1 LARKIN Emma Secret Histories Myanmar On the trail of Orwell

2 LEWIS Norman Golden Earth Myanmar 1950s beautifully written

3 MARSHALL Andrew The Trouser People Myanmar Burma in Victorian times

4 MASON Daniel The Piano Tuner Myanmar Victorian Burma - novel.

5 ORWELL George Burmese Days Myanmar Colonial times - novel

1 ANDERSON Liz Red Lights and Green Lizards Cambodia Two Doctors in Phnom Penh early 1990s

2 BIZOT Francois The Gate Cambodia Captured and interrogated by Duch

3 DUNLOP Nic The Lost Executioner Cambodia Tracking down and finding Duch

4 KAMM Henry Cambodia Cambodia Study of politics

5 KIERNAN Ben The Pol Pot Regime Cambodia Study of politics

6 SHAWCROSS William Sideshow Cambodia Analysis of US policy 60s-70s

7 SHAWCROSS William The Quality of Mercy Cambodia Analysis of UN operation 1990s

8 SHORT Philip Pol Pot Cambodia Major study

9 SWAIN Jon River of Time Cambodia Leading up to collapse in 1975

10 UNG Loung First They Killed My Father Cambodia Survivor's harrowing tale

11 YATHAY Pin Stay Alive My Son Cambodia Survivor's harrowing tale

1 CHENG Nien Life and Death in Shanghai China Cultural revolution

1 MASON Richard The World of Suzie Wong Hong Kong 1960s Hong Kong

2 WINCHESTER Simon Outposts Hong Kong + Britain's last dominiums

1 LLOYD PARRY Richard In the Time of Madness Indonesia Chaos in Borneo and East Timor

2 VAN DER POST Laurens The Sower and the Seed Indonesia Japanese POW camp

3 WINCHESTER Simon Krakatoa Indonesia Effects of eruption

4 YOUNG Gavin In Search of Conrad Indonesia As title

1 KIRINO Natsuo Out Japan Sensational thriller

2 LEE Min Jin Pachinko Japan Korean émigré family saga

3 MURAKAMI HARUKI Read anything… Japan

1 DAKIN Brett Another Quiet American Laos Government Intern 1990s

2 EVANS Grant Laos Culture and Society Laos Academic papers on Laotian society

3 RANTALA Judy Laos Caught in the Web Laos NGO personal account, 60s-70s

1 MAUGHAM Somerset More Far Eastern Tales Malaysia Short Stories

2 THEROUX Paul The Consul's File Malaysia 1950s village and expat life

1 BLENKINSOP Philip The Cars That Ate Bangkok Thailand Macabre study of car and bike accidents

2 BURDETT John Bangkok 8 Thailand Thai culture in Elmore Leonard form

3 BURDETT John Bangkok Tattoo Thailand As above

4 CONNELLY Karen Touch the Dragon Thailand A Thai journal

5 CORNWEL-SMITH Philip Very Thai Thailand Pic-feature journal of all things Thai

6 HOPKINS Jerry Thailand Confidential Thailand Personal anecdotes

7 KORBJITTI Chart The Judgment Thailand Novel which became the film 'Ai Fak'

8 LAPCHAROENSAP Rattanawut Sightseeing Thailand Short stories

9 LEATHER Stephen Private Dancer Thailand Novel about bar-scene

10 LOMAX Eric The Railway Man Thailand POW account from Bridge on River Kwai

11 MOORE Christopher Heart Talk Thailand Thai 'heart' phrase lexicon

12 MULDER Niels Inside Thai Society Thailand A look behind the smiles

13 MULDER Niels Thai Images Thailand Anthropological insights

14 PANNAPADIPO Phra P Phra Farang Thailand Farang Buddhist monk

15 REDMOND Mont Wondering into Thai Culture Thailand Thai and Western cultural comparisons

16 SEGALLER Denis Thai Ways Thailand Weekly column in Bangkok World

17 SHARRON Derek My Name Lon… You Like Me? Thailand Bar scene from bargirl's perspective

18 SOMTOW S. P. Jasmine Nights Thailand Offbeat Thai memoir

19 SOMTOW S. P. Dragon's Fin Soup Thailand Offbeat Thai short stories

20 SUDHAM Pira The Force of Karma Thailand Stories from rural Thailand

21 SUDHAM Pira Monsoon Country Thailand Stories from rural Thailand

22 VAN BEEK Steve Slithering South Thailand Length of Thailand on a river

23 VAN BEEK Steve The Chao Phya Thailand Academic study of Chao Phya river

24 WOOD W.A.R. Consul in Paradise Thailand Tales from the Consul's Office circa 1900

25 WORMSLEY William Thailights Thailand Thai culture anecdotes

1 ASHWILL Mark Vietnam Today Vietnam Culture insights

2 BAO Ninh The Sorrow of War Vietnam The War from a Northern perspective

3 CHONG Denise The Girl in the Picture Vietnam Story of girl in iconic napalm picture.

4 DUONG Thu Huong Novel Without a Name Vietnam Love lost in time of war

5 DUONG Thu Huong Paradise of the Blind Vietnam Post revolution 50s hardship

6 GREENE Graham The Quiet American Vietnam Everyone’s starter - prescient

7 HAYSLIP Le Ly When Heaven & Earth Changed Places Vietnam Growing up with Viet Cong

8 HERR Michael Dispatches Vietnam Original Vietnam war chronicle

9 HERRINGTON Stuart Stalking the Vietcong Vietnam Inside Operation Phoenix

10 HO Anh Thai The Women on the Island Vietnam Post-war conflict

11 JAMIESON Neil Understanding Vietnam Vietnam Academic treatise - sociology plus literature

12 KARNOW Stanley Vietnam: A History Vietnam Celebrated history

13 LAMB David Vietnam Now Vietnam Early 90's in Hanoi

14 MANGOLD-PENYCATE The Tunnels of Cu Chi Vietnam Hair-raising interviews with tunnel rats

15 NGUYEN Kien The Unwanted Vietnam Troubles post victory, 1980s

16 O'NAN Stewart (Ed) Vietnam Reader Vietnam Vietnam War anthology

17 PAGE Tim Derailed in Uncle Ho's Victory Garden Vietnam Early 90's revisit from cult photographer

18 PHAM Andrew Catfish and Mandala Vietnam Early 90's, Viet Kieu cycling round country

19 SHEEHAN Neil Two Cities: Hanoi and Saigon Vietnam Early 90's look-see

20 SHEEHAN Neil Bright Shining Lie Vietnam Biography of Paul Vann

21 TEMPLER Robert Shadows and Wind Vietnam Beneath surface and rhetoric

22 WINTLE Justin Romancing Vietnam Vietnam 1980s travelogue

23 KARBER Phil Indochina Chronicles Vietnam + Ex US veteran's travels

24 LEWIS Norman A Dragon Apparent Vietnam + 1950's, beautifully written

25 LONELY PLANET Cycling Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Vietnam + Guidebook

26 TERZANI Tiziano A Fortune-Teller Told Me Vietnam + Journeys, having fortune told along the way

READING LIST

Here is my reading list from a while ago (numbered by country). There are many more recent titles from the last twenty years or so, but these offer some recommended starting points if you want to explore further.

Above: Jomtien Beach at dusk.