I have a very small addiction to books (and movies) about con artists and thieves and spies. Don’t panic! I’m not on the wide road to a life of espionage. I never even get library fines, okay?!* Lately Deborah and I have been fangirling over crimey capers and she suggested I post about it. It fit in well with these week’s recommendation prompt. I couldn’t resist!
Although I am cheating on this list. (Do I ever follow the rules? I mean…really? Do I?) and I’m adding in a few movies because I haven’t read enough heist books. I NEED TO READ MORE.
* Although I do own Loki shoes, so that says something about my devious nature.
This Week’s Prompt: Ten Books For Readers Who Like [insert topic here]
\\ Click on the covers to go to Goodreads //
1. CURSE WORKER TRILOGY by Holly Black
The Curse Workers is one of my top favourite trilogies ever. OKAY! I know I say that a lot, but this is different! It’s hilarious and supernatural and and stuffed with compulsive liars. Everyone is a villain (and they’re all mildly forgivable and adorable). Trust NO ONE. Plus the protagonist, Cassel Sharpe, is part Indian (well, it’s hypothesised, he doesn’t know his exact heritage) so yay for epic adventures with cultural diversity!
2. HOW TO LEAD A LIFE OF CRIME by Kirsten Miller
Despite sounding like a how-to book for dummies, this is AMAZING. It’s not just about cons and stealing, it’s about the psychology of evil. Seriously if you have not read this yet, YOU ARE NOT LIVING PROPERLY.
3. HEIST SOCIETY by Ally Carter
I loved this book! Was it original? Well…no. If you’ve seen any con movie, then you’ve covered the basic plot of this book. But it is about 15-year-olds being insanely and disgustingly talented and smart. It’s awesome to read books about characters who ooze smartness and make us feel like a bumbling failure, right? Right. GO READ IT. (I haven’t finished the trilogy, but I will. One day.) Also: it’s highly quotable and hilarious..
4. AS RED AS BLOOD by Salla Simukka
I’m really incredibly excited because book 2 arrived in the mail today and YAY I GET TO FIND OUT WAHT HAPPENS NEXT! But, I digress.
This one isn’t by the point of view of a con artists: it’s a money heist. It’s still incredible though and features an unwilling detective and a subtle dose of fairy tale retellings (you can figure out which) and occasionally people get murdered, which is all fantastic. Gotta love books.
5. Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13 // movie trilogy
I’m pretty sure this is what started my love of con artist plot lines. Genius plots? Incredible twists? Hilarious lines? WATCH THESE MOVIES. They largely deal with casino cons, but they blow stuff up (always a bonus). In Ocean’s 12 (movie #2) heads off to Amsterdam so they can steal stuff. It also has a moment where Julia Roberts plays Tess Oceans who plays Julia Roberts. Yup.
6. LEVERAGE // TV series – 5 seasons
I ADMIT IT: this was my latest fangirling obsession! I love this show an astronomical amount. Give it all the stars! All the flailing! It covers hundreds of cons, that range to hyperventilation-worthy to downright funny.
It’s has a Robin Hood vibe where this team steals from rich and cruel companies and gives back to the people they’ve basically “robbed”. They’ve got a mastermind, a grifter, a hitter, a thief, and a hacker. They’re all geniuses and act like a big dysfunctional family.
7. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN // movie
This is set in the 1960s where Leonardo Di Caprio plays a con artist who poses as a pilot and runs around the world being a million people at once and spending a lot of money he doesn’t own. HE’S ONLY 16 WHEN HE STARTS CONS! He’s also rather a genius because one con needs him to pose as a lawyer and, without studying, he passes the exam with top marks. It’s good, peoples, trust me.
8. THE ITALIAN JOB // movie
I haven’t seen the original (do not glare at me, it isn’t nice) but this is fantastic. It takes off after a con goes wrong and the team have to get revenge on the member who betrayed them. They steal a lot of gold. They speed around in minis. They hatch crazily brilliant plans. Sometimes they punch people and everyone is rather sassy.
9. NOW You SEE ME // movie
This is an incredible movie (although the ending is bizarre and not…in a good way). It stars the Incredible Hulk…um, SORRY. I mean Mark Ruffalo and a team of very narcissistic magicians/con artists.
It’s perfection with cons disguised as magic until, um, the end where it goes bizzare and unrealistic. But pfft, who needs a solid ending if the beginning is awesome? (Don’t answer that.)
Interesting Fun Fact: One of the main actors for this movie, Jessie Eisenberg actually reads the Curse Worker audio books! Awesome, right?!
