By the time this post appears on the blog I will have read this book about a month and a half ago while I was on a vacation in the Caribbean. Consequently, surrounded by an environment Crichton’s characters inhabit, the ride was an adventuresome delight. In the year 1665, Captain Charles Hunter is in Port…
Tag: punchy
On His Majesty’s Secret Service (2023) – Charlie Higson
007 returns for one more mission as Charlie Higson delivers the latest and last, as of this date, James Bond literary adventure. Set in the modern era, M informs Bond of a possible coup attempt during the coronation of King Charles. It’s 007’s job to pick up where 009 left off before he was discovered…
At the Circus (1939) – Edward Buzzell
The comedic section of the chapter on Monstrous Apes in the fantastic DK Canada book, Monsters in the Movies, brings me a Marx Brothers classic which I had never seen, and consequently as delighted to settle in for. Groucho, Harpo, and Chico lend their hysterical aid to the owner of a circus, Jeff Wilson (Kenny…
Casino Royale (1953) – Ian Fleming
Some twenty years ago, my sister gifted me with six of Ian Fleming’s original James Bond adventures. First printings from the Macmillan Company, these wonderful little hardcovers were in great condition but sans books jackets. I hadn’t read any of the Fleming Bonds since my early teens, when I was in the midst of discovering…
The Mountain Master of Sha Tin (2019) – Ian Hamilton
I’ve been hooked on Ian Hamilton’s Ava Lee books since I first discovered them. I devour them voraciously as I follow the brilliant, and brave young woman on her adventures. She continues to work, somewhat, as a forensic accountant, but her life has changed a lot since I first met her, and she has become…
Crimson Tide (1995) – Tony Scott
The next film on the What Else to Watch list following my screening of Das Boot for DK Canada’s The Movie Book is the white knuckle all star thriller, Crimson Tide. Featuring Tony Scott’s saturated color style, sharp edits, and punchy camera angles the film follows the crew of the U.S.S. Alabama as she ends…
Fate (2019) – Ian Hamilton
Ian Hamilton has crafted a series of novels about a forensic accountant, Ava Lee, who is Chinese-Canadian, and each one has been a fantastic ride, as well expanding on her character, and the world she lives in they’ve also introduced us to a variety of characters, some of whom have gone on to be fan…
The Goddess of Yantai (2018) – Ian Hamilton
Ava Lee returns in a book that allows for the forensic accountant’s take on the film world and the darkness it hides, as she and her girlfriend, Pang Fai, a Chinese film star are caught up in the corruption and actions of the Chinese Movie Syndicate. Hitting bookshelves in the next week, Anansi Press lets…
The Maltese Falcon (1929) – Dashiell Hammett
Sam Spade. Almost some ninety years on, the name still conjures images. One can see Bogart, fedora atop his head, overcoat hanging on his frame, cigarette dangling from his lips while he has a heater in one hand, and a dame on the other. No matter your experience with Spade, brought to life incredibly in…
The Mind Reels 