No comments about French Milk.

5 comments about The King Never Smiles: A Biography of Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej.

1. This book gives the other-side of pe rspective of Thailand under constitutional monarchy. I believe the people who live in Thailand don't have a chance to access to these kinds of information.



2. Handley adds light about a monarchy whose details are unmentionable throughout the regime of Thailand.



3. Even a casual visitor to Thailand will not fail to notice the deep reverence the Thai people seem to have for their king. His Majesty's portraits are everywhere. Before a movie starts, everyone stands at attention when the royal anthem is struck and the king's face appears on the screen. Thai sportsmen dedicate their victories to the king. In some remote quarters, I have even seen offerings of incense placed before portraits of the king.
   
   Such reverence that the Thai people hold for their king is neither incidental or accidental. From the first few years in school, Thai kids have been indoctrinated with the 3 pillars of Thai society - Nation, Religion and King. The military channels seem totally dedicated to praising the monarchy. Official publications are full of words of wisdom from the palace. Like faithful followers of any influential religion, the vast majority of Thais never question these teachings and propaganda. Even fewer would bother (or dare) to discuss the more down-to-earth aspects of the "heavenly kings" who once ruled their great kingdom. Apart from laws that forbid anyone from showing disrespect to the king by criticising the institution, many Thais and even some well-educated, thinking foreigners who have seen the rest of the world seem to hold complete faith in the image of a perfect Dhammaraja.
   
   Paul M Handley proposes in his book The King Never Smiles, that dhammarajas are made and not born. And this dhammaraja was made by a large number of shrewd princes and military propagandists, not just to preserve Thailand's monarchy per se, but also to reserve for themselves, a huge slice of Thailand's power pie.
   
   The book begins at the beginning. The king's childhood in the US and Europe, his return to Thailand, Ananda's death, Phibun's thinly disguised plot to make a republic out of Thailand and Sarit's aggressive campaign to revive the divinity of the monarchy, turning everyone into obedient servants once more. The threat of communism, the Vietnam War, countless military coups to replace elected civilian governments, the great massacres of 1973, 1976 until the great Suchinda drama of 1992.
   
   In the official version of history, the king's influence is often left out in the daily running of the country. This is important. Unlike elected office bearers who are constantly under scrutiny to reveal warts and all, the perfect dhammaraja must only appear in the limelight at critical moments and his actions must put a period to any tense face-off. A flawless, living Buddha must only be seen performing acts of charity in a people-centred, apolitical way. Everything must be embellished and orchestrated to the finest detail. The exact opposite of reality TV. The act is imperfect, but it's enough to fool a basically monolingual population without a global outlook.
   
   In this book, Paul Handley attempts to put matters in perspective. Putting the king himself under scrutiny, he skillfully adds a critical piece to the whole seemingly senseless puzzle of Thailand's recent history and political developments. Even though Handley had no hidden camera installed in the palace, his profound observations, analysis and conjectures on the king's obvious intervention, lack of intervention and even participation in various less than glorifying happenings are absolutely plausible.
   
   With all the events in Thailand's recent history neatly woven together, Handley adds the important element of motive to all the massacres and abuse of human rights for which the military is often blamed. This makes the book a really engaging and sometimes shocking read. In spite of the tonnes of facts, figures and dates, it's really quite absorbing.
   
   However, apart from the more serious "news" that are reported in depth, there is quite a bit of "tabloid" info in the book. I feel that Handley shouldn't have devoted so much of the book to chapters like Family Headches and Annus Horibilis.
   
   When I first saw this book at the stores in Singapore a couple of years ago, I was instantly convinced that it would be banned in Thailand. True enough, the issue is still too sensitive in Thailand. Too many people worship the monarchy as if the king were a demi-god. Too many powerful people depend on this faith to secure their place in the kingdom. The peaceful situation in Thailand today rests a lot on ignorance. To many Thais, this book would seem like pure blasphemy, but I think anyone who wants to write a review on this book should first read it well and understand it as just another point of view. Nobody who has any involement in politics is perfect. There is nothing wrong with loving a king who isn't perfect.
   
