Steve Rosse is a compelling storyteller and an excellent essayist. He also knows Phuket like the back of his hand, and his short story, Two for the Road (read it here at WoWasis) displays a hard, poignant edge that is characteristic of his best writing. Rosse’s latest book, She Kept the Bar Between Them, is […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Literature' Category
WoWasis book review: ‘Sightseeing’ by Rattawut Lapcharoensap
Rattawut Lapcharoensap was born in Chicago, raised in Thailand, and as an emerging writer, has written a terrific book of short stories based in Thailand, Sightseeing (2005, ISBN 0-8021-1788-0). The title is based on the story of a young man and his mother, who’s taking perhaps the last vacation she can visually enjoy, as her […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Harold Stephens’ ‘At Home in Asia: Expatriates in Southeast Asia’
Writer and sailor Harold Stephens sure gets around. He lied about his age so he join join the Marines and fight in the Pacific, was imprisoned by the Chinese communists, escaped on a junk, rode across Australia on a motorcycle, and built his own concrete boat, which split apart in a hurricane after seeing endless […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Jillian Lauren’s ‘Some Girls: My Life in a Harem’
Wags have suggested that in order for a reader to really bond with the premise of a book written in the first person, whether fiction or non-fiction, he or she must like the protagonist. And if not, at least identify with that individual, on some level. Jillian Lauren, in her Some Girls: My Life in […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Steve Raymond’s ‘Poison River’
Here at WoWasis, we’re aware of lots of reasons why you don’t want to get thrown in jail or prison in Thailand. When you do, you’re at the mercy of an unbelievable amount of corruption and bribery practices involving prison authorities, police, your own lawyers, and the justice system itself. As a foreigner, a great […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Frank Visakay’s ‘Jasmine Fever’
In the experience of those of us here at WoWasis, most expat writers who have complimentary things to say about Thai women contrast them with disparaging views of Western women in general and Yank women in particular. Frank Visakay, a former New York chef, has penned a book that’s a hoot for guys who love the […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Dean Barrett’s ‘Permanent Damage’
It’s never easy getting Dean Barrett, author of a surprisingly vast array of books on Asian subjects, away from his favorite haunt at Bangkok’s Chao Phya 2. That’s why we here at WoWasis were pleased that he found time to pen another book in his Scott Sterling mystery series, Permanent Damage (2010, ISBN 978-0-9788888-2-4). At […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis on censored & pirated books in Vietnam: Why you’ll probably want to buy elsewhere
Want to buy books while traveling in Vietnam? While you’ll have no problem finding books on Vietnamese art and culture in its many bookstores, you’ll find almost nothing on its wars, politics, or society, and precious little Vietnam-related fiction. The two main reasons for this are governmental restrictions on imported literature, and the prevalence of […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Clifford Kinvig’s ‘River Kwai Railway’
You’ve seen the terrific movie, you’ve read Philippe Boulle’s compelling book. Great stories, but they’re both fiction. For a worthy overview of the situation as it actually occurred, we at WoWasis recommend reading military historian Clifford Kinvig’s River Kwai Railway: the Story of the Burma-Siam Railroad (1992, ISBN 1-84486-021-3). An estimated 100,000 workers died during […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Pierre Boulle’s ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’
Here at WoWasis, we’re not averse to reviewing an older book, especially one that was written a couple of generations ago. It’s well past its original buzz, which, in the case of this book, includes a major motion picture as well. Fact is, many in today’s generation haven’t read it. And it’s timeless. We just […]
Read the rest of this entry »