10. INCEPTION // movie
Stealing art is too mainstream, so this gang steals DREAMS. They extract secrets from your subconscious and it really is a mind twisty movie. Again, it stars Leonardo Di Caprio, so I think the guy really really wants to steal something, but has to live vicariously instead.
Also the soundtrack is gorgeous. If you write books then this is definitely inspiring background music. (It’s by Hans Zimmer who is incredible.)
Obviously I’m always on the look out for more awesome YA heist and con artist books. Look at my pathetic list! I have not read nearly enough.
YA Con/Heist books I need to steal…erm, READ:
now i know i cheated on this prompt rather ginormously…so HELP ME! recommend me some awesome con/crime/heist/thieving YA books! go wild in the comments my thieflings. also have you read/watched any of these? thoughts? link me up to your TTT post too, if you like!
Cait @ Paper Fury
…is currently so proud of herself for being on top of her TBR! She has only 13 books that need reading! What is this?! She’s reading up big in preparation for abandoning all and writing a new book. Just must finish those darn edits first…She’s only got 10K to go. It’s TORTURE. Currently she’s reading The Sin Eater’s Daughter and is mildly disappointed.
I am desperate to read How to Lead A Life of Crime! Heist Society is the best ever- it’s the most re-read book on my shelf. Heist and con artist books are some of my favorites, but there seems to be a lack of them in YA :/ I haven’t read all the ones you have mentioned, but I don’t know any others.
Haha, brilliant. I do love a good con book and more-so a movie. Have been meaning to watch Now You See Me (I also love a good magician film – which begs the question, have you seen The Prestige?), but never got around to it.
I laughed aloud when you said that Leonardo Di Caprio must want to steal something. Are they typecasting him? 😛 I swear he’s been in three con films in as many recent films.
OMG HOW DID I FORGET THE PRESTIGE?!! That movie is so brilliant and now I feel awful for forgetting it. XDMY SUSPICIONS ABOUT DI CAPRIO MUST BE CORRECT THING. *nods sagely*
Gosh, I love Leverage. <3 <3
OH, YES. YOU MUST READ ARTEMIS FOWL. I don't know what I would think about them now, but I adored them when I was much younger. Haven't read a lot of these books though, so my poor little TBR pile is going to suffer a little bit, and gah, you've just reminded me that I need to watch Inception. Desperately.
I kind of half picked up Artemis once…and just didn't continue. But it has fairies and evil so I THINK I SHOULD LIKE IT.
First of all, what a great topic! I love this post. The Heist Society series are some of my favorite boos, and I really like Curse Workers as well. Oh, and if you like con artists and stuff, you must read illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones. It’s awesome! 🙂
Here’s my TTT
OH THANK YOU. I'm looking up Illusive now. XD
How have I never read The Curse Worker trilogy?? I love Holly Black! Catch me if you can and Inception were awesome movies! I love Leonardo DiCaprio!
OMG YOU HAVE A CURSE WORKER SHAPED HOLE IN YOUR LIFE, YOU DO. It's the most incredibly clever trilogy ever.
WHAT IS THIS HOW TO LIVE A LIFE OF CRIME AND WHY HAVEN’T I READ IT YET?? Ok I have to ASAP
Can you believe that I’ve yet to watch Leverage?? I’m intimidated by the fact that there’s so many seasons BUT I’LL CAVE, JUST YOU WAIT
FIX THIS, JESS. YOU WON'T REGRET IT I ABSOLUTELY PROMISE. Well, I only just watched Leverage recently, so I'll cut you some slack. Just a liiiiittle. FIX THIS TOO.
NOW YOU SEE ME!!! AHHHHH I LOVE THAT MOVIE SO MUCH. Mostly because it has magic and I will legit watch anything to do with magic because I adore it. Also, because it has Mark Ruffalo in it. And I will legit watch anything to do with Mark because I adore him.
I accept both of these completely. YES FOR HULK. erm. I mean Mark Ruffalo. I was so pleased that he wasn't the stupid cop after all. xD
GREAT RECS. I knew a post like this would pop up some day 😉 ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW GREAT NOW YOU SEE ME IS???? Loved that movie.
Gosh. I think my internet voice is going all hoarse from all this shouting. HarperCollins has US ARCs and they’re beautiful. I may have slightly yelled a bit at Amanda.
But I really have to read How to Lead a Life of Crime.
