Diana Gabaldon- Outlander Series - the whole series!

wow- I haven't been there in months. I come here and JF first and then there. I agree it is so much friendlier here. Yes DOA and anything you pick up. Please if you can remember- try to from now on keep track of what jewels they have, see or pick up. I have a feeling it is important.

Fiery Cross

The jewels.....Roger stole the Emerald from Bonnet in the last book and Bonnet gave the Black Diamond to Bree "for his maintenance" after the warehouse fire. Claire has the Opal from the Indians burial under the Red Oak tree. I think that's all they have right now.

They are at the Gathering. They are planning Roger and Bree's wedding and Duncan and Jocasta's. Marsali and Fergus have a new daughter, making two for them. Lizzie is flirting with everything in pants after.....only being a woman for one day, according to Jamie. Funny. It has rained all morning. Jamie and Claire have just been to Robby and Ute MacGillivaray's to help keep young Manfred (Freddy) from the theif taker. Earlier, John Quincy Myers brought a not from Ian. Ian told them that he had married Emily? and they were expecting a child in the spring. Also, he said that Rollo has puppies running around everywhere. Young Archie Hayes has his Highlander troop there. They are planning to leave the colonies very soon. On the very first day, Archie read a proclamation from the Governor demanding that the rioters from Hillsboro ? be turned in, but Jamie doesn't think Archie really wants them because he doesn't want to deal with a prisoner.

That's where I am. Oh. And Claire wanted a little some some early that morning and didn't get it because of interuptions. Jamie dreamed about the making of an Irish king......the white mare thing. All of which was interupted, giving me a new phrase.....in media res.....which means, if you haven't already looked it up....in the middle of things. LOL

FC

in medi res...forgot about that...lol...the double baptism is coming up...lol. Rollo. And JQM wanting to show her how well he healed...LMAO! Remember in outlander I think it ws when one of the soldiers got knicked there and wouldn't let Claire stitch it and Jamie demonstarted how big and clumsy his hnds were?

I gotta make the rest of the Outlander series my Christmas break indulgence. I'm soooo tempted by the shiny stars!

I still post occasionally at the CH site. I don't hang out there regularly because I don't have time for so many internet homes! I feel the same as Sabby, though. The CH site is sponsored by an author who has her career interests to keep in mind. You can't have the same kind of freedom to criticize a book there that you have at a site without such allegiances. Doesn't make them bad people or the CH site a bad place, it just makes this site a better fit for me.

I haven't been to the JF site in a long time, but I did have a lot of fun there for a while. The bookclub is a riot!

Oh, and I LOVED the Twilight books. I even read the Edward version online, and gobbled up The Host. (I still wish she'd write the sequels to that.)
After I read them, I saw the movie and that was when it occurred to me that hey, this is not exactly a good example of a healthy relationship. Blame it on that awful movie! Thinking back, ya, there's lots of stuff there to criticize. But while I was reading the books I was simply too engrossed in the story to notice.

OK, back on topic!!!!

The Fiery Cross

Still at the Gathering. The priest has just been arrested. Claire's mensus has started...wanting to keep company with Lizzy. She is frazzled. Jamie is concerned that she will not want him any more when she stops menustrating. Claire reasurred him that she would. Roger has visited with the Lindsey family to ask for their help in raising the militia. He was appalled at how poor they were.

It was funny. He was just heartbroken when he learned that Jamie was bringing Arch Bug to the Ridge to be factor, thinking Jamie had no confidence in him, but was elated when he learned that Jamie had elevated him to the rank of Captain MacKensie. Men.

Jocasta insulted Roger when she told him that she was changing her will to make Jemmy her heir with the stipulation that if anything happened to Jemmy everything would go to her nephew, Hamish. Roger had some pretty sharp words for her, and I don't blame him. Jocasta is a manipulative bitch.

Jamie just stopped a potential fight between Ronnie Sinclair and Rosamund Lindsay who was barbequeing pigs in a huge pit. Ronnie thought they would all be poisoned and die because she was putting tomatoes in her sause.

I know that some people find the Gathering a bit.....boring. I did too the first time because I wanted to get on with the story. Now, though, I find it totally fascinating. So many details of how most people lived day to day in "the Colonies" during the late 1700s. It is easy to forget that, while it is obvious that Jocasta is very wealthy, by those standard,s so were Jamie and Claire. Jamie and Claire would have to be classed (if you wanted to) as very, very upper middle class at the least. Even most of their tenants were extremely poor. Jocasta's slaves lived a life of luxury by comparison. Weird.

