Canterbury Tales Guesthouse

[Daveo]

[Daveo]

[Daveo]

[Daveo]

[Daveo]

[Daveo]

Some interesting Books in lately

[JAI DEE MAK]

Some interesting Books in lately

GREEN (1A).jpgGREEN (a3).jpgBike book.jpg

 

Any giving instructions on how to build a high (impregnable) wall around your house ????.

 

Sorry could not resist it.

 

 

JDM

[Daveo]

LOL

You Bugga, hahaa

[Gobby]

As my old man always say......Money talks . Bullshit walks ! C u soon Dave . Get my black pudding sandwich ready . Lol

Edited May 22, 2013 by Gobby

[Daveo]

As my old man always say......Money talks . Bullshit walks ! C u soon Dave . Get my black pudding sandwich ready . Lol

Hey Gobby

Looking forward to it Buddy.

[Daveo]

Have over 60 old Agatha Christie books in our classics section, very busy section too with Graham Greene  George Orwell, Harper Lee, George Eliot, Leo Tolstoy, John Steinbeck, Thoma Hardy & Vladimir Nabokov to name but a few.

Old Ags was an interesting Lady ;

 

Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born on 15 September 1890 in Torquay, England.  Her father, Frederick, was an outgoing American with an independent income.  Her mother, Clara, was rather shy; Agatha resembled her greatly in personality.  There were two other children - Madge and Monty, both older than Agatha.
Although Madge received a formal education, Clara decided Agatha should not.  She intended that Agatha be taught to read when she was eight; however, by the age of five Agatha had already taught herself to read.  The rest of her education was through a mixture of tutors, part-time schooling and French finishing schools. She also trained as a singer and pianist and had it not been for her extreme shyness, she had the talent to have made this her career.
When Agatha was eleven her father died and she became even closer to her mother. Without Frederick, Clara became restless and began to travel, at times taking Agatha with her; these early trips began Agatha's lifelong love of travel.
In 1912 Agatha met Archie Christie, her future husband, a qualified aviator who had applied to join the Royal Flying Corps.  After a tempestuous romance, they married on Christmas Eve 1914, by special licence, with Archie returning to the war in France on Boxing Day.
Agatha was not idle during the war. She became a nurse in the Voluntary Aid Detachment of the Red Cross Hospital in Torquay - ultimately working in the dispensary where she enjoyed the work and completed the examination of the Society of Apothecaries.
Although Agatha had amused herself as a child, acting out stories and make believe, her writing career really began after her sister Madge challenged her to write a novel. It took several years to get her first book The Mysterious Affair at Styles published - with the publisher suggesting an alternative final chapter - but the reviews were kind and the murder by Poison so well described that Agatha received the unprecedented honour of a review in the Pharmaceutical Journal!
Agatha’s happiness was complete when Rosalind, her only daughter was born on 5th August 1919 but by 1926, her life was in tatters: Christie’s mother Clara died and Archie left her for another woman.
Christie slowly rebuilt her life and in 1930 she visited Baghdad for a second time. It was here she met Max Mallowan. Max took Agatha on a tour of Baghdad and the desert - it was an action-packed journey - their car got stuck in the sand and they were rescued by the Desert Camel Corps! When they reached Athens, Agatha received a telegram saying that Rosalind was seriously ill. Agatha's only concern was to get home, however she had badly sprained her ankle on an Athens street and was unable to walk. Max chose to accompany her back to England. She could not have made the trip without him and when they reached home he proposed and she happily accepted.
Agatha accompanied Max on his annual archaeological expeditions for nearly 30 years. She continued to write, both at home and on field trips and her book Come, Tell Me How You Live wittily describes her days on digs in Syria.  She and Max were happily married for 46 years.  After a hugely successful career and a wonderful life Agatha died peacefully on 12 January 1976.
You can read Agatha Christie's own account of her life in An Autobiography which was published after her death in 1977.

[tourasia]

Have over 60 old Agatha Christie books in our classics section, very busy section too with Graham Greene  George Orwell, Harper Lee, George Eliot, Leo Tolstoy, John Steinbeck, Thoma Hardy & Vladimir Nabokov to name but a few.