   Travelers' Tales Thailand: True Stories
   
   Wondering into Thai culture, or, Thai whys, and otherwise
   
   Siam Smiles Secrets of the Thais
   
   Confessions of a Bangkok Private Eye: True stories from the case files of Warren Olson
   
   Thai Girl
   
   "Hello My Big Big Honey!" Love Letters to Bangkok Bar Girls and Their Revealing Interviews



4. For anyone already familiar with the Thai monarchy, the holes in Handley's work are two obvious and too numerous for it to be taken seriously. It's hard to believe it passed Yale editorial.
   
   Many of the aspects of the monarchy are spun in a ethnocentrically negative light. The same aspects seen from the typical Thai perspective are in fact oftimes positive.
   
   The definitive Bhumibol bio has yet to be written.



5. This book is scholarly and engaging; I have to believe that Handley was barred from entering the Kingdom as persona non-grata after publishing it. I gave it 4 stars only because it takes a lot of coffee to get through the minutia. But without that level of detail, the author would be at risk of being ridiculed for trying to do a hatchet job on Thailand's Royal Family. The reality is, the King is a product of his time, working in a country beset by ignorance and self-serving "influential families." Most Thais would be horrified to read this book, and will probably reject it out of hand. But their school system and indoctrination will never allow them to read this dispassionately. Having lived in Thailand, I understand why Thai's who have reviewed this book are horrified by it, but as a Westerner, I just view it as a solid piece of historical inquiry. I enjoy life in the Kingdom and the unique Thai conviviality and sense of fun; this book just gives me a better perspective on the reasons for Thailand being the way it is today.

3 comments about Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen.

1. What a bunch of fluff to cover up all the lives Lady Q messed up and murdered.
   She knows right from wrong and she still can't get it together.
   Her first child was damaged from all the drug and drink she did.
   She should have to pay for all the extra special education the child needed not the tax payers.
   
   I don't have any sympathy for her. Like I said she knew right from wrong and choose to do the wrong.
   
   Grow up!



2. Never could i imagined being in Sonia's shoes. The pain she endured during her life was painful and hard to believe. I can't believe she lived a life like that. While she told her story of being an abused child, unloved and unwanted, I just wanted to reach through the pages in the book, give her a hug, and rescue her from her painful life. This book is definitley a must read for anyone who is thinking about gang-life. And even if your not thinking about gang life, it's an incredible, heartbreaking story that people must read.



3. I have read both of Reymundo Sanchez books and they were great! But this book... pretty much repeated it self over and over and over again. I dont want to say too much without giving the entire book but I'll let you be the judge. I read the book in 5 days and was just simply not what I expected.

5 comments about The Driver: My Dangerous Pursuit of Speed and Truth in the Outlaw Racing World.

1. All i can say is that this guy is my hero! The book is well written and very easy to read. I really wish it was longer though...



2. A myriad of enthusiastic book reviews tout this book as "the best frickin' book ever" and, suffice it to say, I agree. Wholeheartedly. Thus, to avoid duplicity, I wanted to comment briefly on a less-reviewed aspect of "The Driver," one that seems to often take a back seat (pun intended) to the racing/high-speed/gumball-rallying/party-all-night theme that is the subject of innumerable other reviews: the author's attempt to answer some big questions in a car.
   
   Clearly Mr. Roy can drive. Obviously he is a brilliant strategist. It is axiomatic that he is insane. But some of my favorite scenes in the book did not take place in the lovely M5.
   
   Thus, for those who are thinking of buying this book and, also, in response to those who have taken the time to pontificate, often so carelessly, about Mr. Roy's life, and to judge, all too easily, his passion for racing and the actions he has taken in the exploration thereof, I humbly offer this.
   
   To understand what makes this book so special, it is important to read and understand those passages that do not relate to the garmins, radar jammers and police outfits that otherwise make Team Polizei the wonderful and ridiculous phenomenon that it is.
   
