Extra: Bookstore Encounter in Asia

In Thailand, you can find good selection of English-language books at Asia Books, a local chain with retail stores in popular areas of Bangkok. Except for the ones in Siam Paragon and Central World (two main shopping malls), most of its branches are small and stock a limited but nevertheless interesting range of fiction and general interest titles in English. I especially love their sections on Thailand and Southeast Asia, where you will find novels, history books, coffee-table books set in the region written by both foreign and local writers. Fiction wise, Thailand imports UK editions so there is a much better chance to locate paperbacks that are yet to be released in the USA. And for the same reason, the selection reflects a greater emphasis on European titles. The non-fiction is just as fulfilling. Here you will find off-the-beaten-path books about prostitution, prison tell-all, homeopathic cure. For me it’s always a great place to start when I only bring enough readings to accompany my flight to Thailand—I know I’ll always find something here. Between Asia Books and its Japanese-owned rival, Kinokuniya, which also carries titles in English language, I fill up my luggage with books to be read after I return home.

Eslite, the swanky new Taiwanese mega bookstore in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong does not live up to my expectation. The selection, at least in English-language books, doesn’t measure up that of Page One. Eslite boasts the ample space for readers to enjoy the books. But from my experience, while the three-storey powerhouse is packed to the rafters with almost every tome imaginable, it’s not poised to become my favorite stop to buy books. It’s more a lifestyle store than a bookstore—they have a tea shop, stationery annex, and boutique. None of the books on my list are in stock at Eslite, despite a third of its collection is in English language. Eslite also groups books in Chinese and English under the same category, which I find confusing. Eslite provides a great reading ambiance, but not necessarily the most eclectic titles. If you are looking for a place for casual, after-work reading, Eslite is not it. After all, most Hong Kongers aren’t avid readers. It’s also true that the minority who do read probably won’t go to Eslite.

[537] Bangkok Days – Lawrence Osborne

“Our innocent pleasure gardens are no longer in Europe or America. The sun kisses us at the equator, among images of Buddha and Shiva. Innocent, you say? Bangkok, innocent? Yes. It is far more innocent than Torremolinos, Mykonos, or Miami. Far more innocent than Atlantic City or Catalina or Las Vegas, or even than Malta. After all, what is the idea behind those places now? We feel choked in them. Whereas, I am sorry, but I simply don’t feel that here. Perhaps the West is just a shithole now and there’s nothing we can do.” (Soi 33, p.173)

It’s been said that anyone who has been reported missing will somehow be sighted in San Francisco, as per Tales of the City. Well, Bangkok could measure up no less. Capital of the land of smile, the city of angels, and the only country in Southeast Asia remains uncolonized by the Europeans, Bangkok, or its anonymity, is where foreigners choose to disappear in and to escape from the trouble home. Osborne nails this psyche: Westerners pick Bangkok as a place to live precisely because they can never understand it—from the culture brimming with contradictions to the variation of written Sanscrit in Thai language. It’s this ignorance that comforts the farang. However conversant in Thai culture, he will never get close to the bottom of it.

Lawrence Osborne is among those who comes because he has no prospects. A journalist covering psychiatry and science for American magazines, he lives from paycheck to paycheck. The city, full of decayed temples, sleazy bars, exotic foodstuff, incessant human stream, and most of all its hospitality, is the natural habitat for a man like him, who is on the lam. He at first comes for the cheap dentistry, and ends up staying when he realizes he can live off just a few dollars a day. Bangkok through his eyes is a city little known to the average tourist, a place caught on the chasm between its religion and the desire for modernization.

It is constantly remarked that the Thais are rather formal and proper in their day-to-day lives, a conservatism summed up in the phrase rob rioy. But it could be said that it is this very surface reticence which frees the deeper, more private self to be sexually anarchic. . . . It is the tension between the calm, reticent surface and the adventurous core which arouses me more than the reverse. (Thang Lor, p.137)

As Osborne trawls through forgotten neighborhoods, exploring the off-the-beaten-path Bangkok and its eclectic offerings to satisfy human needs, we see a place that is more than its commercial hedonism and false grandiosity. The inveterate Buddhist beliefs have a tight rope on the Thais, rendering them tolerant of homosexuals and pleasure seekers. The pliable sense of sexual morality and the belief that anyone could be a man, woman, or kathoey in the previous life are magnets to visitors.

