July was a fantastic month because of our trip to Hawaii. When I travel, I don’t necessarily try to tie my reading to my trip location. But on this trip I noticed a few interesting parallels. First, I read The Dictionary of Mutual Understanding, which is about the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, while we…
I’ve been binge-reading Book 2 of the Outlander series, Dragonfly in Amber, and also watching the show. This picture is what my book looks like, which I bought in the mid-90s (!). I’ve always felt a little conflicted about this book. On the one hand it’s probably Gabaldon’s best STORY in the series, except maybe…
This will be my last post about Outlander for a while, since we won’t have Season 2 until 2016. Did you watch? What did you think of the finale? I know I’m a week late on this, but it takes me a while to process things. Last week I said I didn’t know if I…
Lately I’ve been thinking about onscreen violence versus book violence. I’ve read two books lately with way more torture in them than I could stand, and as I said in my Water Knife review, you can’t close your eyes and ears when you’re reading. And then came the second to last episode of Outlander (the…
You’ve probably heard plenty about the wedding episode already, if you’re following the show. I just want to say thank you to the Outlander team for getting so much of this book right. Sorry to those of you in the U.K. who can’t watch the show, and for those of you who aren’t caught up,…
Outlander just keeps getting better. I’m amazed at how closely they are following the book; I’ve been reading after every episode to follow along (but not before, because I’d rather watch without knowing everything). Episode 3 was one of those yell-at-the-TV episodes. As in, “nooo, don’t go there”! Claire is so headstrong but you can…
Are you watching? What did you think? Episode 2 was clearly designed to impart a lot of story information. We meet a lot of new characters: Colum, Geillis, Laoghaire, Mrs. Fitz. But of course, this episode is really about Jamie, just as episode 1 was about Claire. I love this part of the book, because…
It’s possible I’m posting way too much about a TV show, and some of you think I’m a bit obsessed. I’m beginning to think so too. But here, until next week anyway, are my thoughts about Episode 1. For two excellent reviews, I recommend i09, and The AV Club. In a nutshell: it was glorious.…
This is not a review exactly, since I don’t like to write reviews mid-series. Instead I’m just going to gush. Diana Gabaldon’s books are amazing. They are so long and involved, you feel like you know these characters intimately. She writes with a level of detail that makes you feel you’re right there. It’s the…
While I’m finishing some reviews, here are some bookish news items seen recently: Outlander the TV show: I am all about the new Outlander cable TV show. Diana Gabaldon is heavily involved in every aspect of production, and it’s being made by Ronald Moore, the guy who made Battlestar Galactica. Moore and Gabaldon have given…
I’m thinking about some new post ideas, and one is a regular “book to movie” (or TV) post, since there are so many books being made into movies these days. Are you excited – or nervous – about The Book Thief? Divergent? What did you think of Ender’s Game? ( I really liked it, the…
Dear readers, friends, and family, I’m sorry about the lack of posting lately. Everything’s all right, I’m just beat. Had three lovely days in Southern California, then came back to three days of 10 hour workdays and mental exhaustion. (You know I’m tired when I stop using pronouns.) I know, there are worse things than…
The Book Stop 