Action Scenes--Readers and Writers

What do you look for in action scenes as readers and writers?

Do you look for action scenes that rip your arm away from a page, turning to the next until late in the night? Action scenes that reach down your throat making you gasp for breath, or conflict and bold action seeming impossible to perform, but you love it anyway.

In addition, when "The End" arrives, you strut around several hours thinking that you have lived a full life. Realizing in time that you were immersed in the characters lives of the book, you had laid rest.

I have been there, and in my opinion, reading gives us the exact amount of emotional release, with little cost.

It is a pity that there are a dwindling number of readers for pleasure anymore.

However, if there were more inspiring authors like J.K. Rowling, that conclusion may be reversing.

This great author gave-birth too many a new reader.

My questions to you, the writers are...

Which authors do you most resonate with in their action, and conflict scenes?

Do you have any examples? 

How about your best action or scenes of conflict?

In your opinion, what makes the best action scenes?  Explosions i.e. the special effects created in your mind, and or a protagonist escaping or prevailing against incredible odds, or outright craftiness.

The novel I am working on is my first

Star Light Star Bright, my rough draft is about a boy at the age of thirteen becomes a Para pelagic and discovers he has abilities beyond his functioning physical body.

I began this story some years ago and put it away. Upon viewing the movie AVATAR, I thought it was very similar to my creation in sever ways, so I pulled my creation out of the desk drawer and motivated on.

I would like them to emulate the emotions that I attempted to portray to you-- so feed back would be helpful.

What say you?