   Indeed, when read holistically, "The Driver" is a fast-paced journey through a world of insane cars, playboys and rally-racers just as much as it is a window into the driver's personal search for that which money can not buy. Meaning. Answers. Passion. "Cadillacs."



3. On the whole, a very good book.
   
   The best parts are the recounts of the Gumball battles and the road racing. However, I think Alex felt the need to tie all the events in the book together with a single underlying storyline - one that I think is fictional. To me, it's too incredible to believe, and I don't think Alex would have believed it at the time either.
   
   This book is really a must for Gumball enthusiasts. While it is accessible to those not familiar with Gumball, I would say it's most enjoyed by those in the know. An excellent accompanyment to any DVDs you have, as it gives amazing tales of antics not seen in the documentaries - both off the road and on!
   
   Some of the stories are so enthralling I didn't want them to end, and this was one book I couldn't wait to pick up again after work.



4. This book is the best book I have ever read, A lot of information in it and still written in a way its easy and fun to read!
   Anybody who is remotely interested in reading just has to read this book!



5. As much as I disapprove of what Alex Roy does (and I truly do), I couldn't help but get a guilty, vicarious thrill reading this book. Alex Roy participates in road rallies and cross-country runs for speed, often clipping along at speeds well into triple digits (how does 175 mph strike you?) on public roads. No matter how many safety precautions you take, that's putting the lives of non-participants at risk and there are plenty of legal ways to get your car onto the track if you want to drive fast safely. Lecture over, my immature half will now commence the review.
   
   I stayed up late reading this book despite writing that is disjointed and frequently hard to follow because I just loved hearing about the antics of the guys who drive these rallies. I am always curious how these guys get away with driving the way they do, how frequently they get caught and what happens when they do. This book answers those questions.
   
   What was unexpected for me was the level of technology and preparation that Roy and a couple other drivers put into these rallies and cross-country runs. Roy's penultimate achievement is setting the record for driving fastest from New York to LA in just 31 hours and 4 minutes. He uses police scanners programmed with the frequency of each state's highway patrol, infrared cameras for night driving, gyroscope-stabilized binoculars and a spotter plane - yep, a plane.
   
   If you've harbored the same questions I have about how and why these guys rally, if you like technology and planning, if you have a kernel of resistance to authority in your personality, if you like cars a little too much, you too might find yourself staying awake too late into the night reading this book. Even if you do disapprove of what these guys do.

5 comments about The Ride of Our Lives.

1. I couldn't put this book down. It is so touching, and profound. At times I would put the book down and laugh out loud! What a family to belong to, I bet everyone who read the book was jealous, and wants to take a month trip of their own!



2. The PBS series based on this memoir is entertaining, but the book is so much more. It's poignant, it's deeper, and it's much, much funnier -- laugh out loud finny. Marge and Jack emerge in the book as three-dimensional people, not just the target of jokes that the TV version focuses on. You'll also learn heart-rending details of their childhoods, the pervasive sadness that both have coped with, and you'll understand why Mike Leonard thinks he leads a charmed life.



3. A good quick read. The book is funny,sad,and so much like most of our lives. The family is a say it like it is. We are just as we come take us or leave us. I would take them, read the book it was very enjoyable.



4. I enjoyed the book so much. Mike Leonard has written an amazing book about a trip with his parents and how much he learns about them. The book makes you feel like you are riding along with them in the RV experiencing every mile of the trip. I laughed out loud and even cried like a baby in spots. I am now watching the series on the PBS channel on Thursday nights. If anyone can tell me how to get in touch with Mike Leonard (ie) email. Please let me know by emailing me at rangersfan5@optonline.net. I would love to let him know how great his book was.



5. I laughed till I cried tears!! Very vivid in his writing, you feel like you were a fly on the wall and living the dream with them! WONDERFUL READ!
   It was nice to read a book like this in the world today!

5 comments about Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home.