Bangkok Days at times reads like fiction; indeed, I once suspect Osborne tried to frame this heartsick tale of being adrift in Bangkok as fiction. He himself is the doomed, romantic type that I’ve been familiar with reading post-colonial authors. A keen observer and a sort of nocturnal sensualist who experiences Bangkok through his nostrils and tongues, he never loses sight of the allure and the sadness of lotus land. This book is a fascinating view of Thailand but it never intended to dissect the hidden layers of its culture.

271 pp. Vintage UK. Paper. [Read/Skim/Toss] [Buy/Borrow]

Extra: Inflight Entertainment

The first book of 2013 made me jump through many hoops but I’m glad to have finished it. I believe there are books canonical to the whole genre even though it might not be for every reader. Henry James falls into this category, and so does Toni Morrison. So, the completion of the hefty Angle of Repose is what I consider an accomplishment tantamount to reading , say, The Inferno.

Two days before my departure to Asia and I have finalized the reading list for the trip. Two non-fiction titles I have included to lighten up the experience. They are both travel-related: Cruising Altitude by Heather Poole and Ask the Pilot by Patrick Smith. The secondary title of the first one makes it very irresistible, although I hope I won’t be hemmed in by crazy passengers Poole depicts in it. The claims airline passengers make about flights are often embellished. During turbulence, for example, passengers may think a plane is dropping hundreds of feet, when it’s never typically more than 20. Airline pilot Patrick Smith, writes the Ask The Pilot column for Salon.com. He sets the record straight on common air travel myths. The latter is a compilation of these stories.

In the literary department, I pick authors whose books I have enjoyed. Both James Salter and William Maxwell are consummate storytellers. Their manners are precise and elegant. The Chateau Harold and Barbara Rhodes of New York as they visit France in 1948. Maxwell does not make the Rhodes’ jump through any dramatic hoops, choosing instead to show them coping with the difficulties of new social relationships. The Rhodes’ arrive in a France that is still just recovering from the war. They begin their four month trip with an extended stay at a small chateau in the Loire Valley. The chateau, owned by Mlle. Vienot, is run as a guesthouse, and Harold and Barbara soon find themselves in a series of new friendships and awkward social entanglements with Vienot’s guests and relatives. An article in Paris Review decided that I will read Light Years. The article shows Salter’s outline of the novel. I note how Salter is careful to think of the seasons as he moves through the chapters.

Currently I’m reading my first John Updike book, The Witches of Eastwick. It’s a mixture of humor, keen observations and prose. I shall see if I’ll wrap it up before hopping on the plane on Wednesday. Itinerary is rather busy: San Francisco — Los Angeles (AA) — Tokyo Narita (AA) — Bangkok (JL) — Singapore (CX) — Hong Kong (CX) — San Francisco (CX). The leap over the Pacific to Japan will take 12 hours, making it perfect to get couped up with a book (and a glass of wine?) The hammock awaits in Thailand so that would be another reading haven.

Airport Novels

Despite the unromantic aspects airlines introduce to air-travel—outrageous fees, crammed seats, delays, boarding cattle-herding style; I still look upon air travel with a romantic anticipation. I’ll be sitting in my trans-Pacific flight to Hong Kong, looking up to the window, realizing I might make good time at an early arrival in my hometown. To what did I owe this newfound oblivion about where I was? This insouciance about fraying schedules? This good cheer about the dismaying ritual of herding, shuffling, squeezing, starving, sitting and suffocating that characterizes air travel today? One of my best travel companion, needless to say, is my reading. I know I have read through serious stuff like The Stranger on the beach of Puerto Vallarta, but vacation read should be easy. I also spend a tremendous amount of time reading at the airport. Airport reading needs to be fast paced enough to make your wait fly by and engaging enough to keep your attention from people watching or staring at whatever is playing on the airport news channel. Airport reading shouldn’t be too emotionally engaging though—no tear jerkers. Here are what the local bookstore’s staff suggests:

The Litigators by John Grisham. A fast paced legal thriller. While The Litigators doesn’t break new ground, it is a solid story that will keep your interest and make your travel time more enjoyable.
Iron House by John Hart. A smart crime novel about two brothers who are orphaned as children. One becomes a professional killer, but when he tries to leave that life, he will also be forced to reunite with his brother to protect them both. If you don’t want a formula but do want something suspenseful, Iron House is a good choice.
Beginner’s Greek by James Collins. This sweet, simple romance begins on a cross-country flight. James Collins’ debut novel is well written, delightful reading for your next trip.
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. This novel takes place mostly in Europe over several centuries, and would be great reading for a cross-Atlantic flight.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Review
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Review
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Review
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. Review

Travel reading can be tedious affair. To quote Dominique Browning, travel writer for the New York Times: “Of course, one can stoop too low. Junk food may be what is needed on a plane trip, but junk books don’t satisfy. Poor writing grates on my ear, no matter where I am. It is like eating too many potato chips; by the time you realize your tongue is glued to a salt lick, you feel dumb as a cow, and you’re sick. What I want on a plane trip is a loud, beefy — even vulgar — but scintillating companion.” I cannot agree more.

