1 hour ago, connda said:

If you want some historical non-fiction which actually reads like an adventure fiction book try this one:

The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk
Summary from Goodreads:  "For nearly a century the two most powerful nations on earth - Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia - fought a secret war in the lonely passes and deserts of Central Asia. Those engaged in this shadowy struggle called it 'The Great Game', a phrase immortalized in Kipling's Kim.
When play first began the two rival empires lay nearly 2,000 miles apart. By the end, some Russian outposts were within 20 miles of India.

This book tells the story of the Great Game through the exploits of the young officers, both British and Russian, who risked their lives playing it. Disguised as holy men or native horsetraders, they mapped secret passes, gathered intelligence, and sought the allegiance of powerful khans. Some never returned."

You'll come away with a better understanding of today's current Geopolitical turmoil, but also, it was just a marvel what the early explorers of Eurasia endured during their journeys into unexplored (by Westerners) regions of some of the most rugged country on the planet.  Like I said, it reads like a fictional adventure yarn, but it's historical accurate.
It remains one of the top 5 books I've read in the last 15 years.

Good tip. Thank you.

 

I've just checked on Amazon and the Kindle version is just 99 pence. That'll be my next read.

 

Right now I'm reading Sir Max Hastings' account of the Vietnam war. As a Brit I knew very little about it, so it's a real eye opener for me.

On 1/7/2025 at 9:16 AM, RuamRudy said:

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami - I always find I need to push myself to get through his books and this one is no different, but for all its lack of pazazz or page-turning intrigue, there is a constant warmth and humanity in his writing that makes the effort worthwhile. 

 

Agreed. I just reread his novel Kafka on the Shore which remains my favorite of his books. 

2 hours ago, connda said:

If you want some historical non-fiction which actually reads like an adventure fiction book try this one:

The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk
Summary from Goodreads:  "For nearly a century the two most powerful nations on earth - Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia - fought a secret war in the lonely passes and deserts of Central Asia. Those engaged in this shadowy struggle called it 'The Great Game', a phrase immortalized in Kipling's Kim.
When play first began the two rival empires lay nearly 2,000 miles apart. By the end, some Russian outposts were within 20 miles of India.

This book tells the story of the Great Game through the exploits of the young officers, both British and Russian, who risked their lives playing it. Disguised as holy men or native horsetraders, they mapped secret passes, gathered intelligence, and sought the allegiance of powerful khans. Some never returned."

You'll come away with a better understanding of today's current Geopolitical turmoil, but also, it was just a marvel what the early explorers of Eurasia endured during their journeys into unexplored (by Westerners) regions of some of the most rugged country on the planet.  Like I said, it reads like a fictional adventure yarn, but it's historical accurate.
It remains one of the top 5 books I've read in the last 15 years.

Another great book set in this region is 'Return of a King' by William Dalrymple. It's a true account of the 1st Anglo-Afghan War, when the British East India Company attempted to instal it's own puppet ruler in Kabul.

 

All went well at first, but in the end it resulted in a humiliating defeat , which lead to the retreat from Kabul and the subsequent slaughter in the Hindu Kush. I found it so fascinating that I've have read it twice.

Non-fiction: Harry Frankfurt - On Bull<deleted> - A contemporary philosopher analyzes the difference between bull<deleted> and lie. Bull<deleted> is definitely more insidious. 

 

Fiction: Joseph Heller - God Knows - a novel about a bitter old men reflecting on his life. 

2 hours ago, connda said:

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - Science fiction which is science based and with humor.  Movie in the works.
"Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.
Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.
All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.
And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.
Or does he?
 

I've read The Martian and Project Hail Mary and liked both of them.  Weir has a talent for making difficult scientific concepts understandable.

 

4 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Another great book set in this region is 'Return of a King' by William Dalrymple. It's a true account of the 1st Anglo-Afghan War, when the British East India Company attempted to instal it's own puppet ruler in Kabul.

 

All went well at first, but in the end it resulted in a humiliating defeat , which lead to the retreat from Kabul and the subsequent slaughter in the Hindu Kush. I found it so fascinating that I've have read it twice.

Something like 1 person managed to escape without being killed.  Hopkirk covers that in his book if I remember right.

Currently reading the Russian translation of a pretty strange and interesting Sci-Fi novel called Roadside Picnic by Boris & Arkady Strugatsky.  It's pretty good in the quirky way that I personally like my Sci-Fi.  It's 157 pages and can be picked up for free on archive.org.  I'm enjoying it! 

