Some of you might know that Ronald D. Moore is adapting Outlander by Diana Gabaldon for Sony and Starz. (The link to the author website has further links to twitter and Facebook, where she usually posts snippets of scenes from upcoming or recently published works.) Outlander was published in 1991. It has 850 pages and 41 chapters, and it's to be adapted into 16 episodes to be aired sometime this year. They started shooting in Scotland in October. The characters are Claire Beauchamp Randall and James MacKenzie Fraser and their relatives, friends and foes. It opens in Inverness in 1945 but shortly afterwards Claire finds herself in 1743.

Outlander (a.k.a. Cross Stitch) is followed by Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes and An Echo in the Bone to be followed by Written in My Own Heart’s Blood this summer (preliminary date June 10th). That’s the main series, mostly written from Claire’s first person POV but Gabaldon has also written three historical mysteries involving a minor character from the books (some spoilers for Voyager): Lord John and the Private Matter, Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade and The Scottish Prisoner. And, there are short stories: Lord John and the Hellfire Club (before Private Matter), Lord John and the Succubus (between Private Matter and Brotherhood of the Blade), Lord John and the Haunted Soldier and Custom of the Army (between Brotherhood of the Blade and The Scottish Prisoner), Lord John and the Plague of Zombies (after The Scottish Prisoner), A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (set during WWII), The Space Between (follows Echo) and Virgins (set in 1740), which was published in December (and as yet unread by me).

I first read Outlander in 1992, as a hardcover in translation; I got it from my grandmother’s bookclub when she didn’t want it. I was swept up in Gabaldon’s world, and it has stayed with me ever since. I think one of the most appealing things about her work is that it’s many things at once and doesn’t adhere to any one genre. Of course, that might be off-putting to quite a few readers. Another favorite thing is that it’s very well-researched. And, I really, really enjoy her characters; they come alive on the page. Also, I like reading her prose; it’s very vivid.

The first two chapters are familiarizing the reader with Claire and her husband Frank Randall. Claire worked as a field nurse in France during the war, while Frank served with MI6 (otherwise he’s a historian) and they’re having a second honeymoon as well as some personal research into one of Frank’s ancestors who was stationed in the Scottish highlands during the 1740s. Husband and wife are getting to know each other again, and I almost wish we had more time with them. We are encountering some themes that will recur in the series, and some of the characters will also return. Claire is a decided young woman with an unconventional upbringing. She has a lovely, dry voice and her husband is the first to exclaim that she is "the most terrifyingly practical person [he has] ever known" (48). They go to the nearby henge, Claire to gather plants and Frank for historical reasons and things happen... (There might be spoilers in the comments, but please label them as such.)

Tags: diana gabaldon

My paid account expired, and since I'm here so rarely these days I couldn't justify the expense, even though the amount might be affordable as such. I also removed some users on my reading list that behaved inconsiderately and in one case also demanded an unreasonable amount of money for something I wasn't aware was all that expensive to begin with, because she simply didn't bother to tell me. So, I normally contact people when I feel it's time to part ways out of politeness, but the posters haven't interacted with me since then so I assume they're not even reading this in the first place.

Firefox 4 doesn't really work all that well if you want to have more than one tab open, does it? The upside is that I've taken a new look at Opera, and the latest version seems rather good. Still haven't taught my fingers not to use Firefox-specific right-click shortcuts though.

One late night almost a month ago, my fingers slipped so that my newish laptop crashed to the floor, resulting in a complete loss of the contents of the hard drive. Obviously, I need a new external hard drive so that I really can back-up everything; I lost my cherished book-index file as well as a whole lot of other stuff. The really, really important files were saved elsewhere, but I've never really done a complete back-up mostly because I... had too much stuff. All my mash-ups are gone, and I loved some of them. Sigh. And loads of other music and all my non-family pictures. Ah well, I didn't really need all of it. Still, very annoying. Seeing as I lost all icons that weren't uploaded, I decided to keep from renewing my extra userpics. It's not as I've been using them all that much.

