Outlander Season 2

My husband Ben and I slowly have made our way through Season 2 luckily finishing it this summer so we are ready to go for Season 3 . . . although we haven’t started watching it yet!  This is life with kids and limited time for adult programing without the kids.

I’ve thought about it since finishing the season and there were points that I liked and didn’t like about Season 2.

First of all, it’s Outlander and I’ve been a fan for over twenty years.  It’s wonderful to see my favorite books on the screen.  I loved, loved, loved the costumes and sets this year.  They were stunning, especially in the French court.  The cast is wonderful in Outlander, in particular stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, but all of the actors are superb.  Some episodes were particularly well done, such as “Faith” and its dealing with the loss of a child.

There were also things I didn’t like about Season 2. I didn’t like the set-up of the season.  Dragonfly in Amber is one of my favorite books of the series.  Part of why I loved it is I liked how it was a mystery – is Jamie alive?  I loved the flash back to the past in the book.  The series didn’t get to the sixties until the very last episode.  Part of the loss of suspense could be that you know at this point that both the book series and TV series go on, would they really kill off Jamie?  At the time I read Dragonfly in Amber it actually was a possibility as the third book had not been published yet.  Although rereading the book later on, I still felt that same suspense even though I knew what would happen. I also felt that if I were solely a show watcher, I would have been let down by the entire lead up to the Battle of Culloden only to have the battle NOT HAPPEN.  I know it doesn’t happen in the book, but to have previews and the entire season talk about the battle and not have it happen is a giant let down.  I almost feel that part of book 3 and the battle should have been showcased.

I thought Jamie and Claire’s separation was a bit rushed too – compared to the book – but I still loved it and want them back together.  I also didn’t like how the show changed the scenes with Dougal and the Old Fox.  They were powerful scenes in the book that got lost on the show.

Overall, I enjoyed Season 2, but I felt it was missing the storytelling and passion of Season 1.  I hear the passion will be back for Season 3 and I am greatly looking forward to it.

How did you feel about Season 2?  What are you most looking forward to in Season 3?

The Official Outlander Coloring Book by Diana Gabaldon

My husband got me the Official Outlander coloring book for a present and it’s become a staple I take with me when we are camping or on a long trip.  This coloring book tells the highlights of the Outlander story, but not the complete story as it’s not a 1,000 page coloring book!  It has wonderful and detailed pictures of the story and is very relaxing to color.  It will take you some time to color these pictures because of the magnificent detail.

The pictures are by a variety of artists and include locations, herbs, clothing, jewelry as well as scenes, such as the wedding of Jamie and Claire.  The pictures are on very thick paper with a picture on one side and text on the other so you don’t have to worry about bleed through if you use markers.  I personally use color pencils.  There is a glue binding for the book and the pages are not tear out.

Overall, The Official Outlander Coloring book has wondering pictures of the story and is a most have for any Outlander fan.

Are you a fan of adult coloring books?

Sinful Scottish Laird by Julia London Review and GIVEAWAY (TLC Book Tours)

During Droughtlander, it is nice to find Scottish tales that will entertain you as you await more from the world of Outlander.  Sinful Scottish Laird is a good fit, set in 1742 in the highlands, just shortly before Claire Randall would have stepped through the stones to the past and just before the uprising of Scotland against England.  Daisy Bristol, Lady Chatwick, is forced by her late husband’s will to remarry within three years or she will forfeit her son’s inheritance.  Waiting for her childhood sweetheart to return from sea, Daisy escapes to the family hunting lodge in the Scottish highlands. There an outlander, or Sassenach, Daisy tries to repair the lodge while also meeting her neighbors.

One neighbor is Cailean Mackenzie, the Laird of Arrandale, who has no use for an Englishwoman in the highlands, but he finds himself strangely drawn to her.  Daisy is not only a beautiful woman, but different.  When the rumors of her money and predicament are scattered throughout the highlands, many suitors come to vie for her hand.  Cailean had his heart broken by a Sassenach in the past and isn’t sure whether he should pursue her or not.  When her childhood sweetheart shows up, is he all that he seems to be?  Cailean is suspicious of him and not just because Captain Spivey is in the royal navy and the enemy of a smuggler such as himself.  Will Daisy marry her childhood sweetheart or will she find new love with Cailean?

