I remember reading almost all of the Bond novels while I was in the hospital at Clark AB in the Philippines in 1965. I could not wait for the book cart to come around so I could get another one. The books are SOOOOOO much better than any of the movies. Just wonderful writing.
I first read them in the mid seventies - picked them all up used for 15 cents each :D
That is probably true about most books made into movies although there are rare exceptions where a movie is better than its source. I think part of the reason is that with a book your mind has to do the visualizing and is thus more engaging than a movie where that part is done for you. I read the books maybe 10 years after you.
By the way, I just saw the newest Bond movie, a remake of Casino Royale, today—and I loved it.
It is very noir, very gritty, but with some flash. The opening chase scene is as good as any Bond opening I’ve ever seen.
I’ll even accept the new Bond man, Daniel Craig, as much closer to the original Bond concept of Fleming.
He bleeds (lots) from his various scrapes with the villains, is very fit (a new concept in films for a special operator) and can do a lot of his own physical bits, and plays Bond with the right touch of unemotionalism for a agent with the 00 designation.
The ending where he tells the criminal mastermind, “we have to talk” before shooting him in the leg with a sniper rifle and then cooly walking up to the guy crawling to get away and introducing himself, “My name is Bond, James Bond.” is perfect.
You don’t have to reject John Wayne to appreciate Paul Newman in Hombre.