So, what else have I've been up to? Mostly trying to get in the proper headspace for some seriously abstract stuff. Fascinating ideas, but many of the originators of those ideas had no common sense to speak of, which is so very frustrating for me.

I haven't really been reading much fiction, but I loved Seanan McGuire's 4th book about Toby Daye, Late Eclipses. That's urban fantasy noir and while I adore her research, her San Fransisco setting and her characters, her prose is not really to my taste. (I usually don't read noir, but on occasion I like hearing it; caught bits and pieces of Sunset Blvd on television sometime over the winter holidays.) Then again, we're pretty different people, Seanan and I. Which she knows already. ;-) Caveat: Sometimes, the use of dramatic irony gets a little bit iffy. Or maybe I'm just short-tempered as usual...

Another series I quite like is the Alexia Tarabotti novels by Gail Carriger, although sometimes the author lets her own prejudices shine through too much. For instance, she despises Earl Grey and only drinks unsweetened black tea with milk (according to her website). Fine, be that way... but don't think that makes you superior to habitual green tea drinkers who occasionally treat themselves to milky, sugary Earl Grey as a comfort food. *coughs* That said, the series is a rather delightful and witty steampunk with werewolves and vampires.

This afternoon I unearthed my copy of George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings (currently on page 750 of 969, not including the appendix) to get more into the Game of Thrones mindset. It's just... you read, and read and read and you still can see no end in sight. I do like the books, but they're not overly cheery. On the other hand, I'm Scandinavian, so it's not as if I'm not used to bleakness.

I'm utterly delighted by the new Nikita, and have in fact met some people from talking about it. *waves* I still haven't rewatched Luc Besson's film, and maybe if I took a new look at Point of No Return I'd be able to look at it with less Eurocentric eyes than I had back then (I remember it as being way too sunny). And no, still haven't seen very many episodes of La Femme Nikita, even if I remember being mollified by certain things when I caught bits and pieces of it on television over here. I know that some people are die-hard LFN fans and refuse to watch Nikita, which also is fine, but once again, that doesn't make you better than those with a different entrypoint. In fact, hating on the new cast just awakens my inner wildcat, and she is very, very mean and swift. Just sayin'.

Tags: books, computer woes, tea, television

This is a placeholder; I think I might have some ideas to share soon, for instance about The Good Wife.

But really, I think I might curl up with Persuasion tonight. She's still alive in my heart and mind.

The thing about not having updated since April is I really don't know where to start or what to say. So... *waves* unfortunately I've never really been a frequent poster, but I hope I'll at least be able to come and say hi when I can.

Been busy with 1) summery outdoorsy things 2) a consuming project 3) RL so I've only managed stealth attacks at certain communities every now and then; I have no idea what you're up to. I did make an attempt at reaching out in the small time between 1 and 2... and apparently got defriended by someone afterwards for... umm, basically not sharing the person's opinions. I think. Guys, as a heads up, I do not completely share ANYONE's opinions. I'm not really a Pollyanna, but at the same time I reject the "if you're not with me then you're against me" POV. Pure negativity just doesn't interest me all that much, especially not the kind where it's all fait accompli with no background information. I'm interested in understanding things.

Saw Inception (HEE! ( umm, slight situational spoilersCollapse )) and Haven (maritime climate mystery, whee!) and Covert Affairs (so pretty and mostly rather amusing), caught up with The Good Wife (I seem to heteroship almost everyone on that show (yes, even Kalinda, who seem bisexual to me), damn their chemistry *g* well, perhaps I only 'ship Diane with her Marlboro Man, and I do seem to have some Peter issues) and am also loving Nikita and the actors in it.( Read more...Collapse )

I went home for Sunday supper last night and caught some of The Event with my father. The problem with certain kinds of science-fiction is not that we are against alien life forms as such, it's mostly that it's just so very improbable that they would look like homo sapiens with optional stuff stuck to their faces. I don't know if he'd enjoy Fringe, but that would be for a different reason in that case, I think.

