What's the Last Book You Read/Finished? - Part 1 Page 1 Chapter 1 Paragraph 1 Line 1

[ChickenScratch]

Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver

I liked it, despite feeling that Deaver relies on twists and turns too much on the latter part but nevertheless, it's a real page-turner, very suspenseful and I felt Deaver captured the character and the spirits of Bond very well, in a modern world.

I liked it a lot too. Deaver's Bond was a bit too perfect for me though, no mistakes, makeing disparate connections that can hardly be belived. Contrasting Fleming's Bond early in his career to Deaver's Bond at the same time, Deaver's Bond is way more capable.

 

[Figs]

Thuvia, Maid of Mars - Edgar Rice Burroughs.

 

[Crockett]

I liked it a lot too. Deaver's Bond was a bit too perfect for me though, no mistakes, makeing disparate connections that can hardly be belived. Contrasting Fleming's Bond early in his career to Deaver's Bond at the same time, Deaver's Bond is way more capable.

Too perfect is something I definitely agree, also getting him into virtually impossible situations, only to suddenly have the tables turned on the bad guys because Bond had somehow found out what was really going on and put a counter plan into place works fine once or twice, but it is used repeatedly too much here. Also this Bond seems like he wanted to be liked, more coldness is something I'd like to see, similar to how Craig portrayed Bond. The book now than I think of it, lacks a real punch to make it memorable and stand out, but I haven't read any other Bond novels that Fleming didn't write, would you recommend Faulks' Devil May Care by the way? I saw it at a local bookstore and it got me curious but I've read that the literary Bond fans didn't like it so much.

 

[ChickenScratch]

DMC is pretty much the worst of the non Fleming Bond novels. Forced, box ticking, even the "Writing as Ian Fleming" was a bit much. It's worth reading because it fits between Colonel Sun and License Renewed so it's worth it for that.

As for CB. Yes, Bond was too perfect, in fact he seemed pretty politically correct at times.

 

[Tanin]

Currently working on House of Leaves

 

[Crockett]

DMC is pretty much the worst of the non Fleming Bond novels. Forced, box ticking, even the "Writing as Ian Fleming" was a bit much. It's worth reading because it fits between Colonel Sun and License Renewed so it's worth it for that.

As for CB. Yes, Bond was too perfect, in fact he seemed pretty politically correct at times.

That sucks about DMC, I'm curious about the non-Fleming Bond novels, the ones written by Gardner but first I've got to finish the books Fleming wrote, I've finished Moonraker awhile back ago.

 

[ChickenScratch]

So your like 3 or 4 books in and already asking about the authors that come after. Cool, but I would finish the original before moving on. I like your enthusiasm though, just remember you have to finish the Flaming ones since it's the orignal and the one that all the others connects to. Gardner and Benson's work does not flow from one into the next both kinda start off from a fresh post Ian point with very little (new M, moved Mi6 HQ carrying over).

 

[Captain_Obvious]

Finished Fifty Shades of Gray upon request and I hate how I didn't save my teen fanfics... I could've made so much damn money /jealous of that ***** and her fame.

 

[Yodaman]

Where We Live Now by John Iceland

 

[Crockett]

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.

I just love Egan's prose, and switching to first, second, third person narrative (even making one chapter be like a Powerpoint presentation) keeps it fresh.

 

[TX85]

Uncanny X-Men The New Age:The Cruelest Cut

 

[lespaul59]

Bringing Metal to the Children: The Complete Berzerker's Guide to World Tour Domination by Zakk Wylde with Eric Hendrikx

Think of it as the Spinal Tap version of info about becoming a musician and the music bussiness. Zakk tells storys about things that happen on and off of the road, his experiences and there is some bio stuff but this is no biography. Also the humor isn't gonna be for everybody. One of the funniest parts of the book in my opinion is when Zakk is talking about the rules of the tour bus with rule number 1 being no #2 on the bus. You could say there is some over sharing a few times but they're funny none the less.

I really have no complaints for the book except I wish there had been at least a section on why Zakk uses the gear he uses. I know why he uses some of his gear but I would have liked to have read a more in depth discussion on his gear. But at the same time this is more of a nit picking thing rather than a complaint.