YES WE CAN ABSOLUTELY TALK ABOUT HOW GREAT IT IS. They are all so mean to each other. hehe. Also Haymitch not being Haymitch but COMPLETELY being Haymitch. *ahem* It felt like a Christopher Nolan film with the casting though. 😉
i LOVED the curse workers! that series is fantastic (although i haven’t read Black Heart yet; i just rented it from the library last week!) Heist Society is also another good one! great idea for this week’s post!
Yay! Glad you liked it! Curse workers is my FAVOURITE and I only finished Black Heart last month. XD I'm on withdrawal.
It’s not YA but The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (and the Gentleman Bastard series in general) is brilliant. Scams, confidence tricksters, it’s got a bit of everything. Definitely recommend. x
Ohhh they do sound good. I'm going to see if my library has them!
Along (sort of) these same lines is the masterpiece The Secret History. Put it on your list, if you haven’t read it. See what you think.
Great category!
Here’s my TTT: Good Books for Old Broads (Like Me)!
I SHALL LOOK IT UP.
I really want to see ‘Now You See Me’ looks amazing! Holly Black is a great writer. Good list! Hope you have a great week!
It is so so amazing and just brilliant and totally had me fooled several times. XD
I’ve heard people rave about Ally Carter’s books, but I’ve never actually read a book by her. WHAT IS MY PROBLEM?!? I must now read Heist Society. For some reason, that cover makes me think of of catty girls, but now that you say they are intelligent and hilarious, I want to read it. Bad me for getting diverted from a book by the cover! I also want to read All Fall Down, even though it’s not really a heist/con book.
YOU SHOULD FIX THIS. heeh. I never really got into Gallagher Girls too much, like it was good, but I only read the first 3 books. But I DO want to finish them too. And also read the rest of the Heist Socity trilogy. x) Eh, I'm not a fan of the covers.
I so badly want to read The Heist Society, Curse Workers and How to Lead a Life of Crime – THEY LOOK SO GOOD! There’s also this book that’s being released in May: Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18584521-hold-me-like-a-breath?from_search=true), it’s about crime families and rivalries and it’s a retelling – IT SOUNDS AMAZING.
OMG I FORGOT ABOUT HOLD ME LIKE A BREATH. I WANT THAT SO BADLY TOO.
Warning: lots of ALL CAPS ahead.
OH MY GOD this post has got me EXCITED now. I’ve already added White Cat to my TBR on Goodreads and I now also want to see ALL THE FILMS. I’ve seen one or two of the Ocean’s series and LOVED them (I mean, seriously, those films are AMAZING) and you keep reminding me to take up watching Leverage again.
HEISTS. CON-ARTISTS. THIEVES. SPIES. I LOVE THEM ALL.
The Oceans films are THE BEST. They are all so blase about how they steal things and then — BOOM — they just turn out to be genius. Like with that Faber egg. OMMMMMMG.
Totally agree about the Now You See Me movie, loved it until the ending. I really want to read all of the books that you have listed, they all sound right up my alley. Liars, Inc was really, really good, I hope you love it when you steal….*clears throat* ummm, read it.
YES. READ, definitely, read. *looks innocent* Although there is a certain amount of irony in stealing a heist book. AHEM.
i’ve only read ONE of the items on this list (it was hiest society and I didn’t find it predictalbe because I haev’nt read any other con books. ) Though if holly black wrote it, it must be good. If I muster up some friends, marshmallows and bright sunshine, I might watch the movies- they sound interesting- otherwise, probably not. I’m readin Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress right now, anti t is weird.
Holly Black is QUEEN, I say, QUEEN. (Well apart from like Maggie Stiefvater and Sarah J Maas, but I have a lot of favourite authors. xD)
I really liked Heist Society when I read it a few years ago. The characters are, at times, creepily smart. A few of my students just read Heist Society and loved it as well.
Thanks for sharing!
They were nearly TOO smart for being like, um, 15, right?? But still incredible. I laughed a lot.
Loved oceans 11 -13 and the Italian Job. Heist Society sounds like my sort of book – added to my wishlist 🙂 The greatest ‘cons’ for me are all movies and Oceans 11 def the best of these.
Oh yes, Oceans just RULES the con world. They were so so smart.
Nice topic! I don’t think I’ve ever read a heist story before, but I’ve definitely seen all of those movies! This is a genre I should check out! Also, have your seen the previews for the.movie Focus? It is a.heist movie out now, at least in the US. Also, have you watched The Usual Suspects? Fave movie of the genre, hands down. Also, you might be interested in this: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2013/04/…
I'm checking ALL these out. THIS IS GREAT, THANKS, ANNE.
