My thoughts on
Outlander (Outlander #1)
Voyager (Outlander #3)
Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4)
The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6)
An Echo in the Bone (Outlander, #7)
Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander #8)
If you watch the serialized version on STARZ this book is the basis for season 2.
The start of this book takes place in 1968 and finds Claire and her almost 21 year old daughter in Scotland. The Reverend Wakefield who was helping Frank with his research in book 1 has died and Claire is going to pay respects to his adopted son Roger, who was just a wee lad the last time Claire saw him.
The how and why Claire returned to her proper time leaving her heart and soul behind is the story we are told in Dragonfly in Amber as Claire tells her daughter Bree the story of her real father, Jamie Fraser. There is some tension around if Bree will believe her mother's tale of time travel and love found in the 1740's and how she will handle the disruption in her heart and mind as her belief in Frank as her father and her love for him and he for her is questioned. Is her mother insane or a miracle?
Coming in at 947 pages Gabaldon takes us from the Scottish Highlands to Paris and back, from love and hate, from war and peace to the heartbreak of love torn apart.
I admit it, there is some cheese factor, but it is such lovely cheese, it melts in your mouth and makes you sigh with pleasure. I am anxious to start book 3 and am pulling for Jamie and Claire, and now Roger and Bree too.
(Finished July 18, 2016)
Monday, July 18, 2016
Friday, July 15, 2016
Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon
My thoughts on the rest of the series
Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2)
Voyager (Outlander #3)
Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4)
The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6)
An Echo in the Bone (Outlander, #7)
Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander #8)
Looking for something to watch and after seeing a friend post on Facebook that she was excited for the season 2 finale of the STARZ series Outlander I binge watched. I was so sad to see these characters go until season 3 and being the kind of person who usually likes books better than the movies or tv series based on them I decided to go ahead and start reading.
These are not short books, this one being 850 pages for the mass-market paperback and the next one is almost 1,000 pages. But I will tell you true, I didn't feel like I had just read a long book, it went rather quickly and had the can't put it down feel that I love to find. I thoroughly enjoyed Outlander and am looking forward to starting Dragonfly In Amber.
In 1945 Claire and her husband Frank are on holiday in Scotland trying to reconnect after having spent most of their young marriage apart because of WWII. Frank is researching his family tree while they are there and the information will soon become very important to Claire.
While out exploring on her own in hopes of finding a plant that caught her eye Claire pays a visit to a stone circle she and Frank previously visited. While there she thinks about the stories of fairies and witches the inn keeper has shared with her. She hears some nosies coming from the stones and she touches the largest and falls into the crack in it and lands.....in 1743.
What follows is by genre a historical romance but is different in that Claire is from the future and her love interest is a slightly younger, very easy on the eyes Scot named Jamie. There is danger, intrigue, sex, violence, and mystery.
The bond that forms between Claire and Jamie is powerful and timeless. Will Claire stay or go back to Frank? Will she use what she knows to change to future? Is it cheating if technically her husband hasn't been born yet? These are some of the trials Claire faces. And while not prefect Gabaldon spins a tale that drew me in and made me want more.
I don't know if I felt so quickly drawn in because I had watched the show and wanted more of these characters or because of the book itself, but if the show started it the book grabbed hold and kept me. Either way it is a credit to the author because on the page or screen these are her characters and her version of the world.
(Finished July 15, 2016)
Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2)
Voyager (Outlander #3)
Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4)
The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6)
An Echo in the Bone (Outlander, #7)
Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander #8)
Looking for something to watch and after seeing a friend post on Facebook that she was excited for the season 2 finale of the STARZ series Outlander I binge watched. I was so sad to see these characters go until season 3 and being the kind of person who usually likes books better than the movies or tv series based on them I decided to go ahead and start reading.
These are not short books, this one being 850 pages for the mass-market paperback and the next one is almost 1,000 pages. But I will tell you true, I didn't feel like I had just read a long book, it went rather quickly and had the can't put it down feel that I love to find. I thoroughly enjoyed Outlander and am looking forward to starting Dragonfly In Amber.
In 1945 Claire and her husband Frank are on holiday in Scotland trying to reconnect after having spent most of their young marriage apart because of WWII. Frank is researching his family tree while they are there and the information will soon become very important to Claire.
While out exploring on her own in hopes of finding a plant that caught her eye Claire pays a visit to a stone circle she and Frank previously visited. While there she thinks about the stories of fairies and witches the inn keeper has shared with her. She hears some nosies coming from the stones and she touches the largest and falls into the crack in it and lands.....in 1743.
What follows is by genre a historical romance but is different in that Claire is from the future and her love interest is a slightly younger, very easy on the eyes Scot named Jamie. There is danger, intrigue, sex, violence, and mystery.
