Outlander TV Review

I read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon in August 2013, a couple of months after it was announced the show had been picked up and around the time the actors were being cast. It was the talk on Twitter and on book blogs that got me interested in this book, and in watching the TV show, which is why I think it's pretty cool that Shaw Media reached out to me and other book bloggers to review the TV show.

If you haven't heard of the show or don't know the specifics, here's a little about it:

Outlander follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743 Scotland, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world and her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate relationship is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

By now I've watched all the episodes that have aired in Canada, but to give you a taste of the show here are my thoughts on the first two episodes.

Episode 1: Sassenach

I thought this was a good introduction episode. It might be a bit slow at first if you haven't read the book and don't know what's coming, but it's hard to say. It needed those set up moments, and there's definitely a sense of "something's going to happen". I thought they did a good job of showing Frank and Claire, how there's true affection and desire between them, but also some distance in their marriage.

There were definitely a few parts of the episode that were very convenient and foreshadow-y, like of course she knows all about botany and the medicinal application of plants and of course she's an ultra-special "not your typical 1940s female", growing up with her archaeologist uncle, etc. These aren't the fault of the show, as I felt the same way while reading the book, I think they just jumped out a bit more when they were presented as voice over and asides within the limited show time.

Overall my impression was quite a positive one. The scenery is just GORGEOUS and they did a great job of showing it off. The casting seems spot-on: I liked what we've seen of the actors so far. Caitriona Balfe has the perfect spunk for Claire, and Sam Heughan is -- let's face it -- gorgeous, but more importantly, he seems just right for Jamie.

Sassenach is definitely an intro episode, giving us just a hint of what's to come, but that was exactly its job. Most importantly, the glimpse it provided was one I really liked. It's always interesting to see a book come to life, to see the vision of the producers and the director, and I enjoyed watching this first episode.

Episode 2: Castle Leoch

This second episode is a good continuation of the story. We see a bit of what Claire has to deal with and how she deals with it. This episode seemed to have a bit of a slower pace to it, which had me checking my watch a few times, but it never truly lost my interest. There were a couple stand out scenes for me, one being when Claire is at dinner weaving a fake story about her life, and another being when she takes dinner to Jamie at the stables. There's definitely huge chemistry between Claire and Jamie. I love that it's there in the background already; it shows me they're doing a great job at weaving things in to the show for the future.

I didn't count them, but it felt like there were a lot of flashbacks to things that happened in the first episode. I understand that Claire is having déjà vu to things that were only a few days ago for her and that actually happen hundreds of years in the future, but sometimes it felt like too much. Maybe it was because I watched Episodes 1 and 2 at the same time, but it was like "Yes, we know she went in that particular room. Get on with it already!".

What I thought this episode did well was showing the balance Claire has to maintain. On the one hand she has to try to deal with her surroundings and survive (i.e. don't give people any more reason to think she's a spy), but on the other hand she's very determined to return to Inverness and find a way back home to Frank.

This was a smaller scale episode, taking place at the castle, rather than the journey of the first episode, but I enjoyed seeing how the castle ran, who was in charge of what, etc.

Overall impressions:
The show has a quiet pace to it in some parts, but there are also great action scenes, so I think they balance each other out nicely. While the voiceover was a bit much in some parts it also provided key information that I really don't think could have been presented in any other way, and I liked hearing Claire's thoughts. The scenery is gorgeous, the costuming is amazing, and the actors are perfect for their roles. It felt like something true. What I mean is (and not that I'm an expert on the period or anything), it felt like it was accurate and you were really watching a scene from the past come alive. I truly enjoyed these first two episodes of Outlander, and I'm interested to see where they go with things from here.

Outlander airs at 10 pm Sunday on Showcase in Canada.

Avery flails over The Vampire Diaries

And now for something completely different...

The Vampire Diaries:

Avery's Top Ten Moments of Season 3

Hi y’all! I’m Avery from Avery’s Book Nook and Ashley, my best book friend, has been kind enough to let me take over her blog for the day!