I actually won a copy of As Red as Blood last year, and I feel like I should probs get around to it soon. It sounds pretty fantastic, and it’s quite short too!
INCEPTION. Such a fantastic movie! I mean, dat ending. Have you seen all the theories and stuff that people have about the totems? Trippy stuff.
It is fantastic and short (although I just read the sequel and wasn't very impressed, saaaadness)DUDE, NOTHING WAS REAL IN THAT MOVIE. I'm still kind of upset about that ending. xD
OH WOW I ABSOLUTELY LOVED INCEPTION AND NOW YOU SEE ME!!! I love those mind tricky awesome movies with action and what not. It’s all awesome!
Thanks for sharing Cait! You are also awesome! <3
You would soooo like Oceans then and OMG THE ITALIAN JOB JUST IS THE BEST.
I loved the first Oceans film but didn’t like the second one much. I felt there was too much blah about Brad Pitt’s love life and not enough heist. I did find that scene with Julis playing Tess playing Jukia very funny though. I like heist movies like this but not hesit books for some reason, unless vampires or werewolves are involved…
I loved how they did so much elaborate planning to get the egg when….they already had it. XD SO CLEVER.
Fun list! The only book I have read on your list is Heist Society, but I live all the movies, so I will have to check out the books!
I seriously recommend How To Lead A Life of Crime like 1000000%. BEST BOOK EVER.
Um . . . YOU HAVEN’T READ ARTEMIS FOWL! Read it. Right this very minute! All 8 books! (Although if you want, you can stop after the book 3 or book 6, because the series should have ended after book 6.) It’s one liners are fantastic. It’s the archetype of con artist books! I seriously love con artist books. My all-time favorite is The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. I think I would have added The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Demon King to this list. Maybe I’ll just make my own list.
Catch Me If You Can is my favorite movie, and fun fact, it’s based on a true story. And if you liked Leverage, you’ve got to try White Collar!
Wonderful post!
~Sarah Faulkner
Inklined
I knoooow, I need to get onto Artemis Fowl ASAP. >_< Why has it taken me so long?!! Oh and I've been recommend White Collar a LOT so I want to get onto that too!!
Haha, ok, so that was a funny little clip of Leverage. 🙂 It almost made me want to see more. I (Fortunately? Unfortunately?) don’t have an inner con artist, so therefore I haven’t read any of these books. I have watched FBEye though, which is a pretty great TV series (from the good people’s side) and that’s probably the closest I’ve gotten to any of these books…
Probably fortunately *nods* you are a NICE person. hehe. I particularly like Leverage because they all act like a big family of squabbling siblings and they're so SMART.
There’s this Doctor Who episode called Time Heist, which is totally inspired by Ocean’s 11. It’s even got the walking in suits-scene.
I definitely didn’t like Now You See Me. I thought I would, because hey, magicians, but really I thought it was terrible xD
OH that makes me want to watch Doctor Who. (Yes, shhhh, I haven't watched it yet BUT I WILL ONE DAY I PROMISE.) I'm not a fan of the ending of Now You See Me, but I did like the plot. xD
Great list. Glad to see I am not the only one who likes to modify rules.
WE ARE REBELS AND RULE BREAKERS.
Heist Society and The Curse Worker Trilogy are both fantastic. I also like Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson…though that might be more mystery then crime.
I’m sorry to say I haven’t read the rest of these, but more books to add to my Need-To-Read list.
Ohh I just looked up Confessions of a Murder Suspect and it looks SO GOOD. That is going on my TBR asap.
Oh, great idea! I loved White Cat and so many people have recommended The Naturals to me. I just got Tangled Webs and I’m looking forward to reading it. Awesome list!
Michelle @ Michelle’s Minions
I HOPE TANGLED WEBS IS GOOD. It sounds incredible!
I’ve read Heist Society. It’s kinda Ocean 11 but different haha. Great list as always Cait!
Like Ocean's for kids, right?!
“No stabbing Wednesdays” . . . xD Favorite line.
I’ll have to add some of these to my read/watch list, because I also love a good heist.
I LOVE NO STABBING WEDNSDAYS. Omg, Hardison is so sarcastic if physically hurts. I do understand why they enjoy throwing him off buildings. He's adorable.
Catch Me If You Can and Inception are terrific movies!! I also need to get on the Heist Society bandwagon sometime soon… I’ve been thinking of the “con” books I’ve read and I’m being honest when I say I can’t remember any. I’m sure I’ve read a couple, but none in recent times. So this is a great list you’ve got here, Cait — I’ll be searching for these books ASAP!