I know that some people find the Gathering a bit.....boring. I did too the first time because I wanted to get on with the story. Now, though, I find it totally fascinating. So many details of how most people lived day to day in "the Colonies" during the late 1700s. It is easy to forget that, while it is obvious that Jocasta is very wealthy, by those standard,s so were Jamie and Claire. Jamie and Claire would have to be classed (if you wanted to) as very, very upper middle class at the least. Even most of their tenants were extremely poor. Jocasta's slaves lived a life of luxury by comparison. Weird.[/quote]

I can imagine now that you are not trying to get to the end of the story to find out what happens, the day to day life could be interesting on a re-read of TFC.

There can't be anything more luxurious than freedom. So, I must disagree that Jocasta's slaves lived a life of luxury even if by comparisson to the extremely poor caucasions. Jocosta slept with her foreman, her husband slept with a slave, Jocasta's new husband who couldn't even get it up slept with a slave, and let's not forget LJ sleeping with a slave.

I would imagine that the if the majority of Jocasta's slaves were given a choice, they would have preferred freedom and the right to not be seperated from their families and forced to work for free to help make Jocasta rich --. even if they had to live in extreme poverty. I would imgine that Jocasta treated her slaves better than most slave owners. However, she definitely treated them as her property as her foreman went out to capture, return, and reprimand the slaves that tried to escape from her plantation.

Just sayin....

Oh, Autumn! I in no way meant to sound as if I thought slavery was preferable to the poverty of so many people. God! NO! It was a horrible and intolerable and insufferable practice. No...no...! I just used that example as a counterpoint to the poverty and to point out the fact that even Jamie and Claire were "poor" in comparison to Jocasta. Which brings me to....

The Fiery Cross

The last night of the Gathering. The great bonfire. Jamie's speech, the calling of Claire and then Roger to his side, the calling of all the tenants. The honoring of those who fought and died, and those who fought and lived. Then the throwing of the burning brand into the fire....and the declaration....The Frasers of The Ridge are Here! OMG....they survived so much. War, burning, starvation, executions and despair. For love of their homes and families. For the love of their way of life. For love of The Highlands. An amazing part of American history. All of our shared history. The slaves of those days also had a part in that history. The counterpoint being that they had been stripped completely of home an family.

That brings me back to the issue of slavery. The Highland Scots were good people. They had their issues, of course. Their differences. The Protestants were pretty intolerant of the Catholic Scots. That was one of the things that was brought out at the Gathering. But, they were mostly good people. They had been through their own struggles for freedom. Freedom from English rule. How did they tolerate the issue of slavery? How the hell did someone like Jamie tolerate it at all? Well, I don't know for sure, but I think the crushing poverty was a big factor. Plus, the men like Jamie who might have taken issue .....should have taken issue....much sooner were overwhelmed with providing for their families and tenants.....and politics. In truth, much of what is potrayed in this story happened. All men of means were required to supply men to the militia. Raising and arming and supplying those men at their own cost. The common man was too consumed with day to day survival to care about much of anything except having enough to get his family through the next winter and paying taxes to the Crown. In the latter part of the 1700s the Colonies were on the verge of erupting. It was a very hard life for all but a very few. Like Jocasta. We know, in view of history, that things didn't turn out well for most of the very wealthy, either. I can't help it, though. I still wonder how men and women of honor could tolerate slavery under any circumstances.

No worries 2shay.

I do have to admit that I was verra happy when Jocasta had to leave her plantation behind and run for the hills for safety. And, I do agree that the less unfortunate were more concerned about their livelihood and paying the Crown vs. any political issues and/or slavery concerns as they themselves were somewhat slaves (in a minor sense) to the Crown.

My biggest issue and only issue with LJ is him sleeping with a slave. I held him in the same regards as Jamie on a moral and civil level until that incident. I cannot imagine Jamie sleeping with a slave regardless if she was willing or no due to his moral code/ethics, the fact that he was raped, and that he once was a slave based on him being a soldier and defender of Scotland.

Oh, and I'm not sure if I want to know once you get to the Jamie scene with Claire after he finds out about Leghair romping around with the help and still accepting his payments. (Insert graphic of gag me with a spoon). One day, I am going to search the CH site for your original post after you read this scene and post it here as it was so freakin funny and my thoughts exactly!

Autumn....I don't even remember what I said myself??? I know I was upset that Jamie was upset. But, I don't remembe.

The Fiery Cross

Well, everyone is back on the Ridge. Mrs. Chislohm and her kids are wreaking havock. Mris Bug doesn't like the Chilsohm weans at all.

