2226 replies to this topic

[Qwerty]

The Crucible - Arthur Miller. 

Nifty metaphor and analogy.  Well written (but I don't enjoy it). We've had to read articles of his from the New Yorker and New York Times.  Those make him seem like one the biggest, pompus, most hypocritical jerks of all time.

Ah, I remember that one. One of the better books from...can't remember if it ws 9th or 10 grade High school.

[Agent 76]

going to start reading:

[Harmsway]

I just got finished reading Hannibal by Thomas Harris:



I think this book, as well as Ridley Scott's film adaptation which complements the book very nicely, are severely underrated. They're really quite good - both modern takes on the Grand Guignol genre. Thomas Harris' book is an examination of the fascination we as a people have with evil, and the consequences of it. A read well-spent.

[Loomis]

I just got finished reading Hannibal by Thomas Harris:



I think this book, as well as Ridley Scott's film adaptation, are severely underrated. They're really quite good - both modern takes on the Grand Guignol genre. Thomas Harris' book is an examination of the fascination we as a people have with evil, and the consequences of it. A read well-spent.

Agreed with all that. "Hannibal" is the best of the Lecter books, and the film version the best of the films, IMO. Looking forward to "Behind the Mask".

Currently on a Fleming kick (planning to re-read all his books in order, plus a few of the continuation novels, prior to the release of CASINO ROYALE), and halfway through "Live and Let Die". I'll disagree with Qwerty on it being one of the best in the entire canon (although if, in "the entire canon", he's including all the continuation novels, which IMO are mostly awful, then, yes, it is indeed one of the best), but it certainly has its moments. Not as good as "Casino Royale", though.

[Harmsway]

Agreed with all that. "Hannibal" is the best of the Lecter books, and the film version the best of the films, IMO. Looking forward to "Behind the Mask".

Glad to see you and I see eye-to-eye on that. I very much prefer Scott's Hannibal to Silence of the Lambs (which is considered heresy by many). Which ending do you prefer: Scott's or Harris'?

[Loomis]

Which ending do you prefer: Scott's or Harris'?

Harris'. Deliciously dark, and it's obvious why it was changed for the film. And it also seems to scupper another sequel from Harris ("Behind the Mask" is, of course, a prequel), simply because whatever he wrote would be totally unfilmable (and would he write another Lecter sequel without being able to sell the movie rights?), what with the film version of "Hannibal" having such a different ending.

Seems a bit ironic that Hollywood went with what was presumably seen as a safer ending, leaving the door open for further sequels, but in doing so actually killed off any chance of Harris writing any!

[Harmsway]

Which ending do you prefer: Scott's or Harris'?

Harris'. Deliciously dark, and it's obvious why it was changed for the film. And it also seems to scupper another sequel from Harris ("Behind the Mask" is, of course, a prequel), simply because whatever he wrote would be totally unfilmable (and would he write another Lecter sequel without being able to sell the movie rights?), what with the film version of "Hannibal" having such a different ending.

Ah. We agree here too. I love the darkness of Harris' ending. It's just so chilling and disturbing - the perfect end for a book all about Hannibal Lecter.

It certainly would have been interesting to see Harris' ending on-screen, though even more people would have probably been put-off by that than were by the film as it is. However, I certainly don't mind Scott's ending, which has a nice "What if Beauty never loved the Beast?" feel to it.

I'm certainly very intrigued to see how he'll develop Lecter in Behind the Mask. We have a glimpse into his past in Hannibal, and so I'm looking forward to seeing how much further he's going to develop the character.

[Athena007]

I just got through reading "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman (http://www.neilgaiman.com). And... OMG it was awesome! I'm not sure I've ever been so fired up about a book before. I highly recommend it! Read it, your mind will tingle. Check out "Neverwhere" on Amazon.com.


Richard Mayhew, learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Casino Royale. Finally!

[Qwerty]

Casino Royale. Finally!  

Tarl, please add your review of that Bond book (and others) in the following threads if you get a chance --> http://debrief.comma...showtopic=26772 Would love to read them.

[Quartermaster007]

Well, I've just read White Fang By Jack London for a book report.

I'm now reading Goldfinger and have just printed out (Yes all 110 pages) To Whom it may Condemn, and will begin reading the rest of it tonight.

[Tarl_Cabot]

White Fang is also a good movie Q if you haven't seen it, fyi.

[killkenny kid]

Society, Ethics, and Technology. a selection of 32 readings, where the authors explore the historical, social and philosophical sides of technology.

[Qwerty]

The Moneypenny Diaries. Very enjoyable thus far.

[Quartermaster007]

The Moneypenny Diaries.

Been wanting to get reading that soon....


I've got a lot of reading to do...

White Fang is also a good movie Q if you haven't seen it, fyi. 

Well, I suppose I best check it out.

Edited by Quartermaster007, 06 November 2005 - 03:52 PM.

[Qwerty]

Been wanting to get reading that soon....

Recommend that you do.

