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KC
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« Reply #781 on: July 03, 2012, 10:42:11 PM » |
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I started out with Echo Burning, which I think is the fifth in the series, then went back and read them more or less in order, starting with Killing Floor, which was the first. But I don't think the order matters too much. There are things that sometimes get carried over from book to book, like in one of them he acquires a girlfriend and a house, so in the next one he'll have to find out a way to lose those encumbrances. But you figure he would, anyway, because that's his nature.
Only thing is, two of the latest ones, 61 Hours and Worth Dying For, really should be read in that order because 61 Hours ends in a cliffhanger.
There are two "prequels" in the series, going back to Reacher's days as an Army M.P. They're The Enemy and the latest to date, The Affair. I think you get more out of them if you read them when you already know the character, though you could argue that if you start with them, you would be following strict chronological order.
Anyway, by all means, pick up any one you can find from the library or buy a cheap paperback if you come across one, and see if they're to your taste.
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The Schofield Kid
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All on account of pulling a trigger.
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« Reply #782 on: July 03, 2012, 10:53:33 PM » |
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I started out with Echo Burning, which I think is the fifth in the series, then went back and read them more or less in order, starting with Killing Floor, which was the first. But I don't think the order matters too much. There are things that sometimes get carried over from book to book, like in one of them he acquires a girlfriend and a house, so in the next one he'll have to find out a way to lose those encumbrances. But you figure he would, anyway, because that's his nature.
Only thing is, two of the latest ones, 61 Hours and Worth Dying For, really should be read in that order because 61 Hours ends in a cliffhanger.
There are two "prequels" in the series, going back to Reacher's days as an Army M.P. They're The Enemy and the latest to date, The Affair. I think you get more out of them if you read them when you already know the character, though you could argue that if you start with them, you would be following strict chronological order.
Anyway, by all means, pick up any one you can find from the library or buy a cheap paperback if you come across one, and see if they're to your taste.
Thanks KC.  I just checked my library's website and they have about 8 or 9 Lee Child books. I would prefer to read them in order and Killing Floor isn't on that list so I might see if I can find it cheap somewhere and go from there.
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"Winners are simply willing to do what losers won't."
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AKA23
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« Reply #787 on: July 23, 2012, 09:35:38 AM » |
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What are the books about AKA?
I'm not very good at plot descriptions, so I'll link to what Amazon has to say about these books: Gone Girl: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet? Dark Places: Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived–and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her.
The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details–proof they hope may free Ben–Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club . . . and maybe she’ll admit her testimony wasn’t so solid after all.
As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members–including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started–on the run from a killer. http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Girl-Novel-Gillian-Flynn/dp/030758836X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_chttp://www.amazon.com/Dark-Places-Novel-Gillian-Flynn/dp/0307341577/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343061219&sr=1-1&keywords=dark+places
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« Last Edit: July 23, 2012, 08:28:12 PM by AKA23 »
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Sylvie
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« Reply #788 on: July 26, 2012, 03:30:40 AM » |
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CLINT EASTWOOD , L'ICONE . A beautiful big book full of worldwide Clint Eastwood's movies affiches, with comments, a must for a real fan ! I had it yesterday evening, and spent at least 2 hours to discover the various ones from everywhere, a real pleasure ! David Frangioni : THANK YOU !!! I know several Members have already got it on their "Eastwood Books shelf" ! 
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« Last Edit: July 26, 2012, 03:56:09 AM by Sylvie »
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"If she looks back, that means she's interested . Come on now, give me a little look. One little glance back..." 2007 Movie journal
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KC
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« Reply #793 on: August 04, 2012, 06:14:46 PM » |
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That's what I'll be doing.

This didn't improve on the first novel. The same drawn out feeling like it was a chore just to get through it.
I know it's only fiction but there was one page in this book that I just couldn't stop shaking my head in bewilderment.
Reacher and FBI Agent Holly Johnson are in the woods and come across a body that has been crucified. Of course she can't handle the sight of it and throws up. Reacher cuts the body down and buries it. Before the end of the page, they're naked and having sex in the dirt! I mean, come on, are you kidding me?
2/5.
If I recall right, that was the one where Holly was abducted because she's the daughter of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Reacher gets abducted with her because he just happens to bump into her at the wrong time. They're taken off to a site where a paramiltary cult is plotting to overthrow the US government. I don't recall the sex in the sand at that particular juncture, but I do remember thinking it was pretty improbable that they would let Reacher escape, recapture him, then let him escape again ... over and over. But the Reacher novels aren't really about the stories, they're about the character, and about he is always, always, bigger, stronger and smarter than any opponent he meets up with. And he never becomes attached to anyone. If he has sex with a women somewhere along the way, he'll be saying goodbye to her by the last page (with a couple of "cliffhanger" exceptions), And for the most part, the women are pretty strong, smart and capable themselves ... worthy partners, not just bimbos along for the ride. All this may help explain why a lot of Reacher fans are female. 
And I see these are the Jack Reacher novels that the new movie is adapted from!
It's adapted from a later novel in the series ... and Tom Cruise is starring. A lot of Reacher fans are up in arms about that. That little superannuated shrimp is going to play Jack Reacher, six foot four and two hundred and forty pounds of brute strength and intelligence?
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KC
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« Reply #796 on: August 10, 2012, 08:26:57 PM » |
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The second book, or maybe it's the third, also has a long digression involving the editor of the magazine where the journalist works. She takes a job at a major Stockholm daily and finds herself being stalked by someone who works at the paper. You get the feeling when you read all three books that Larsson had been saving up little bits and pieces of stories for years, and was determined to make one long, continuous story out of them. (And by the way, he had planned for the series to run several more volumes.)
They're all pretty good as page-turners, though. And the central character, Lisbeth Salander, is a remarkable invention.
Did you see either of the movies based on this first book (which in the original Swedish was titled Män som hatar kvinnor, "Men Who Hate Women")?
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AKA23
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« Reply #799 on: August 10, 2012, 09:07:06 PM » |
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I'm glad you took my suggestion, and that you ended up enjoying the book. I actually found the second book to be the best of the trilogy. For me, the first was the weakest of the books. There was way too much exposition of all the different family members, and their life stories, that detracted from the more interesting elements.
As for the movies, I've only seen the American remake, directed by David Fincher, and I thought that it was quite good. Of the Swedish films, I've heard the first is the best, and that the second and third are much less good, though there is apparently an extended release version of all of these movies (the Swedish films were originally designed as a miniseries, which were cut to make the films). The extended release version is supposed to be much better.
You read pretty fast, SK! I hope you enjoy the rest of the trilogy.
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