The bond that forms between Claire and Jamie is powerful and timeless. Will Claire stay or go back to Frank? Will she use what she knows to change to future? Is it cheating if technically her husband hasn't been born yet? These are some of the trials Claire faces. And while not prefect Gabaldon spins a tale that drew me in and made me want more.
I don't know if I felt so quickly drawn in because I had watched the show and wanted more of these characters or because of the book itself, but if the show started it the book grabbed hold and kept me. Either way it is a credit to the author because on the page or screen these are her characters and her version of the world.
(Finished July 15, 2016)
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
The Night Gardner by Jonathan Auxier (written by Joshua)
The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier is book in the style of Holly Black. It tells the story of Molly and Kip. They take a job as servants in a mansion. They hear stories about how there is a man who walks around the mansion at night. Even Kip claims to have seen "The Night Man". It is hard to tell if these stories are true........ Well, at least it was.......
I think it was a spectacular book with a dark undertone in the style of R.L Stine or Edgar Allan Poe.
I think it was a spectacular book with a dark undertone in the style of R.L Stine or Edgar Allan Poe.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod
I started reading this and then with a few rough semesters of school it got put aside and buried in my pile of books. I picked it back up and finished it and I am really glad I did and I am only sorry it took me so long.
Axelrod makes no bones about his political leaning so if you are a conservative you will probably find yourself in disagreement with him. But that's ok because it is always good to know what people who lean differently than you think but more because this is a fascinating inside look at the political process and the history of Chicago politics as well as the race for the highest office in the country.
(Finished July 12, 2016)
Axelrod makes no bones about his political leaning so if you are a conservative you will probably find yourself in disagreement with him. But that's ok because it is always good to know what people who lean differently than you think but more because this is a fascinating inside look at the political process and the history of Chicago politics as well as the race for the highest office in the country.
(Finished July 12, 2016)
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
A small private plane crashes. On board is:
Crew members:
James Melody- the pilot
Charlie Busch- the co-pilot
Emma Lightner- the flight attendant
Passengers:
David Bateman- the head of a 24-Hour News Network not unlike FOX News
Maggie Bateman- his wife
Rachel- their 9 year old daughter
JJ- their 4 year old son
Gil Baruch- their bodyguard
Scott Burroughs- an artist friend of Maggie's
Ben Kipling- a man involved in money laundering and about to be indicted
Sarah Kipling- his wife
The only survivors are Scott and JJ
What follows is a tale that alternates between the aftermath of the crash and the background of the people on board leading up to the cause of the crash.
This is a well spun whodunit as well as a commentary on what people have a right to know, what right do people who go through something like this have to privacy, and how far are people willing to go to get what they want.
(Finished July 7, 2016)
Crew members:
James Melody- the pilot
Charlie Busch- the co-pilot
Emma Lightner- the flight attendant
Passengers:
David Bateman- the head of a 24-Hour News Network not unlike FOX News
Maggie Bateman- his wife
Rachel- their 9 year old daughter
JJ- their 4 year old son
Gil Baruch- their bodyguard
Scott Burroughs- an artist friend of Maggie's
Ben Kipling- a man involved in money laundering and about to be indicted
Sarah Kipling- his wife
The only survivors are Scott and JJ
What follows is a tale that alternates between the aftermath of the crash and the background of the people on board leading up to the cause of the crash.
This is a well spun whodunit as well as a commentary on what people have a right to know, what right do people who go through something like this have to privacy, and how far are people willing to go to get what they want.
(Finished July 7, 2016)
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
I am not sure I would use the work "lucky" to describe TifAni who goes by Ani (pronounced Ah-nee not Annie).
This is a rather dark and unpleasant story. It has a slow burn that sort of clings to you and forms a thin film of discomfort that will probably make you want to put the book down for awhile from time to time.
At the age of 14 she started a new school after having spent her time up until 8th grade in an all girls Catholics school. She is a bit more physically developed than the other girls her age, she has rather large boobs that the boys can't help notice. But she isn't as sophisticated as her body might suggest to observers and she quickly gets in over her head.
Until the last few chapters the book which are in the present the story is told in alternating chapters that take place when she was 14 and in the present as she gets ready for her wedding and is involved in the filming of a documentary.
Ani is not at all likable in the present but as her story unfolds you begin to understand why. It doesn't completely change her into a likable character but gives context to her smarminess. She isn't an unreliable narrator or character, she is just not likable. The question you end up with is was what happened what made her what she is or was this always her and it was how she ended up in the situations she found herself in.
(Finished July 6, 2016)
This is a rather dark and unpleasant story. It has a slow burn that sort of clings to you and forms a thin film of discomfort that will probably make you want to put the book down for awhile from time to time.