[ACE]

1) Commuter book: The Great War for Civilisation: the Conquest of the Middle East by Robert Fisk - everything we know is wrong. But we knew that.
2) Bedtime book: Q&A by Vikram Swarup - brilliantly simple idea, wonderful book
3) A slow burn tome for dipping: The Complete Poems of Hart Crane - pithy

Having read the Henry Chancellor, the Kate Westbrook and Chris Frayling books on Bond, we have had a recent embarrassment of riches. The Moneypenny Diaries is truly excellent as is the Chancellor book. Fantastic stuff.

Ploughing through more (bad) scripts but am really waiting for my treat:

Billy Joel: The Life & Times Of An Angry Young Man by Hank Bordowitz

ACE

[Blofeld's Cat]

Have not being able to read anything lately, but I'm hoping to read Dan Brown's THE DA VINCI CODE before the movie comes out. I want to read the book befotre seeing the movie, and I know I want to see the movie.

[ComplimentsOfSharky]

Finished The Warsaw Document the other day....bit slow in the beginning I thought but I liked it in the end...again, I recommend the Quiller series to anyone.

[spynovelfan]

Finished The Warsaw Document the other day....bit slow in the beginning I thought but I liked it in the end...again, I recommend the Quiller series to anyone.

Ah, good, CoS. I'm sure you mean the general opening to the book, but I do love the very first page of it:

'There would be no warning, I knew that.

In the total darkness I thought I could see things: the glint of his eyes, his bared teeth; and in the silence I thought I could hear his breath and the soft tentative padding of his feet as he looked for me; but all I saw and heard was in my imagination and I knew that soon my nerves were going to start playing up because of the worry: the worry that there'd be no warning when he came at me. He'd come the instant he found me...'

Can't beat that, really. WARSAW is kind of John le Qarre territory with old Foster/Philby. Have you read the only Quiller short story, LAST RITES, yet? Kind of linked to WARSAW. Bit more like Bond, though.

[ComplimentsOfSharky]

Finished The Warsaw Document the other day....bit slow in the beginning I thought but I liked it in the end...again, I recommend the Quiller series to anyone.

Ah, good, CoS. I'm sure you mean the general opening to the book, but I do love the very first page of it:

'There would be no warning, I knew that.

In the total darkness I thought I could see things: the glint of his eyes, his bared teeth; and in the silence I thought I could hear his breath and the soft tentative padding of his feet as he looked for me; but all I saw and heard was in my imagination and I knew that soon my nerves were going to start playing up because of the worry: the worry that there'd be no warning when he came at me. He'd come the instant he found me...'

Can't beat that, really. WARSAW is kind of John le Qarre territory with old Foster/Philby. Have you read the only Quiller short story, LAST RITES, yet? Kind of linked to WARSAW. Bit more like Bond, though.

Oh! Yes that first page was great!

The first few chapters seemed to drag just a bit, not sure why, though it was hardly detrimental.

I'll check it out tonight, thanks.

[Harmsway]

Have not being able to read anything lately, but I'm hoping to read Dan Brown's THE DA VINCI CODE before the movie comes out. I want to read the book befotre seeing the movie, and I know I want to see the movie.

It's a mildly diverting read, but if I were you, I wouldn't waste my time. It's really not that good. Roger Ebert said it best: "I read books like The Da Vinci Code to remind myself that life is too short to read books like The Da Vinci Code."

[TortillaFactory]

It's a mildly diverting read, but if I were you, I wouldn't waste my time. It's really not that good. Roger Ebert said it best: "I read books like The Da Vinci Code to remind myself that life is too short to read books like The Da Vinci Code."

I knew I loved Ebert.

Just finally picked up Fight Club a few days ago, and hardly put it down. Proof that postmodernity has done something good for literature, anyway. Very disturbing and good.

Still working my way through Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, which can't really hold its own against the Hitchhiker's series. I suppose some authors only have a few truly great books in them.

Read the first bit of The Elegant Universe, and am trying to get back into it. Looks interesting; string theory and all that.

Edited by TortillaFactory, 10 November 2005 - 05:33 AM.

[Blofeld's Cat]

Have not being able to read anything lately, but I'm hoping to read Dan Brown's THE DA VINCI CODE before the movie comes out. I want to read the book befotre seeing the movie, and I know I want to see the movie.

It's a mildly diverting read, but if I were you, I wouldn't waste my time. It's really not that good. Roger Ebert said it best: "I read books like The Da Vinci Code to remind myself that life is too short to read books like The Da Vinci Code."

I love word games, anagrams, etc so I hope I enjoy it.

Hey, I even sat through "Holocaust 2000" TWICE in a cinema because I love that sort of thing!

[spynovelfan]

I love word games, anagrams, etc so I hope I enjoy it.

Do you love really *easy* word games, though? Which you keep being told are unbelievabley difficult?

[TheREAL008]

Splinter Cell 2 by David Michaels, and from what I can tell it's a rehash of ZMT

[Blofeld's Cat]

I love word games, anagrams, etc so I hope I enjoy it.

Do you love really *easy* word games, though? Which you keep being told are unbelievabley difficult?

Oh well, time will tell.

[Johnboy007]

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" - Mark Twain.

*yawn*

[Quartermaster007]

The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - JRR Tolkien

[Byron]

The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - JRR Tolkien

Great book. I will probably start on the Annotated Hobbit soon.

If anyone here has read and enjoys Graham Greene, kindly let me know which are his best books. Just getting into them.

Thanks,

B