From Goodreads:
"Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of those young rebels who are compelled, in spite of extreme danger, to venture illegally into the Zone to collect the mysterious artifacts that the alien visitors left scattered around. His life is dominated by the place and the thriving black market in the alien products. But when he and his friend Kirill go into the Zone together to pick up a “full empty,” something goes wrong. And the news he gets from his girlfriend upon his return makes it inevitable that he’ll keep going back to the Zone, again and again, until he finds the answer to all his problems.
First published in 1972, Roadside Picnic is still widely regarded as one of the greatest science fiction novels, despite the fact that it has been out of print in the United States for almost thirty years."

https://ia600203.us.archive.org/21/items/TheThree-BodyProblem2024/Arkady Strugatsky - Roadside Picnic.pdf 

On 5/3/2025 at 1:05 PM, Equatorial said:

 

Agreed. I just reread his novel Kafka on the Shore which remains my favorite of his books. 

 

I got to the end of Killing Commendatore - the finale being as steady and ungarnished as the bulk of the book; overall an enjoyable and relaxing read. Now I have moved on to his memoir, 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running', obviously a very different type of book as it is a series of short essays themed around his late found love of running, but again a very enjoyable read so far.

On 1/7/2025 at 7:55 AM, newnative said:

   Currently reading the new Reacher novel, In Too Deep.  Have been reading some of the Robert Crais novels I missed featuring private detective Elvis Cole.   Found a wonderful Japanese writer, Keigo Higashino, and have been reading his mysteries.  John Sandford's Virgil Flowers novels are excellent--a companion series to the Lucas Davenport 'Prey' novels.  Also catching up with some of the Robert Harris novels I missed.  Good stuff.  Waiting next to be read, The Waiting, by the always reliable Michael Connelly.  

Read a few from Crais recently, good reading.

1 hour ago, saintdomingo said:

Read a few from Crais recently, good reading.

Yes, one of my favorites.  You may already know it but, if not, you might like the Christopher Reich series featuring Simon Riske.

Current read:  
The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans.  It's a three book historical trilogy. 

This is different than American journalist William L. Shirer's book The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany as Evans is a historian and writes with an historical academic perspective. 

I see folks on AseanNow don't read much.  Why isn't that a surprise at all. 

 

Seems to me there are drastically less contributors than there were a decade and more ago and a small number with a high post count make up a substantial part of the activity. Probably too busy posting to read much.

On 5/3/2025 at 10:20 AM, Jim Blue said:

F "d  Companies by Philip J Kaplan 

spectacular dot -com flameouts .

 

' I laughed  , I cried , I filed for unemployment '

I like the sound of that one, nowt wrong with a bit of schadenfreude. Unlikely to be one available in BKK, I'm probably eventually going to have to say goodbye to the stone age and get a Kindle or similar. I like the old ways, get the Bangkok Post delivered and DASA books is only a short walk away. Still...

On 6/13/2025 at 12:37 PM, saintdomingo said:

I like the sound of that one, nowt wrong with a bit of schadenfreude. Unlikely to be one available in BKK, I'm probably eventually going to have to say goodbye to the stone age and get a Kindle or similar. I like the old ways, get the Bangkok Post delivered and DASA books is only a short walk away. Still...

Hi Saint  thanks I will visit Dasa during my BKK trip end July .Will drop the book in so you can pick it up.Unbeleivable the dosh  spent on stupid  web ideas by supposedly clever people.

 

2 minutes ago, Jim Blue said:

Hi Saint  thanks I will visit Dasa during my BKK trip end July .Will drop the book in so you can pick it up.Unbeleivable the dosh  spent on stupid  web ideas by supposedly clever people.

 

Putting it mildly that's extremely kind of you Jim. I am lost for words. They will expect to pay you for it don't forget

 

Band Of Brothers

I've gone back to reading as I'm finding this forum to have steadily slid downhill.  

You have a point connda, I would say that the problem is natural wastage amongst older contributors and other options attracting younger people.

If there was an answer I think someone would have found it by now.

On 1/7/2025 at 8:14 AM, mikebell said:

Ocean of PDF

Alas, it has closed down.

Project Hail Mary: A Novel

 

Andy Weir

2021

 

Science Fiction.

 

Film to be released, June 2026 but could drop in 2025.

 

 

 

 

 

Just finished reading a short novel set in Bangkok called Bangkok Interchanges (ISBN 979-8289494917).

 

I believe it was published late last month. It’s a quick, engaging read and I really enjoyed it.

 

What stood out to me is how it avoids the usual repetitive themes often found in Bangkok-set fiction.

 

The story feels fresh and strikes a nice balance between light and suspenseful, with a touch of mysticism and spiritual depth.

 

Worth checking out if you're in the mood for something a bit different.