Old Ags was an interesting Lady ;

 

Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born on 15 September 1890 in Torquay, England.  Her father, Frederick, was an outgoing American with an independent income.  Her mother, Clara, was rather shy; Agatha resembled her greatly in personality.  There were two other children - Madge and Monty, both older than Agatha.

Although Madge received a formal education, Clara decided Agatha should not.  She intended that Agatha be taught to read when she was eight; however, by the age of five Agatha had already taught herself to read.  The rest of her education was through a mixture of tutors, part-time schooling and French finishing schools. She also trained as a singer and pianist and had it not been for her extreme shyness, she had the talent to have made this her career.

When Agatha was eleven her father died and she became even closer to her mother. Without Frederick, Clara became restless and began to travel, at times taking Agatha with her; these early trips began Agatha's lifelong love of travel.

In 1912 Agatha met Archie Christie, her future husband, a qualified aviator who had applied to join the Royal Flying Corps.  After a tempestuous romance, they married on Christmas Eve 1914, by special licence, with Archie returning to the war in France on Boxing Day.

Agatha was not idle during the war. She became a nurse in the Voluntary Aid Detachment of the Red Cross Hospital in Torquay - ultimately working in the dispensary where she enjoyed the work and completed the examination of the Society of Apothecaries.

Although Agatha had amused herself as a child, acting out stories and make believe, her writing career really began after her sister Madge challenged her to write a novel. It took several years to get her first book The Mysterious Affair at Styles published - with the publisher suggesting an alternative final chapter - but the reviews were kind and the murder by poison so well described that Agatha received the unprecedented honour of a review in the Pharmaceutical Journal!

Agatha’s happiness was complete when Rosalind, her only daughter was born on 5th August 1919 but by 1926, her life was in tatters: Christie’s mother Clara died and Archie left her for another woman.

Christie slowly rebuilt her life and in 1930 she visited Baghdad for a second time. It was here she met Max Mallowan. Max took Agatha on a tour of Baghdad and the desert - it was an action-packed journey - their car got stuck in the sand and they were rescued by the Desert Camel Corps! When they reached Athens, Agatha received a telegram saying that Rosalind was seriously ill. Agatha's only concern was to get home, however she had badly sprained her ankle on an Athens street and was unable to walk. Max chose to accompany her back to England. She could not have made the trip without him and when they reached home he proposed and she happily accepted.

Agatha accompanied Max on his annual archaeological expeditions for nearly 30 years. She continued to write, both at home and on field trips and her book Come, Tell Me How You Live wittily describes her days on digs in Syria.  She and Max were happily married for 46 years.  After a hugely successful career and a wonderful life Agatha died peacefully on 12 January 1976.

You can read Agatha Christie's own account of her life in An Autobiography which was published after her death in 1977.

Really interesting stuff Dave but I have to wonder how many guys who go to Pattaya getting too excited about reading Agatha Christies fucking autobiography, I suspect you are aiming at the expats in Pattaya that have turned to a more sedate lifestyle. 

Edited May 24, 2013 by tourasia

[Daveo]

I suspect you are aiming at the expats in Pattaya that have turned to a more sedate lifestyle.

Of which maybe surprisingly there are many who often discuss such subjects.

Cheers Dave
PS, I don't think fucking was mentioned 

[tourasia]

I suspect you are aiming at the expats in Pattaya that have turned to a more sedate lifestyle.

Of which maybe surprisingly there are many who often discuss such subjects.

Cheers Dave

PS, I don't think fucking was mentioned 

Judging by your review I am sure Agatha liked a little "fucking" just based on her tempestuous romance but I retract the inclusion if you feel it was ill received.  

[Daveo]

Most of Paul Adirex books in stock today.

 

According to the books the author Paul Adirex is an American-educated prominent Thai politician and businessman. His real Thai name is written in Thai characters as , which when translated into English makes him Pongpol Adireksarn or something similar. His English style of writing is easy to follow, and the stories are very well put together, with a good mix of real and fictional events.

 

The first three books I read are all set on Thailand's borders with other countries. 'Pirates of Tarutao' takes place on the border with Malaysia. 'Mekong' is set on the border with Laos. 'Until the Karma Ends' takes place on the border with Myanmar (Burma). The fourth book is located in and around Phuket.

