6 Awesome Books About Thailand

04 Aug 6 Awesome Books About Thailand

Travelers’ Tales Thailand: True Stories by James O’Reilly (Editor) (2009)

This collection of personal stories paints a unique portrait of Thailand, a complex and captivating land. One contributor lives as a monk for a month, another discovers Bangkok’s riverine pleasures, a world away from its car-choked streets. Yet another finds refuge as the houseguest of an isolated tribesman. Through these engaging personal stories, with this book about Thailand readers witness how Thailand satisfies just about any traveller’s hunger for the exotic and the beautiful

Thai Ways – by Denis Segaller (2005)

This is a delightful collection of nearly everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Thai customs and beliefs, engagingly explained in a grandfatherly way by a long-time English resident of Thailand. The stories in this book about Thailand demystify constructs like the system of royal ranks and the Thai musical scale, and customs like the Loi Krathong festival.

Bangkok Found: Reflections On The City – by Alex Kerr (2011)

Evocative and incisive, this book about Bangkok looks deep within traditional culture to discover how Bangkok is like no other contemporary city. It’s the book you read after you’ve seen the temples and enjoyed the nightlife – and then start to wonder where the mysterious appeal of Bangkok really lies.

Culture Shock! Thailand: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

This book about Thailand explains the customs, traditions, social and business etiquette in a lively and informative style. The books in this series have a friendly and honest writing style and are full of personal experiences, practical advice and useful information. It contains: insights into the people and their culture and traditions; advice on adapting into the local environment; linguistic help and hints on how to learn the language and do business.

Next Life in the Afternoon: A Journey Through Thailand – by Carl Weaver (2012)

This reads like a novel but this book about Thailand is the true story of what happens when the author’s plans to ordain as a Buddhist monk in Thailand are derailed after he has arrived in the country. This is spiritual, funny, at times irreverent, and full of personal lessons learned along the way.

Fieldwork – by Mischa Berlinski (2009)

This novel is a brilliantly original and page-turning story of anthropologists, missionaries, demon possession, sexual taboos, murder, and one obsessed young American reporter in Thailand. If you were to buy one novel about Thailand, this should be it.