Liv’s Book Corner

  Synopsis: Beautiful, fortune-telling Solitaire is the prisoner (and tool) of Mr. Big-master of fear, artist in crime, and Voodoo Baron of Death. James Bond has no time for superstition-he knows that Big is also a top Smersh operative and a real threat. More than that, after tracking him through the jazz joints of Harlem to the Everglades and on to the Caribbean, 007 has realized that Mr. Big is one of the most dangerous men that he has ever faced. And no one, not even the enigmatic Solitaire, can be sure how their battle of wills is going to end ... My Review: Some parts of this book were really good and some parts were…not. I really enjoyed the whole pirate treasure plot and especially the action scenes involving sharks, barracuda and all manner of dangerous fish. The backdrop of beautiful Jamaica in the second half of the book with the lush forests and wild coral reefs was really cool. However I didn’t really like the racist undertones of the book and the way that the black cha...

  Synopsis: Moonraker, Britain's new ICBM-based national defense system, is ready for testing, but something's not quite right. At M's request, Bond begins his investigation with Sir Hugo Drax, the leading card shark at M's club, who is also the head of the Moonraker project. But once Bond delves deeper into the goings-on at the Moonraker base, he discovers that both the project and its leader are something other than they appear to be. My Review: A good spy thriller, but definitely not the best Bond book I’ve read. Moonraker got quite boring in the middle when nothing much was happening and I felt like I was just dragging myself through it to get to the exciting part. However I did really like Drax as a villain and his backstory and I enjoyed Gala and Bond’s relationship. I think the story itself could have been made a little shorter and that would have helped with pacing issues My Rating: 7/10

  Synopsis: In the novel that introduced James Bond to the world, Ian Fleming's agent 007 is dispatched to a French casino in Royale-les-Eaux. His mission? Bankrupt a ruthless Russian agent who's been on a bad luck streak at the baccarat table. One of SMERSH's most deadly operatives, the man known only as "Le Chiffre," has been a prime target of the British Secret Service for years. If Bond can wipe out his bankroll, Le Chiffre will likely be "retired" by his paymasters in Moscow. But what if the cards won't cooperate? After a brutal night at the gaming tables, Bond soon finds himself dodging would-be assassins, fighting off brutal torturers, and going all-in to save the life of his beautiful female counterpart, Vesper Lynd. Taut, tense, and effortlessly stylish, Ian Fleming's inaugural James Bond adventure has all the hallmarks that made the series a touchstone for a generation of readers. My Review: A classic page turner that introduces the mos...