The first book I read was 'The Pirates of Tarutao'. This is a World War II story about an assortment of prisoners of war in a POW camp on Tarutao, the Southern most island on Thailand's West coast (Tarutao is a real island, slightly North of Malaysia's Northern most island Langkawi). Desperate for supplies, especially food, the inmates turn to piracy, which eventually in desperation, is condoned by the camp's commandant. Of course once the war is over, it is difficult for the Pirates to give up their easy way of making a living. Naturally the most evil characters meet with horrible endings.

Having read the intro on the back of my second Adirex book, 'Mekong', at Bangkok airport I was keen to get into it. Initially I was disappointed because it seemed to be a collection of very short and not very satisfying stories. However I persevered and was very glad that I did. After several apparently unrelated chapters, all the bits and pieces came together to make a very satisfying whole. The story is a wonderful mix of modern day events mixed with myths and legends of the past from Thailand and Laos. I have no hesitation in recommending it. In 2005 I have also noticed that a book has been published, which is Mekong, told, using comic strip illustrations.

 

A Mythical(?) Naga (featured in 'Mekong') guards a Thai temple

'Until the Karma Ends' my third Adirex book, does not contain the mythical characters of 'Mekong'. Although a work of fiction, it provides what is probably a good insight into the plight of the Burmese (Myanmar) minority tribes, especially the Mon, the Shan and the Karen. This is a story about attempted subversion, which manages to involve the CIA, the KGB, as well as Thai and Burmese intelligence forces. At the same time, like the other Adirex books, it provides a grounding of understanding about certain realities and is therefore educational as well as highly entertaining.

 

The King Kong Effect

Published in 1998. I read this story in a single sitting. Yes it is quite short, but also almost impossible to put down, once you've read the first few pages. The story revolves around a colony of giant Conus Geographus which are discovered near the island of Butang in Thailand's Andaman Sea.

 

The fact that these marine moluscs happen to fire deadly darts when threatened, is key to the story, which takes place mainly in Phuket and nearby islands. As well as Butang other Andaman Islands such as the Similans and Surins feature.

I happened to visit both the Similans and Surins in January 1996, the date the events in the story unfold, hence I have the picture of the Surins contemporary to the story, featured below.

 

Rattanakosin

After a gap of 6 years, a new book has appeared in English language, by Paul Adirex, entitled Rattanakosin, which seems to be one of the shorter names for Bangkok. This time the work is an historical novel, where one suspects that 90% is fact and only 10% is fiction. The first printing is dated November 2004. I imagine that part of the reason it has taken so long for Paul Adirex's 5th book in the English language to appear, is the huge amount of meticulous research that must have been undertaken along the way.

 

As a history lesson it is very interesting, starting with the fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese in 1767. The Thai kingdom is then re-united by King Taksin, who about half way through the story, starts to suffer from mental disturbances. The second half of the book deals with Taksin's new quest for Nirvana, and his resulting lack of attention to his kingdom, eventually forcing two of his generals, who are brothers, to take over the throne. The elder of these is crowned as King Rama I, while his younger brother assumes the position of second king. King Rama I was the first king of the current Chakri dynasty. Historians relate different accounts about what ultimately happened to King Taksin. Adirex has selected one of those to use in this story.

Like Suriyothai, one can imagine this book being made into an epic movie. To have success in the US market, especially Hollywood you generally need to have an American in your story. The author seems not to have been able to find any hard evidence of any real Americans participating in the battles of the time, so commendably, rather than change history, he appears to have contrived one in the present day, who is having this story of Rattanakosin related to him by a buddhist monk.

While the book is very interesting because of it's close association with real history, as a novel it is quite a tough read. This is because during the period of history covered, there were many battles involving a lot of Thai towns. So the reader is moved from location to location, battle to battle, at the pace of a speeding express train. In addition many of the characters get promoted so rapidly, that the titles by which they are referred to, are constantly changing. Luckily a couple of the central characters are mainly referred to by the same names throughout, despite their title changes. In one case, one of the people opposing the future King Rama I, has Thiboldi, as part of his name. No sooner has this Thiboldi been disposed of, we then find that King Rama I is sometimes being referred to as King Rama Thiboldi. This is no doubt historically correct, but does not make the story any easier to follow.

Would I recommend this book? If you are interested in Thai history, then definitely. If you are not interested in Thai history and want a bit of light entertainment on a long flight, then probably not.

