilogy (The Rebel Angels, Whats Bred in the Bone & The Lyre of Orpheus) and finished that off a couple of days ago. Great stuff. Trying to get my hands on the first 2 books of the Salterton Trilogy.

[wolf359]

[Patrick O'Brian....absolutely marvellous.

I never read anything in a particular order, but have read "A Wine Dark Sea" and "H.M.S. Surprise" and others by him. I'm not a sailor, could care less about the difference between a mizzen and jib sail- but the way he crafts a story, creates tension, and resolves it, all with an overlay of perfect historical accuracy, is breathtaking.

Probably one of the finest historical novelists ever!

McG

I'm just ploughing through 10 of his books now. Once you start reading one you seem to travel back in time to his era. It's a bit unnerving when you put the book down and find that it's 2007

Agreed, it's great coming across a Maturin/Aubrey when I'm in Thailand.. I've tried reading them back here but it's just not the same without me hammock and a sea breeze!

I was reading 'The Ionian Mission (book No:8)' one afternoon when the power went off, so I went outside to read, when we had the most wonderful thunderstorm !! now reading one of O'Brian's sea battles with sound efects takes a lot of beating !!!

[wolf359]

[Patrick O'Brian....absolut

[wolf359]

[Patrick O'Brian....absolutely marvellous.

I never read anything in a particular order, but have read "A Wine Dark Sea" and "H.M.S. Surprise" and others by him. I'm not a sailor, could care less about the difference between a mizzen and jib sail- but the way he crafts a story, creates tension, and resolves it, all with an overlay of perfect historical accuracy, is breathtaking.

Probably one of the finest historical novelists ever!

McG

I'm just ploughing through 10 of his books now. Once you start reading one you seem to travel back in time to his era. It's a bit unnerving when you put the book down and find that it's 2007

Agreed, it's great coming across a Maturin/Aubrey when I'm in Thailand.. I've tried reading them back here but it's just not the same without me hammock and a sea breeze!

I was reading 'The Ionian Mission (book No:8)' one afternoon when the power went off, so I went outside to read, when we had the most wonderful thunderstorm !! now reading one of O'Brian's sea battles with sound efects takes a lot of beating !!!

[wolf359]

[Patrick O'Brian....absolutely marvellous.

I never read anything in a particular order, but have read "A Wine Dark Sea" and "H.M.S. Surprise" and others by him. I'm not a sailor, could care less about the difference between a mizzen and jib sail- but the way he crafts a story, creates tension, and resolves it, all with an overlay of perfect historical accuracy, is breathtaking.

Probably one of the finest historical novelists ever!

McG

I'm just ploughing through 10 of his books now. Once you start reading one you seem to travel back in time to his era. It's a bit unnerving when you put the book down and find that it's 2007

Agreed, it's great coming across a Maturin/Aubrey when I'm in Thailand.. I've tried reading them back here but it's just not the same without me hammock and a sea breeze!

I was reading 'The Ionian Mission (book No:8)' one afternoon when the power went off, so I went outside to read, when we had the most wonderful thunderstorm !! now reading one of O'Brian's sea battles with sound efects takes a lot of beating !!!

[wolf359]

At the moment I am on book 14 of a series of 21, written by Patrick O' Brian, about the lives of Stephen Maturin and Captain Jack Aubrey. The first book being 'Master and Commander'.

Patrick O'Brian....absolutely marvellous.

I never read anything in a particular order, but have read "A Wine Dark Sea" and "H.M.S. Surprise" and others by him. I'm not a sailor, could care less about the difference between a mizzen and jib sail- but the way he crafts a story, creates tension, and resolves it, all with an overlay of perfect historical accuracy, is breathtaking.

Probably one of the finest historical novelists ever!

McG

I'm just ploughing through 10 of his books now. Once you start reading one you seem to travel back in time to his era. It's a bit unnerving when you put the book down and find that it's 2007

Agreed, it's great coming across a Maturin/Aubrey when I'm in Thailand.. I've tried reading them back here but it's just not the same without me hammock and a sea breeze!

Another good historical novel with nautical theme is English Passengers by Matthew Kneale.

