What books are you into? Fiction, (auto)biography, travel, spiritual?

[blazes]

This is one post that I wish could last forever. Thanks to some posters who suggested books I could read. Maybe there is some profit to set up an English book exchange in Bangkok. But this post is sent to British and American readers who had a parent serving in Britain in WW11. Len Deighton wrote many iconic spy thrillers. But his book Goodbye Mickey Mouse should be read by all Englishmen. All Americans too, it is about a Mustang fighter pilot based in England.

Another is by Leslie Thomas, famed for his Virgin Soldier series. ( these are good books too) But he wrote a book called The Magic Army. The American army preparing to invade fortress Europe and the tragedies they suffered long before the big event. Both these stories are written through the eyes of British people. Have a look all you old old farts. They will remind us how much we owe these young American men, and all allies too I could go on.

Len Deighton (Ipcress File etc) is an excellent writer from 1960s UK. One of his best (certainly the most intriguing) is called SS-GB, where he imagines that the Germans have invaded Britain in 1940 and what happens to the population. The British never had to face the nightmare of occupation AND collaboration.

This novel examines those choices. It's available on Amazon for various prices.

https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=len+deighton+books

[elgenon]

Where Good Ideas Come from.

[blazes]

One of the absolute best of American writers today is

JAMES ELLROY.

See: https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=JAMES+ELLROY+BOOKS

[MrTrip]

Easy reading, not too deep.

Maybe Tom Clancy is not for the intellectuals[emoji85]

[CharlieH]

several off topic posts and responses removed.

[bazza40]

several off topic posts and responses removed.

Thanks, saved me the conundrum of how to respond.

[Crazy chef 1]

My wife's underwear catalogue...

[nikmar]

I love all books if they're interesting or appeal to my imagination. Any genre fiction or non - fiction.

I have to like books as Thai TV is awful.

Also, Im getting a taste for the Dr Seuss books I read with my son!!!

[masuk]

I am pleasantly surprised that members enjoy reading a wide range of literature - and enjoy it.

I thought most members were occupied with - price of accommodation, food, women.

I go through about 4 or 5 novels a month, the actual books not on a kindle or similar as i dont enjoy reading books on a screen

There is an intrinsic value to the smell of the pages of an actual book. Perhaps I'm weird, but I always smell the pages before I dive in.

Perhaps you are hooked on the solvents in the printer's ink.

Seriously, I had a library of about 2000 books in Australia. All kinds of subject matter, an expensive hobby. Guess what? When it came to downsizing, they were unsellable secondhand, even though they were almost brand new. Garage sale, eBay, craigslist, Gumtree - no interest.

There's quite a few bookshops, both new and secondhand, in Australia that are going out of business. In one way, I regard it as karma. The Australian publishing industry has been ripping off consumers for decades.

I suppose there will still be bookshops to cater for the die-hards. However, when one thinks about it, eBooks are the future. Cheaper than print, almost zero material and distribution costs. I have about 300 books on my Kindle, and it beats the hell out of carting paperbacks around.

I had a similar experience when I decided to sell up in Oz. I had a very good collection of books on PNG, some bought there, others around Australia. When it came time to sell these, they went like hot cakes.

Next was my large collection of Asian books, Oxford in Asia series, lots of nice 4to books, specialising in Indonesia, but no interest at all. Ended up going to Lifeline.

My book collection here in Chiang Mai is close to zero, but my Kindle is nice and full!

[masuk]

I love all books if they're interesting or appeal to my imagination. Any genre fiction or non - fiction.

I have to like books as Thai TV is awful.

Also, Im getting a taste for the Dr Seuss books I read with my son!!!

Be careful what you sow!

After we'd completed 'Green eggs and ham' with our kids, we were woken early one Sunday morning with breakfast in bed.

They'd used green vegetable colouring, and we were presented with --- green eggs and bacon! OMG. They looked so bad!

[champers]

Amongst the best I've read are William Boyd (try his James Bond novel: Solo), Ian Rankin, Thomas Kenneally, Margaret Attwood, Rose Tremain (Music & Silence is highly recommended), Karin Fossum, Joe Nesbo, plus many WW1 & WW2 biographies. George McDonald Fraser's recollections of the war in Burma in WW2 is a great book. In there he recalls they killed time by making up book titles: The Cat's Revenge by Claude Balls and The Nail in the Bannister by R. Stornoway.

[Laza 45]

http://www.cgmoore.com/books/The%20Marriage%20Tree.htm

[fang37]

I have read the Bible, Koran, Dhammapada & the Hindu holy scriptures.

Superior one by a mile - Dhammapada.

[masuk]

I once interviewed an aspiring university student, who wanted to start a rather late study of English.

I asked him what books he read, and he assured me he had read no books apart from the Quoran. I asked him how he hoped to broaden his horizons if he limited himself to one book only, and he assured me everything he needed to know was in this book, but he also read many comics!

I didn't even ask about TV.

[bazza40]

I have read the Bible, Koran, Dhammapada & the Hindu holy scriptures.

Superior one by a mile - Dhammapada.

One has to be careful with Islam. According to Muslims, the Holy Koran is the last word from God to the human race. Their logic therefore concludes all other forms of religion predating Islam are inferior to Islam. They don't like comparisons. When a text is regarded as immutable, it doesn't permit any editing, although the hadith demonstrates endless debate about meaning.

As an agnostic, I am always aware of the statement ( think it was Christopher Hitchens who said it ) "Men do not do evil so cheerfully as in the name of religion".

[mikebell]

When I wish to read a book, I write one. Check out my Thai based books + my blockbusting non-seller 'Tramping through the Vineyards.'

[sloperating]

May I recommend an unusual book The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid. Unusual in style and humour, and a thought provoking insight into the clash of cultures - very easy reading.

[connda]

Sweden puts out some great movies that the US then remakes into mediocre movies Lol. I like watching Swedish movies in Swedish with English subs. The last set:

The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo trilogy. Excellent. Now that I'm talking about it, I might get the books.

The American version is a joke compared to the original movie. That's probobly why they only did one movie of what should have been three.

Agreed! The difference between night and day. It's unfortunate that the average Kim Kardashian, reality TV watch, clone can sit though a movie with sub-titles. Gotta have a remake, and the remakes are generally sh*t.

Thank God that we in Sweden had subtitles on all English launguage movies and TV-shows. I think i learned more from that than I did in school. Not perfecly as you probably can see, but I didn't have to hear John Wayne saying "up mit den Händen" instead of "hands up" as I had to hear when in Germany.

I have a friend for the Netherlands who I originally thought was American when I first met him. Perfect non-regional US accent. He said he picked it up watching US movies. lol

[champers]

Sad news this week about the passing of Henning Mankell. His Wallander novels were in the vanguard of Scandinavian crime noir.