There are SO not enough con books out there! WE NEED MORE OF THEM.
Haha awww…. sneaky very sneaky adding movies. I think we all cheat in these TTT memes. It says to pick ten books then we all are so indecisive that we pick series in stead or movies or what not.
#4 is good though I haven’t read the finale of the trilogy yet
Artemis Fowl! <3
Ocean's 11, 12, 13 are great, Inception had some unique thoughts and plot I guess but it was a bit confusing for me.
oh phewf, we are all secret inner rebels, right?! Rules are more like guidelines anyway, riiiight?! XD hehe.
I ordered Heist Society from the library at the weekend! Really, really looking forward to that. Ooh ooh ooh! I want to read Artemis Fowl and the Curseworkers Trilogy too! I got Artemis Fowl out of the library when I was younger and…never actually bothered to start it. I must rectify this!
*Gasp!* YOU BROKE THE RULES?!? The only reason that this horrifies me is because now I MUST see the Italian Job. Also Leverage, which I’d never even heard of before now…
I did that too with Artemis Fowl! I think I read like the first chapter?? I don't really remember why I didn't finish/start, so I was probably just being lazy. WHEN DO I ACTUALLY FOLLOW THE RULES THOUGH? Omg. I was trying to remember the last time I did a TTT properly… >.> #mybad
LEVERAGE!!! Love that show so very muchly!! I also enjoyed all the other things on your list with the exception of As Red as Blood which is going on my wishlist immediately because you obviously have good tastes with other con artist type things. Great topic choice!!
My TTT can be found here.
Aw, yay! I'm glad you're going to give As Red As Blood a try!!
I love con/heist books!!!:D And ShowsXD If you loved Leverage, you need to try White CollarXD It’s about a con artist turned CI for the FBI, but he never really gives up his true natureXD It’s got tons of totally loveable characters and it’s hilariousXD
I'M SO GOING TO TRY WHITE COLLAR.
Aaaah I’m busy reading a review copy for As Red as Blood now! But work keeps getting in the way. (Don’t grow up. Less reading time.) Seriously though, I really didn’t like Heist Society 🙁 I loved the premise but the writing style annoyed me so badly. Boo. I have White Cat sitting on my shelf looking at me. Need to read that too.
(This is funny because as we speak my actually alive breathing white cat is also sitting on a shelf looking at me. Eh.)
Oh and YES FOR FREAKING Now You See Me! It’s been a while since I watched it but I seem to remember them messing with my head big time.
I do aspire to become Peter Pan so yes, *nods* I shall take your advice and not grow up. I felt Heist Society was cliche, but I still loved it. And WHITE CAT IS SO SO GOOD. Cassel is the best. So sassy.
I totally adore The Italin Job and the Oceans movies! I should read more Artemis Fowl but it is just not quite catching me.
I think I tried like the first chapter of Artemis Fowl once upon a time?? I cant' even remember why I didn't keep reading!
Your post makes me realize that I haven’t read any heist books! Hmmm…
It made me realise I hadn't read ENOUGH when I could only name 5. :O
I LOVE THIS LIST. I’m such a huge fans of cons and heists and everything -does that say something about me? I hope not…
Anyway. Heist Society is such a fun series to read and it’s what got me into bokos by Ally Carter. And Leverage! It’s been so long since I’ve seen it, I might go and rewatch soon. Now You See Me is probably one of my favorite movies. I’ve seen it like 10 times already and I can’t wait for the sequel.
I’m definitely going to check out ALL of the other books and movies on your list 😀
Yep. It says something about both of us. WE HAVE A SLIGHTLY EVIL AND DUBIOUS DARK SIDE. *nods* I should steal a cookie and cement my villainous nature.
I haven’t read any of these books – in fact, I don’t think I have read any con artist books. I’ve seen the movies though. You really need to watch Inception closely, if I remember right, as it’s easy to miss something. I really liked Now You See Me – couldn’t believe that ending!
I looooove the movies which makes me want to read more books about it. XD THE ENDING OF NOW YOU SEE ME STILL HAS ME FUMING. I don't even know what was real. hehe.
I NEED TO READ MORE OF THESE. I have How To Lead A Life of Crime on hold as we speak, actually, because obviously I need it greatly. And I’m planning on getting White Cat soon! (BUT I have The Darkest Part of the Forest in my possession now, so alllllll the Holly Black.)
