My Dear Friends,

 

Do you find that the more years you spend in Thailand, the less you are able to read books?

 

If this is true, then why is this?

 

Or, is it just that the past few years you have spent in Thailand also seems to have coincided with the rise of Social Media and the expectations you now may have of the arrival of the much vaunted Metaverse?

 

Here in Thailand, I have never seen a couple of wing chairs facing the fireplace.  And, in my home country, one of the things we prized most was a living room with wing chairs, a roaring fireplace, and plenty of books, not to mention a cup of tea or hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night.

 

 

Curling up with a book seemed so sublime when I was growing up.

 

Yet, all I see here, mostly, is roosters crowing, other barnyard noises, airplanes buzzing me from overhead, as well as even a few worse distractions.

 

Why have I given up on reading when reading once seemed to be my true delight?  No doubt, I am not the only one who sometimes considers this important question.

 

And, as well, truly the only reason I am here in Asia, in the first place, was just due to my reading of books when I was young.

 

Are there those on this forum who still read books?

 

How are you able to find a quiet place in order to enjoy your passion for books?

 

I cannot be the only person here who once enjoy the experience of reading, and lost it.

 

If only I had a place to read, then I would never ask for anything more, maybe.

 

It's so difficult to read about the Hound of the Baskervilles in a place like Thailand, I think.

 

Somehow, one must get back to what one loves to do, no matter how far one may have strayed from it, during intervening years.

 

But, how?

 

The more we read, the less we will be tempted to enter the Black Hole of the Metaverse, which is a good thing, in itself.

 

What is the best path back to the freedom of books?

 

Best regards,

GammaG.

 

I don't see anyone cozying up to the fireplace or a roaring heater in Thailand either, is the climate in Thailand not conductive to enjoying warmth? 

What's a "book"? ????

6 minutes ago, digbeth said:

I don't see anyone cozying up to the fireplace or a roaring heater in Thailand either, is the climate in Thailand not conductive to enjoying warmth? 

Certainly, the climate here is not conducive to the preservation of leather-bound books. 

 

 

drinking and rogering seems the prime activities

What's a fireplace?

 

An online shooter game? 

Wot?

 

 

I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.

I read plenty of books (mostly science fiction now) but not as much as when I was young. I use my tablet. In fact I use tablet only for watching movies, videos and reading books. Nothing else. Have not read a paper books in ages. There are still lots of paper books in my basement in the USA and I try to throw them as much as I could in the summer every year. 

Mainly lack of access to English books perhaps?

 

I keep a stash of titles and normally read a book per month here where it was approx 2 books per month back home.

 

In Pattaya we are down to one good used book store and they ship books if you're stuck out in baan nok.

 

 

9 minutes ago, fondue zoo said:

I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.

If this is the case, pardon the pun, then you are truly blessed in your very good fortune. 

 

I envy you. 

 

Norwegian wood. 

As age creeps up on me, I find I have to share my two favourite pastimes.

 

Just now, RayWright said:

As age creeps up on me, I find I have to share my two time consuming pastimes.

 

Just bought a $55 art book, Decoding Southeast Asian Art. More an academic deep dive than a coffee table book. Like a 5 minutes a page kind of book. It generates a little convo when I read it by the pool.

 

Prob take a couple of months of dipping in and out of it to finish it. River Books does the best Thai Artbooks; I have about a dozen of them back home. Not into accumulating stuff, so I'll give it to the uni up the road.

I grew up in a household in which television sets were completely banned. 

 

This resulted in having far more time for reading, introspection, and reflection about almost anything. 

 

We were permitted to listen to the radio, even to listen to guys like Thelonius Monk, such a felon of jazz. 

 

The problem with Social Media is that it dumbs down society, as a whole. 

 

When I spend time watching social media, I get this sick feeling in my gut. 

 

But then, when I read beautiful sentences written by Philip Roth, I realize that he is a true maniac, and my time reading him has not been ill spent. 

 

We have only a finite amount of time here. My time with guys like Roth has been well spent. 

