Bookstores in Bangkok : Kinokuniya, Asia Books, Bookazine

Update end 2007 : When browsing books at Bookazine, we notices that the price tag had a heading 'ASIA BOOKS'. We asked the salesperson what this was all about, and were told that Asia Books and Bookazine had 'merged'. They still operate under different brandnames, so we will continue treating them as separate entities.

Bookazine has smaller outlets in Bangkok and around Thailand. They have a wide selection of international magazines and recently published English-language books. Branches of the chain can be found in Bangkok : Patpong (CP Tower) ; Ploenchit (Sogo Department Store) ; Silom Complex ; Silom (Dusit Thani) ; Siam Center ; Sukhumvit soi 49 ; All Season Place at Wireless Road. A very conveniently located branch is at Noi Lert Building, close to soi 5 Sukhumvit Road. It is connected (you can walk in from) to a Starbucks outlet. There are also branches outside Bangkok in Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin, Koh Samui and Chiang Mai.
For awhile, we asserted that prices for hardcover and softcover books were higher at Bookazine than at either Kinokuniya or Asia Books. Paperbacks seem to have the same price in all 3 bookstore chains. Usually around 325-350 baht.
However now Bookazine also offers discounts on selected new books. We never can know whether discounts are available at all branches (we can not possible start visiting every single bookshop in Bangkok). For certain, the Bookazine store close to Sukhumvit Soi 5 (attached to Starbucks Coffee, see picture below) offers 20% discounts on selected new books, including paperbacks. Therefore, you can pick up recently published paperbacks for 280 baht at this outlet (and most likely other outlets of Bookazine).

Bookazine at Nai Lert Building (close to Nana skytrain station, and adjacent to soi 5), is conveniently located and connected to a Starbucks outlet.

A newcomer in the book market is Megabooks. As fas as we can judge they started operating at the end of 2007 or beginning of 2008. They operate just one store in Bangkok which is located at Siam Square (corner of Sukhumvit Road with Soi 3). However, they started operating an online store.
Their pricing of books both in the store and online is very competitive. Their store on the second floor of Nana Square is relatively small, but has a fair selection of bestsellers, travel books and magazines. We bought a hardcover version of Duma Key by Stephen King for 560 baht. The same book on the same day was available at Bookazine (Nana Store) for 695 baht. At Megabooks you can also buy paperbacks from well established writers for 195 baht (not the latest publications though). Interestingly, the operator of Megabooks was involved in running Bookazine before the latter was merged with Asia Books. So surely, he knows how to run a bookshop.

If you are remotely interested in books about Thai or Khmer art, architecture, history and culture, you may consider visiting River Books. They can be found at the Museum Shop of the Bangkok National Museum. There main office is located close to the Chao Phraya River. We did not visit the place there ourselves, but noticed it has the same address as the Chakrabongse House Villas accommodation, at 396 Maharaj Road, Tatien, Bangkok. It should be within easy walking distance from Wat Pho (and a bit further when coming from Wat Phrakaew or the Grand Palace). It is worth noting (visit the website of River Books, ordering online may actually be the easiest way to obtain books, if you do not fancy going to the old city) that the various marvelously illustrated books (a lot about the Khmer Empire and Angkor) will costs you much less than similar books on sale in Europe. Books printed in Thailand seem to have much lower production costs, while offering very good print and picture qualities.

When in Bangkok, we can suggest some of the many locally based writers. Bangkok seems to have one of the highest concentrations of English-language expatriate 'authors'. Some works published are not really worth reading, but we can recommend the following authors : Stephen Leather, John Burdett, Jake Needham. For an English-language book by a Thai author, we find this book by Salisa Pinkayan both entertaining and giving an understanding in Thai culture : Chalida .

Recent years saw the emergence of the 'Bangkok novel'. It has become almost impossible to keep track of all the material published by various mostly amateur writers. Classically it are crime novels, that often will include some adventures in the famous entertainment venues of Bangkok. The usual plot involves a foreigner trying to solve a crime or 'mysterious happening'. Invariably he will be allowed to wander the streets in Bangkok, questioning people (hardly likely to be allowed to happen), while having close contacts with various Thai police officers and ample outside country resources. The stories sometimes are entertaining and well written, but there is also a lot of poor material. But somehow it is often fun to read books that describe places and venues one has visited or knows. The stories and plots are often unlikely (as actually is the case with also a lot of mainstream crime novels).

You can read some reviews of Thailand-related novels and info about Bangkok fiction here :
StickmanBangkok - Thailand Book Reviews
Thai Oasis - Bangkok Fiction

Inside Dasa Book Cafe, located a little further down the road from Emporium Shopping Complex, on Sukhumvit Road.

Second hand books (also qm Superstore. Most paperbacks are priced around 150-170 baht. [original new paperbacks in Banguite recent ones) can be purchased in a pleasant environment at Dosa Book Cafe, close to Emporiukok are around 350 baht]
Another bookshop offering second hand books (same management) is Skoob!, located Soi Thonglor, Sukhumvit Road. Both Dasa Book Cafe and Skoob! have a coffee corner.