The Great Dragonfly ReRead

SPOILER ALERT: Dinna read unless you have read the first few chapters of Dragonfly in Amber. 

Wow. Just... wow. What a difference a new read makes. The first time I read DinA - I was lost without Jamie in the beginning. I couldn't get past my shock and general confusion at the 20 years that had passed to really enjoy what was happening. But now? Oh. My. God. I keep crying!  I was on the treadmill this AM and every time I hit a new paragraph I was in tears! I just kept marveling over Bree. She's JAMIE'S DAUGHTER!!!!  I kept thinking "Oh my god, how lucky for Claire that SHE HAD BREE". Every day - she had a MAJOR piece of Jamie- right there - to look at, talk to, hug and kiss... And Jamie had nothing. Not one thing that reminded him of Claire,  save his imagination and memories. Then again - some would argue that it wasn't luck that Claire had Bree - that it might have been just the opposite. Every day she had to see Jamie in Bree's face - and know he was gone.

Oh god I think need to go lie down. Seriously. During my first read I didn't really dwell on ANY of this because I was so upset and freaked out that 20 years had passed... and I couldn't do anything but try to crack the code of how we were going to get back to Jamie.

But this time?? I cried when Roger went to Lallybroch. I cried when Bree's foot was sticking out of the bed. I cried when Claire knocked over the whisky glasses and I cried when Roger found "James Fraser" in the records.

Oh it's WONDERFUL!!!!  Positively DELICIOUS!!!

PS - Is it a little odd that I am almost jealous of all the boxes of books and paperwork that Roger gets to go through? He's totally dreading it because of his emotional attachment to the reverend. But not me!  I love history and geneaology and would be salivating at the prospect of going through all those Culloden records and information.

Frank and "Black Jack" Randall: Another Lightbulb Moment

I'm watching Sherlock Holmes....and I feel like the Frank/Black Jack Randall answer has been right here, under my nose the whole time!  Attractive.. Distinguished..  And able to look downright sinister.

Yup.

Jude. 
Law.

What say you?

Another Great Outlander Chat

Thanks all for another great Outlander chat! I'm so glad I got to make it for a bit!

As I mentioned, I am in the beginning of my Dragonfly in Amber reread... and it's a little slow going. Let's be honest - when you're stuck in the manse with Roger (not that I don't love me some Roger) and you see no end to the 20th centrury in site... well, you get a little frustrated. But as I mentioned at chat tonight, my crazy couple of weeks have let up...so I have more time to read, and will be blogging about Dragonfly verra soon, lads and lassies. Verra soon indeed...

Outlander Chat Tonight

Chat tonight at 9PM Eastern - it's going to be a good one, too. Karen had lunch with Diana last week and will hopefully have lots of details!  AND - there's a certain photo everyone's talking about that I'm sure will come up tonight.

Having said that... I am SO SORRY... but I canna be at chat because I am meeting with a friend from California tonight. I have created a few blogs for him (that are really special to me and I WILL be linking to MOP soon) and I can actually sit and talk with him about them in person; not just via email. So - please know that I would NOT miss chat unless it were truly important.

Tracey will be there tonight and I want ALL THE DEETS!!!!

Keep. Effing. VOTING!!!!

Seriously. This is huge. KEEP VOTING!  Every day!

Quick! Go Vote for Diana!!!!

Quick! Go and Vote for Diana Gabaldon as your favorite author at the Library of Congress' National Book Festival!

The Wedding Night you WON'T See in Diana Gabaldon's "The Exile"

Alright y'all. I have gotten lots of email, asking if I've seen it. And yes; I've seen it.

LORDDDDDDDDDDDDDD HAVE I SEEN IT!

Thoughts? LET'S HEAR 'EM.

And I'll share a little of my own:  I'm not 100% OK with this picture. I'm glad it's been changed. How's about THAT!!!

Wait A Week Mystery

I've got a cool new blog for you to check out... a blog by none other than our own My Outlander Purgatory friend Christie! Christie is a HUGE FAN of the Outlander series... and has written a novel or two of her own. She is making one public on her blog "Wait A Week Mystery" and you can check it out here.  She's posting a chapter a week... how much fun is that?? So go check it out - and make sure you comment! Cuz all bloggers loveeeeeee comments! :)

Labor Day: No Official Outlander Chat Tonight

We will not have an official chat tonight because of the Labor Day holiday. However - feel free to stop in and use the room if you're free and feel like talkin' some Outlander!

If you live in the US, I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

A Lightbulb Moment

I canna believe I never saw this before. Hayley Atwell blew me away in The Pillars of the Earth. Is it possible? Could she be... Claire?  Wow. Just... wow. I loved her from the second she appeared on screen in the first episode. Now I'm wondering if my heart thought so all along.. but my brain just had to catch up.

And PS - gee how odd that I, of all people, should sneak in a little Eddie Redmayne being his usual gorgeous self?

Post Scriptum Scriptum: Spoiler Alert! If you are still reading The Pillars of the Earth - you may want to skip this video!