 

[Max J Power]

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

I liked it, but I have a hard time really loving books that are this long and don't have that much of a plot. Franzen's prose is great and his characters feel very real; there were times I didn't like them and times they did and said things I've done and said (for better or worse). On the other hand, sometimes I'd read 20 pages and just be astounded at how little had actually happened. I'm glad I read the book because how good it is, but I didn't enjoy it enough to make reading another Franzen novel a priority.

 

[ComicChick]

i hate not finishing a book once i start reading it, so i've only got about a quarter left of I Love You Beth Cooper left.

 

[CaptainCanada]

The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever

Part 1 of my attempt to develop more of a taste for short fiction (as well as another Pulitzer-winner notched), this mammoth (700 page) collection of the so-called "Chekhov of the suburbs" is quite a good way to start trying the genre (I've previously read some short detective stories by Doyle and Chesterton, but detective fiction isn't really a major interest of mine). There's some okay stuff here, but a number of really standout stories. I know that Matthew Weiner, the creator of Mad Men, has talked a lot about his love for Cheever, and you can see some influences (there's even a character named "Joan Harris" in one of them, as well as another story with a Madison Avenue advertising executive). Some of my favourites would be "The Children", "The Duchess", "The Five-Forty-Eight", "Clementina", and "The World of Apples".

 

[OsGom]

Just finished rereading Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game in preparation of the upcoming feature film. Classic scifi.

 

[ChickenScratch]

Mack Bolan (The Excecutioner) - Sicilian Slaughter. #16 - Jim Peterson http://www.mackbolan.com/display.php3?num=22

It's the only book in the original run not written by Don Pendelton. It also continues from 15 so I had to read it. Besides, coming across a number 16 in a series that's up in the hundreds now is always a good thing.

It's a pretty good book, the action scenes are really well written, it all flows well, it's tightly plotted. The only thing that felt off was The Excecutioner himself. It read like a really well researched pastiche rather than him writing like Pendelton.

It starts right where 15 ends with Mack in Philly after decimating what is left of the mafia there. He has been stabbed in the gut, shot in the right thigh and across the cheek. He's sewn up by a mob doctor hidden over a local pet shop (how they cover buying all the meds and stuff, it's for the animals).

The Doctor drugs Mack during the procedure but before he's completely out and the Dr can claim the bounty on Mack's head placed by the mob he shoots the Doc and escapes. He then follows the trail of mafia soldiers (70 pro hitmen sent to Philly could not stop him) and it turns out the mafia have a secret base in Sicily where a disgraced US army officer is training an army of killers for the mafia who hires them out for $1000 a day.

Makes me wish I had #17 now, but those old books tend to be hard to come by. The next one chronologically I own is #22 http://www.mackbolan.com/display.php3?num=28

 

[hammerhedd11]

Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin

 

[hammerhedd11]

The Stranger by Albert Camus

 

[Ash J. Williams]

Tales of Horror and Suspense - Edgar Allan Poe

 

[HisMagicTrick]

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

 

[ComicChick]

finally getting somewhere with dragon tattoo. definitely will finish it by year's end

 

[Victarion]

The Wind Through the Key Hole by Stephen King.

 

[CaptainCanada]

The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

The "Kane Chronicles" trilogy comes to an end, and with that accomplished I can safely say that this never really approached the heights of Riordan's earlier "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" quintology (or "The Heroes of Olympus", the sequel series that has been running concurrently with it). The final battle with Apophis in this book doesn't have anywhere near the same resonance as the apocalyptic showdown with Kronos. It's far from bad, but Riordan can do better (and is, with the other series). I do admire a white writer producing a high-profile fantasy trilogy with no significant white characters, though.

 

[Matt Mortem]

Just finished these two books

Very good books, very good reads. Although Space Frontiers didn't contain as much real science talk as much as it advocated for the advancement of space faring stuff. Pale Blue Dot though was a really engaging read start to finish. Carl Sagan really knows how to explain things in a very clear, intelligent way.