Spy Novels? THE RUSSIA HOUSE. Love it love it love it (and the movie, though it takes a slightly different angle). It's also a great romance novel (and moreso in the movie), IMO.
Here is your cup of coffee. Brewed from the finest Colombian lighter fluid.
Xander ,'Chosen'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Frankenbuddha - Oct 13, 2007 3:12:40 pm PDT #4186 of 28235
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"
Typo Boy - Oct 13, 2007 4:07:52 pm PDT #4187 of 28235
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
If you have never read Eric Ambler you might consider him - at least the stuff before 1970. A Coffin for Dimitrios, Cause for Alarm
Also for one of the all time great anti-heroes, though it is in the caper genre rather than spy - "The Light of Day".
Susan W. - Oct 13, 2007 7:24:30 pm PDT #4188 of 28235
Good Trouble and Righteous Fights
Anyone ever read anything by Allan Mallinson? I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to get my historical war story fix once I run out of Sharpes (I've been rationing myself to one a month and will finish the series in December), and I happened across his name while looking at my LibraryThing recommendations.
Incidentally, I'd be glad for any other recommendations in the Age of Sail/Flintlock vein. Of the ones I've read so far, here's my scorecard:
O'Brian-Aubrey/Maturin - LOVE
Cornwell - Sharpe - Love, and have read the Starbucks and plan to get around to his other historical series (what's the plural of series--serieses?) in due course
Forrester - Hornblower - Meh. Boring. Didn't like Hornblower.
MacDonald - Flashman - I can see how they're brilliant, but they're not my thing.
And, in newer/more obscure series....
Campbell - Matty Graves - Love
Humphreys - Jack Absolute - Good swashbuckling fun
Ginger - Oct 16, 2007 11:59:52 am PDT #4189 of 28235
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
The best job ever [link]
Toddson - Oct 16, 2007 12:36:14 pm PDT #4190 of 28235
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"
Susan, I remember hearing that Georgette Heyer's "An Infamous Army" is supposed to have one of the best descriptions of Waterloo ever. If you haven't read it - is that possible? - you should.
Susan W. - Oct 16, 2007 12:38:35 pm PDT #4191 of 28235
Good Trouble and Righteous Fights
I have it on my shelf, but so far I've had trouble getting through the first few chapters to even GET to the Waterloo part. I know it's heresy, but Heyer is hit-or-miss for me. I like her "Spanish Bride," though, which is Peninsular War/Waterloo.
Kathy A - Oct 16, 2007 12:47:43 pm PDT #4192 of 28235
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil
Mary Jo Putney wrote a good romance that took place (partially) during the Peninsular War, Shattered Rainbows.
Susan W. - Oct 16, 2007 12:48:11 pm PDT #4193 of 28235
Good Trouble and Righteous Fights
Read that one, and it is very good.
Kathy A - Oct 16, 2007 12:53:32 pm PDT #4194 of 28235
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil
I first read one of the sequels to that book, One Perfect Rose, and then read Shattered Rainbows afterwards. I thought OPR was a really touching story, even though it could have gone down a very turgid melodramatic road--the key plotpoint was that the hero had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and was running away from both the diagnosis and his ducal responsibilities. Instead, it turned out to be a very poignant book.
Jesse - Oct 21, 2007 10:27:14 am PDT #4195 of 28235
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.
So, discussion elsewhere around Banned Books Week reminded me to re-read Pillars of the Earth, and man, I forgot how awesome that book is. Sometimes a good 12th-century architectural epic is just what you need.