Despite not being a fan of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES books I am a huge fan of the TV series adaptation and therefore I thought that it would be fun to count down the Top Ten Moments of Season 3 in preparation for the fourth season which premieres on October 11^th (well, at least my top ten favourite moments, as you will notice I am biased towards Damon- sorry Team Stefan-ers!). 

***Be forewarned there are MAJOR spoilers included below- proceed with caution!***

10. Klaus literally tearing apart the neighbourhood: This was perchance the most ridiculous scene that I have ever witnessed on this show and therefore I couldn't NOT include it- from ripping up the neighbour's white picket fence and using it for dart practice to threatening the gang with a rolled up burning piece of newspaper and a propane tank. Just when you thought that Klaus couldn't be anymore crazy he proves you wrong. 

9. When Elena walked into the ball: The look on Damon's face when Elena walked into the Lockwood house? Priceless. But one criticism I have of this scene? WHO HAS A BALL GOWN JUST LYING AROUND IN THEIR CLOSET? If Caroline, perchance the most anal character of the series doesn't have one, then what are the chances that Elena would? 

8. Tyler Revealing to His Mom that He’s a Werewolf: I have to throw in a token Tyler moment and this is one of my most favourite- when he reveals to his mom his true heritage.“You don’t know about me, do you?” “Know what?”  This was such a moment for Tyler and his mom, without a doubt my most favourite. Can you say goosebumps while watching this scene? 

7. Everyone waiting for Alaric to die: How many parental figures do Jeremy and Elena have to lose? And how many bad things does one single individual go through? Especially one so undeserving as Alaric as he is hands-down the most selfless character in the entire show. When Alaric and Elena walked out of the tomb and we saw every important figure in his life waiting out there for him, in support of his choice, I admittedly lost it. 

6. Klaus's Crush on Caroline: Despite being an utter douchenozzle I can't help but like him whenever he is around Caroline- she truly brings out a better side of him. He's so childish and innocent and not at all his usual conniving self. He's like a puppy whenever he sees her, he lights up. And when he tells her that he'll show her the world? My heart may have melted just a little. Oh, and that dress that he chose for her? GORGEOUS. 

5. Stefan's Revenge on Klaus: Admittedly for the past couple of years I have described Stefan as a wet noodle- he literally had no personality for the longest time and hence, was as interesting as a wet noodle. But bad Stefan? Well, he slowly started to grow on me. And when he pulled this little stunt? Full blown like (not love, that's reserved solely for Damon). 

4. Elena and Damon Making Out at the Hotel: I'm pretty sure that the world breathed a collective sigh of relief when Elena finally jumped Damon. Plus, this scene has one of the most epic songs of the season. 

3. When Rose says she betting on Elena and Damon: I think that Rose hits the nail on the head when she explains how each of the boys is good for Elena. So who will Elena choose (since I refuse to accept her chose at the end of the season)? The guy who will love her until the end of the world or the guy who brings out the best of her, making her stronger than she ever thought possible?  

2. Damon and Elena's Initial Meeting: Do you understand what this means? Elena says that things might have been different had she and Damon met first- well, guess what?!? They did! And should she go through the transformation process (which is basically a given, seeing as if she isn't around there really isn't a point to the series, no?) then the compulsion that Damon put on her will be reversed and she will remember. *Cue fangirl squealing*

1. The Last Eight Minutes of Season 3: As I recently told Ashley I can pick out at least 5 EPIC moments in the last 8 minutes of the season- from the car crash, to Rick dying, to the look on Damon’s face when he realizes what Rick’s death means, to Elena drowning, to Jeremy then realizing what Rick’s death means, to Damon running through the hospital looking for Elena, to Dr. Fell admitting that she ‘helped’ Elena, to Elena’s reawakening. Okay, so more than 5- 8! Furthermore, as I recently said on Twitter, these 8 minutes could very well be the most epic 8 minutes of my entire life- I don’t know if I have ever experienced such a wide array of emotions in such a short period of time before, from flailing to sobbing to goosebumps and the likes of.

