Read Any Good Books Lately?

Since arriving in Hua Hin in 2022, I’ve made the most of two used book shops in town. But the small one at Bluport Mall closed a while ago, and the popular Baan Nangsue seems to be struggling, as they have cut back on hours and are no longer doing the 50 percent buyback on books purchased there, which also seems to be a factor in the noticeably thinner selection on the shelves these days.

Funny Story; a book I bought on my recent visit to Australia. For the record, I am definitely not Emily Henry’s target demographic. But her words are always witty, and her characters are genuine and relatable. Plus I enjoyed the in-depth dive into how life might be in a (albeit fictional) midwestern town setting. Thanks, Emily!

I suspect that Baan Nangsue, along with its earlier incarnations of Tony’s Book Shop and the Blue and Yellow Book Exchange, were always more passion projects than genuine money makers, and as the current owner apparently inherited the shop when the previous owner passed away last year, I’m not sure how certain the shop’s future is.

In place of the buyback option, Baan Nangsue is accepting donations. And since I’ve always thought of the shop as a community resource, I’ve been collecting books on my recent trips and donating them to the shop, in the hope that there are enough of us doing the same to help keep the shop going, or at least for it to remain stable until a longer-term solution becomes available.

One such book is pictured above; Funny Story by Emily Henry. I found it in The Little Lost Bookshop in Katoomba. As a small, independent shop, the selection was understandably limited. But the store was extra charming, and I was happy to find something that looked like a fun read to keep me company on the rest of my trip. I also got a kick out of buying a book by an American author which was published by a UK company and printed in Australia, ultimately bound (get it?) for a tiny used book store in Hua Hin, Thailand. Just saying.

By the way, QANTAS gave me a fairly generous checked baggage allowance of 30 kg for my return flight, so I picked up a few used books at thrift stores on the Australia trip too, including a copy of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders and The Flirt by Kathleen Tessaro. I thought both were good reads.

My plan going forward is to find interesting works while I am on the road, and to bring them back to Hua Hin. I figure it should be easier in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and the other places I plan to frequent over the next year. I will keep visiting Baan Nangsue here in Hua Hin too, with fingers crossed that it will continue as a going concern.

So what about you? Have you read any good books lately? Is there anything specific you would recommend? Also, don’t forget to bring books to share when you come visit. Cheers.