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I haven't read a lot of King, but I thought 11/22/63 was phenomenal. More than being an exceptional writer, King gets credit in my book for being an excellent story teller. I know it's hard to draw, but I really believe that there is a distinction between the two.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was great. I'm going to take a break and read Bernard Cromwell's The Fort, but I'm excited for the rest of the trilogy. I'm sort of glad I put it off this long. It's rare I find something this good to experience for the first time these days.

Leon: The Professional too. Off the top of my head, I can't remember a performance of his I didn't like. He's one of the best character actors out there. ...and I was proud of myself earlier for using the word autodidactic correctly. That's an incredible link. It wasted entirely too much of my...

Too late. I majored in Literature for undergrad. I don't dislike it all the time, and I'll be the first to admit that wordy prose can be beautiful and elegant. The Great Gatsby, for instance, is without a doubt my favorite American novel. Simultaneously, some of Hemmingway's work can be...

Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Keyboard 3G. To keep things simple, I'll review the paperwhite by comparing it to the 3G. I used the 3G as my e-reader for about two years before I got the paperwhite this past Christmas. Pros: It's awesome for reading at night. Easily the most nonintrusive way...

I agree. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the prose was. Often, when I read things written in the 50's and 60's, I find the writing itself to be long winded and wordy. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about using the right word in exactly the right place, but there is something to be said for...

I love the Sharpe series too. Some of my best memories of college involve cuddling up in a chair in a Barnes and Nobles and reading Sharpe and Harper go at it. I probably read three fourths of the series in the store. I always felt like a punk for not buying the book, but hey, when you're a poor...

Actually, it was seeing the film that sort spurred me into Le Care. Previously it had only been on the to-do list, but then I stumbled across the movie and I enjoyed it, particularly Gary Oldman's performance as George Smiley. Overall, I thought it was above average, but I haven't read the book...

I know it's a classic, but I hadn't gotten around to it until a couple of days ago. I had the luck to get gifted Call for the Dead as a Christmas present too, so the events of that book which impacted Spy I had fresh in my mind. Overall, I'd say it was excellent. That moment you have when you...

Hell In a Very Small Place by Bernard Fall was a great read on Dien Bien Phu too, if you're interested in revisiting it. That whole story is just insane. Street Without Joy, another of his works focusing on the French in Vietnam, wasn't terrible either.

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It's long enough to get you through any trip, and is absolutely epic in scope. Pretty well written for a guy who spent a lot of time in prison but, on reflection, I guess there was plenty of free time to hone his craft.

I was wondering if anyone had read Evan Wright's American Desperado. I enjoyed Generation Kill, but before I bite the bullet and buy this one I figured I'd ask around and get some feedback.

Are you interested in more of an overall history, strategic level analysis, operational chronicle, or a tactical memoir? There are plenty either way, but if I know what you're looking for I could review something that would be of immediate interest. Here's "We Were Soldier's Once...and Young"...

Absolutely, though it'd be my first time doing anything like that. Any of them in particular?

I know it's been a couple of months but, if you're still looking, try, in no particular order, "The Village" by Bing West, "Hill 448" by Ray Childress and Charles W. Sasser, "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young" by Hal Moore and Joesph Galloway, Gary Linderer's stuff on LURPS, and John Plaster's...

Comparing Child and Clancy is like comparing apples and oranges. Child is straight thriller writer. His pace is breakneck, and his prose can be sparse and inelegant. He doesn't much worry about character development either, and why would he? He's got the perfect excuse to drum up new ones...

I concur. Taggart is one of the few characters I've ever read I absolutely detest. I'm usually fairly good at seeing every character, regardless of affiliation, through a lens of gray, but Taggart embodies everything I despise in a person. His weakness, and unwillingness to take responsibility...

I saw it for the first time about two days ago. I'm only two episodes in, but it's fantastic. The writing and acting are top notch, and the historical insight it provides into English Country life is fascinating. I'm definitely all in.

The Fountainhead was mine as well. It was Christmas Eve, my freshman year of college. I spent the rest of the evening, and most of the next day reading it straight through. There's something about reading Rand at the right moment in your life. I'm not sure I agree with every tenet, or even most...

With Hollywood remakes, it almost always does. I enjoyed the book, but there was a lot of exposition. Nothing to terrible, but it made the beginning a little rough to sink your teeth into.