1. I enjoyed the presence of recipes and food in this book. After a while, it seems that the author loses her flavor for food and passion. I liked the tales of food, of flavors from Louisana and the freshness of tastes from the south of France.
   
   However - the part of the book on Korea seems misguided. Flying in first class with your boyfriend doesnt seem to be a guaranteed way to find ones identity. Was she going for herself, or for him?
   
   For those of us who spent our twenties in another country, there certainly is a longing to find out who you are - and this is compounded when living and working in a second language. Clearly the writer was thrown into a role much older than she anticipated as a stepmother and madame of a flowing, vivid household.
   
   The book didnt have much about hunger, but certainly a lot on finding out who you are, especially when living overseas. I'd love more cooking and less drama in future prose.



2. It's not feasible for me to live for several years in Paris and Provence with a charming Frenchman. Nor will I ever be 23 years old again. However, Kim Sunée's book afforded me some of the same pleasures, mixed with a poignant description of some of the problems. Like "slow food," the book should be savored for its fascinating sights, smells, and tastes and for its honest portrait of a young woman who learns to speak Swedish and French, prepare unforgettable meals, and find her own way in the world.



3. OK, here's the deal. I get the quarterlife existential crisis, I do. But when you're suffering said crisis in Provence at your sugar daddy's villa, and you have no job, no responsibilities and no sense of humor--and then you write a mopey 350-page book about it--that crisis becomes unrelatable and obnoxious.
   
   While she's sunning naked on Corsica, she feels isolated and unloved. OK, that's legit, but her vague misery, as conveyed through Sunee's admittedly excellent writing, means that I don't even get to enjoy Corsica by extension!
   
   The sights and smells and tastes of Provence sound wonderful, but the extended descriptions of cunnilingus by her old, rich French boyfriendm and her interpersonal relationships in general are just tiresome, exhausting and as unfulfilling for the reader as they are for Sunee. As a rule, none of the humans in this memoir are drawn half as well as the dishes. You don't get a real sense of what the people look like, where they came from or what contributes to their various flavors.
   
   I found myself sympathizing with the mother she finds so critical and cold. The mother obviously is trying but failing to convey the absence of substance and maturity in her daughter's life, but Sunee is so angry (she claims her sister is the angry one, but it's obviously her), that she ignores the warning entirely.
   
   For that matter, I couldn't figure out for the life of me what she saw in any of her boyfriends other than privilege and heavy-handed, controlling gift-giving and empty promises of salvation. She was young. I get that, too. Almost all young women have made the same mistaken emotional investments, but she doesn't seem to learn anything, she doesn't have any wisdom to convey after having survived the suffocation of the bell jar, she isn't more interesting or wiser after it all, she just speaks French fluently and is passably continental.
   
   Basically, this book is too long, the author is too self-serious, and the life lived is too self-indulgent and spoiled to be genuinely interesting to anyone but the writer and her immediate family.
   
   I was expecting M.F.K. Fisher, Betty McDonald or Mildred Armstrong Kalish, but this woman, articulate though she may be, doesn't come close to achieving their level of perception, wisdom or general literary appeal. I don't recommend this one. Sorry.



4. What a fascinating book. Vibrant characters, vivid descriptive passages, a passionate love story, and genuine French recipes. I couldn't put it down. It left me wishing I knew what happened after the last page....we need more Kim Sunee!



5. Totally loved this book - Kim is a beautiful writer and brought me
   right into her world. She recaptured moments so fully that I
   experienced the momentous highs and gloomy lows right alongside her.
   Many times Kim opened up so vulnerably and honestly, it felt as if I
   was reading her intimate diary entries - a brave decision on her
   part, but very rewarding for the reader. Food is tied to all moments in her
   life, and the way she artfully involves the smells and tastes into her
   writing made me savor the book ever the more. I think Trail of Crumbs
   might be better received by the female audience, but it is a fantastic
   read and an engaging look into the world that is Kim Sunee.

5 comments about Confessions of a Carb Queen: A Memoir.

