- Only at “The Mall NgamWongWan” AB Branch - Spend 2,000 Baht get a free AB Tote Bag!
Plus! With every purchase, get a Asia Book’s Membership Card FREE
Period: May 29 – July 30, 2008
Exclusive For Member
• Member Points can be used in exchange for selected titles and premiums.
• Every 40 baht used earns 1 Member Points.
• Special price for “Asia Books Tote Bag”, only 65 Baht or burn your member points with only 50 pts.
**Remark**
While stocks last
Period: June 2 – July 30, 2008
Free book! Exclusive for only Asia books Members; Purchase 3,000 Baht or more and get a FREE Hard Cover book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow”! (Only while supplies lasts)
Period: June 2- July 30
The Mid-Year Sale Extravaganza!
Enter our “Lucky Draw” with every 1,000 Baht purchases for a chance to win discount coupons worth up to 50% off on your next purchases!
**Remark**
5% discount with your K-Bank Card and get a free “G2000 Pouch” with purchases of 2,500 Baht or more!
Period: June 2 - July 30, 2008
Don’t Miss the Neilson Hays Library Used Book Sale!
Saturday & Sunday, June 14-15, 9:30 am to 4:00 pm
This summer’s used book sale will be held in conjunction with a free Fun Fair at the British Club on Saturday, June 14th from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm
In addition, vendors will be on hand from 9:30 am to 7:00 pm on Saturday & Sunday.
Click here for more information about the Neilson Hays Library, including a map.
This month marks four years since we opened our bookshop on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok. To celebrate our anniversary, and to thank you for your patronage, we are having a storewide sale from May 15-31. All books in stock at Dasa will be discounted 20% off our regular price.
In addition to our sale this month, we have put more paperback books on sale in our “Blowout Bins” outside the store. Prices for most paperbacks are 29-49 baht. Larger sized paperbacks are 49-99 baht. But, unlike the rest of the books at Dasa, these discounted titles cannot be returned for credit. The “blowout” books are also not eligible for the 20% discount during our anniversary sale.
If you walk in the bookshop and notice something different, it’s because the glass display case that used to feature our cakes and cookies is gone! But don’t be alarmed. Yes, the case is gone, but we still have brownies and cookies; now they’re kept in the big fridge behind the counter. In place of the display case we will soon have another bookcase to accommodate our ever-increasing stock.
Along with many concerned world citizens, we are trying to help the people in Myanmar affected by the recent cyclone. We have a network of contacts within the country (both expats working there and native Burmese) and are able to get funds directly to individuals or organization that can buy items (food, water, medicine, clothing) and distribute them quickly to those in need. If you are interested in helping contribute money to these relief efforts, contact us at the bookshop or donate to one of the many organizations that are assisting in this worthy cause.
Dasa Book Cafe
Tel: 02 6612993
Source: Erin's newsletter
PRESS RELEASE
“My Thai Girl and I” by Andrew Hicks
(250 pages including 8 colour pages with 20 photographs and 95 monochrome photographs in the text.)
This new book about the author’s life in Thailand has been distributed by Asia Books to bookshops and outlets throughout Thailand as from early April 2008.
Written by Andrew Hicks, author of the best selling novel, “Thai Girl”, it is expected to sell to readers looking for an accessible story about expat life that also informs about the local culture and living in rural Thailand .
The Blurb on the Back Cover
“This is how I met Cat, a ‘Thai girl’ half my age and how we set up home together in her village out in the rice fields of North Eastern Thailand. I’ll tell you of toads in the toilet, of ants’ eggs for breakfast, how we took up frog farming and how I got married without really meaning to. It’s also a book about the countryside, of the old Thailand where the rhythm of the seasons and belief in the spirits and Buddhism remain strong. Though how could I, a greying English lawyer, ever fit into the lives of a Thai rice farming family. Can Cat and I with our many differences really be compatible? If you’re curious to know what it’s like to start a totally new life as I did, to slow down and ‘go with the flow’, I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading the story of ‘my Thai girl and I’.”