And there we have it- my most favourite scenes of season 3 (an extremely hard decision to make- at one point in time I had about 30 scenes). What about you- do you agree with my choices? If no, what are some of your most favourite scenes?

When I asked for guest posts Avery said "A COUNTDOWN OF THE FIVE GREATEST MOMENTS IN VAMPIRE DIARIES HISTORY" (for real, all caps). I told her she should definitely come on my blog and flail about TV, because, well, we love TV and The Vampire Diaries, and there is a YA lit connection there. Well, the Top 5 clearly became a Top 10, and all from Season 3. I have to say, these little scene recaps have me totally psyched for Season 4.

Thank you, Avery!! Can you people tell how much book and TV flailing we do when we get together? Avery is a very encouraging friend when it comes to these matters. ;)

Armchair BEA: Beyond the Blog

This post is part of my week-long participation in Armchair BEA 2012.

Beyond the Blog

When I was younger all I wanted to be was an author. And to be honest I'd still love to be an author. However at the moment I think I might be a better reader than I am a writer. We'll see what happens in the near future. I still love writing, but I want to stumble across a plot I fall in love with before I attempt to write fiction again.

As for monetizing, I've been thinking about doing some ads, but I don't really think I have the stats needed for it. I do have affiliate accounts with Book Depository and Amazon, but so far I haven't actually made enough to cash in on it. I'm definitely curious as to how other people monetize, because I think it can be great to use that income to supplement giveaways on the blog.

So since my non-blog writing is non-existent and I don't really have much else to share in that regard, here's a little bit more about me:

I am a crazy cat lady in training...

(Aww, look at them pretending they're innocent)

I like to bake...

I like to do crafty stuff, including cross stitch...

(I reallllly need to do a bigger, non-bookmark project again soon)

I have an obsession with castles...

And I really love nerdy shows and online fandoms...

(Including, but not limited to, Doctor Who, Firefly, Merlin, Sherlock, Fringe, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Friday Night Lights, Downton Abbey)

So how's that for a bit of randomness? Can't wait to see what everyone else has to share today. =)

A Friday Night Lights Companion + Giveaway

Release Date: August 2, 2011
Publisher: Smart Pop
Pages: 259
Series: n/a
Review Source: From publisher

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Talk to any of the millions of devoted Friday Night Lights fans and they’ll tell you: it’s not just a show about high school football. Its rich, interesting characters and honestly portrayed relationships make the show’s portrait of West Texas life compelling and relatable in ways that have nothing—and everything—to do with touchdowns.

A Friday Night Lights Companion celebrates the show, its fearlessness, and what it’s meant to those who love it.

• Dave Campbell’s Texas Football managing editor Travis Stewart provides a moving tribute to the power of high school football, by way of unlikely hero Matt Saracen
• Jonna Rubin shares the lessons she’s learned from the best marriage on television: Eric and Tami Taylor’s (lesson number one: drink more wine)
• Television Without Pity writer Jacob Clifton offers a meditation on one of Friday Night Lights’ most fundamental values: being a part of something bigger than yourself
• The Washington Post’s Jen Chaney reminds us what we love most about all our favorite Dillon residents, from Tim Riggins to Buddy Garrity to Jess Merriweather
• And more writing and reflections on Friday Night Lights

A Friday Night Lights Companion takes you from series pilot to series finale, through all five masterfully crafted seasons’ worth of love, loss, family, and football.

My Thoughts:
This is quite obviously a book that differs from the books I normally review (is it fiction? no. is it YA? no), but I was thrilled at the chance to review it. You may (or may not) know that I am a massive Friday Night Lights fan, so when I first heard about this book I was psyched that it even existed. To be able to review it? Awesome! Because Friday Night Lights is a show that if you love it? You love it. You flail over it and fangirl/boy over it and promote it to everyone you know. “It’s not really about football...” you tell people. “Well it kind of is about football, but it’s about Dillon and Coach and Mrs. Coach and all these amazing people and the community...” Then you shove the DVDs at people and say “Just watch it. You’ll love it, I swear.”

