Recently, I've been reading Ian Fleming's original James Bond novels in publication order. Currently, I'm up to Goldfinger (the seventh novel, and third film).
The Bond character in the books is slightly different from his film counterpart - he's less assured, and more prone to fall in love. He also leans a little heavier on the use of Benzadrine, especially in the earliest novels.
The stories are different from the films as well; the book Moonraker has little to do with the film of the same name. The same goes for Diamonds Are Forever and Live and Let Die. (Although the other books come pretty close).
Last year, Penguin released the Fleming hardbacks with great new cover art (see Casino Royale above). You can see the entire set here.