[wolf359]

I'm just ploughing through 10 of his books now. Once you start reading one you seem to travel back in time to his era. It's a bit unnerving when you put the book down and find that it's 2007

Agreed, it's great coming across a Maturin/Aubrey when I'm in Thailand.. I've tried reading them back here but it's just not the same without me hammock and a sea breeze!

Another good historical novel with nautical theme is English Passengers by Matthew Kneale.

Sorry about that, I need to read a book about computers.........................

[wileycoyote]

Other interesting books: Buddha Da (an Irish dad discovers buddhism among family struggles; great for the dialect, too),.

.

Sorry Jet Gorgon,Buddha Da by Anne Donovan was Scottish and came from (Gleasca) Glasgow !

Keep Smiing

Wiley Coyote

[Robski]

How about the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy by Phillip Pullman.

I first heard about this when it was voted the best story ever written (really) in a channel 4 poll, better than Dickens, Shakey and Tolkein put together (apparently) and Cussler, Forsyth and Smith didn't even get a look in.

I am not into fantasy/sci fi at all, but this is one of the best stories I have ever read, so good in fact that I have read it several times.

Pure escapism in an epic battle of spiritual warfare, it has heart rending depth and emotion.

If you haven't read it you're missing out.

[sbk]

Just started Bill Bryson's autobiography The life and Times of the Thunderbolt kid.

From the opening:

My kid days were pretty good ones, on the whole. My parents were patient and kind and approximately normal. They didn't chain me in the cellar. They didn't call me 'It'. I was born a boy and allowed to stay that way.

He does have a way with words

[wileycoyote]

How about the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy by Phillip Pullman.

I first heard about this when it was voted the best story ever written (really) in a channel 4 poll, better than Dickens, Shakey and Tolkein put together (apparently) and Cussler, Forsyth and Smith didn't even get a look in.

I am not into fantasy/sci fi at all, but this is one of the best stories I have ever read, so good in fact that I have read it several times.

Pure escapism in an epic battle of spiritual warfare, it has heart rending depth and emotion.

If you haven't read it you're missing out.

Are they easy to get into ?

Wiley Coyote

[uptou]

the consolations of philosophy,by alain de botton-about how the writing of the great philosophers,socrates,seneca,shopenhauer,neitzsche,can help us in the mordern world.

easy to read,unlike some of the actual philosophers books which are a bit heavy going.

crime & punishment,dostoevsky-great psychological novel about a poverty stricken student in russia whos depressed & living in poverty.he feels that life is pointless & to give some meaning to life he decides to murder & rob this pawn broker,who society would be better off without,but it goes horribly wrong.again a flowing read.

chickenhawk by robert mason-authors true acount,about a huey helicopter pilot in the vietnam war.this book was very believable in the fact that he describes his fear & how he feels he's losing his mind.he doesnt paint himself as a hero.you can also get a rough idea how to fly one of these helicopters from his description.

[Robski]

How about the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy by Phillip Pullman.

I first heard about this when it was voted the best story ever written (really) in a channel 4 poll, better than Dickens, Shakey and Tolkein put together (apparently) and Cussler, Forsyth and Smith didn't even get a look in.

I am not into fantasy/sci fi at all, but this is one of the best stories I have ever read, so good in fact that I have read it several times.

Pure escapism in an epic battle of spiritual warfare, it has heart rending depth and emotion.

If you haven't read it you're missing out.

Are they easy to get into ?

Wiley Coyote

Yes very easy and I think that is the great attraction of these books, they are accessable to any age, in fact they come across as childrens stories, probably because the main character is a young girl and later a boy, but are infact full of surprising depth.

Also the story doesn't have a whole raft of unpronouncable names and incomprehensible worlds. It is an exciting adventure that just draws you in and keeps you turning the pages.

[Robski]

chickenhawk by robert mason-authors true acount,about a huey helicopter pilot in the vietnam war.

Quite a well known book, I've read it several times and the author has the rare ability to capture the adreneline fuelled perception of the mind caught in the maelstrom of fight or flight. How duty or nessecity can take you further than the percieved limits of your own endurance.

Have you read 'The Forgotten Soldier' by Guy Sajer? A harrowing yet extraordinairy account of his journey from being a raw recruit in Germany in WWII to the Eastern Front and back, he spent many years in a mental institution on his return and it is understandable why. I think the fasination is not only the limits to human survival, but the first hand historical perspective of an uncertain world at war.