Work has been incredibly stressful lately and I found the Sinful Scottish Laird to be a good escape novel.  The romance was fantastic with the will they or won’t they narrative and I really liked the time period and highlands setting.  I also loved the many call outs to Outlander, intentional or not.   Cailean even has a line where he says he is a man not a priest which reminds me of what Jamie said to Claire on their wedding night.  The Sinful Scottish Laird is a romance novel and the storyline lacks the complexity of the Outlander novels, but if you are looking for a light read, it is a perfect fit.  The novel is steamy at times, but I think the scenes were written in good taste and not over the top.

I like the direction that more modern historical romances, including the Sinful Scottish Laird have taken. Daisy is a woman in her own right who is not waiting to be rescued, she is trying to figure out how to move her life forward to find happiness for herself and her son.  She also embraces her own desires and is not ashamed to fulfill them.  This is not your Grandma’s 1970’s romance with a  wilting violet who does not know what she wants until it is forced upon her.

Favorite Quote:

“She loved the way he treated her, with respect.  As an equal. “

 

Overall, Sinful Scottish Laird is a perfect escape read with just the right amount of simmering passion.

Book Source:  Review Copy as part of the TLC Book Tour.   Thank-you! For all of the stops on this tour, check out this link: 
http://tlcbooktours.com/2016/12/julia-london-author-of-sinful-scottish-laird-on-tour-februarymarch-2017/

Giveaway:

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Outlander Season 1

I have longed for Outlander to be filmed since I first read the novel over twenty years ago.  As the years progressed and rumors of a movie version popped up here and there, I hoped they were wrong.  I wanted such an epic book to get a mini-series treatment.  When Starz picked it up as a series, I was overjoyed.  Especially with Ron Moore as the director.  His other series, Battlestar Galactica, is one of my favorite series of all time.  It had great characters, complex storytelling, a compelling narrative, and a fantastic world.  These are elements of the Outlander story that I felt assured he could bring to the screen, especially with his wife as a super fan.  

I wasn’t a fan of how Season 1 was broken up into two parts.  My husband and I watched the first part when it first aired on Starz, but got rid of cable before Part 2 was available.  I purchased it when it became available digitally on Amazon.com.  We just finished it.  We do better keeping on track when we watch it live.  I’ll also admit that since I knew what was coming at the end of the first season I put off of watching it.  I may have spent most of the last episode with my head under a cover.  I didn’t want to watch the brutality and the rape. I also skim that part of the book.

The following are my brief thoughts on the elements of the series.

Story:  you can’t go wrong with working with Diana Gabaldon and having her in an episode herself was every fan’s dream.

Setting:  Scotland is beautiful and is a star of the series itself.  It’s been amazing seeing all of the pictures on Facebook of various blogging/Outlander fans making the Trek to Scotland.  I would love to do that one day myself.

Characters:  Everyone has their own version of how they think Jamie and Claire should look.  I’ll admit that I always considered Jamie to be more of a strapping man than Diana Gabaldon has stated he should be.  Actors Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan have done an outstanding job bringing these characters to life.  I’m still a bit sad that Claire isn’t shorter with a nice “round arse” (which I took to be that Claire wasn’t so skinny), but actress Caitriona Balfe is outstanding in her performance.

Favorite Episode:  The first episode was my favorite as I loved seeing my dream of Outlander finally on screen.   My other favorite episode was the wedding episode.  It was passionate, Claire’s dress was beautiful and it was beautifully filmed.

Music:  I am a fan of Bear McCreary and actually own the Season 1 soundtrack of his work on Battlestar Galactica.  I know happily also own the Season 1 soundtrack of Outlander.  I love the song in the intro to the series, the adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem Sing me a Song of a Lad that is Gone.  It really sets the mood to the series.

Ben’s thoughts:  “Whatever makes you happy” My husband Ben was forced to watch it, but he had read the book and found it enjoyable.  Ben liked that it made me feel romantic and was also intrigued by the Scottish clan system.

Ben and I are going to get Starz now to watch Season 2.  Trying to find time to watch it without kids with busy work schedules is hard, but we want to be caught up before Season 3 starts.  Overall, this is a series not to be missed.  Even if you aren’t a book fan, it’s an epic story with great acting, costumes, music, and setting that is not to be missed.

Have you watched Season 1?  What was your favorite episode?  Who was your favorite character?

Top 10 Pioneer Books

Pioneers – those hardy souls who left behind family and all that was known to them to explore unknown reaches and try for a chance at a better life.  I have been intrigued by pioneers and explorers since I was a child.  The following are my top pioneer picks in no particular order.

