Holiday reading

[woodbloke]

With the hols rapidly appearing over the horizon I always take something to read and this year is no exception. Having really enjoyed the 'Bourne' trilogy of films I thought I'd give the three books a crack. Has anyone read them...recommended or nae? - Rob

 

[wizer]

I read the first one and loved it. Very good, the film didn't do it justice. So much so that I have refused to see the other films until I have got around to reading the next 2 books. I believe there are actually more than 3 books in the series come to think of it.

 

[woodbloke]

You may be right WiZer, it's just that I've seen all three volumes with the same titles bound in one copy (very thick book :shock: ) in Waterstones and assumed that they were the books that the film sort of followed. So your reckoning is that the books are better (there's a surprise :wink: ) than the films? I thought all three films were great but didn't expect the books to be better - Rob

 

[Raggy]

In my experience a book is always better than the film. The lord of the rings is one hell of a book, and the films even tho they are extremely long miss out loads of bits. Even the harry potter books are the same, I have watched all the films so far and if i hadnt read the books i think you would get a bit lost in the film as they dont explain well enough some of the things that happen. Dont get me wrong I enjoy a good film but a book is better.

For a really good series of books (if you like fantasy fiction) The wheel of time series by Robert Jordan is excellent.

 

[wizer]

There's a lot more meat on the story, much more background info which was lost in the film. As Raggy says, the book will always be better because it can take time to explore the characters and background information to really set a scene. I was engrossed.

 

[Raggy]

Will have to have a read of the bourne series then, never thought about them before but they sound good

 

[wizer]

I was always into crime or gangster type books. I hadn't heard of this author before, someone recommended it. Really enjoyed it. Great if you like action/thriller. Lot's of clever well researched writing.

So much so that this thread has prompted me to go buy it after work.... :roll: :wink:

 

[Gill]

I quite agree about books being better than films. Isn't there a saying that good books make bad films but bad books make great films?

I haven't read the 'Bourne' books (or seen the films - not my taste) but I've read some cracking crime/mystery novels lately. My recommendations for holiday reading are "What Was Lost" by Catherine O'Flynn and "Chameleon" by Minette Walters. I enjoyed that classic "The Maltese Falcon" by Dashiel Hammet earlier this summer too.

Sorry if this is all a bit Richard & Judy .

Gill

 

[woodbloke]

I'm really tempted by the 'Bourne' books but have never read any Ludlum(sp?) before, so I wonder if I can get along with him as an author. The other thing which slightly worries me is that the books were written around 1982-3 or so if memory serves from a quick dip into the first page in Waterstones. In the films, JB is well into his gadgets and gizmos which weren't around when the books were written so how does the character in the books cope without changing Sim cards from one mobile to another and then in the next scene using a laptop 'puter to instantly find out who the baddies are and then going after them...if you see what I mean.
If I can't get on with the books though I 'spect there'll be other attractions on the beach :wink: ... - Rob

 

[wizer]

It's hard to say if you'll get on with an author, that's personal to you. But I found it easy reading and it kept me interested. Which for me is unusual as I have the attention span of....


sorry lost interest in that sentence!

Have you read any John Grisham or James Patterson. I went through all their books.

 

[mr]

I can recommend the new Bond novel, written by Sebastian Faulks. He's captured all the feel and retained the hard edged bond of FLemming's originals.

Cheers Mike

 

[woodbloke]

Have you read any John Grisham

I've read one John Grisham book and enjoyed it...might be an alternative - Rob

 

[wizer]

I honestly think you will get on with Robert Ludlum, but don't want to ruin your holiday! I liked all of Grisham's.

 

[RogerS]

Any of the Inspector Banks novels by Peter Robinson especially as the text is littered with references to music and I've been introduced to many excellent different pieces of music and artists that I'd probably not stumbled across otherwise.

Iain Banks (and his alter ego Iain M Banks) is a great favourite - two different genre - SciFi (truly visionary and with a wry sense of humour - try Consider Phlebas first) and ..mmmm...not sure how you'd describe his other genre - black?

And of course any of the Rebus novels.

Michael Connelly is another good thriller writer. Just finished reading The Poet.

 

[Good Surname or what ?]

Thinking of Ian Banks - I'd recommend The Wasp Factoryand Complicity - early stuff.

Alternatively, if you like non-fiction Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia by John Gray.

The back cover reviews include

• "the nearest thing we have to a window-smashing French intellectual - Andrew Marr"

and my personal favourite

• "A load of bollocks... could hardly be more bonkers if it was crawling with lizards- the Sunday Telegraph"

 

[frugal]

For a really good series of books (if you like fantasy fiction) The wheel of time series by Robert Jordan is excellent.

So called because you have to wait for the universe to cycle around before any plot occurs

Magician by Raymond Feist is a great summer read if you like fantasy novels.

The Bourne series of books are much better than the films. Then again I think that they were each about 300-400 pages long and there is no way that you can get that into 2 hours of film. I really need to read some Ludlum again.

 

[StevieB]

The Bourne trilogy is indeed far superior as books - the films really do not do them justice. Just a word of warning though - make sure if you buy them as seperate books that you read them in the order they were written. They will make no real sense and have huge spoilers in if you read them out of order.

The original trilogy was written by Robert Ludlum. I read an article/review which stated that the others on bourne were written in collaboration with RL, not by RL, and that they were not a patch on the original trilogy. I have not read any other than the original trilogy, so pass that on for info rather than opinion.

As for other books, I am currently reading through Michael Connelly (US LAPD detective series) and the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child. Have also dipped into Tom Holt this year but find him a bit hit and miss. Terry Pratchett is always a great fallback, as is Ian Rankin and Rebus, although that series is now finished - his latest book due in Sept is on an art theft - looking forward to that, seeing how he handles crime from the other side of the fence so to speak.

With holiday reading I always take a trusted backup - nothing worse that being stuck on a beach with a book that is pants and no way to change it!

Steve.

 

[RogerS]

........
. I read an article/review which stated that the others on bourne were written in collaboration with RL, not by RL, and that they were not a patch on the original trilogy. I have not read any other than the original trilogy, so pass that on for info rather than opinion.

......
Steve.

Good point that. I've been conned quite a few times before I realised this little scam. Tom Clancy springs to mind. Never as good as the original books written only by the author.

 

[woody67]

Rather good Rob-the film's not too bad either.

Mark

 

[Majorlarf]

I find stephen leather a really good read.
If you go to his web site he has a few short stories for you to download & print maybe a good way of trying a new author.

I have downloaded his short stories but have not read them yet as i am still ploughing my way through his published books