1. I really loved this book- Interesting, inspirational- You'll never look at an obese person the same again! Just today I saw an obese man and I made myself look at him in the eye and smile- Just as I would do to anyone. I never noticed how I would avoid eye contact before.
   Loved it.



2. I really liked this book! Ms. Blech has a wonderful flow of writing that made me fly though this book like conversation. I felt at the end like we had journeyed together and I made a new best friend who I was so proud of and inspried by! Thanks Susan! Keep writing!



3. Susan was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo transparent about her binges. I could relate.. Very open about the hardships of finding romance when one is a overweight woman.. The part that I most related with was the relationships she had with her mother and father..I really appreciate that she wrote this book. This will help me to lose the "last 40lbs"...



4. Susan Blech was on a downhill path. In her late 30s, she weighed an amazing 468 pounds. This amazing book is about the path she took to get to that place, what life was like in that place, and about the steps she took to lose over 268 pounds without surgery. I call this book amazing because I probably had my mouth open the entire time I was reading it. You won't believe what this girl used to put in her mouth every day. That someone could eat this much and still be alive is amazing. For all her lack of self control, Susan must be a very strong woman. She was still alive and able to turn her life around. Some people never get that chance.
   
   She used to go up and down both sides of the street picking up gigantic bags of food from every fast food place, eat it all in her car, and then dispose of the bags, convincing herself that it didn't count if she ate the food in her car. Some weeks she would spend $300 to $400 dollars on fast food.
   
   This was especially interesting to me because she lost the majority of her weight at a weight loss center in Durham, NC called the Rice House. That's only about an hour from my house.
   
   Susan talks about her life. She grew up in a house with no mother since hers was in assisted care after a stroke. She ate as a form of self-medication for the pain she felt. She talks about her friendships, boyfriends, and siblings.
   
   Anyway, this is a fascinating read. Susan also includes recipes of low-calorie, low-fat foods. I have been trying some of them, and they are good.



5. I read this book in 3 days. I found it be be courageous, inspirational and real. I feel like I know Susan for many years. I find myself thinking about her and her story when I have the urge to not eat healthy and then stop...and make a better choice! I wish I could infuse an ounce of Susan's courage in my brain!!!! Thank you Susan and Sister Caroline for putting your story into words!!!!

5 comments about An Unfinished Marriage.

1. In An Unfinished Marriage, Joan Anderson chronicles some of the events that took place in her relationship with her husband in the months following her year's "vacation" from the marriage. Through ups and downs, the two struggle to readjust to one another, to living together in what had been their small vacation home, to Robin's retirement, and to Joan's newly-developed independence.
   
   Anderson summarizes the book, and the relationship, well when she writes that "...age brings with it the stolid reality that there are no sudden transformations, that the real work of becoming a couple never ends, and that even though we've been married for half our lives, we still haven't figured out how to get it right."
   
   Nevertheless, she ends the book on a cheerful note, on their thirty-second anniversary, leaving us to conclude that, while they may not have figured out how to get it right just yet, they're making progress in that direction.



2. Joan is always open, honest, fresh, clever and puts things into perspective. Wish she wrote more books!



3. I think every married woman should read this and Joan's previous book 'A Year By The Sea.' I read this several years ago and could easily identify with it then. I just reread it and being a little older and even deeper into my marriage, it just hits home. I have read this off and on for the past week and have found consolation from my own marriage woes and commraderie in knowing that I'm definately not alone in working through certain stages and feelings of marriage. Makes me feel even stronger really for working through the muck and mire instead of throwing in the towel which can be a mighty tempting and attractive option depending where you are.
   
   The memoir picks up where 'A year By the Sea' left off. They are re-entering their marriage. The book reads kind of like a journal, or maybe a personal conversation with a close friend. The chapters are divided by months and seasons of the year. I love the detail and open honesty of it. I like that she not only talks about her marriage, but the changes she and Robin are experiencing as parents while they watch their son transition into his own family.