 

 

Mekong
A Fantastic Adventure About The Search For MIAs And Lost Treasure In Laos
Paul Adirex

April 1994, Dave Shawn, an ex-Army engineer trying to put his life back together after his wife's death, is sent to replace an American company's field manager, who has died mysteriously along with six of the company's security guards while supervising the construction of a bridge across the Mekong River connecting Thailand and northern Laos.

Was it really a Naga, a giant mythical snake, that killed them or were more worldly forces, such as the drug kingpin of the Golden Triangle or a corrupt Laotian general looking for lost treasure, responsible for their deaths.

Shawn is joined by Johnny Draco who was sent by the Defense Intelligence Agency to find two US pilots shot down over northern Laos in 1967. they meet Kimberly baker, a beautiful half-Thai half-British anthropologist, who is searching for the long-lost Puri tribe.

The trio, each searching for separate quarry, find their lives becoming intertwined. the key to their success or failure is a mysterious Buddhist forest monk who points them in the direction of the most bizarre and dangerous adventure of their lives.

[Daveo]

Ken Follett, Fall of Giants ( 941 pages ) release date Sep 2012

Ken Follett’s magnificent new historical epic begins, as five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage.

A thirteen-year-old Welsh boy enters a man’s world in the mining pits.…An American law student rejected in love finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson’s White House.… A housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with a German spy.…And two orphaned Russian brothers embark on radically different paths when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution.

From the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a Palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty, Fall of Giants takes us into the inextricably entangled fates of five families—and into a century that we thought we knew, but that now will never seem the same again.…Asia Books price 385 baht, our price 160 baht + 50% trade in credit

 

Freddy Forsyth The Veteran (344 pages)

On a grimy sidewalk in a defeated neighborhood, an old man is beaten to death. When a cop investigates, he finds two killers and a startling legacy of honor ... In a prestigious London art gallery an impoverished actor is swindled out of a fortune-until an eccentric appraiser hatches a delicious scheme for revenge... On an airplane high over war-torn Afghanistan, a passenger sends a note to the plane's captain, warning of suspicious behavior. But no one can guess who is really conspiring aboard the 747, or why... From the war-torn Italy to the Little Big Horn, from soldiers of fortune to victims of fate,The Veteran is a riveting experience in crime, heroism, and the kind of mano-a-mano duels-and surprising twists of fate-that are the hallmark of Frederick Forsyth at his very best.

Asia books 385 our price 160 baht + 50+ trade in credit

[Daveo]

Michael Connelly The Scarecrow, ( 448 pages)

both below in Asia books 385 baht, our price 160 baht + the 50% trade in credit

 

Forced out of the Los Angeles Times amid the latest budget cuts, newspaperman Jack McEvoy decides to go out with a bang, using his final days at the paper to write the definitive murder story of his career.

He focuses on Alonzo Winslow, a 16-year-old drug dealer in jail after confessing to a brutal murder. But as he delves into the story, Jack realizes that Winslow's so-called confession is bogus. The kid might actually be innocent.

Jack is soon running with his biggest story since The Poet made his career years ago. He is tracking a killer who operates completely below police radar--and with perfect knowledge of any move against him. Including Jack's.

 

Peter James Dead Tomorrow ( 546 pages)

IN AN EVIL WORLD, EVERYTHING IS FOR SALE...The body of a missing teenager is dredged from the seabed off the Sussex coast, missing vital organs. Soon after, a further two more bodies are found ...Caitlin Beckett, a fifteen-year-old in Brighton will die if she does not receive an urgent transplant. When the health system threatens to let her down her mother takes drastic action and goes to an online broker in black-market organs. The broker can provide what she wants, but it will come at a price. As Superintendent Roy Grace investigates the recovered bodies, he unearths the trail of a gang of child traffickers operating from Eastern Europe. Soon Grace and his team will find themselves in a race against time to save the life of a young street kid, while a desperate mother will stop at nothing to save her daughter's life ...'James manages to add enough surprises and drama that by the end you're rooting for the police and really don't know if they will finally get their men' Sunday Express 'Another of James' sophisticated, complicated and well-informed snap-shots of the Brighton police at work...His research is obviously careful. It's well worth the effort, as the result is a superior thriller'

Edited May 31, 2013 by Daveo

[Daveo]

Stephen Leather, Rough Justice, ( 559 pages) Asia books 385 baht our price 160 baht + 50% trade in

About the most popular author all year 

 

Rough Justice is the seventh book in the best-selling Dan 'Spider' Shepherd series.