Five Brief Reviews of the Book
This new book tells the story of how the author, a former law professor set up home in an Isaan village with a rice farmer’s daughter half his age. With all their incompatibilities and the many problems of adapting to rural life, how could such a relationship ever succeed. A funny and engaging tale, it shows that anything is possible if Andrew throws off his cultural assumptions and learns to go with the flow.
****
There are many ‘culture shock’ handbooks written for foreigners settling in Thailand but another way to get an authentic flavour of living in the Kingdom is to read a new book just released called, “My Thai Girl and I”. Written by Andrew Hicks, author of the successful novel, “Thai Girl”, it describes how he met his Thai wife Cat and how they set up home together in her village in the North East of Thailand.
The many lessons to be learned are amusingly told, that smiles can mean a thousand things, that yes can sometimes mean no and nothing is ever what it seems. Building a new house involves a thousand crises and compromises and running a thirty year old jeep can turn into a nightmare.
Lavishly illustrated, this is the story of five years in the lives of two people who are as different as can be but offer each other the same thing, namely a totally new start in life. For the author, an older man used to the comforts of city living, there are many lessons to be learned and moving to live in the real rural Thailand presents many challenges.
How Andrew coped with these challenges, struggled with his own cultural assumptions and learned ‘to go with the flow’ will amuse and enlighten those who long for a slower way of life and contemplate retirement in Thailand .
****
In many Isaan villages the ageing farang resident married to a local girl has become a familiar sight. It’s hard though to imagine the reality of these unusual relationships, but a new book now gives the inside story. In “My Thai Girl and I”, Andrew Hicks, author of the best selling novel, “Thai Girl” tells how he met his Thai wife, Cat and how they set up home together in her village in Isaan.
He describes the tortuous business of building a house, of maintaining a thirty year old jeep and all the difficulties of a new life in a very rural environment. How could a sixty year old former corporate lawyer possibly come to grips with the volcanic local food and culture and co-exist with an army of in-laws that he can’t even speak to.
Fully illustrated, “My Thai Girl and I” is a pleasant read that takes the armchair traveler on a quest that is both funny and informative about cross-cultural relationships, the rhythms of the seasons and life in a rice growing village in Surin.
****
What’s the story behind the smart new concrete house that’s just been built in a remote village in Isaan? Who’s the tall farang often to be seen drawing wads of money at the ATM in the local town?
A new book, “My Thai Girl and I” now tells the inside story of how one Englishman retired from the rat race and came to accept a much slower way of life with a family of rice farmers in Surin.
Its author, Andrew Hicks tells how he met his Thai wife, Cat and of his culture shock when first she took him to her village. A former corporate lawyer and academic, how would he succeed in adapting to so different a life out in the remote rice fields of Surin?
He tells of the discomforts of living with no bed, no chair, no news of the outside world and with no way to get out of the village except by bicycle. An old Asia hand, he nonetheless finds the local diet of ants eggs and fermented fish spiced up with volcanic chili more than challenging.
The story takes you through five years of his life with Cat and describes the problems of building a house and of keeping a thirty year old jeep on the road and how their relationship confronted the strains and pitfalls of an unusual cross-cultural marriage.
The book thus offers the reader an upbeat and amusing read, with many insights into life for a newcomer to rural Thailand . For Andrew it wasn’t always easy, but ultimately life with his ‘Thai girl’ allowed him to look for a new balance in his life and to learn ‘to go with the flow’.
****
Thailand offers an enticing haven for European men wanting to retire to a warm and welcoming climate and huge numbers seem to be flocking this way. The food is amazing, the cost of living is reasonable and the ladies do really know how to smile. Some of these men succeed in finding happiness but theirs isn’t always an easy path.