OCEAN’S ELEVEN IS MY FAVORITEST MOVIE EVER. Well, Ocean’s Twelve is. I haven’t seen the third one yet o.0
DUDE, YES. You will love How To Lead A Life of Crime. I am so so so sure you will. So many little sociopaths and psychopaths running around. :')
Such good books! I haven’t read any of them which sucks because people have dubbed me the criminal mastermind (the one managing everything that happens, making sure that everyone is in the right places) when we played the “who would you be if you lead a criminal life?” game. (Yes, I was pleasantly shocked that it was an actual game used as a freakin’ conversation starter!). To conclude: I NEED TO READ ALL OF THESE BOOKS. (Research. Sh.)
OMG THAT IS A GOOD CONVERSATION STARTER. And it's definitely research. Totally. It makes it completely plausible just to read/watch them all right now.
I need to read more con/heist books! Goodness, I’ve hardly read any. BUT WAIT. You haven’t read Artemis Fowl? I think you’d really, really like that series, Cait! (aaaand it’s by an Irish author and is partially set in Ireland so you know. Bonus points.)
Also Inception is the incredible. And so quotable. THE DREAM IS COLLAPSING.
I knoooow, how bad am I ?!! It's like a CLASSIC and staple of a reader's diet. *sigh* I shall get onto that ASAP.
I read the third book in the Heist Society series from the library. I loved it … it was funny and a littler on the lighter side and insanely smart. Wondering if I should read the other two now …
Congrats on the edits coming along! I did some editing yesterday and it was weird how I got into it. Then I didn’t want to stop.
Love, Annie-Jo xo
You started with the 3rd book?! YOU ARE BRAVE. I always have to go in order. My sister read the rest, but I never got around to it. xDOh editing is so much better when you really get into it, right?!
My husband and I loved Leverage. Love that Parker video you have there. LOL
I’ve read THE NATURALS and liked it very much. Have no other grifting/thieving books for you. Although if you do ever read non-YA books, there is a mystery series written by Lisa Lutz called THE SPELLMAN FILES (or rather that’s the first book) – quirky family of private detectives. You might like it.
PARKER IS MY FAVOURITE. I just finished all 5 seasons and have suuuch a bad hangover. I LOVED THEM SO MUCH. I shall look The Spellman Files because that sounds incredible!
I legitimately just added the first three books to my amazon cart. Guess I know for what I’m gonna use that gift card! Some phenomenal movies you there. I especially love Catch Me If You Can and Now You See Me. I DO have a con-artist book to recommend to you, and I’m very excited about it because NO ONE I know has read it, and it has SUCH a good plot. I don’t want to say any more about it, because it’s really best if you go into the book knowing nothing at all to get the full impact, but you can thank me later (see how confident I am? Clearly you need to read it) . It’s Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, so do check it out if you haven’t read it yet!
OMG, I should go into bookselling, right? I SHOULD OWN A BOOKSTORE. hehe. *ahem* So yes, you've made a good life decision, I know you have. #caitapproves*goes to google Fingersmith* We must give more love to these under-appreciated books!
Lol, I love your topic for this week’s TTT post!
Thanks for stopping by! 😉
Greattt. Postttt.
Super glad you mentioned Now You See Me and Inception because I love those films SOOO much. Also, I’ve never heard of the book As Red As Blood but it looks so interesting!
BUT I FORGOT THE PRESTIGE AND NOW I FEEL SILLY. I love that movie so much. hehe.
Oh my god…Inception, NYSM and The Italian Job are some of my faves ever! Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of bookish recommendations. 🙁
P.S. I’m bummed to hear you’re not loving The Sin Eater’s Daughter! I was really looking forward to that one. It looked so beautiful! Is it just really slow, or what?
They are soooo good and I WISH there were more YA crimey/hesity books like those movies. (The Sin Eater's Daughter wasn't really about sin eating!! I'M SAD. I was expecting more sin eating, I guess?? Hopefully I'll review it this week. *nods* Soooorrry though, I don't want to put you off!)
AAAAAAAAAHH YOU DID THE POST!!! *happy flailing* ^_^ THANK YOU. I have to check out some of these. o.o
I forgot that Cassel might be Indian! Only yesterday I was telling my sis I need to write an India character boy someday. XD
THAT IS LIKE MY FAVORITE LEVERAGE BIT EVAR!!! *flails*
YES YOU SHOULD READ ARTEMIS.
ISN’T INCEPTION FABULOUS.