1. The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck – Two modern day brothers decide to travel the Oregon Trail with an old fashioned schooner and team. This was a hilarious road trip tales as well as including a great history on the original pioneers who took the Oregon Trail.  I loved it!
2. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon – The first three books of the Outlander series are about Scotland and its history; book four changes to the frontier life as the Frasiers’ settle in the United States in the 18^th century.  Jamie and Claire arrive in the United States via shipwreck.  Jamie eventually decides to start a settlement, Frasier’s Ridge in North Carolina.  Building a cabin, settlement, and the hardships of making it all work are all described in vivid detail.  I especially love how Claire uses her 20^th century doctor knowledge to become a skilled 18^th century healer.  Overall, this is the story of Jamie and Claire carving out a life on the frontier.
3. Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati – Into the Wilderness is a continuation of Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper.  It is the story of Nathaniel Bonner (Hawkeye and Cora’s son) and Elizabeth Middleton, a 29-year old English spinster who has moved to a remove New York mountain village to join her family in 1792.  Will her refined English ways be able to handle the trials of living on the frontier?
4.  Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder – Lyrical series that explores the
   
   many moves and lives of the Ingalls family from Wisconsin to Kansas to Minnesota to South Dakota.  The Little House Series is descriptive and wonderfully told from a child’s point of view.  It describes the lives of pioneers in great detail thinking that kids won’t know what is meant otherwise.  This is perfect for us that are so far removed from the time to teach us how pioneers lived and did their tasks.  The love of the Ingalls family helps them through trials and tribulations.  They lived during changing times and Wilder was able to immortalize family, friends, and a way of life.
5. Pioneer Girl by Laura Ingalls Wilder – Pioneer Girl was Laura’s original book written for adults that eventually was turned into the Little House series for children (and her daughter Rose’s books for adults).  This publication has pictures, maps, and notes that meticulously detail the real journey of the Ingalls and answered many burning questions I’ve had since childhood.  This is a grittier tale than the Little House series.
   
6. Free Land by Rose Wilder Lane – As I discovered in Pioneer Girl, Rose Wilder Lane helped her mother by editing her original adult novel, Pioneer Girl, and then helped her edit them to children’s books.  Lane then used the stories to write her own adult novels.  Rose Wilder Lane was a very famous author in her day, but has been eclipsed in modern times by her mother.  Lane’s pioneer books are worth a read, especially for lovers of pioneer tales.  Mary and David Beaton are newlyweds that travel to the Dakota Territory to homestead 300 acres.  Isolation, blizzards, and cyclones are just some of the trials they face.  Their story is very similar to the real life stories of Almanzo and Laura Wilder and Charles and Caroline Ingalls.
7. Young Pioneers by Rose Wilder Lane – This novel was originally published as Let the Hurricane Roar.  It tells the story of David and Molly.  They are newly married and just 18 and 16 when they head west with the blessing of their families.  They have a rough time in the newly settled west when a grasshopper plague hits.  You can think of this book as an adult version of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s On the Bank of Plum Creek.
8. My Antonia by Willa Cather – Willa Cather perfecting captured the pioneering spirit in two of her most famous works, My Antonia and O Pioneers.  In My Antonia, Jim Burden is raised by his pioneering grandparents in Nebraska.  His nearest neighbors are the Bohemian Shimerda family and their daughter, Antonia.  Antonia and Jim have many adventures together and experience the trials and joys of the pioneer life.
   
9.  O Pioneers by Willa Cather - O Pioneers is the story of Alexandra Bergson.  She is strong woman who takes over the family farm after her father’s death and makes it a success in Nebraska during pioneer times.
10. A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich – A Lantern in Her Hand is the story of a mother, Abbie McKenzie Deal.  As a young woman, Abbie dreams of a singing career, but instead marries a neighbor boy and Civil War vet, Will Deal.  Newly married Will and Abbie Deal move to Nebraska to start a family.  It’s a hard life starting a new farm and family while living in a soddie.  Abbie lives live sacrificing all for the sake of her children.  All of Abbie’s life is packed in this one novel, but I love her reflections as an old lady on her life and decisions.

What is your favorite pioneer book?  What elements of a pioneer’s tale draws you to the story?

For a travelogue of my visit to two pioneering sites – the settings for Little House in the Big Woods and On the Banks of Plum Creek, check out this post.