Jamie found Adso for Claire on their way home. Bree taught Roger to shoot. Chaire discovered that Roger has a problem with his vision.

The "cross" is in the yard. Claire doesn't know the significance, yet. She is on the way to the still with wee Jemmy. Jemmy is fussing because he's cutting a tooth. Mrs. Chilsohm mouthed off at Bree about it and Claire took him to give Bree a rest and avoid another cat fight. Bree can't go home becouse the Muelers are in her cabin waiting for Jamie to come back.

The Fiery Cross

Jamie just saw sperm for the first time!! This tickles me everytime! Wants Claire to give them a decent burial!

Edited for spelling....sheesh....

The Fiery Cross

Jamie is wondering around at Jocasta and Duncan's wedding wanting some alone time with Claire. He can't help but be concerned about the crowded condition of his balls after seeing all the sperm! OMG!!!

ETA: I had forgotten what a nasty fight Claire and Jamie had over Philip Wylie at the wedding. Jamie ccompared her to a bitch in heat. I was pretty pissed at him for that. Still am. Claire was pissed, too. She didn't think she had done anything to "lead him on". I agreed with her. There are several times that the cultural divide between them shows up. I know that I should be more sensitive to Jamie's pov....it is HIS century, after all....but, I can't. He was a total ass about Philip Wylie.

Anyone there?

I'm not reading! *squishes eyes closed* because I am still only halfway through Outlander! Drat!! :-)

Ohhh.......halfway through? You need to proceed! Good stuff ahead.

The Fiery Cross

Roger is learning swordsmanship from Jamie. First day....he is telling Bree why he is sore and bruised...Jamie is teaching him a technique called "corps a corps" which he says appears to be a French expression meaning.."Get your opponent's sword wrapped around your own, then knee him in the balls and punch him in the head while he's trying to get loose". Poor Roger! The other Scots learned to do this as kids!

The Fiery Cross

Snakebite!

ABOSAA

The white sow just chased Major MacDonald into the groundhog pit !! Then she ate his hat!

There is a scene towards the end of Fiery Cross that I found so erotic. Jaime and Claire are just waking up in the early morning and Jaime proceeds to sniff Claire's hands and arms and is very specific on the different aromas/herbs he smells and he gets to the middle of her breasts and she had dabbed a bit of perfume oil that she covets for rare occasion. So with that smell Jaime says right away you wanted me Sassenach and I fell asleep before even lying one hand on you than promptly services her on the window frame!!! NICE now that's how its done!!!!

Im going to try and start ABOSAA in the next couple of weeks!! See u soon Shay!!

Oh, Sabby! That was a great scene. There are a lot of truly erotic scenes in this series, but what I love is the absolute and total intimacy between Claie and Jamie. sigh

Okay. Any of you that love the Highland warrior type romances, go read my post on the romance thread.

Well....I am stuck on ABOSAA. I really, really want to read this, but I am having trouble. So many BAD THINGS happen in this book. So many. I have read it twice already, and I am just not sure I can go through the trauma again. Bad, weak me! I swear I will finish the whole thing again before the next book releases. Right now? I am not sure I can do it. When you want to climb into the kindle to kill off a character BEFORE she does the damage it might be time to give it a rest.

Yes that book is terribly emotional (all are but that one in particular).

On a side note...I made the mistake of watching a movie I've been obsessed about watching for many reasons
1) I love Jim Sturgess (he won me in Across the Universe...a must see if you ask me)
2) Anne Hathaway ain't so shabby either
3)It takes place a lot in Scotland (mostly Edinburgh)
4) it is a romantic comedy
So it finally comes in via Netflix. I start to watch it and people stop by. I don;t wind up watching until new years day with my sis in law. It's interesting and I'm going that is the main touristy place- and those are the stairs we climbed like 20 times a day, and I think that is Carleton Hill (I think that was the name), etc. The premise is that every 15th of July on a special Scots holiday they meet since their first "date". They just never know how to relate their mutual love and you want to hit them both over the "heid" with a large claymore the whole time until a horrible tragedy strikes...which really wasn't very good for my or my sister in law...we were both bawling like babies the rest of the day. Anyway, you really don't find out about that 1st day until the end. But it was such a parallel to that last day I was in Scotland and Paul was gone already and I was trying to email him but also trying to do the tourist thing and I climbed Arthur's seat (which was also in the movie). That is all I'm saying, but I loved the movie and bought it via Blue Ray.

What's the name of the movie?

ooops "One Day" and it is also I book I just bought.

Testing 1, 2, 3 to see how my posts show up. Hey guys! Happy New Year!