And I would only add, once again: CAIT YOU MUST SEE THE BBC SHOW HUSTLE SOMEDAY BECAUSE IT IS PERFECTION.
Thank you for making me spend all day looking up heisty books and movies. XD
GOOD LUCK ON YOUR EDITING YOU CAN DO IIIIIT!!! *cheers*
YES, YES I DID IT JUST FOR YOU, SEE. Although I didn't have that many other recs. I totally forgot the Prestige though, so look that one up too!! and i will watch Hustle, I will!!
Oooh, this is a great list! I liked it so much that I featured it in my own. http://shainareads.blogspot.com/2015/03/top-ten-t…
Aw, thanks, Shaina!!
The Naturals really isn’t a heist book at all, but it’s still pretty good. Inception is my fave movie ever, and if you love the movie Catch Me If You Can (which you clearly do) you also need to read the book! It’s a little different but really interesting!
Shhh, I KNOW. I'm cheating in my own rules. hehe. It's more murder mystery, isn't it? XD OMG I DID NOT KNOW THERE WAS A BOOK OF CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. I need it.
Ooh, you should definitely read The Naturals. And there’s this awesome British TV show called Hustle, and it’s about con artists–it’s more of a humorous show.
I've been recommended Hustle a lot so I'm definitely going to check it out now!!
Such an awesome list idea! I love all the movies and shows you listed (especially Leverage), and it actually shocked me that I don’t think I have read any books like that. I am so putting Curse Workers and How to Lead a Life of Crime on my TBR list. Great suggestions!
YES YOU HAVE MADE A GOOD LIFE DECISION.
Love this! The Rise of Renegade X is one I own but haven’t read yet – it’s about a kid who’s planning on becoming a supervillian just like his mom. Maybe not con artist-y, exactly, but it’s about the “bad” guys.
Ohh that sounds like a book I would love!!
Evil Genius…YES!
Artemis Fowl…YES!
I might like Artemis a teeny tiny bit more than Harry Potter. I guess I like characters who wrestle with right and wrong more.
I love the books about grey areas. 😉
When I saw the title to this post, my thoughts went immediately to Curse Workers. I love it so much! I don’t know anything about As Red As Blood though. I’ll have to do my homework on that one.
YESSS YOUR THOUGHTS ARE CLEARLY GREAT. As Red As Blood is actually a Finnish story, which is awesome, too! XD
Heist Society!!! YES!!! It was the first thing I thought when I saw the title of this post. I had no idea you would mention it though. For once I’ve read something on your list:)
It’s so cliché, but it’s also the coolest. Seriously don’t you wish your family was like that? And if you had a boyfriend, wouldn’t Kat’s be perfect?
YAY FOR HEIST SOCIETY. I want to reread that so bad just because I need more Heisty books and there are noooooone. Yes, I do wish my family was like that. Complete with living in Europe too, btw. *nods*
Great post, Cait! I totally agree with you about the Curseworkers trilogy- it was fantastic! As for the others, I’ll have to check them out.
~Haley
PS. I tagged you for the Bookshelf tag:
http://myaddictionbooks.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-…
It's totally underrated too! OMG. THANK YOU! I shall check that out immediately!
I love that you like to cheat too. It makes me feel… well, still like a cheater, but a cheater in good company. Anyway. I have not read or seen any of these. BUT I have read Liars Inc., and I liked it! So maybe I am a con artist at heart? I probably won’t watch the movies since movies aren’t really my thing, but I do want to read some of the books! I actually own As Red As Blood, but haven’t read it, so I guess I should get on that! And I’d like to read the Heist Society books at some juncture too. Very nice list!
I think most dystopians have a certain amount of theft in them, they’re always stealing something and blaming the end of the world / an oppressive government / for it. I actually have quite a few Ally Carter books, but always thought they might have been a little young. But I can see you’re telling me to read them, so I shall.
I love the Oceans films because you know. George Clooney.
Viva la Clooney!
I was like, Now You See Me has to be here somewhere… and—bam!—there it is. I srsly adore that film! Also, you might want to check out Trance. It stars James McAvoy and it’s whoreallyreallydunnit kind of fun!
I’m sure other people have mentioned it, but you should reeeeeeeeeeeally watch Hustle.
absolutely loved the Italian Job! One of my favorite movies. great post and list!
Leverage!!!
Inception!!!
Okay, those are the only ones I’ve seen. But they are superb, in my meager opinion. 😉 Especially Inception. I love movies that keep your brain moving and it’s more like reading a book: you figure things out as you go along. I need to see it again.