In “My Thai Girl and I”, author Andrew Hicks describes some of the pitfalls that can be encountered along the way. Ants eggs for breakfast and toads in the toilet are the least of his troubles and with his energetic wife, Cat, life is a roller coaster as they deal with the stresses of marriage and the cultural gulf that separates them.
After life as a lawyer in London , Hong Kong and Singapore , Andrew finds a small village in Isaan takes some getting used to. He discovers that he’s not only married his wife but her family too, her village even and that their collective way of life is in stark contrast to the individuality of the West.
Andrew describes the problems of building a home, of running a thirty year old jeep and most difficult of all, his isolation from his own world; from world news, family, food, language and culture. How can two people of such differing age and experience possibly make a life together?
The book tells of all the ups and downs of a cross-cultural relationship and, drawing on the humour of the author’s predicament, offers the reader an upbeat and amusing read whose conclusion is distinctly positive.
Available at Asia Books and Bookazine and all bookshops throughout Thailand .
Published by Konstrukt Books, price 450 baht
See also the blog and the website.
Dasa Book Café will be open every day during the Songkran holidays in mid-April. During the official holiday period, from April 13-15, the normal hours will be kept: from 10 a.m. till 8 p.m. daily.
Whether you remain dry or opt to indulge in the water mayhem, we wish you a very happy and safe Songkran holday!
Want to know what’s new in stock at Dasa? Don’t forget to visit their website for daily updates on new book arrivals, along with weekly book recommendations, and blog postings at http://www.dasabookcafe.com/ .
Source: Erin's newsletter
The outstanding updated edition of The King of Thailand in World Focus (2007) is now available from the The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) office at these prices:
The 36th National Book Fair and the Bangkok International Book Fair 2008 is back! With hundreds of booths, and their big discounts, and numerous exhibitions and activities, the event is being held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Hall until April 7. The international book fair ends on Sunday, March 30.
Below are some highlights:
- An exhibition on Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana's life and written works. At the 'Shining Rainbow' corner, you can express your gratitude to the late princess by buying a ten-baht card and writing your condolence messages, or a 'Shining Rainbow' CD-book set sold at the booth. All proceeds will go to five charity organisations under the auspices of the late HRH Princess.
- At Booth Z02, children will get a chance to learn about global warming and to check on how their own daily habit may have contributed to the phenomenon. A similar theme is also the focus of booth X07, with activities on tree planting, and how to reduce, reuse and recycle.
- Booth Z04 revolves around the concept of Book Start, with ideas on how parents can induce their child into the world of books from a very young age.
- Enjoy discounts of up to 50 per cent at the booth of Silkworm Books, Mekong Press and Paragon Asia (offers last until tomorrow, so you'd better hurry!)
- Tomorrow (March 30) afternoon, from 1 to 2 pm, Sathaporn booth (E02) will launch a Thai translation of best-selling Taiwanese book titled Mae Phom Keb Khaya Khai (My Mother Is a Garbage Scavenger).
- On Tuesday (April 1), from 2 to 4 pm, Nanmee Books' booth features a special book launch of the Thai translation of Sirin Pattanothai' s memoir entitled The Dragon's Pearl or Mook Mangkorn. Sirin and her elder brother Wanwai will talk about their unforgettable experiences being sent to China during the early days of the communist revolution. On Thursday (April 3), from 3 to 5 pm, the publisher will launch a new collection of short stories and eight novel books by Prapassorn Sewikul. The event is to celebrate the diplomat-writer' s sixtieth birthday anniversary with a special poetry recitation and a roundtable panel by prominent literary critics and writers.
- The booth of the Quest Foundation (O06) which specialises in books by Krishnarmurti will launch a Thai translation of the guru's book titled Can Humanity Change. The foundation has imported several more books and DVDs, in English and Thai. Among them are: Think on These Things, Don't Make a Problem of Anything, A Flame of Learning, Choiceless Awareness, and Social Responsibility.
Source:
Writing for a Niche Market or a Wider World?
