Fergalicious

SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read unless you have finished Chapter 26 in A Breath of Snow and Ashes. 

Holy mother of god on high. Once we found out Marsali was alive and well - I expected to witness the birth of her bebe. What I did NOT expect was to read - in my opinion - one of the most erotic scenes in the entire series - involving HOT ASSED FERGUS. Holy CRAP. I am speechless - still - and I read it at 9:00 this morning. When the "suckling" started... I was a little taken back. When it continued - along with lots of French murmuring - I was verra interested (we all know how Carol loves murmuring. LORDDDD I LUVSSSS the murmuring.) And when Fergus was pushing the table up against the door, I was almost in full-on labor along with  Marsali. AND I'M NOT EVEN PREGNANT.

It was THAT good, y'all. Diana sure knows how to write the sexy. Mmm hmmm. Sho does.

I Mean to Take My Time About it, Aye?

SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read unless you have read chapter 30 in A Breath of Snow and Ashes.

Forgive me for not reading/answering the comments in my most recent blog entries. I plan to do that tonight. I've been a little crazy and don't want to rush through anyone's point of view... or friendly advice... or heartfelt opinion.

Tracey said I would suffer literary Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.... and I think that's happening now. I hadn't read much since finishing chapter 29... but have started to this afternoon and am sitting here with my book and a cup of coffee. And the more I read, the more I feel a sense of sisterhood with Claire. I wish I could be at the Big House. Not inside the house, mind you. Just.. around. And not to comfort Claire or reassure her... since she doesn't want that right now.... from anyone. I just wish I could be available.  Without hovering... without being in the way... so that when she does want to talk... I could be there to listen. That's what I wish for Claire Fraser right now.

This storyline is very complex and heartwrenching. It makes you search your soul. It makes you go through a multitude of emotions, trying to figure  out how you would feel... what  you would do... what you would say...

I'll tell you this much. One more thing I wish is that they'd just kill Lionel Brown and get it the eff over with. Claire doesna need the anxiety of his impending death weighing heavily on her... along with the massive storm she is already trying to keep herself afloat in. It's just a heavy weight that is pulling her down and making her focus on the negative... instead of looking toward the positive so she can begin to heal. His death would help her heal. I truly believe that. Jamie is right. Where will they send him? Who will be just - and punish him to the full extent of the law? And which law is that, prey tell? (God... and I thought dealing with my own town council was rough!)

What made me stop reading for a few minutes to blog? The following:

"In the open, he'd said, standing on his feet before witnesses. Slowly, I closed the box and put it back on the shelf. 

What then?"

"What then", indeed. "Then" is what is important. Not some piece of filth who doesn't have any common decency...or even a soul for that matter. He's trash. And I don't know about you... but I dispose of my trash as soon as it is no longer useful. Jamie had better hurry up - ask his questions - and then dispose of the trash... before it starts to smell.

Weekly Outlander Chat

New weekly Outlander chat! Mondays from 9PM-10PM (Eastern Standard Time)

We're still on A Breath of Snow and Ashes, so we'll be discussing the chapters we've already read in that book...along with the previous books in the Outlander series.

If you haven't gotten that far in the series yet, but want to chat - feel free to let me know where you are in the series and I'll set up a chat for you!

Part 4 - Part 2

Spoiler Alert: Dinna read unless you have finished Chapter 29 in A Breath of Snow and Ashes. 

Am I the only one who - in the midst of all the murder and mayhem - was THRILLED to see badass Claire Fraser BACK IN BUSINESS?!? She kicked ASS in the abduction scene. I felt like we were back in Scotland and she and Jenny were trekking through the brush, looking for Jamie. Or like Claire was back at Wentworth, dealing with wolves (or Dougal, Murtaugh, Rupert, Colum, etc. LOL)  Or like she was dealing with douchy Jack Randall at Fort William ("I'll thank ye to take your hands off my wife" - easily my favorite line in the series, which came from Jamie at the window when Claire was at Fort William and Randall was trying to rape her - as if he'd have been able to - not.)

Wow ya know - when I read that scene way back in Outlander, I was like "Holy CRAP! Claire might actually get raped!" and Jamie came to save the day. I just realized it has really happened. God, Tracey's not kidding with this Post Traumatic Stress Disorder thing. Dang.)

Bottom line - Claire is one KICK ASS character and I had forgotten that side of her, what with all her ministrations at the Ridge and the Gathering - LORDDDDD THE GATHERINGGGG!!!

