Outlander Read-a-long Week 3

This week's questions were presented by Tangled Up in Blue for chapters 15-21.


1) We FINALLY get to the scene we've all been waiting for. You know what I'm talking about--yay sexytimes! What were your impressions? Was it what you were expecting? Or did you want more? 

I have to say, the honeymoon held the most romantic sex scenes I've ever read. Jamie's inexperience and willingness to please portrayed him as the sweetest, sexiest character I've encountered in my reading history. He's adorable.

2) I know that some readers thus far have been bothered by the fact of Claire being married to Frank but still being involved with Jamie, despite the different time periods. Does their time as newlyweds change anyone's opinion of that? If not, now what are you thinking of the situation?  

Honestly, I thought Frank was so dull that Jamie was a welcomed change. Granted, this isn't moral thinking on my part, but I was glad to be done with him. If it were me and my husband, I would be a bit more frantic to get back and wouldn't be so accepting of a new husband.

3) What did you think about the "waterhorse" that Claire saw? Why do you think Peter was so spooked? And what do you think this means for Claire? 

I'm wondering if he thought she was some kind of witch or something. 

4) If you were Claire and you were knowingly in the vicinity of the stones, would you have done the same thing she did?  

If I were Claire, I wouldn't have even bothered. I like Jamie much more than Frank. However, if it were me then yes I would have taken off for them.

5) What do you think about Captain Randall? How do you think the family resemblance between him and Frank affects Claire and particularly her relationship with Jamie? 

Randall is a devil of a man. I honestly think his resemblance to Frank is part of her attraction to Jamie. If she ever makes it back to Frank I would imagine it would be hard to trust him as easily because of his looks. 

Visit Into the Hall of Books for next week's questions and check back in with me next week to see what I have to say about chapters 22-28!

Outlander Read-a-long Week 2

I am thoroughly enjoying Outlander and this read-a-long! Stalking the Bookshelves has provided us with questions for Chapters 8-14.


Here are my answers!

1.  Claire has been given the task of healer at the castle. She must adapt her nursing skills for the time and learn what herbs and etc will cure each particular ailment that is presented to her. Do you have any home remedies that were passed down to you (cure for a cold, bee sting or what have you)?  Nothing uncommon. My family prefers chicken and dumplings to chicken soup though!

2. What do you think would be the biggest challenge of living in the past? (Clothing, hygiene, food, etiquette or etc.) For me I think it would be emulating the language and behavior of the other women of that time. For example, Claire refers to boxing to Jamie and he has no idea what she's talking about. What surprises me, is how Frank got upset with Claire over her vulgar language but she has been able to control it well since stepping through time. 

3. Do you have a favorite character, scene or quote so far? If so, share it with us. Really? Jamie! Duh! I could care less about Frank. In fact, I think Claire should just forget about trying to find her way back to the stones and just enjoy Jamie. I would! Well then again, my husband is not dull like Frank. I'd return to my husband...but if I were Claire, I'd just make myself at home in Jamie's arms!

4. What did you think about the addition of the blood bond in the wedding ceremony? Is this something you would do with the one you love? My husband is important enough to me that I would, but I would not be happy about being sliced open, yow! 

5. Are you reading along closely with the scheduled chapters or are you ahead or behind? I am one chapter ahead, simply because I had to know what happened on their wedding night! Heehee. 

Visit Tangled Up in Blue for next week's questions and check back in with me next week to see what I have to say about chapters 15-21! 

Outlander Read-A-Long Week 1

Jess at Gone With The Words provided us with some questions for Chapters 1-7. 


Here are my answers!

1. Outlander is a well-known book. Before you cracked it open, what were your expectations or assumptions about this story? Or did you jump into it with a blank slate? I had tried reading Outlander a couple times in the past. I had heard from several people that the books were wonderful, but they failed to mention that the first chapter can be difficult to get through. I had assumed that it was just not my style or that it wasn't the right time for me to read it. Luckily, I found this time that if I had just stuck with it long enough to read chapter 2 I would have been just fine! Once I reached chapter 2 I was hooked! In fact, I had to make myself stop so I wouldn't get so far ahead. I know some of my fellow bloggers/readers have read ahead, but my memory just doesn't allow me to do that.
2. Claire’s husband, Frank, is fascinated with learning more and more facts about his family tree, which extends back pretty far. Do you or anyone in your family keep a family tree? How many years/generations back does it go? If not, have you ever considered or attempted to create one? My grandparents had a plaque given to them containing a lot of information about our family history. I haven't looked it over since I was a kid but it was very interesting and went back several hundred years. 
3. How did you find Claire’s initial conclusion as to her surroundings after waking up from going through the stones? Did you think that was a reasonable conclusion? I did think it was reasonable for Claire to assume she had stumbled upon a reenactment rather than travel through time. Wouldn't you?
4. How about her composed, rational way of dealing with the fact she’s traveled back in time. Did you find it believable? Do you think you would have acted the same way? What good does freaking out do? Every time travel movie or tv show I've watch the person who came from the future (or past) starts telling everyone they see their crazy time travel story. Everyone thinks they're nuts! In Claire's situation I think telling the truth about where she came from could have gotten her killed or at the very least she wouldn't have been given shelter and resources. 
5. At this point in the story, what are your feelings or expectations on Claire and Jamie? Is Frank still a factor for you? This is a point my husband and I have debated about. Claire is still married to Frank and she should respect their marriage by remaining faithful (his opinion), but after a certain point she will need to accept this as her reality and move on with her life even if that means excepting a new man into her arms (my opinion). Personally, I like Jamie a whole heck of a lot better than Frank. I wholeheartedly believe that Frank is the reason that the first chapter of this book is so dull.
Bonus Question: Frank encounters a man outside of the inn where he and Claire are staying. He is afraid it might have been a ghost. What do you believe it was? Do you have any predictions or suspicions on what that was about? Having not read this before, I believe that it was Jamie. I'm guessing he stepped through the stone and traveled forward in time. 

It's not too late to join in! Visit Stalking the Bookshelves for next week's questions and check back in with me next week to see what I have to say about chapters 8-14!

Coming Soon: Outlander read-a-long

I've been hearing for years now how great the Outlander series is. I think I've tried to read the first book about three times. But every time I failed to get past the first chapter. I just always figured it wasn't the right time for me to read it yet. I guess I was right! Because if I had read it the first time, how would I be able to experience it for the first time with this read a long? 

June 11th - July 23rd I get to read Outlander with a group of amazing bloggers. Lucky for me, they've set up a great schedule breaking the book up into easy to manage chunks and will be doing a series of questions and answers about each chapter. How cool is that?

June 11th – Questions for chapters 1-7 announced at Gone with the Words

June 18th – Questions for chapters 1-7 answered & questions announced for chapters 8-14 at Stalking the Bookshelves

June 25th – Questions for chapters 8-14 answered & questions announced for chapters 15-21 on Tangled up in Blue

July 2nd – Questions for chapters 15-21 answered & questions announced for chapters 22-28 on Into the Hall of Books

July 9th – Questions for chapters 22-28 answered & questions announced for chapters 29-35 on Logan E. Turner

July 16th – Questions for chapters 29-35 answered & questions announced for chapters 36-41 on The Reading Housewives

July 23rd – Questions for chapters 36-41 answered on Gone with the Words. The end.

Want to participate? Click on the icon above to read more and sign up! I'm super excited. :)