Trying to find some time and energy to read fiction (I miss it) and get back to reading Mira Grant's Feed even though I've never been all that interested in zombies. I am fond of research, though. ;-)

Tags: actors, books, films, television

In brief: stuff happened. The longer version: a lot of really exhausting things piled up, but now I'm trying to take better care of myself. Had acupuncture, which I was surprisingly OK with. And it helped. :-) Trying to remember to hydrate self, and get enough sleep.

Had a Lewis Carroll revival in March: reread Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (in translation, as I didn't have the original close at hand at the time), went to see Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and saw the SyFy Alice. And then I found my copies of the originals and started over. Lovely!

I'm currently reading Simon Winchester's Krakatoa (which had languished unread on a shelf since February 2004 I try to remember noting date of purchase): utterly fascinating, as I knew it would be. And timely, too. ;-) I've also started on G.W. Dahlquist's The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, as I simply couldn't resist the UK cover. I haven't read very far, but it's defintely something I enjoy, rounding out my literary palate. The prose and plot are too sumptuous for a main course, but then I try to read a bit of everything. Two friends of mine used to refuse to read respectively fantasy and detective fiction on principle. Hee.

Caught up on a season and a half of House MD this spring, and well... Laurie is awesome as ever. I think one of the best things about the show is the interactions between House and 13, maybe because they don't seem to need anything from each other. And, I'm still loving Supernatural, Fringe and The Good Wife.

I've done some strength training at my physiotherapist's, and what with spring coming along, I've started wearing my Vibram FiveFingers (vibramfivefingersdotcom). As a result, neither my shoulders nor my back hurt. Marvellous. Though, my soles aren't thrilled about walking on asphalt, gravel or stone for extended periods of time, but then I try to walk on grass or soil as much as possible. As a bonus, my shoes cause people to laugh delightedly. (Or, shy like a horse. HEE!) More seriously though, I feel a lot better now.

I'm on the hunt for a new laptop, as my old one refuses to boot up Windows... and my somewhat newer desktop won't connect to the Internet. So, I'm writing this at the parentals'.

In conclusion, CSM holding a black dress. Bwahaha.

I'm trying to catch up on RL things while recuperating. Taking breaks by rereading seanan_mcguire's Rosemary and Rue. S, I might finally post my thoughts once I'm done. Mea culpa. :-)Though, my rereading it this soon might be taken as an indication that I really, really liked it. But, as a long-time reader of crime fiction, I might have some tiny issues.

After having read Diana Gabaldon's An Echo in the Bone in November, I'm rereading the books, currently in the middle of Voyager. I know that at least one person on my flist hated Outlander/Cross Stitch, but I've loved the author ever since coming across the first book in the early 90s. One of the reasons why is the hard-to-pigeonhole nature of the series. Another, the amount of passionate research that mostly sticks to the background Hey, I LIKE research. Also, the vibrant prose. And yes, the characters. There are several POV characters, and I never feel bored by any. Though, I confess to having been bogged down in the 5th book, The Fiery Cross, (around 2002-3) simply due to the sheer amount of text. I could read hundreds of pages without much progess in the plot, and sometimes that can be frustrating if you have to put the book aside for a while. I also enjoy the Lord John stories. :-)

And, I've been catching up on The Good Wife. I love this show: it has an AMAZING cast (principal, recurring, and guest) and FABULOUS characters with so many nuances. And, it's very pretty.

And, I'm still loving Supernatural and Fringe and I find myself really enjoying NCIS despite my lingering Michael Weatherly issues. And, of course, Linda Hunt is fabulous on NCIS: L.A.. I have to catch up on Castle and White Collar as I can only take them in small doses, these days. That ought to tell me something.

Tags: books, television

Hello all, my apologies for my prolonged absence yet again, but RL was a bit hectic, and a dismally small part of it any fun.

However, I'm hoping that you are having a relaxing holiday of your choice. Also, that I'll be more of a presence here next year. I'm sure that I've missed lots of things; as always, will try to check up on you at some point.

Argh. It's almost two in the morning, am exhausted but cannot sleep (or type, really) AND I'm earworming the soundtrack to Much Ado About Nothing.