 

Front and back covers:

 

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, RSD1 said:

Just finished reading a short novel set in Bangkok called Bangkok Interchanges (ISBN 979-8289494917).

 

I believe it was published late last month. It’s a quick, engaging read and I really enjoyed it.

 

What stood out to me is how it avoids the usual repetitive themes often found in Bangkok-set fiction.

 

The story feels fresh and strikes a nice balance between light and suspenseful, with a touch of mysticism and spiritual depth.

 

Worth checking out if you're in the mood for something a bit different.

 

Front and back covers:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds interesting, thanks. Do you know where I can get a copy from?

 

7 hours ago, FriscoKid said:

 

Sounds interesting, thanks. Do you know where I can get a copy from?

 

I got it as a Kindle ebook on Amazon. Just search by the book tittle. It should come up.  

 

 

Summer Of Night - Dan Simmons.

On 6/26/2025 at 5:26 PM, saintdomingo said:

You have a point connda, I would say that the problem is natural wastage amongst older contributors and other options attracting younger people.

If there was an answer I think someone would have found it by now.

It's funny.  How many people actually read anymore.  Not a lot.  By 2050 the average IQ of people will be sub-100.  

On 7/14/2025 at 10:29 AM, connda said:

It's funny.  How many people actually read anymore.  Not a lot.  By 2050 the average IQ of people will be sub-100.  

Nobody reads.  Social media is populated by low-IQ morons who can barely string together a sentence.  I can't wait for AI to really ramp up and take over, then people can just shut off their brains for good and just engage in sex, drink, and drugs.  Hell, they don't even need to write sentences - they just need to know how to click on a down-trump emoji.  They only need a 4th grade reading level and an 85 IQ to accomplish that.

On 7/14/2025 at 10:29 AM, connda said:

It's funny.  How many people actually read anymore.  Not a lot.  By 2050 the average IQ of people will be sub-100.  

 

Just now, connda said:

Nobody reads.  Social media is populated by low-IQ morons who can barely string together a sentence.  I can't wait for AI to really ramp up and take over, then people can just shut off their brains for good and just engage in sex, drink, and drugs.  Hell, they don't even need to write sentences - they just need to know how to click on a down-trump emoji.  They only need a 4th grade reading level and an 85 IQ to accomplish that.

Just finished Children of the Night and A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons.  Off to find some other good reads in a similar genre.

The Fold, Peter Clines.
 

The Fold by Peter Clines follows Mike Erikson, a high-IQ teacher recruited to investigate a secretive DARPA project in San Diego. The project, led by scientist Arthur Cross, involves a device called the Albuquerque Door, which uses advanced physics to "fold" space, enabling instant travel across distances. Mike, with his photographic memory, uncovers inconsistencies in the project’s data and the team’s behavior. As he digs deeper, strange events unfold—memory lapses, personality shifts, and hints of a cover-up. The team’s experiments have unintended consequences, threatening reality itself with cosmic horrors inspired by Lovecraftian themes.

The plot escalates when a test goes wrong, trapping a researcher and forcing Mike to unravel the Door’s true nature. He discovers the device doesn’t just bend space but connects to alternate realities, risking catastrophic consequences. Racing against time, Mike and the team confront the dangers of their creation, blending hard science fiction with thriller elements. Reviews praise the fast-paced narrative, likable characters, and mix of quantum physics with existential dread, though some note the dense scientific explanations can slow the story.

8 hours ago, connda said:

The Fold, Peter Clines.
 

The Fold by Peter Clines follows Mike Erikson, a high-IQ teacher recruited to investigate a secretive DARPA project in San Diego. The project, led by scientist Arthur Cross, involves a device called the Albuquerque Door, which uses advanced physics to "fold" space, enabling instant travel across distances. Mike, with his photographic memory, uncovers inconsistencies in the project’s data and the team’s behavior. As he digs deeper, strange events unfold—memory lapses, personality shifts, and hints of a cover-up. The team’s experiments have unintended consequences, threatening reality itself with cosmic horrors inspired by Lovecraftian themes.

The plot escalates when a test goes wrong, trapping a researcher and forcing Mike to unravel the Door’s true nature. He discovers the device doesn’t just bend space but connects to alternate realities, risking catastrophic consequences. Racing against time, Mike and the team confront the dangers of their creation, blending hard science fiction with thriller elements. Reviews praise the fast-paced narrative, likable characters, and mix of quantum physics with existential dread, though some note the dense scientific explanations can slow the story.

 

Sounds a bit like 'The Breach' trilogy by Patrick Lee.

I'll read this next, then the Breech again.