Hahahaha!Originally Posted by Kepler
I read Bond when I was in HS- and liked it. Hadn't read anything spy like again until The DaVinci Code and that was because I love history. After that I tried Clive Cussler before hitting on James Rollins- lots of pages, complexity, science, technology and history all at once. Lots of action but the best part is he puts what is real and what he made up at the end. Always surprising which is which
I always liked the movies too. Then, in 1985 I was in a used book store in St. Paul and stumbled across the full set if Fleming's Bond books for $1/book. Bought them all and loved them. Some of them bear almost no resemblance to the movie plot at all. They were great.
That community is already in the process of dissolution where each man begins to eye his neighbor as a possible enemy, where non-conformity with the accepted creed, political as well as religious, is a mark of disaffection; where denunciation, without specification or backing, takes the place of evidence; where orthodoxy chokes freedom of dissent; where faith in the eventual supremacy of reason has become so timid that we dare not enter our convictions in the open lists, to win or lose.
Hmmmmm
Only read Casino Royale but I got the same impression. The torture scene in CR (one of the best scenes in any Bond movie) was the only Bond movie scene which felt like the book to me.
Cornell University
NCAA Champion 1967, 1970
ECAC Champion 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1980, 1986, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2010
Ivy League Champion 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2019
What am I reading?
Harry Potter and the Death of the Person Not Letting Me Read.
twitter: PipersHouse920, instagram: bobambermarie
“Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”
― Franz Kafka
Adventures With Amber Marie
Bummed about Toni Morrison. Beloved is in my top 5 for fiction.
Currently reading: Finks by Joel Whitney and Dark Alliance by Gary Webb.
Just read Clive Cussler's 'Pacific Vortex'. The first Dirk Pitt novel. In the foreward Cussler notes it was not initially published and he found it less complex. Other than the very silly, improbable and abysmal attempt at making romance happen in the last pages it was much better than some of the stuff he published lately.
Recent reads
The Deceived (Jonathan Quinn #2) by Brett Battles This book finds Jonathan hired to clean up a friend of his who saved his life. Once finding the body he seeks to warn the man’s girlfriend and finds himself involved in an international conspiracy.
Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin
by Hampton Sides This was a very good story about the King assassination. There was so much about the story and James Earl Ray that I never knew. The fact that he was an escaped convict on the run the whole time he planned and carried out the killing. That he was on the run for quite a while and actually had left the country before being captured. It does give some insight into King’s life but this is mainly a book about James Earl Ray. The killing, his motives and his escape.
Night Over Water by Ken Follett This was an okay effort from Follett but certainly not one of his best. It is a conspiracy aboard a Clipper a plane traveling from England to the US just after Germany has invaded Poland. With an eclectic band a passengers there are love triangles, thieves and others along with the conspirators.
Crime Beat by Michael Connelly This is not a Bosch novel but a collection of true crime stories written by Connelly where some facts were used in his stories. Okay read for what it was.
The Blue Zone by Andrew Gross Very good book by Gross about a woman whose father is arrested and goes in the witness protection program and then she find herself targeted as well. Good read.
Broken (Will Trent #4) by Karin Slaughter Sara Linton returns to Grant County and when she finds herself involved in a murder investigation she calls on Will Trent to help. A very good thriller with quite a few twists and turns.
Mystery (Alex Delaware #26) by Jonathan Kellerman This Delaware novel starts with him and Robin visiting an old haunt that is due to be demolished. He is surprised later when a woman they saw at the event is found murdered. He and Milo dive into the case which finds them investigating the underbelly of the Beverly Hills set. Good read.
The Hunt for Atlantis (Nina Wilde & Eddie Chase #1) by Andy McDermott Decided to give this series a try. A young scholar is trying to find Atlantis as her parents did. After her funding is denied she finds people trying to kill her. Saved by a former SAS soldier she hooks up with a billionaire and his daughter to try and track down Atlantis while being hunted by the people trying to kill her. Very similar to Clive Cussler though I think the duo survive even more tight scrapes than Pitt and Giordano.
The Tomb of Hercules (Nina Wilde & Eddie Chase #2) by Andy McDermott The second book of this series finds Nina and Eddie living together and working for the UN. Nina is using some old documents to search for the lost tomb of Hercules. Another rip roaring across the world getting out of life threating jams adventure. Good read.
The Inner Circle (Culper Ring #1) by Brad Meltzer An okay book by Meltzer where an archivist comes into contact with a modern day version of the Culper ring and has to determine whether they are doing good or evil.
The Amateur by Edward Klein As I complete my biography’s of all US Presidents, this one about Obama was okay. I expected it to be one sided, but he did interview quite a few democrats for the book, granted many of them had issues with Obama. I’ve found pretty much since Kennedy that in finding a Presidential biography you have to pick a side the author either thinks they walk on water or are the worst president ever. He delves a little bit into his background in Chicago and Illinois politics, though spends very little on his Senate career. It is interesting how many bridges he appears to have burned with some of his early donors and supporters in Illinois. Most interesting in his relationship with Valerie Jarret and Rev Wright.
Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System from Crisis — and Themselves by Andrew Ross Sorkin I read this book to follow up on the one I had read about the fall off Bear Stearns. This follows a short period of time where the banking system was on the verge of collapse and the Treasury, Fed and Wall St’s attempts to stop the meltdown. What really amazed me as that almost everything seemed to involve the same group of bankers, deal makers and lawyers in almost every transaction. Very in depth detail as you can decide if the correct decision was made or if these institutions should have been allowed to fail
Don't Look Twice (Ty Hauck #2) by Andrew Gross This is the second of Gross’s Hauck books. A pretty good read that starts with Hauck in a gas station with his daughter when a drive by happens. Compelled to join the investigation he continues to push even when getting political pressure from above.
The Lazarus Vendetta (Covert-One #5) by Patrick Larkin An okay Covert One book which finds Jon Smith investigating a horrible accident at a nano tech facility which appears to be connected to a shadowy environmental group. With his own intelligence agencies arrayed against him the President must count on Covert One to avoid a catastrophe.
Sam Walton The Inside Story Of Americas by Vance H. Trimble I thought this was a good biography of Sam Walton and the rise of Wal-Mart. It is a little dated since it was written in 1990, for instance the Supercenter which is now everywhere was just starting to be built at the time it was published. He didn’t get the cooperation of the Walton family, though he did speak to Sam and several other family members briefly. This does free him up to cover some items which were not covered in Sam’s biography, Alice’s car accident where she struck and killed a woman a more in depth analysis of Ron Mayer’s brief time as CEO where Sam briefly “retired”.
Last edited by Probert; 08-17-2019 at 07:35 AM.
Oswego State Lakers 2007 NCAA Div III Champs
Adirondack Red Wings 4 time Calder Cup Champs 81,86,89 & 92
One of my co-workers told me I would probably hate the romance portion of the books. I have 3 or 4 so I will probably give at least 1 a try.
I did enjoy Andy McDermott very similar to Cussler not great literature but a fun read.
In regards to Fleming I have read 1 or 2 in the past obviously didn't like them enough to keep reading but maybe I will give another 1 a try. A lot of British authors, LeCarre comes to mind, have way too much plot and not enough action for me. Though I am a big fan of Lee Child's and Bernard Cornwell.
Oswego State Lakers 2007 NCAA Div III Champs
Adirondack Red Wings 4 time Calder Cup Champs 81,86,89 & 92
Finished Finks by Joel Whitney. Great read and insight into the Cold War propaganda machine of the CIA infiltrating magazines, publishing houses etc to further the anti-communist agenda. But it also goes through Afghanistan and the CIA’s goading the soviets to invade.
The Paris Review is one major compromised outlet. George Plimpton and Peter Matthiessen we’re both CIA assets as was William F Buckley.
If this interests you at all I would suggest reading this book along with:
C.D. Jackson Cold War propagandist, by John Allen Stern
And
The Mighty Wurlitzer by Hugh Wilford.
Rereading Slaughterhouse Five for the first time in 25 years. I had forgotten how good a book it is and how clear and good Vonnegut's voice was at his peak. He is my choice for best American author of the second half of the 20th Century.
Cornell University
NCAA Champion 1967, 1970
ECAC Champion 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1980, 1986, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2010
Ivy League Champion 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2019
Also, did you know Laura Ingalls Wilder died after Sputkin? Holy sh-t!!! I'd have guessed she died around WW1.
Cornell University
NCAA Champion 1967, 1970
ECAC Champion 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1980, 1986, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2010
Ivy League Champion 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2019
Wendell Berry is a little under most people's radar but might be considered among the best during that time, though he's not at all like Vonnegut. He's a bit old school and confines his fiction to a place and time, but his prose is often elegant in a most simple way. The opening pages of The Memory of Old Jack are quietly masterful.
My wife and I visited Herman Melville and Edith Wharton’s estates in Western MA yesterday and would strongly encourage people to go if you ever get a chance. They are very different with Wharton’s much grander, but both are wonderful in their own ways. They are only about five miles away from each other.
When I first read Cussler I was impressed but I find the quality spotty- some great, others meh and a few poorly written. Once I found James Rollins he made Cussler seem an amateur. Much deeper plot, character development and detail.
Are you talking about the Sigma Force novels or his stand alones? I've read the first 2 of the Sigma Force books, I rated them 3 stars so I didn't hate them but it's been a while since I read them. I do have book 6 or 7 sitting on my bookshelf.
Oswego State Lakers 2007 NCAA Div III Champs
Adirondack Red Wings 4 time Calder Cup Champs 81,86,89 & 92
I have read them all. I liked the ones that were history based. He did some that were vampire based that were downright weird but entertaining
The Name of the Wind is a great fantasy novel. The sequel is very good. Did not read the spin off.
One thing about writing: it is strictly intimate between writer and reader. I'd honestly put Ross MacDonald among the best American writers of the 20th century and most people would scoff at that. To me he's even better than Raymond Chandler, not just as a detective fiction writer but as a writer, full stop. Likewise I'd include Rex Stout among them.
If a writer reaches you then that writer is significant.
Cornell University
NCAA Champion 1967, 1970
ECAC Champion 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1980, 1986, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2010
Ivy League Champion 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2019
Just read "The Last Season" by Roy Macgregor. Very very good hockey novel.
Boosh Factor 4
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