Part 4 - Part 1

SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read until you have finished chapter 29 in A Breath of Snow and Ashes.

Weeeel....I've done it. I've read chapters 27 - 29. I'm somewhere in chapter 30 right now. I have a ton to say - but I expect it to come out in dribs and drabs over multiple blog entries. Thus, the "part 1".

The first thing that comes to mind is the debate about why Jamie wanted to have sex with Claire so soon after she was raped. (My god that sounds straight out of As the World Turns, does it not?!)

I did not have a problem with this for multiple reasons.

1) Jamie was worrit about Claire being pregnant. My 21st century mind wants to say "snicker" at that. But his 18th century mind doesna understand women's fertility in their 50s, much less the fact that Claire is clearly already experiencing Menopause (hot flash, anyone?)

What I don't get is why Claire is subscribing to this line of thinking. Not only does she know she has only the slightest chance of conceiving at child at this stage of her life, she also knows where she is in her cycle. Well that is, if she had a cycle. I believe she has said she's already started having very erratic and sometimes non-existent periods. So why is she buying into this 18th century bunk?

Which leads me to point #2.

2) Jamie has been raped and knows how one can totally withdraw from the world afterward. I don't think he is consciously thinking it's because of that so much... but I think it truly is a huge reason in the back of his mind. And in the front of Claire's. I think she knows only too well what can happen after seeing Jamie suffer through that.

3) Neither of them knows what the hell to do. They're just standing there - looking at each other - looking for answers that are not going to come. Not right away at least. They needed to be together. Would I have rathered a nice night of Jamie holding Claire in his arms while she cried? (a la Edward Cullen when Bella sends Jacob packing in Eclipse) Oh absolutely. Although I absolutely LOVED that Jamie understood Claire's rage once he turned the situation around in his mind...and knew she had to get it out to overcome it. That was just a beautiful thing to watch unfold...within such an ugly situation.

OK more later. Have to get my thoughts together on this one...

The Bend... and SNAP!

So I promised Jenn M. I wouldna read further than chapter 25 before Thursday. We have a meeting at Shannon's on Thursday morning... and we all want to be on the same page. And Tracey (mentor) says chapter 26 - 30 should be read with no distractions. But Jenn didn't read last week because she was on vaca - so Shannon and I are waiting for her to catch up.

I just finished chapter 24 - so now I have to savor chapter 25 between now (Monday night) and Thursday. And I just said to Tracey - my mentor - "It's sooo good! How am I going to wait until Thursday? I promised Jenn - I HAVE to!" And do you know what her reply was?

"Read and lie. It's like 'bend and snap'!!" 

My "A Breath of Snow and Ashes Playlist"

 The "A Breath of Snow and Ashes" Playlist has begun...

Whistle While You Work

SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read unless you have finished Chapter 19 in A Breath of Snow and Ashes. 

Whoa. Double whoa. This book is so damned good I don't know what to DO with myself. I canna believe how quickly it got started. It's so not like Diana to write something so fast-and-furious, right out of the gate! I love it!

Did I mention how much I loved Roger and Jemmy sharing the bread pudding at River Run? SO cute. (My god with the maple syrup and butter? I was drooling all over my Kindle at the mere thought.) Roger is quickly becoming one of my favorite things about this series. It's to the point where I do the happy dance when I start a chapter and realize it's from his point of view. And how interesting that Stephen Bonnet should be in Cross Creek - and speak to Jemmy (um, EW). All I could hear in my head when he started asking him who his dad is was Chris Rock yelling "RUN!!!"  Why was he dressed like a gentleman? That was verra intriguing. And I am more than a little curious as to the state of his, um, privates... since Bree shot him in that general vicinity a while back. That seems to be a recurring theme, what with Jamie robbing Jack Randall of his own private parts long ago.

OK - how much did I LOVE the hay-making scene? I don't know WHAT it is about these hard-work-then-celebrate scenes but I love them so much. Remember when they harvested potatoes at Lallybroch? It's just so cool how the men all work in the fields, the women all work in the kitchen and then they all meet up and have a big, ol' party after the women set up the supper. I swear I half expect them to break out into a Broadway number with the men heave-ho-ing and the women dancing while carrying baskets over their heads. LOL (I just cracked myself right the hell up.)  Seriously though, I love how the men all start drinking and then just pass out next to their wives. It's very cute.  (Meanwhile I wouldn't find it cute in the slightest if it were my husband passing out on the grass next to me, but that's a blog for another day. )

OK so... Hi - Bobby and the Beardsleys disappearing into the woods? Whassup wit dat??? I don't buy that it was just a little scuttle over Lizzie for a second. There is something UP there. Definitely. And how about Ian just sauntering over to Lizzie... telling her he needed help with his hand... and that was that. And Jamie commanding it, knowing exactly how it would go down. I loved it. Lizzie - in my humble opinion - has the world by the cajones right about now.  I do find it intriguing that the two men she wants the most (not her betrothed, mind you) both have permanent markings on their faces. Things that make you go "hmmmm"....

