What To Read While In Bangkok

[admarlow]

Amateur comedians need not reply.

[jno]

er, War and Peace? What sort of thing do you want to read? Tourist guidebooks? Thai literature? Menus? What?

[admarlow]

Any decent fact or fiction not guide books.

[jno]

so not particularly region-specific? If you did want something about the far east you could try Graham Greene or Joseph Conrad or Rudyard Kipling. The Quiet American or Lord Jim maybe.

[Rosetta]

The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng was set in Penang during WW2, Penang is not a million miles away from Bangkok.

[boxtops]

are you asking for books about that area? otherwise, well, you could read anything you'd normally read when you're travelling.

[Old_Geezer]

I'm unsure what the location has to do with it. Unless added for comedic value. I'm presently reading, "The Quantum Universe: Everything That Can happen Does Happen". It's quite interesting.

[Rosetta]

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/647301-thailand

This may have suggestions of books set in Thailand

[heathfield]

A Thai phrase book? Actually, having lived in Thailand for a couple of years, I have to agree with Jno's choice of 'The Quiet American'. It will give you quite a feel for what the region's really like!

[maggiebee]

Are you really wanting suggestions or are you just boasting that you're going to Bangkok? What do you normally read in the UK? Probably be just as good to read abroad.

[AB Editor]

I read this when I was in Bangkok once: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yiddish-Policemens-Union-Michael-Chabon/dp/0061493600

Very good for reading while in any heavily air-conditioned place as it gives you a little flavour of Alaska, where the book is set.

Bangkok has some really good, massive, bookshops with absolutely tons of English lit. Why not just buy when you're out there? I think Central (a huge shopping centre) has a good one, as does "Platinum" (a huge shopping centre). You can get to both by heading to MBK (a huge shopping centre) and then walking down the walkway away from it.

[flump1]

Anything by Neville Shute.

[AB Editor]

Sorry, "Paragon" is probably the one with the biggest bookshop.

I like bookshops abroad because they've always got the best view of English literature - having been able to see it from the outside.

It's nice to look at all of it and say "yeah, I belong to that, and it's pretty good actually".

[sunsocks]

How about The Beach - think that was set in Thailand - and I think it was by Alex Garland ...

[ChillDoubt]

I was going to suggest the menu.......carefully.

But I don't think I'll bother.

[DTCwordfan]

"My Life in a Harem" - Jillian Lauren - story of life living as a member of Prince Jefri of Brunei's harem....most apropros being in Bangkok.

"Ladyboys, The Secret World of Thailand’s Third Gender" by Susan Aldous and the appropriately named Porn Chai Sereemongkonpol

[admarlow]

Of course the location is important to what you choose to read.

[BlueToffee]

Lee Child, easy to read and a good story teller

[Peter Pedant]

going there for a ..... long time ?

Any Dickens, Trollope, Thackeray
will keep you out of the brothels for days if not weeks
-
If you dont like The quiet American - which I stongly recommend,
then Chicken Hawk - about a Vietnam pilot....
oh and General Giap wrote a book on how he thrashed the Americans
or a book about Dien Bien Phu - I think there is even a book called... Dien Bien Phu

[DTCwordfan]

The Ugly Chinaman - first two chapters - explains the basis to Confucius and hence some of the thinking behind Eastern people....not directly relevant to Thais but a lot of the religions do carry similar values. Bo Yang, the author, was banged up in a Taiwanese prison for nearly ten years for writing what he did.

[stewey]

I'd like to thank all of you for some very interesting suggestions for reading...Cheers.