Tag Archives: TBR Tuesdays

Reading

TBR Tuesday: Bond. James Bond.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that fiction’s most famous spy started out on the page and not the silver screen. Although Ian Fleming’s books were bestsellers in the 1950s and 1960s, and remain in print, James Bond is probably better known to most through the two dozen major motion pictures starring the likes of Sean Connery, Roger Moore and now Daniel Craig.

While I like spies in fiction, most of the Bond films are a little too campy for my tastes, so naturally I wasn’t very interested in reading Fleming’s novels. But not all of the Bond books are like the movies—in fact, the one I’ve read was nothing like the films.

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The fourteenth and final Bond novel by Fleming, Octopussy and The Living Daylights is actually a collection of several shorter works: “Octopussy,” “The Living Daylights” (surprise surprise), and in later versions, “Portrait of a Lady,” and “007 in New York.”

You’re probably thinking of these right now:


 

Yeah, not so much. Instead of the big show-stopping set pieces, stunts, gadgets, explosives and womanizing we’ve come to expect from the films, these stories show a different side of espionage—and Bond himself. In “Octopussy,” Bond is actually the story’s antagonist (though not the villain)—it’s about a British major retired to Jamaica. And it features a real octopus—but not a beautiful jewel smuggler in sight. However, “Portrait of a Lady” is about the Faberge auction featured in the movie version of Octopussy.

“The Living Daylights” is related to the movie of the same name: the short story describes the events of the film’s “action prologue“ (you know, the cellist-sniper and shooting the rifle out of her hands). However, it presents a Bond that’s a heck of a lot closer to Daniel Craig’s disaffected portrayal than any of his predecessors’.

“007 in New York” . . . was kind of forgettable. A little reminiscent of the end of Quantum of Solace, plot-wise, I guess.

In all, if you’re more into the spy side than the spectacle of Bond, you’d probably like this quick read. (In fact . . . I kind of read the paperback copy my mom sent for my brother-in-law while I was supposed to be wrapping it up for him. Yeah.)

What do you think? Do you like Bond? Ever read the novels? Who are your favorite fictional spies? Come share!

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Reading

TBR Tuesday: Free reads!

From time to time, I post freebies on my Facebook page (two this past weekend!) but here are a couple books that are currently free for Kindle. (No Kindle? You can use an app on your smartphone or computer to read them as well!)

My friend CK Bryant is offering Bound, the first book in the Crystor series, for free!

When a photo shoot ends in tragedy, Kira discovers her best friend, Lydia, has been keeping a secret. Knowing the truth, and accepting it, will change Kira’s life forever and thrust her into a world of ancient curses, magical objects, and savage enemies. What happens next will challenge everything Kira knows about her world, herself and the shape-shifting warrior she’s falling in love with. No longer the timid mouse her mother accused her of being, but a woman who finds the mental and physical strength to endure and survive.

BOUND is a heroic tale of true friendship, infinite sacrifice and untamed love.

My take (from Goodreads): “I don’t normally read in this genre, but I found especially the second half of this book really fast moving, and it compelled me to read. The ending hooked me for the sequel, too.”

Broken, the second book of the series is out now, and the third (the conclusion, I believe?), Beloved, is due out soon.

Next up, we’ve got Ali Cross’s Become.

Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared.

When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is finding a reason to change—something she’s never had before—a friend.

My take (gack! I’ve never reviewed this anywhere!): I read this book so fast, but I wanted to savor every word. This book is painfully beautiful. It explores a feeling I think we’ve all experienced, feeling like we’re past hope. Desi discovers that she isn’t beyond hope or beyond help, she isn’t useless or extraneous, and that she still has a choice and the power to affect who she is and who she will become.

The other installments in the series, Desolate and Destined, are out now, and Ali recently announced that she’s planning some companion novellas to the series as well.

Do your tastes run more to the classical? Again, I haven’t read this one, but, you know, I’ve seen the movie (from the ’90s) and the musical. Maybe the book actually explains what those students were revolting about.

It’s Les Misérables, in all its 959-page glory!

In case you live under a rock:

Les Misérables apparently holds the Guinness world record for longest musical about a minor parole violation. It tells the utterly pointless tale of an ex-con as he tries to elude a bumbling parole officer for 20 years. . . . The criminal guy, could have just, you know, MOVED OUT OF THE FREAKING CITY IF HE DIDN’T WANT TO BE CAUGHT. Instead this whole game of cat-and-mouse between [Jean Valjean] and [Javert] takes place in one neighborhood. The dumbest criminal of the millennium vs. a law enforcement officer that makes every Leslie Nielsen character look like Sherlock Holmes in comparison.

Oh wait, that’s this hilarious review of the new movie version. They say the book is always better, right?

I also picked up Sarah Eden’s latest Regency romance, Drops of Gold for $3.99 today. I’ve heard such good things; I’m excited!

What do you think? What are you reading? Picked up any good free reads lately? Come join the discussion!

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Reading

TBR Tuesday: 2013 Reading Resolutions

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New Year’s Resolutions are all about stretching yourself, right? Two years ago, I set a goal to read 50 books that year. I made it formal with Goodreads, and after a bit of catch-up in December I finally reached that goal.

As I’ve mentioned, last year was more of a challenge, and this year my schedule is probably going to be just as demanding. (In fact, one week into the year, I’m already three weeks behind in my schedule thanks to repeated illnesses, the Christmas rush, travel and my youngest sister’s wedding. So, you know, nothing big.) But I need to make sure I take the time to refill my creative wells, especially with a busy schedule.

I’ve blogged before about how hard it is for me to read while writing. With my yearly schedule, I know when I’ll be drafting and when I’ll be editing, so I can anticipate when I’ll be able to read more.

Not just about the numbers

If you have a goal to read a set number of books in a year, that’s great. I know that setting a specific number in 2011 definitely pushed me to read more. But I also like the freedom to read—or give up on—as much as I choose.

On Twitter this weekend, I heard about a “Book Gap Challenge” to read the books that we haven’t gotten around to yet, or the genres we tend to neglect.

As I was looking over what I read in 2012, I was surprised to discover where my (recorded) tastes fell, almost exclusively. Bottom line: I need to read more adult books. This is a challenge for me partially because I avoid books with excessive language, sex and violence, and partially because even very good adult books often don’t reel me in the way a lot of the YA I read does. I

For 2013, I think that’s how I want to try to stretch myself: focusing on my adult-book gap. So . . . any recommendations?

What do you think? What are your 2013 reading goals? Will you focus on genre, total, or another factor?

Photo by Lauren

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