It's time for another installment in the "please don't do this at home" ongoing story that is my life: bite off a perfectly healthy part of a tooth. Went to the dentist's 4½ hours ago and the anaesthesia hasn't gone completely yet. Still have eaten some soft things though, as I kind of didn't have time for breakfast before I left (opted for sleep instead).

And I'm currently reading about the mutual knowledge paradox, which can be a bit confusing at the best of times, as I have an assignment for Monday afternoon. But still very interesting for us to do, with laborations concerning mental imagery and other stuff. And it's a lovely bunch of people from all sorts of backgrounds.

Have some time off in late October/early November and wanted to visit the brother in London, but of course the dratted boy is over here then. *sighs*

Mmm, coffee...

Tags: brainy stuff, ineptitude, rl

Eastwick, yes or no?

I mean, it's PAUL GROSS, but OTOH my time is somewhat limited. Besides, I've never seen the film it's based on, nor have I read the book.

I haven't commented on the recent public apology to Alan Turing, though I was satisfied (if that's the word) to read about it. Just now, I read that a quite famous linguist and fantasy author apparently trained at Bletchley Park for a while.

Tags: books, brainy stuff, linguistics

Hi all,

I've been really, really busy with amazing things, but I'm so behind already that I haven't even had time to read strictly for pleasure, much less comment on what I've been reading. Or, y'know, keep up with your stuff.

So, so tired...

I have been able to watch some Warehouse 13 while eating; I really like it so far. And Glee.

So, today happens to be my 6th LJ-versary.

Part of it has been spent weeding, collating and merging bookmarks from Firefox and IE on my laptop. Will do the same on my desktop and then attempt to merge the whole thing. *sighs* I really should put it up on delicious, I guess. *sighs*

RL-wise, I think things are looking up. Finally.

Happy holidays!

I'm off for the potentially Internet-less wilds, so I might be even less of a presence than usual. Stuff happened this year that made me withdraw, but I'm working on getting better.

Managed to catch up on Fringe; seeing as Dana Scully's been very dear to me ever since I first saw her, and I'm a general science geek, I was bound to enjoy the show. Plus, no aliens! I mean, I love XF and all, but I'm mostly a MotW kind of girl. But really, I love the characters and I really enjoy the actors (shame about the budgetary cuts, but well...) and the ideas on the show, even the really, really far-out ones. ( cut for vague spoilers for the whole seasonCollapse ) Another thing, I don't really get the hatred of Anna Torv and Jasika Nicole. And John Noble, Lance Reddick, Kirk Acevedo, Blair Brown and of course Joshua Jackson were lovely, too. Mark Valley and Michael Cerveris were intriguing, as well. What can I say, I like actors. :-)

I'm following Harper's Island as it's being shown over here. HEE, Vancouver shows are lovely (still haven't caught up on BSG, though) AND it has Jim Beaver. But I'm a bit too fraidy-cat for it, to tell the truth. Eek!

Last summer, I read Witches Abroad, Small Gods, Lords and Ladies, Men at Arms, Soul Music, Interesting Times, Maskerade and Feet of Clay and thus far this summer, I've read Hogfather, and Jingo. I'm currently reading The Last Continent, though I read it and Carpe Jugulum when I was in France way back when. Discworld is a summer thing for me, can you tell? I was stuck in the middle of Witches Abroad for perhaps eight years for some reason, and I'm very chronologically-minded when it comes to series. But I'm catching up; I have all the grown-up Discworld books, and will buy the rest when I get to them in the reading order (I saw a flow-chart alternative reading order on L-Space/the Pratchett wiki; look it up if you're interested). I just hope Terry Pratchett will stay clear-headed for as long as possible. :-(

If I don't see you before I come back, I hope you'll have a lovely summer!

Tags: books, fringe, television

( Spoilers for 4.11Collapse )

And... now it seems to be morning. Huh.

Tags: bsg

Hello all. Happy New Year! Skål!