Also the Mentalist is good too. Though it’s a little different, maybe mildly related now that I really think about it. It’s a TV series. An ex-con artist, who used to pose as a psychic, becomes a consultant to help a police force catch his wife and daughter’s murderer. So instead of conning (is that a word?) for his own interests, he cons the suspects. . . and he’s good at cold reading people. Anyways. . . you’ve probably heard of it and so now I’m just rambling. But it is good!
Hey Cait!
Great post! Catch Me If You Can is one of my favourite movies 🙂 although I’m a bit biased because I LOVE Tom Hanks, hehe.
I tagged you in my Take Back What’s Yours Campaign! Here’s the link http://www.amandasays.org.uk/2015/03/take-back-whats-yours/ please have a look when you’re free x
Amanda Winchester ♥ | AmandaSays
HA I WATCHED THE LAST FOUR MOVIES I AM GOOD. ON the other hand, I have not read the books. As Red As Blood sounds amazing though. THOUGH I’M NOT INTO THE WHOLE CON THING SORRY. I could be if I wanted to though. Awesome list Cait!
I added How to Lead a Life of Crime to my list. It looks like a good ‘un.
How To Lead A Lif eof Crime is ABSOLUTELY amazing. I’m not sure why this isn’t a thing! It’s got amazing writing, amazing characters and an intense plot of, you guessed it, CRIME! I’m so happy that you’re recommending this one, Cait. I love that book to pieces and I’m disheartened it’s not receiving enough love.
Out of all these books/movies, I LOVED INCEPTION the most. My gosh it was mind numbing how twisty it was! I guess I’m not the biggest fan of con artists and heists. I read Heist Society and found it kind of bland. But I’m glad it’s a genre you enjoy Cait!
The film versions of some of these are fantastic so I’m betting the books are too. Thanks for the list. Now I know what book to read to keep me awake in the coming days. 😀
Inception and Catch Me If You Can were awesome movies, I have to agree! I haven’t read any of the other heist books, but you really should read Artemis Fowl even though they are MG and you mostly read YA Artemis is perfect and I love the series and I just need to adlkadfj for a minute. (I couldn’t get through Evil Genius, though. There wasn’t really enough evil in the beginning for me to make it all the way to the end. I stopped about a fourth of the way through.)
(Also, by the way, H.I.V.E. by Mark Walden is a much better alternative if you want a villain school, and you can just die for days reading them. I’ve even been possessed to buy the first book in Spanish because I love them so much I wanted to experience it in another language.)
Did you know that they are doing a SECOND Now You See Me movie? I really hope that it explains the ending a lot more, especially because it’s got the same characters 😀 I’m pretty excited for it, because I loved that movie as well.
Now I’m going to have to read the Curse Worker trilogy *___* thank you for this article, super great!!
I saw someone rec’d Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard sequence and YESSSS I love them so much and the fourth book will be out in September!
Three cheers for Artemis Fowl! You should definitely read it. The later books get a little weird, but the first 4-5 are awesome. Plus, it’s always nice when the fairy character is a bad ass. 😉
I love Ally Carter’s books. She is a spy genius! Have you read Lies I Have Told by Michelle Zink?
OMG How dare you say NYSM’s ending was bad!!! IT’S THE BEST! This is – however – coming from the person who’s watched it 25 times…
Hey, late to the party =P. Thank you for your recommendations, adding some of the books to my list =). If you haven’t read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo then I would strongly recommend it to you. It has a great diverse cast, it has cons and also it’s YA ^^.
Ah yes! I absolutely adore Six of Crows! It wasn’t published when I made this list so obviously I need to update. 😂
I know this is super old post but I felt like I needed to share these con movies/ tv shows:
The score with Robert de Niro and Edward Norton
Hustle, British tv show very similar to Leverage but sooo good
Imposters, a T.V show about three people who’ve married/got conned by the same person
Money Heist, Netflix original about people who rob the Spanish mint
The Thomas crown Affair, the story of a multi millionaire who steals as a hobby
Current = Sneaky Pete;
Old School = Ten Speed & Brownshoe, The Hot Rock, Dancing Aztecs, The Spy in the Ointment (and almost anything by Donald E Westlake).
You should try The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen!!!!! The first book maybe a bit average but trust me that’s one series I am 200% sure you will love. The main character especially
Great suggestions and exactly what I need right now. Thank you so much! I would really recommend the “White Collar” tv-series, in case you haven´t seen it yet. Especially if you liked “Catch me if you can”.
Thanks again.