Extra: Logos in Santa Cruz

On a weekend trip to beautiful and sunny Santa Cruz, I stumbled upon Logos Books and Records. I knew there is Bookshop Santa Cruz, a new-book venue on Pacific Avenue in downtown, but after we parked the car, we saw the back-door of Logos.

This place is gigantic, with two levels of books and records. The no-frill, non-descript atmosphere reminds me of Green Apple Books in the city. Logos is a great used, local bookstore. It’s nicely organized (at least the fiction), laid out, and has good parking. The staff recommends The Master and Margarita, my all-time favorite novel, by Mikhail Bulgakov. A quick scour of the fiction section affords a copy of Hotel Iris by Yoko Ogawa, which I couldn’t find anywhere and had just finished.

Since Santa Cruz is very liberal, I’m not surprised to have spotted very provocative titles like the one above. My only complaint is that the organization at some points can be slightly hectic and hard to grasp at first; especially because there is no catalog to help see if specific books are available at certain times. Not a big deal, this really is a phenomenal bookstore.

Extra: Book Soup in Los Angeles

I’ve been wanting to write about this fabulous bookstore in West Hollywood that has been taken over by Vroman’s in Pasadena. Conveniently located on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, this is a must-stop for me. It’s the ultimate shrine of bookstore. The mecca. It’s easy to get lost in the vertiginous bookshelves that are black, chic, and classy. New books are immediately greeting you as you walk through the door. Fiction is located in the two aisles behind the new book table. Staff recommendation cards

After Dutton’s bowed out, Book Soup became one of the last strongholds on the Westside, a place where bookish nerds and the community builders who love them can seek sanctuary from wolves and bullies. Though definitely not as old or storied as City Lights here in San Francisco, Book Soup could be its L.A. cousin, replete with brainy selections, tall wooden shelves, and that particularly fine smell of ink and paper found only in indie bookstores.

They have a huge selection for such a small space, and the inventory is perfectly edited. The staff is wonderful, and they give recommendations that could only come from true book lovers! As an avid reader I find it difficult to discover new authors/books in your average bookstore, but Book Soup never disappoints. On the most recent visit I managed to read all the staff recommendations in fiction section and bought 8 books in light of them. I whiled away three hours just doing that and browsing with a friend.

Book Soup | 8818 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood CA 90069

Which Novel to Live In

Booking Through Thursday asks if I have a pet named after my readings. The quick answer is no. My dog is actually named after George Michael because I fell in love with George Michael after Careless Whisper. However, I have been mulling over last week’s question: If you had to choose to live within a novel, which would it be?

Many places have captured my fantasies and fueled my desire for travel. The Jia’s mansion in The Dream of the Red Chamber, with the quiet courtyards and lush landscaped garden. Manderley in Rebecca but minus the ghost. Recently The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings roused nostalgic memories of Hawaii, a place I always long to reside and hopefully I can retire in. Alan Brennert’s Moloka’i, which draws on historical accounts of Kalaupapa and weaves in traditional Hawaiian stories and customs, is the story of people who had much taken from them but also gained an unexpected new family and community in the process. During my last visit to the island of Kaua’i, I took a sidetrip to Moloka’i and visited the historical leper colony. I survived the mule ride and made it down into Kalaupapa Valley, looking out to the ocean could be one of the most beautiful places I have seen.

Kalaupapa Valley is the home to Kalaupapa Leper Settlement and the story is haunting. In 1865, people on the Hawaiian islands were alarmed by the outbreak of leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) and decided to separate and isolate patients to keep it under control. Rachel Kalama, a 7-year-girl, has a pink blemish on her skin and is sent to this settlement for isolation in the novel.

That is a mild way of putting it, they were in essence banished and exiled, dropped off on ships with only as much as they could carry. There was no way out of this valley. No roads. No boats. Nothing but steep mountains that the sick could not climb. The government mistakenly thought that because they were Hawaiians they would be able to fend for themselves but because they were sick many could not and the last few years of their lives were miserable.