Edited June 27, 2007 by Robski

[wileycoyote]

How about the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy by Phillip Pullman.

I first heard about this when it was voted the best story ever written (really) in a channel 4 poll, better than Dickens, Shakey and Tolkein put together (apparently) and Cussler, Forsyth and Smith didn't even get a look in.

I am not into fantasy/sci fi at all, but this is one of the best stories I have ever read, so good in fact that I have read it several times.

Pure escapism in an epic battle of spiritual warfare, it has heart rending depth and emotion.

If you haven't read it you're missing out.

Are they easy to get into ?

Wiley Coyote

Yes very easy and I think that is the great attraction of these books, they are accessable to any age, in fact they come across as childrens stories, probably because the main character is a young girl and later a boy, but are infact full of surprising depth.

Also the story doesn't have a whole raft of unpronouncable names and incomprehensible worlds. It is an exciting adventure that just draws you in and keeps you turning the pages.

Thank You,I will loook forward to sampling in the holidays...

Wiley Coyote

[eljeque]

Thailand Life

Panrit "Gor" Daoruang

It is the story of a young Thai boy named "Gor" who simply did not know when enough was enough in any situation. Some people just do not know when to stop. His not knowing eventually got himself in jail for using yabah. He was the youngest journalist at the Bangkok Post at age 16.

[tutsiwarrior]

yeah...I was a big Bukowski fan in the 70s...a friend that went to Berlin (where Bukowski was a big star) picked up a poster there with Buke posing in someone's kitchen with an arm around a heavily painted floozy type in t-shirt, barefoot holding a can of beer; it said 'Kaput en Berlin'. My proto feminist partner at the time thought that I spent too much time admiring it and one day it disappeared...got me pissed off that did and she dared me to do something about it...betrayed my impotence and planted the seed of anti-political correctness that still rages mightily...

presently I was compelled by reading Orhan Pamuk's Snow to pick up The Black Book; a fascinating read and heavy on Istambul (one of my favorite places) atmosphere...

anyone seen Barfly with Micky Rourke based on another Bukowsky novel?

[BFD]

Edit

Edited June 27, 2007 by BFD

[BFD]

Yeah, Barfly was pretty cool. Hard to capture Chuck Buk's essence, though. His voice is so unique that only he, himself, can use it.

That said, the documentary "Live Through This" about Bukowski's life, is some top-notch stuff. Perhaps a bit self-serving (with over-the-top assertions that Bukowski predicted the war in Iraq), but definitely a great view into a disgusting drunk's life.

Well worth the watch.

Just picked up Coetzee's 'The Life and Times of Michael K' (I tend to work my way through authors in spurts). Anyway, it hasn't grabbed me as much as 'Disgrace' did, but he has a pretty good tone. Reminds me a lot of E.L. Doctorow's 'Ragtime', which is a total compliment.

BFD!

[LivinLOS]

At the moment I am on book 14 of a series of 21, written by Patrick O' Brian, about the lives of Stephen Maturin and Captain Jack Aubrey. The first book being 'Master and Commander'.

Patrick O'Brian....absolutely marvellous.

I never read anything in a particular order, but have read "A Wine Dark Sea" and "H.M.S. Surprise" and others by him. I'm not a sailor, could care less about the difference between a mizzen and jib sail- but the way he crafts a story, creates tension, and resolves it, all with an overlay of perfect historical accuracy, is breathtaking.

Probably one of the finest historical novelists ever!

McG

No one beats Flashman

[eek]

Finished "All over the Map" Morgan McFinn (very good) and nearly finished another book about a holiday maker's first time experience of Thailand called "Farang" by David Thompson. At one point he helps out a young teenage girl who has no arms. Whats interesting is a small section where he suggests she learns to use her feet..but she answers she cannot as feet are "dirty". I found it sad that someone who is disabled in this way are disabled further by society.

Actually... most of my reading material lately has been centered around others experiences of s.e.asia both fiction and non-fiction. Unfortunately i havent yet found one from a womans perspective. If anyone knows where i can get my hands on some good reads from a womans point of view id be grateful. tnx.