Casino Royale

A quick and dirty summary for those of you not familiar with the world of James Bond. This is the first in the series and it introduces us to a suave, calm and collected secret agent who is being sent to France to play high-stakes baccarat in order to knock Le Chiffre and his organization down a few pegs. His superiors send a woman to "assist" him and he finds her distracting. He wants to bed her, but her presence annoys her (she belongs in a kitchen.... eye roll). I wish I could give this 5 stars, but the sexism factor is quite high! I know, I know, it's a product of it's time, but man! It was a lot! The movie follows this book fairly closely so I knew a lot going into it, but I still really enjoyed it! I listened to the audiobook which had a superb English narrator. It really helped set the tone for me.  

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

I REALLY enjoyed this one - in fact this might be my favorite of the Bond novels I've read so far! I can't recall if I've ever seen the movie or not, but the story seemed fresh to me. Due to a tip from the musty ol' College of Arms, 007 has the first solid lead on Blofeld in months. Bond has been itching to get a hold of Blofeld to make him pay for his crimes and involvement in Spectre and Thunderball and now he may finally have a chance. Bond prepares to go undercover to determine if their tip is legit and to see what Blofeld is really up to hiding out in the alps. Ski chases, lots of steamy romance (Bond actually falling for a girl?!?), intrigue, and the usual Bond swagger - this 007 novel does not disappoint.

Quantum of Silence

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories they varied in intrigue, missions, and continents. In one or two of the stories Bond is only a minor part of the action - but honestly that made it more interesting. Some of the stories include Octopussy, For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, Quantum of Silence, 007 in New York, The Hildebrand Rarity, From a View to a Kill, and others. Many are also movies but their only similarities to the films are the titles, the plots are vastly different. Minus the blatant sexism and racism; the action is always unique and intense, and the stories are compelling and readable. This collection is better than some of the full length novels, I had no idea that these even existed, being published in Playboy, Cosmopolitan, and other publications. A great collection!

Diamonds are Forever

Quite different than the movie, and filled with sexist, racist, and homophobic content. However, this was written in the fifties so I won't judge it through today's lens. Plot wise - I thought there would be much more about the diamonds, but really James Bond is seeing how far down the criminal pipeline he can go. They're pretty sure the source of illegal diamonds is from French Guinea (or around there) and they know they end up in America. It's up to Bond to pose as one of the low level carriers and see how far on the criminal trail he can get. His new job takes him to New York, Saratoga, and Vegas. These American mobsters are more methodical and organized than he gave them credit for and it's not as easy as a job as he assumed it would be. Lots of action, intrigue, some sex appeal, and unique villains. Classic James Bond.

Moonraker

It's been ages since I've seen the movie and I've never read this particular James Bond book so I thought I would give it a go. I'll admit, I've liked this Bond novel more than I have some others. It's your typical super cool British spy who gets all the ladies and solves all the mysteries while looking bad-ass type novel and I love it. This novel is six decades old and James Bond is STILL a bad-ass. In this particular novel he is sent to oversee the construction of a large warhead, the Moonraker, after some troubling incidents occur. There is gambling, skinny-dipping, car chases, German scientists, and much more. Lots of fun and worth a listen as it's narrated by Bill Nighy.

Adventure - The Spy Who Loved Me

Author: Ian Fleming

Title: The Spy Who Loved Me

Publication Date: 1962

Number of Pages: 142

Geographical Setting: American Backwoods

Time Period: 1960s

Series: 10th in the James Bond/ 007 series

Plot Summary: It's hard to go wrong with a classic like this and Ian Fleming didn't disappoint. It's a fast paced action adventure and the low page count makes it impossibly fast to read.

It is one of the shortest and most sexually explicit of Fleming's novels, as well as a clear departure from previous Bond novels in that the story starts off the the perspective of the "Bond girl." In fact, most of the book is from her perspective and takes place before she ever meets 007!

A young Canadian woman by the of Vivienne Michel finds herself traveling across America on a scooter. She breaks for a bit at a motel and is offered a job watching the place by herself until the end of the season. On her first night alone, two thugs come in to rough her up and do who knows what else. Bond himself does not appear until two thirds of the way through the book, when he waltzes in the motel after suffering a flat.

Obviously he saves the day and seduces the girl, but in order to learn all the awesome details you'll have to read this classic for yourself.

Subject Headings: (via WorldCat)
Bond, James (Fictitious character) -- Fiction. Intelligence service -- Great Britain -- Fiction.
Spy Thriller -- Espionage -- Fiction
Appeal: Fast paced, dark, and graphic.

Similar Authors & Works:
1. Fiction: (via Goodreads)
The Last Frontier by Alistair MacLean
The Mataresse Countdown by Robert Ludloom
High Time to Kill by Raymond Benson 

2. Non-Fiction: (via subject heading search in WorldCat)
Her Majesty's Secret Service: the making of the British intelligence community by Christopher M. Andrew
MI6: Inside the Covert World of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service by Stephen Dorril
British Security Coordination: The Secret History of British Intelligence in the Americas, 1940-1945 by William Samuel Stpehenson