For years, residents of Molokaʻi have resisted attempts to dramatically increase tourism. Today Kalaupapa is also a state park. There are 30 people here from the Department of Health and 50 that work with the park. You can only stay here if you work here (no spouses) or a patient. You need to get permission to visit but there can be no more than 100 outsiders a day. No children under 16. Moloka’i is rather quiet, sequestered, and primitive. If I ever get bored here, I can always live in Kaua’i, which, to me, is the paradise on earth. I have spent many a night resting, reading, and admiring the view of the Bali-hai in my vacation condo at Hanalei Bay Resort.

I’ve always stayed here since my first time in Kauai. I never get tired of this view and I can sit in the patio all day with my book and munching on a meal or sipping a glass of wine. The view constantly changes as shreds of clouds and fog linger over the mountains.

I’ve Got Spine

I always wanted to visit Half Price Books since I heard about it from book bloggers. They do have a few retail stores in the Bay Area, but so out of the way that are beyond my reach for a city boy that I am. So during the visit to Dallas I had the delicious prospect of a day or two in Half Price Books—it’s like a pilgrim’s journey to Mecca for me. The store is a overwhelmingly huge warehouse filled with sections of shelves. SO MANY BOOKS! No matter which way you walk there are rows of shelves full of books, heavily discounted, starting at half off. I only had time to look through the fiction/literature section from A to Z, in a state of entrancement and excitement. They shelve used and new books together. So you will find books of the same title in varying condition. I was going through my mental list of authors (Stegner, O’Nan, Steinbeck, Barnes, Morrison, Yates, Miller, …) and pulling books off the shelves. In just under an hour my basket was full of books. My current read is Jonathan Coe’s The Rain Before It Falls, which I’m pretty sure a book I stumbled upon when I was reading another book—most likely The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. It’s brand new hardbound for $4.98. You can see why this place is so dangerous to my wallet! It’s a great place to get some spine, lots of spines!

Vacation Notice

I’m going out of the country to my hometown Hong Kong. This blog will not be updated on a regular/daily basis. Book reviews and travel comments shall be posted at my leisure.

Pre-flight Thoughts

Although long-haul flying is much dreaded by many, I still look forward to the 14-hour flight over the Pacific to Hong Kong like a little boy craving for more candies than his mother allows him. I give up flying business class on Cathay Pacific for a premium coach seat on board Singapore Airlines because SQ is flying a brand new Boeing 777-300ER as supposed to CX’s antiquated Boeing 747-400. My seat is the third one from the right side in the picture–look at all that legroom!

Umberto Eco’s essay How to Eat in Flight is a timely piece just after I selected the bulkhead premium seat on my flight. When you only have 17 inches across to spread your arms holding up a fork and a knife, eating becomes an exercise that might induce a cramp. The “spot-making” food that seems to find favor with most airlines also constitutes a threat to your Brooks Brothers neckties and Burberry shirts. For the ladies, put away your pashmina scarf or cashmere shawl lest they would be sullied.

Common sense would suggest that the foods served should be compact, not the kind that make spots. It is unnecessary to resort to vitamin tablets. There are such compact foods as breaded veal cutlet, grilled meat, cheese, french fries, and roast chicken. Spot-making foods include spaghetti with abundant, American-style tomato sauce, eggplant parmesan, pizza straight from the oven, and piping hot consommé in little bowls without handles. (p.19-20 How to Travel with Salmon)

Nor the long-cooked meat smothered in brown gravy that is usually served on Asia-bound flight any better. Furthermore, finely chopped vegetable and peas are duly served only where there is turbulence and the captain turns on the “fasten seat belts” sign. As a result of this complex ergonomic calculation, the loose corns and peas only have two alternatives: either they roll down your shirtfront or they fall on your fly.

Eating the bread is not less difficult. That friable roll, closely quartered with some meringue-genre dessert, explodes in a cloud of fine powder the moment it is grasped. The flakes and debris vanish only in appearance because they tend to gravitate under your behind 8 hours later. You see, the meal service on board coach class is a matter not to be taken lightly because your etiquette is kept in check.

Since the flight is a red-eye, most passengers are fast asleep after supper. Depending on how my body feels, I would either call the night or read for a long stretch. An engrossing read might keep me up all night. I have high hope for the list of books selected for the trip. They reflect different periods, gender, culture, and prose style. They are works by writers whose writings I have enjoyed and cherished. Umberto’s essay collection is a welcoming change and addition to the fiction titles. The writings are both playful and unfailingly accurate takes on travel and related subjects. Not only are they diverting, but also brief enough to be read on the run.

Essays are more digestible when I’m on the run; but engrossing fiction also kills time on long-haul. My dear readers, what do you prefer?