Currently, I'm still at my parents' house after falling ill during the holidays. Won't attempt to go back to my flat until the weather's better. But I miss easy access to the Internet and my substantial book and DVD collections. (This place's supposed to have functioning wireless. Bah, humbug.)

I don't really believe in NY resolutions, but I do plan to be more active around here. Starting with discussing books and television/films. Just not right now. ;-)

* It's snowing. Lots of snow everywhere. Hence the summery icon.

* Why the masses of bile, people? I'm not saying we should be all Pollyanna about things, but seriously, have you tried not watching something if you dislike it so much? Hey, there are lots of things I don't watch. Also, could you please remember that we have different reactions and that yours aren't the only valid ones? Dial it down a notch or be prepared for an irate meko00 on the warpath. Because I'm more than capable of skewering you, don't doubt that for a second.

*is disappointed* *was going to share episode reactions but doesn't feel up to it*

* Not looking forward to tomorrow as I want better candidates. If I was a US citizen I'd probably vote for Obama, but as I'm not, I fear his foreign policies. I'm just not able to close my eyes and hope for the best when it comes to life and death decisions. Yes we can what, exactly? And well, I wouldn't vote for McCain either but it's not because Palin is a religious nutjob. I mean, I'm an atheist/agnostic. Draw your own conclusions. I know that some people on my flist are very religious, but well...

Also, please don't assume I'm buying into Republican "misinformation" just because I'm not all gaga for Obama when you don't know my sources in the first place. That's insulting. And,... the Economist isn't exactly an unbiased arbiter though I quite enjoy reading it on occasion. I've grown up trying to find the truth behind our predominantly Socialist media so please don't assume I can't recognize the same when I see it.

* Reading angstfic because I can.

* My glasses broke again.

Current Mood: pissed off

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Tags: spn

I'm still somewhat dazed from having had the flu for little over a week, but I'm getting better. My sleeping pattern is really messed up at the moment, and I have to conserve strength for a meeting in the morning. Hopefully, the result of that meeting will help me in making a decision I've struggled with for several years. *crosses fingers*

Fringe and Supernatural make me ridiculously happy for partly the same reasons. Adore the casts and the characters and the production teams and the plots appeal to me, too.

*beams*

Hope you're well!

Tags: fringe, personal, spn

because it's Nobel Announcement Week. Each day at noon, I'm just enthused. This week, in particular about the physics prize and... J.M.G. Le Clézio for Literature.

I read one of his books at uni and the language was utterly gorgeous. Read him, preferably in French. I'm sure he's translated into several languages, but really, learn French. He's worth it.

Tags: books
Current Mood: jubilant

LJ-CUTS ARE YOUR FRIENDS, ALL RIGHT? USE THEM. IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.

This is SO my show. I love it, I love it, I love it.

More discussion to come.

Tags: fringe
Current Mood: ecstatic

I just returned from the post office supermarket with Slings & Arrows - The Complete Collection.

Still haven't seen the final series (because then it'd be over), but now I will and I'll be doing it in widescreen. Also, the complete collection has lots of extras. If you enjoy Shakespeare at all, you'd probably enjoy the programme.

Tags: slings & arrows

I had some good news concerning my health yesterday, and it's really helped my mood. And today, I sat in a t-shirt in the sun on my balcony, just beaming. Spring is here. :-D

Came across a lovely Danish commercial on YouTube, questionably subtitled in English. With Mads Mikkelsen, Paprika Steen, Sonja Richter, Nikolaj Coster Waldau, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Zlatko Buric, if that tells you anything. ( Embedded hereCollapse ) or to be found here.

It's late February, and that means national BOOK SALE. ( Cut for SQUEECollapse )

I need more bookshelves. But that's not a new problem... ;-)

I passed the exam I wrote in January. :-)

I've had it with Cold/Flu Season. It's to end right NOW, do you hear me? *shakes fist* The last couple of days, I've had the please-just-kill-me vertiginous and/or pounding headachy version. Grumble. I'm almost certain that's because I was a good girl on Monday and went to the recycling station and afterwards took an hour walk against the wind close to the shore. But, but... it was sunny. And I needed to get rid of cardboard boxes and metal things PLUS I really needed to go for a walk. Walking and dancing are necessary activities.