Villains across London are being beaten, crippled and killed by vigilante cops. Crime rates are falling, but the powers that be want Dan 'Spider' Shepherd to bring the wave of rough justice to an end.

Shepherd has always known that there are grey areas in the fight against crime. And that sometimes justice gets lost in the process.

He has never been comfortable investigating cops, but working for the Serious Organised Crime Agency means that he has no choice. He has to go undercover with an elite group of officers who are at the sharp end of policing, risking their lives daily on the toughest streets in the Capital.

But Shepherd has hard decisions of his own to make when his family is in the firing line."

 

Robert Ludlum The Bourne Dominion ( 464 pages)

Asia Books 360 baht our price 160 baht + 50% trade in

Jason Bourne is searching for an elusive cadre of terrorists planning to destroy America's most strategic natural resources-and needs the help of his longtime friend, General Boris Karpov. Karpov, the newly appointed head of Russia's most feared spy agency, FSB-2, is one of the most determined, honorable, and justice-hungry men that Bourne knows. But Karpov has made a deal with the devil. In order to remain the head of FSB-2, he must hunt down and kill Bourne.

Now, these two trusted friends are on a deadly collision course. From the Colombian highlands to Munich, Cadiz, and Damascus, the clock is counting down to a disaster that will cripple America's economic and military future. Only Bourne and Karpov have a chance to avert the catastrophe-but if they destroy each other first, that chance will be gone forever.

THE BOURNE DOMINION

Jason Bourne is one of the most compelling and best loved characters created by internationally bestselling novelist Robert Ludlum. The hero of eight novels, including The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy, Bourne has also been featured in three blockbuster movies starring Matt Damon. Now, New York Times bestselling author Eric Van Lustbader presents a new story about the rogue secret agent who has lost his memory.

[JAI DEE MAK]

Dave, any chance you can put some photos on your posts as I am Welsh and do understand the letters and words too good.

 

555555555

 

JDM

[Daveo]

Dave, any chance you can put some photos on your posts as I am Welsh and do understand the letters and words too good. 555555555 JDM

Behave Boyo, pop in I will explain it. 

[Daveo]

Got this book, cant seem to shift it, any offers

[darkall]

Got this book, cant seem to shift it, any offers

7601_358559844252897_316159829_n.jpg

 

I think you will find it more useful if you show (the title) it to Americans.. it is bound to give them a good chuckle.  

[flynn]

It's a load of shit that book, it stinks

[JAI DEE MAK]

Any mention of "Sheep" in it ?

 

JDM

 

http://www.condopattya-rent.com

[Daveo]

A real no brainer;

Example, John LeCarre, our kind of traitor 360 baht in Asia books with nothing back when you have finished with it, our price 160 baht plus 50% credit refund when you finished with it.

 

In John le Carré's electrifying novel Our Kind of Traitor, innocents abroad are drawn into the darkest recesses of the financial world.

 

Britain is in the depths of recession. A left-leaning young Oxford academic and his barrister girlfriend take an off-peak holiday on the Caribbean island of Antigua. By seeming chance they bump into a Russian millionaire called Dima who owns a peninsula and a diamond-encrusted gold watch. He also has a tattoo on his right thumb, and wants a game of tennis.

 

What else he wants propels the young lovers on a tortuous journey through Paris to a safe house in the Swiss Alps, to the murkiest cloisters of the City of London and its unholy alliance with Britain's Intelligence Establishment.

 

'If you want to know about the state of Britain today, forget the Booker shortlist. Just read John le Carré's latest thriller' Evening Standard

 

'Few recent plays have had dialogue as good, and few recent literary novels can boast a set of characters so vividly imagined. Our Kind of Traitor is a teasing, beguiling, masterly performance' Sunday Times

 

John le Carré was born in 1931 and attended the universities of Bern and Oxford. He taught at Eton and served briefly in British Intelligence during the Cold War. For the last fifty years he has lived by his pen. His most recent novel, A Delicate Truth, is also published by Penguin. He divides his time between London and Cornwall.