At the age of 14 she started a new school after having spent her time up until 8th grade in an all girls Catholics school. She is a bit more physically developed than the other girls her age, she has rather large boobs that the boys can't help notice. But she isn't as sophisticated as her body might suggest to observers and she quickly gets in over her head.
Until the last few chapters the book which are in the present the story is told in alternating chapters that take place when she was 14 and in the present as she gets ready for her wedding and is involved in the filming of a documentary.
Ani is not at all likable in the present but as her story unfolds you begin to understand why. It doesn't completely change her into a likable character but gives context to her smarminess. She isn't an unreliable narrator or character, she is just not likable. The question you end up with is was what happened what made her what she is or was this always her and it was how she ended up in the situations she found herself in.
(Finished July 6, 2016)
Sunday, July 3, 2016
A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold
June 30, 2016, I am about to start this book and these were my thoughts as I begin.
Each time there is a mass shooting we ask, the new pundits ask, we all want to know how this could have happened. We ask if there were warning signs, if anyone saw the trouble coming, if the person had mental health issues that were addressed or unaddressed, and if the shooter was a minor, as in the case of the school shooting at Columbine, we demand to know how the parents could not have known there was trouble.
Each time there is a mass shooting we ask, the new pundits ask, we all want to know how this could have happened. We ask if there were warning signs, if anyone saw the trouble coming, if the person had mental health issues that were addressed or unaddressed, and if the shooter was a minor, as in the case of the school shooting at Columbine, we demand to know how the parents could not have known there was trouble.
Part of why we want to know is because we hope to see some protection for our loved ones and ourselves. Parents want to know how to spot the boogey man before it gets our child. The other reason we ask is because when the shooter is killed in the incident we want to be able to blame someone. And who better than the parents, those who should have known their child wasn't ok.
In 1999 the country was shaken by what happened in Loveland CO at Columbine High School. Well now 17 years later the mother of one of the shooters tells her story. I will admit that I was hesitant to read this. If I did and she answered the questions we all wonder about, and she really didn't know in time to stop this horrific event then there goes one of the scapegoats. And if she did everything right, and by right I mean nothing outside the realm of the normal parenting mistakes we all make in some way or another, then it means we could all be her. But my wanting to know and the fact that she is donating all the proceeds from this book to research and charitable organizations that focus on mental health issues convinced me to read it.
July 3, 2016, finished this book.
This was a incredibly moving and important book. Sue never tries to excuse or downplay what her son did, rather she owns it over and over. Instead what she shares is the struggle between mourning her son's death by suicide and the pain his horrendous act has caused. She shares her anxiety and the fear that her family was in for their safety after she tragedy. She shares the process that is still on going of healing.
But there is something much more important going on here. Along the way as she was trying to figure out how this could have happened, how the boy she thought she knew could do something so unimaginable she learned something about brain health and suicide as well as acts of violence done to others. This is important information. She shares what she learned from the many experts she spoke with on her journey to not only understand her son's actions but to try and learn how this kind of event could be prevented in the future.
She writes about removing the stigma attached to mental health issues, the need to stress the word health, to recognize the rising numbers go young people suffering as public health crisis, and she touches on the difficulty but importance of learning to recognize the subtle signs of problems that can often mimic the "normal" angst and moodiness of the teen years. She stresses the need for mental health first aid in schools and primary health practitioners.
As the mother of a child with a diagnosed mental health condition who has suffered from periods of suicidality this was an important read and powerful read, on that has inspired me to write to the author.
July 3, 2016, finished this book.
This was a incredibly moving and important book. Sue never tries to excuse or downplay what her son did, rather she owns it over and over. Instead what she shares is the struggle between mourning her son's death by suicide and the pain his horrendous act has caused. She shares her anxiety and the fear that her family was in for their safety after she tragedy. She shares the process that is still on going of healing.
But there is something much more important going on here. Along the way as she was trying to figure out how this could have happened, how the boy she thought she knew could do something so unimaginable she learned something about brain health and suicide as well as acts of violence done to others. This is important information. She shares what she learned from the many experts she spoke with on her journey to not only understand her son's actions but to try and learn how this kind of event could be prevented in the future.
She writes about removing the stigma attached to mental health issues, the need to stress the word health, to recognize the rising numbers go young people suffering as public health crisis, and she touches on the difficulty but importance of learning to recognize the subtle signs of problems that can often mimic the "normal" angst and moodiness of the teen years. She stresses the need for mental health first aid in schools and primary health practitioners.
As the mother of a child with a diagnosed mental health condition who has suffered from periods of suicidality this was an important read and powerful read, on that has inspired me to write to the author.
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