British novelist Stephen Leather has written an amazing body of fiction books centering on Southeast Asia. In The Vets (1993, ISBN 978-0-340-59770-5), he includes Hong Kong in the mix, in a fast-paced thriller that displays his knowledge of HK prior to its takeover by the Chinese as well as his understanding of the powerful mainland […]
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WoWasis book review: ‘Missing in Rangoon’ by Christopher G. Moore
Veteran Bangkok-based novelist Christopher G. Moore’s book, Missing in Rangoon (2013, ISBN 978-616-7503-17-2), is the latest in his detective Vincent Calvino series. We here at WoWasis loved the plot, and the book has passages with some of the best writing we’ve seen from this prolific novelist. The story is delicious. Calvino gets a missing person’s […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘The Solitary Man,’ Golden Triangle adventure by Stephen Leather
We’d imagine that comparatively few of our WoWasis readers have served time in their nation’s prisons. Fewer have served in overseas prisons. And fewer still in the legendarily filthy prisons of Thailand. And that’s why so many people just love to read about them. From shit-encrusted holes in the floor that serve as toilets to […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits the Irish Rover bookstore in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Here at WoWasis, we just love used bookstores. And here’s a great one we discovered in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It’s called the Irish Rover Bookstore and Café, and sure enough the personable proprietor, John McCoy, is Irish. Here’s what he has to say about his bookstore: “There are many Chinese tourists here this year. In […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Stephen Leather’s ‘Live Fire’
If you’re a Brit and love adventure fiction, you’ve probably read Stephen Leather. If you’re a Yank, you probably haven’t. Fact is, Leather sells tons of books in the UK. He’s written more than thirty novels, sold nearly three million books in all, and did get some U.S. traction with his eBook The Basement, which […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis introduces author Harold Stephens’ people of Southeast Asia
Harold Stephens knows Southeast Asia about as well as any author we’ve read. He knows it by sea as well as by land, and has written two books based on the fascinating people he’s met in Asia over the years, At Home in Asia: Expatriates in Southeast Asia and Their Stories, and The Strange Disappearance […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Harold Stephens’ ‘The Voyages of the Schooner Third Sea’
Ever thought about cashing it all in, grabbing a sailboat, and traveling in the South Seas? Writer Harold Stephens did just that, and chronicles the romance and challenges of doing so in his thrilling book The Voyages of the Schooner Third Sea (2012, ISBN 978-0-9786951-5-6). Here at WoWasis, we’ve become real fans of the travel […]
Read the rest of this entry »Thai crime scams: international crooks find a home in Thailand, authorities classify them by ethnicity and crime type
Thailand’s easy atmosphere has made it a home base for millions of tourists, but, according to Thai police, it’s also a haven for groups of international criminals. Amazingly, the police have mapped various ethnicities to certain types of crimes, according to an article appearing in the January 14, 2013 issue of the Bangkok Post. Here […]
Read the rest of this entry »Medical tourism continues to boom in Asia, but do ensure a professional diagnosis before agreeing to a procedure
Countries such as Thailand, India, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines are posting big numbers in terms of medical tourism, according to a story written by Peerapan Tungsuwan in the January 14, 2013 issue of the Bangkok Post. Worldwide, medical tourism accounts for an estimated $100 billion in revenue annually. While Asia’s share […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘The Strange Disappearance of Jim Thompson’ by Harold Stephens
Don’t let the title of the book fool you. There’s more here than just a story of the demise of the legendary silk king. Harold Stephens’ The Strange Disappearance of Jim Thompson and Stories of Other Expats in Southeast Asia (2003, ISBN 0-9642521-7-1), which originally was published in 1978 under the title Asian Portraits, is […]
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