Some interesting links:
Wordsworths in love
Bookshelf and Self
Should I Cancel My Newspaper Subscription? The environmental pros and cons of reading online.
Grape expectations. What wine can tell us about the nature of reality

Tomorrow, it's going to be quite windy around here, so I'll leave you with something to cheer you up: Top Volleyball Fun. Barechested pilots playing volleyball to cheesy '80s music, what's not to like? I mean, really?

Tags: books

Today's been brilliant. Literally: when I opened my balcony door to air my flat I was blinded by the sun. Not a cloud in sight and a crisp, clean air and I could smell the sea and hear the gulls in the slight breeze. *beams* Of course, due to ill-health I didn't venture outdoors, but I basked for a short, ill-advised moment by the door. *looks for throat lozenges* Let the sunshine in! Mmm, maybe I should put on the Hair OST? *ponders* Somewhat related, _jems_ just posted about her favourite opening credits. As I told her, I tend to fast-forward through whenever possible, but it is true that music is important. :-) I just prefer other kinds of music, mostly.

I watched Razor recently, and now I'm excited about Battlestar Galactica again. Eee! I'm in the middle of "33" on the rewatch front. :-) I'm sure there'll be things I still dislike down the road, but I've let things rest for a while.

I haven't been around lately, not even lurking all that much. Not being energetic enough... or not in the mood. Or annoyed with users insisting on writing long-ish, uncut entries about how OMG!AMAZINGxINFINITY their family members/pets/crushes/sports/shows are. There's this thing called an LJ-cut. Get to know it, people. And, there's lots of things I'm interested in that I don't post about because it wouldn't mean anything to you. (Perhaps mostly because the majority of my f-list don't understand my language or could accurately pin-point the location of my country, but still...)

I did manage to read an interesting post of gwyn_r's recently: why do people feel the need to write long diatribes on how much they hate certain shows/characters/actors/what-have-you (and how anyone who like them must be depraved or selling out)? I mean, there's lots of stuff you enjoy that I really don't, for various reasons. And I'm sure you'd feel the same way about some of my interests. But I have some integrity and I try to give you the courtesy of assuming that you do too. ETA That said, I hope you don't think I live in cheery Stepford-land. I guess I'm just saying that nuance is good./ETA

And, for what it's worth, it's an Anglo-Saxon or US or something holiday today that I personally don't celebrate, but I try to love my fellow beings. Sometimes they make it difficult, though. ;-)

It's been raining all day (and rainy winter days at my latitude aren't exactly bright) and I'm sad about Heath Ledger's passing.

On the upside, today I celebrate that laivine was born. Happy birthday! Hope you're having a wonderful day, K. I found a link to a video interview with Michael Sheen for you.

I haven't posted for so long because I couldn't get my head around the things I really wanted to say. And then the moments passed. As usual.

But, spiralleds sent me a holiday card: thank you so much!

Last night, Dorm Mate and I began The Great XF Rewatch in preparation for the upcoming film. Eee! We had time for The Pilot, Deep Throat, Squeeze, Conduit and The Jersey Devil. Ahh, memories... Scully's awesomeness and well, shouting at Mulder when he throws himself into things. HEE. Oh my, they were so young. And GA really did have some seriously unflattering clothes, though of course it got even worse in the second season because well, HELLO PIPER.

But the chemistry was there already from the start. And I know that some of you don't agree, but for me the show was first and foremost a meeting of minds and I rather resent the urge to pigeonhole love. I don't really care about the mytharc or Chris Carter's issues or the issues of the effing fanbase. Just let me have repartee and good MotWs, please. And while I'm at it, I like Doggett and Reyes too. And Deep Throat and CSM and Skinner and Danny and Pendrell and Holly and the Lone Gunmen and WMM and Marita and Margaret and Dr Charles and Albert Hosteen and Melissa and Mr X and KRYCEK and all the others, sniff.

/ramble

Tags: xf