 

It doesn't matter if you might prefer reading about dialectical materialism or stories about the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. 

 

It only matters that, somehow, we will find a way to forsake Fkrbergerger's zombie vision for our New World, and, somehow get back to the garden of books, introspection, and thinking. 

 

*Books are the key to a better life, for you and me. 

 

 

 

 

 

If we can only read books, girl, there is a better place for me and you.

 

 

You just can't find this stuff in the Metaverse.

Humans and Animals are just so unpredictable.

But, without books, then how would you even know?

 

 

52 minutes ago, RayWright said:

Pulp fiction is still better than no fiction, at all.

 

Thank you for your output.

 

Read on the john if you must, but read.

 

I still read about 1 book every week, although at this point it's mostly on my Kindle. I still have about 10 paper backs I brought from USA that I'll read also. Where I live it's quiet enough for me to concentrate on reading. I manage to find time for all of my hobbies here.

I still enjoy a good read, but it can be a problem sourcing material if you live outside the big cities. I used to bring back half a briefcase of books whenever I went abroad. I found it too expensive and inconvenient to order books online.

 

I finally moved over to a Kindle and still take that everywhere. You can download most books from The Pirate Bay. 

 

But the OP is right, I think, cuddling up and reading in a cooler climate is somehow more relaxing. Reading with the fan or air conditioning blasting away, and with a cold drink dripping condensation everywhere, is not so relaxing.

 

Reading outside makes you a target for attack from a huge variety of kamakazi insects. I've always said that you can't sit or stand still outside in rural Thailand for more than 30 seconds without something having a go. Heaven forbid if you loose concentration (e.g. get engrossed in your book) because, sooner of later, you will be susceptible to a successful massed banzai attack despite all your passive defences.

Ive never read more than I do now. Classics, pop fiction...anything.

 

I put this down to the state of thai tv.

I read books all the time, mainly Science fiction, horror and westerns.

No need for paper, if you have a Kindle, everything is free for download.

Oh, the joys of audiobooks. My hometown library (States) offers free access to 10,000's of eBooks and audiobooks. I recently bought a subscription to Scribd which offers similar. Digital media gets me out of bed and on the track every morning. I've never 'read' so much outside of university. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well this a start to how I intend to read more books whether hard copy (if the print is big enough) or on a Galaxy note pad. Chair & Lamp now installed

 

Unrelated note: I went to Ubon Rat Immigration yesterday which is on the Rajabhat U. campus. Note to Jerry: Behave yourself.

 

I bought 4 books about a month ago and haven't even picked them up yet. I read on my Samsung Tablet from a website which has thousands of novels for free, many are top writers including Steven King, Koontz, Straub etcetera. Website is called largepdf.com by the way.

When we traveled outside connection this summer, we did read books, also in front of the fire place a the mountain cabin this fall.

 

I read more physical books when outside the grid.

Read books?  I don’t think Thailand attracts a reading book type clientele.  

I worked in books/magazines most of my life, never read any (childhood accepted) living in Thailand love reading, there are some fantastic second hand book shops here, before anyone says anything, give me a book over kindle anytime 

Read more here than back ‘home’. Did two 6-700-pagers last week actually, though currently on a bit of a binge. The noise doesn’t bother me (where excessive noise usually does)… when in the zone, it’s not an issue. Rarely bother with paper over here; having them on the phone means one can read—and acquire practically any title—on a whim. 

14 minutes ago, Expat68 said:

I worked in books/magazines most of my life, never read any (childhood accepted) living in Thailand love reading, there are some fantastic second hand book shops here, before anyone says anything, give me a book over kindle anytime 

After reading your comment, at least five times, I am not sure what you intended to say.

 

You worked in books/magazines. So then, you worked at what?

You were an editor at Charles Scribner's Sons?

 

You never read books. Except, during your childhood, or while living in Thailand, when you began to love reading.

 

In Thailand, you found some fantastic second-hand book shops.

 

And, before we comment further, you believe that a real book you can hold in your hand is far better than a Kindle book you can download to your device.

 

Did I get it right?

 

If so, I agree with you.