Dodie Cross was a newlywed American expat who faced far more than a language barrier in her new home. Among the challenges of her move to Thailand: the subtleties of the Eastern Squat Toilet, a near-fatal accident on the Sukhumvit Highway and bladder surgery performed by an inscrutable Thai doctor who decided to restore her virginity.

All of these mishaps and more are described with great insight and wit in her new book, "A Broad Abroad In Thailand: An Expat's Misadventures in the Land of Smiles." In the end, it's her unflagging sense of humor that sees Cross through all obstacles: from the first pitfalls and pratfalls in her new land, through times of seemingly insurmountable problems.