November 26, 2006

Book of the Week: A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHE by Diana Gabaldon

Since the publication of OUTLANDER in 1992, Diana Gabaldon has entertained and educated millions of readers with her outstanding historical series about Claire and Jamie Fraser. Gabaldon took the time-travel genre many notches higher, gave it a depth and legitimacy it hadn’t attained before, and enchanted us with the depth of her characters, the natural way she informed us of how her characters lived their lives in the eighteenth century world, and the passion of the love story that is the basis for the series.

Though the series has had its ups and downs, which is only natural, A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES is an outstanding entry. Though Claire and Jamie are getting older, their lives have not slowed down or become routine and boring. They are scratching out a living in the mountains, trying to keep their oar in the currents of political unrest of the times – right before the American Revolution, which Claire has described to Jamie – and survive the depredations of various bandit groups in the lawless times, as well as the personal machinations of schemers within their own community.

If you haven’t read Gabaldon before, do yourself a favor. Buy a paperback of OUTLANDER and stick it in your own stocking. Set aside a couple of hours to get a flying head start into the book. Then sit back and let Gabaldon work her magic. You’ll get hooked, I can guarantee. Once you’re part of the clan, you’ll have dozens of hours of reading pleasure ahead, because Gabaldon is incredibly talented and inventive.

BLOG

This is a week of double blogging, for me. I don’t know if any of you go over to the Femme Fatales website on Typepad, but we Femmes blog twice a week on a rotating schedule, and today was my day. I wrote about our dog Sugar, and if you think that sounds simple, it wasn’t.

I’ve been writing a blog for my own website long enough that I find myself in danger of duplicating topics . . . after I wrote last weeks’ entry, I had a faint suspicion I’d talked about hunting before, and though I haven’t looked it up, I’m still pretty certain I’ve done it. This week, the semi-official opening of the Christmas shopping season, I was tempted (after yesterday’s excursion) to write about Bad Clerks again, but I clearly remember that one from last year.

So let me fall back on “What I Did This Past Week.”

I became one year older.
I did most of my Christmas shopping, either right before Thanksgiving in the stores, or on line.
I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my reduced family and some friends.
I wrote not-enough pages in the next Grave book.
I started reading through the copy-edited manuscript of ALL TOGETHER DEAD.
I agreed to be on the Best First committee of the Edgars.
I watched a whole season of America’s Next Top Model (don’t ask, please!) on television in one day.
I finished reading a manuscript an editor had sent me without asking first, and decided not to blurb it.
I talked to my absent sons on the telephone, and I missed them a lot.
I hugged my daughter, who is still here.
I did about ten loads of laundry.
I didn’t do anything about getting together my financial stuff for the tax guy.
I ordered some more bookshelves for our new library, formerly known as “Patrick’s room.”
I fed the dogs approximately fourteen times.
I went to church.
I decided to make Death by Chocolate for dessert for Christmas, instead of chess pie.
I went to see “Casino Royale,” and admired Daniel Craig intensely.

So that was my week, and I guess that was about an average one . . . except for the birthday and the extra cooking for Thanksgiving. Next week had better be a more productive week, in terms of words on the page, or I’m sunk. Give me a good thought now and then, in the coming seven days!

Charlaine Harris