OK off to read. Jamie and Ian just left to go see Bird on a Wire... (LOL - I always forget his name...he's going to have a new name every time I mention him)... and I am none too happy about it. And it's such bullshiz because I should NOT be giving a rat's ass about what goes down during Jamie's trips to the Cherokee - other than the negotiations between the two MEN.  I wish "that" scene was just never in the book. In fact, I might just erase it from memory and pretend it didna happen. Yup. That's what I'm going to do...

*Thanks to hayinart.com for the photo. 

And ANOTHER thing...

SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read unless you have finished Chapter 16 in A Breath of Snow and Ashes. 

Why can't I get past this Jamie-sleeping-naked-with-two-naked-Indian-squaws thing? And note that all parties were naked. HE was naked. My friend, Shannon made a good point this morning: Why didn't Jamie put his kilt back on? (Or his shirt, for that matter?)  Although that's not to say Shannon agrees with me. She does not. She, like Tracey, found it a hilarious scene.

Don't get me wrong - I found it mildly amusing. It was comical when Ian was laughing his ass off on the floor. Yup - it was comical. Until Jamie got back into bed with the aforementioned naked women. Then I just found the whole thing wrong. And it only compounded when he got home, jumped into bed with Claire and proceeded to tell her to get on her knees when she asked how it went with the Cherokee. Poor Jamie...sleeping with that cockstand was so tough on him...he had no choice but to go home and rail his wife from behind.

I get that he didn't have sex. I do. And I appreciate the hell out of it. He could have had some major fun with those women; but he didn't.  But I just don't see how a zebra can change his stripes so easily. A man who won't sleep on the floor of a woman when they're not married will most certainly not sleep naked with two naked women once he is.

I suppose I also had a huge problem with the Cherokee women being used as objects like that. And with Jamie not showing a little more respect for them in the whole process.

He could have put his clothes on.
He could have wrapped the women in the skins.
He could have slept on the floor.
He could have waited until the rain let up and sent them on their way.

I can go on and on. I just can't get on board with the notion that Jamie was in danger of offending Bird Who Sings in the Morning, so he had to sleep with two naked women. What about Bird Who Sings in the Morning offending Jamie??? Jamie could go back to the King and report badly about the Cherokee because of what happened. Not that he ever would - but there are two sides here. There is a point where you say "enough" and do what is right for your own soul.  How sleeping naked with two naked women could be right for the soul of a man who has that much honor is absolutely beyond me. I think it's completely out of character and makes zero sense. 

If you know of any further explanation of this scene by Diana Gabaldon, please let me know.

The "Highland Rape" Collection from the late Alexander McQueen

Just came across this quote while reading a Daily Mail article about the (extremely sad) death of fashion designer Alexander McQueen:

So there was the 1995 show entitled 'Highland Rape' which featured torn bodices hanging from the models' skirts and saw him accused of misogyny - something he hotly denied, insisting he'd simply been making a point about how 18th century Scotland had been over-romanticised. 

Intrigued, I did a little research and came across this on Scotsman.com:

His first taste of international notoriety came in the autumn of 1995, when he called his catwalk show "Highland Rape". He explained that the "rape" was of Scotland by the English; a subject in which he had "a special interest, as my family is of Scottish descent". The collection featured dishevelled and battered-looking models in torn clothing. McQueen transformed a loft-like industrial space into a brooding battleground of mayhem to show the clothes. 

He maintained that it symbolised the Battle of Culloden in which his ancestors were defeated and then slaughtered by British troops under the Duke of Cumberland. However, on another occasion he claimed he'd simply been making a point about how 18th-century Scotland had been over-romanticised.

 I am so glad I found this info... I had no idea about this collection or what it represented.

Rest in Peace, Mr. McQueen.

*Thanks to Scott from the forums at thefashionspot.com for the photo.