I'm reading Lost World by Michael Crichton recently, because of this picture here (it's been in my queue for a while). My initial interpretation was that candy-eating velociraptors with jagged metal in their mouths were about to pounce on a man falling from a radio tower, but it turns out it's a little different. Either way, I was so taken with it that I decided I just had to read the book. I always assumed it was better than the movie (which was awful) but I had no idea how much better--it's just great.

I read rather often that people are re-watching the original Jurassic Park and being surprised at how well it's held up over the years, but I kinda have the opposite reaction--I loved it as a kid, but it seems like the special effects are the only part that still make the grade. The pacing, the characterization, pretty much everything else about it just doesn't do it for me anymore. It's still way better than the sequels (cross your fingers for gun-toting Space Raptors in JP4!) but I found it disappointing to go back to.