What up nerds! I’m Dana, and I’m the official “NERD” of the group. There are 2 kind of nerds. If you are not sure which type someone is just ask them to finish this sentence: “May the force be…” If they say “equal to mass times acceleration” then they were the extremely smart kid in school and likely work in Sciences. If they say, “with you”, then they are likely already friends with me.
True story – my wedding was book and nerd themed. Instead of table numbers, I used book couples. My wedding gifts to my guests were books and cupcakes. The cupcakes were put into boxes with the Doctor Who quote “We’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one”. My cake knives and toasting glasses were Harry Potter. And after saying ‘I do’ we walked off to the Star Wars theme song. To say we are nerds is an understatement. “We are all a little weird… And life is a little weird… And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into a mutually satisfying weirdness, that of which we call ‘love’ – true love.” (Robert Fulghum)
I’m a bonus mom and dog mom. I’m on my 2nd marriage (2nd times a charm). My husband has sole custody of his 15-year-old daughter. I couldn’t have children of my own, so I’m selfishly happy that my daughter’s bio mom is not in the picture. She chose to walk away and start a new life/family. I chose to embrace this beautiful and amazing girl as my own. “I didn’t give you the gift of life, life gave me the gift of you”. #ProudBonusMom #ProudMom #ProudDanceMom #ProudCheerMom My husband and I are also avid supports of the Fathers Rights Movement and Fathers Against Alienation. My husband and our daughter are victims of parental alienation. He was completely alienated from her when the judge gave temporary sole custody of his daughter to him 3 years ago. One of the things Kylie and I were able to bond over is our love of books. We are moving in to a new home at the end of September and are super excited to make the spare room in to our library/yoga room! As a family, we cosplay at Comic Cons here in New Orleans every year, and recently attended the Comic Con in Dallas Texas. The family that nerds together, stays together.
I work as an Accounts Payable Rep all day at a kidney dialysis company. Very boring. However, it allows me to listen to my audiobooks all day long. Which is great, because I don’t have a lot of time in the evenings to read. My daughter is in dance and cheerleading, so we are going going going at least 4 nights a week and all day on Saturdays. Plus, I’m in school myself. Reading a physical book doesn’t happen too often, unfortunately. But with audiobooks, I’m able to finish 1-2 books weekly. I will read almost every genre. My favorite is sci-fi/fantasy combined with romance. I’ve just gotten in to more contemporary pieces in the last couple of years since meeting Angie and Tiffany. I love a good old-fashioned cheesy romance novel based in the 17th to 19th centuries. I love the idea of ladies, lords, and knights. My favorite romances contain a Scottish or Irish rogue. I also love a good mystery and horror novel. My favorite authors include Robert McCammon, Stephen King, Karen Marie Moning, Molly Harper, Rachel Van Dyken, Colleen Hoover, Eloisa James, J.R. Ward, V. C. Andrews, Diana Gabaldon… the list goes on and on.
Today I’m going to talk about the first book in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. This is not just a show on TV, it’s a world created by “Herself” that every woman wants to live in. It’s 1945 Scotland. Claire Beauchamp Randall, a former combat nurse, is on her 2nd honeymoon with her husband Frank. While collecting plants and herbs near the standing stones in one of the ancient circles in the British Isles, she is suddenly transported to 1743 in the Scottish Highlands. It’s there she meets and eventually falls in love with James “Jamie” Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser. Claire is a strong and intelligent woman, whom Jamie often refers to as stubborn. She has a lot of medical knowledge at her disposal, which comes in very handy there in the 18th century. Jamie is not your typical romantic hero. He’s better! He has mental and physical strength and a strong sense of character. His word is his honor and he is a true gentleman. He is the bravest and sweet soul you’ll ever meet. Together, Claire and Jamie are a strong and formidable couple. They are the true definition of soulmates who started out with a beautiful friendship full of mutual respect. There is not as much sex as a lot of romance novels today. But what is there is deeply true and REAL. The intimacy is REAL. While it is categorized as a romance novel, it is more of a historical novel. This series is piled with historical information, such as the uprising of Bonnie Prince Charles, the American colonies, the Revolution, and of course the Battle of Craigh na Dun. The attention to detail is outstanding and it’s clear that the events detailed were meticulously researched. Diana Gabaldon brought this time period to life with developed, complex and interesting characters. History, sex, violence, war, family, clans, romance, time travel – what more could you ask for?!! Davina Porter did an incredible performance narrating Outlander. 33 hours/over 900 pages of a romantically historical and intense masterpiece!
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