4. A sequel to "A Year by the Sea", this book follows Joan Anderson's journey as she and her husband reunite after she spent a year alone at her family's cottage by the sea. I did not quite know what to expect from the book, as frankly, I loved her first book so much, I really didn't want him to come back! Joan is brutally honest with the reader about her feelings as she deals with her struggles of his return, feelings to which I think many women can relate as we deal with the men who come in and out of our lives. Joan's candidness creates a common bond that makes you cheer for her in the good times and cry with her in the bad. This is another great book that speaks to women of all ages as we navigate life's journeys. I highly recommend it!



5. There are so many things that the author describes in this book that everyone can relate to at one time or another in their life. She expressed on paper what most of us are thinking when in a relationship but never say. I thought the book was thought provoking and empowering. A delightful read and highly recommended.

No comments about Stephen Fry in America: Fifty States and the Man Who Set Out to See Them All.

5 comments about The Story of the Titanic As Told by Its Survivors.

1. I would like to recommend for all those interested to also read :
   
   " TITANIC " a survivor's story written by one of the survivors by the name of " Colonel Archibald Gracie " who, gave his story plus went to the trouble of interviewing others who had survived PLUS, he went to almost all the hearings and wrote the transcriptions of testimony as well. Sadly this man died 4th of Dec. 1912 after doing his full duty for history . Thank God for this book as I have read many accounts including this one on here ...also, I would recommend " Sinking Of the Titanic Eyewitness Accounts " by many who survived w/some photos and sketches .



2. This book definately confirms the acutual facts of the Titanic tragedy from the the day of departure until the impact with the iceberg. It gives you the true facts from the mouths of the survivors & definately corrects misconceptions lasting through the tales of time. Even the exact jounal facts of the trial after the tragedy confirms facts not accurate, even to the song the band was playing when the ship went down. It also does confirm facts that were true. Also, you learn of the changes in ship law regarding life boat number in regards to souls on board, & other major changes after the Titanic tragedy. THE MAIN THING LEARNED WAS THAT MANY BRAVE SOULS WENT DOWN WITH THIS SHIP WITHOUT COMPLAINT OR CAUSING ANY PROBLEMS AT ALL WHEN NOT NECESSARY, PLEASE HONOR THESE PEOPLE & THEIR MEMORIES AS YOU READ THIS BOOK. More detailed history that you will ever read regarding this tragedy...



3. I love this book. Learning the account of the disaster from the perspective of those who went through it is interesting.



4. "That cold green water, crawling its ghostly way up the staircase, was a sight that stamped itself indelibly in my memory. Step, by step, it made its way up, covering the electric lights, which for a short time shone under the suface with a horribly weird effect." This, tetsimony from an officer of the ship, named Lightoller, matches any description for effect that any fiction writer could create. It is the fact that this book is taken from the testimony of four of Titanic's survivors that makes this book so excellent. One gets a real sense of the times---Edwardian England---where duty was paramount and the supposed superiorty of the English race, which colors the survivor's accounts, hints at the very pride that contributed to the disaster---a fascinating paradox. Not only do you get the testimoney from four survivors--each several chapters---but also a boat by boat testimonial from the survivors of those boats. Another reviewer here found this testimony mundane, but I found it fascinating and objectively complete. It seems that the most famous account of the disaster in book form, A Night to Remember, took much of its information from this book, and what makes this book so much more appealing is that the accounts are unfiltered. Captain Lightoller's account is particularly illuminating in that it shines a critical light on the Titanic hearings before the U.S. and English governments, which he calls a "farce." Another fascinating thing about this book is that despite the differing experiences related here by the survivors you begin to pick up bits and pieces of testimony that weave a common thread of experience among all---like a great puzzle.



5. I'm very interested in the Titanic, and have read several books about the events surronding this disaster. This book was interesting, but very very long and drawn out. Sometimes I was so bored reading it that I fell asleep. Particulary, I didn't care to know what every single person inside of every single lifeboat did, said, didn't do or didn't say, etc. But, like I said before, there was some interesting info. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone nor will I ever read it again.