So that’s Friday Night Lights. And if you like Friday Night Lights then this is a book you want to read. Because the people who have contributed to this book of essays? They’re your kind of people. They get your love for FNL and they express it in the most perfect of ways. They analyze the show and its characters and its meaning. Heck, they write about “the role of economics and money in the story of Friday Night Lights” [Class Not Dismissed - Kevin Smokler] and get me to read every single word.

The essays in this book analyze all the best parts of Friday Night Lights. They talk about themes and broader concepts, but they all get into the nitty gritty of why the show works so well and why it’s so amazing. I have to say that my favourite part of the book was Jen Chaney’s series of “Why We Love...” entries for various FNL characters. These entries remind readers of all these hilarious, heartbreaking, and awesome moments from the show and are a great lighter element that break up some heavier hitting essays.

Here are just a couple of snippets from the text:
“There is a hope inside every single character on Friday Night Lights that I can only wish every human in real life has, that I dream is still a part of even the most hardened, beaten-down individual. Everyone on Friday Night Lights is trying. They all still believe.” [Introduction; p. 3]

“Few of us watching have the same kind of love for high school football teams, and yet we care so deeply about the lives of the Taylor, Williams, Saracen, Garrity, Collette, Riggins, and Howard families, whether or not we care for the sport at the center of their lives at all.” [Class Not Dismissed; p. 38]

Bottom line, I think this is a must-read if you’re a fan of Friday Night Lights. It will remind you of why you love the show, and how much you love the show, and it will tide you over until you pull out your DVD collection for yet another viewing.

The Cover:
So perfect and pretty; it reminds me of the show's opening credits for sure.

Rating:
[4/5]

Find A Friday Night Lights Companion: Love, Loss, and Football in Dillon, Texas, edited by Leah Wilson on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.


Thanks to the generous people at Smart Pop Books I have a copy of "A Friday Night Lights Companion" to give away.

- Enter the Rafflecopter to win
- Open to residents of US/Canada
- Giveaway ends September 21 at 12:01 AM EST
- Winner will be emailed and must respond with mailing address within 48 hours

Books For Thought (1)

Books For Thought is a weekly feature at La Femme Readers where each Monday Eleni posts a book-related question up for discussion.

This week's question is...
Which book would make a great TV Show?

I suppose in order for a book to be a good TV show it needs to either be a series or something high concept, because otherwise the plot of the book would run out within a few episodes. There are a lot of books I could see being great movies, but a great TV show would take a little something extra.

Here are some suggestions:

Private series by Kate Brian -- these books have already been turned into webisodes, so there's obviously a production value to them. They would really be perfect for a CW series, though. There are plenty of characters, and there are so many crazy happenings in each book that you would definitely be able to make a series out of them.

Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter -- this is a book series AND it's high concept; I dare you to tell me that boarding school for spies doesn't sound like a cool TV show.

Ruby Oliver books by E. Lockhart -- It would be easy to draw these books out into a series, what with all the different boys and scenarios that play out. Plus couldn't you just see Ruby writing a blog or making vlogs, and having either the videos or voiceover as a main style of the series?

Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead -- So I guess these ones are becoming a movie series, but each book could easily be a season of TV. More time with Rose, Adrian, Lissa, Dimitri, Christian, etc? Yes please!


So I guess my suggestions all turned out to be book series.

What do you think? Which of your favourite TV series would you like to see on the small screen?

Some TV Favourites

Today is Talk About TV Thursday! Okay, I just made that up, but it works, right?

