Live and Let Die is the second James Bond novel by Ian Fleming, and it wasn’t until my first trip to New York that I really appreciated and understood some parts of the book.

Here, James must uncover a gold-smuggling ring, sponsored by the Communist SMERSH government agency. The leader of the …

So I’ve long had “learn to play the guitar” on my list of goals. However, despite several attempts at learning such, life, travel, work, and other higher-priority items have jumped ahead in the queue. I know a couple of chords, and can probably pick my way through some simple tablature, but I can in …

Auric Goldfinger is one of the more memorable villains to cross paths and wits with James Bond. Ian Fleming, in Goldfinger, even makes a game of golf between Goldfinger and Bond a very suspenseful and memorable read.

But there are many more memorable scenes and characters in this James Bond novel, …