A round-table discussion with Dean Barrett, Christopher Moore, Stephen Leather, and Colin Cotterill
When? Wednesday, March 26 at 8:00 pm
How much? Cover charge for non-members: 300 Baht
Where? Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand
Where's that? Penthouse, Maneeya Center Building, 518/5 Ploenchit Road (connected to the BTS Skytrain Chitlom station)
More info? Website: http://www.fccthai.com/
Asia Book's "I Love to Read" book promotion
For every 1500 baht spent on Children Books and Draw a Lucky Dip win 5 classes at Gymboree, 1000 books and 500 gifts.
The promotion is applied for Children Category only, after discount, until stock last.
Period : Mar 1-31, 2008
More details here!
"Tomorrow, starting 2 pm, Kinokuniya Emporium is holding a special book signing for the Bangkok Blondes - bestselling story collection by the Bangkok Women's Writers Group.
You are all invited! Please come and meet the Bangkok Blondes, members of the Bangkok Womens' Writers Group and authors of this successful book which was named "one of the best books about Asia in 2007" by The Nation Sunday Review.
Since I am the coordinator of the BWWG and my stories are in Bangkok Blondes - and since I am also an avid and eager member of the Bangkok Book Crossers I would love you to be there too."
Message from Anette
Saturday, March 8 at Kinokuniya Emporium, between 2 p.m and 4 p.m., a book signing event will take place, featuring the authors of best-selling title Bangkok Blondes. The book was described last December by the Nation newspaper as "one of the year's best books on Asia."
Bangkok Books published many new exciting titles the last month as follows:
1. Tagalog-Thai phrasebook (with or without CD)
2. Revenge of Axel Trink by Mitch Vladimir
3. Cyber Freundin by Neville Allen
4. Those Who Hear by SIM
5. Norwegian-Thai phrasebook (with or without CD)
Visit their website at http://www.bangkokbooks.com/ to read about those books as well as find information about the authors.
All the books are available in Thailand at Asia Books (33 branches), Bookazine (25 branches), B2S (20 branches), Kinokuniya (3 branches), Nai-In (Suvarnabhumi airport & MBK shopping Mall), airports (Bangkok, Phuket, Samui, Chiangmai), hotels, Suriwong Book Center, DK bookstores and many smaller independent bookstores.
In Singapore and Malaysia you can find our books at Borders, Kinokuniya, MPH, Times and airports oronline directly at http://www.bangkokbooks.com/ or various online bookshops.
ASIAN JOURNAL OF LITERATURE, CULTURE AND SOCIETY is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic periodical which provides a forum for interdisciplinary discussion of issues related to East, South and Southeast Asian arts, cultures and societies, inviting contributions from the disciplines of literature, literary/art criticism, language, philosophy, anthropology, social studies, cultural studies, semiotics, gender studies, film, media and communication arts, architecture and design, and contemporary critical theory. The journal publishes original research articles concerned with Asian texts and contexts, as well as a variety of creative forms of writing, while its interview/event/review section offers an analysis of related recent literature and a commentary on relevant cultural events.
Click on the image to enlarge.
If you have paperbacks lying around that you’ll never read again, why not do some early spring cleaning and a good deed at the same time?
The U.S. Embassy American Citizen Services (ACS) office regularly takes donated books to U.S. citizens incarcerated in Thai prisons. Bring your spare paperbacks to our next Bangkok Bookcrossers meeting on March 4th (or to our afternoon get-together on February 29th) and they will be dropped off at the ACS office for delivery to prisoners.
If you are unable to attend one of these meetings, but would still like to contribute books, please contact me at encgolsen@gmail.com. If anyone else knows of a similar program for prisoners of other nationalities or for other charitable causes, please email me the details at encgolsen@gmail.com so we can consider organizing a future book collection on their behalf.
Source: Erin's newsletter (Volume 1, Issue 6, February 11, 2008)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial- No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