While this is a book blog, I think it's important to acknowledge that books aren't the only medium that tell a great story. I'm a movie fan as well, but in terms of media entertainment, I have to say that TV is where my heart is. My favourite type of book is one where we get a long, uninterrupted view of a character and insight into their life, so it's no surprise that I enjoy television, where episodes and even seasons are taken to show us progression in relationships and character development.

When it comes down to it, I think that a good story is a good story, no matter what way it's told. I've really enjoyed the posts I've seen on other people's blogs where they discuss their favourite TV shows, so I thought I would take a crack at it.

Here are five of my favourite shows, some currently on the air and some that are (sadly) finished. If you knew how much TV I watch, you would realize how hard it was for me to narrow it down to only five.

Being Erica

I absolutely have to give props to the show that convinced me that Canadian TV could be good. Being Erica is funny, smart, and sweet. The adorable and genius Erin Karpluk plays Erica, a woman who goes to therapy to deal with her regrets, only to find out that her doctor can send her back in time to literally relive and change her past. First of all, this is a genius concept, and seeing all the different versions of Erica from the past is awesome, and often times quite humourous. You also get to learn some great lessons as you watch Erica deal with some seriously tough things in her past, including the death of her brother, Leo. The best part is that none of this is saccharine. You will seriously feel for Erica and care about her and her family and friends.

***

Friday Night Lights

This is quite possibly the most real show I've ever watched. What I mean is that these characters feel like real people. They have problems and they deal with them like in real life. Nothing is sugar coated here: it's just not fake. Yes, it's a "football show", but not really. Do you think I care about football? No, I seriously could care less. But this show makes you care about the people of Dillon, Texas. It's about the community, centralized around the Taylor family. If you're looking for real emotion and true to life characters that you will fall deeply in love with, look no further. I couldn't recommend this show more highly.

***

Mad Men

AMC's tagline is "Story Matters Here", and the truth is, I think it really does. Mad Men is brilliant not only because of the time period and the style, but because it tells a great story. What really makes the show, though, is all the characters. Don Draper is this insane guy... I'm pretty sure he's not at all likeable, but he's magnetic. All of the actors on this show are amazing, making their moments on screen shine. This is definitely a slower paced show, which might not appeal to everyone, but there is absolute brilliance in all the silent moments.

***

Merlin

How much do I love Merlin? So, so much. I totally fangirled it to everyone I knew after I started watching it and offered to lend my S1 DVD out to people: that's how much. The show strays quite far from the traditional Arthurian mythology in a lot of ways, but it always manages to sneak in those familiar characters and plot twists. The relationship between Merlin and Arthur (whether you want to be pervy about it or not) is absolutely brilliant, as is Merlin's with his mentor, Gaius. The show portrays a Camelot where King Uther Pendragon has outlawed magic. Obviously this is a problem for Merlin and those like him. There's definitely an epic quality to this show, and it deals with a lot of awesome mythology and legend, while still being focused on the characters.

***

Veronica Mars

I dare you to name a teen character as awesome as Veronica Mars. She's clever, hilarious, loyal, and tough as nails. But as Wallace knows, she's also a marshmallow. This show faltered in places, but it still always had heart. You could describe this is a teen detective show, but it's just so much better than that. This is another show filled with amazing characters. If you're into fandoms at all, no doubt you've heard of LoVe (Logan/Veronica)... I've gone back and forth with my love for LoVe, but believe me, you want to experience the epicness of their relationship. And what about Daddy Mars? He is one of the coolest TV dads ever, I swear. I absolutely adore the father/daughter relationship that Enrico Colantoni and Kristen Bell portray.

***

I mentioned how tough that was to narrow down, right? Well, let me list some honourable mentions: Alias, Criminal Minds, Everwood, Felicity, Modern Family, Roswell, & The Vampire Diaries.

As you can tell, just like with my favourite books, my favourite TV shows are generally character driven ones that also happen to feature some great plot lines.

So, what say you?

I'd love to hear about your favourite shows, past or current. What things you look for in a TV show? Are they at all similar to what you look for in a good book?