Russell Means aka "Chingachgook" Talks About the Lakota Sioux Seceding from the US

Came across this article about the Lakota seceding from the US and found it interesting.  It features Russell Means who played Chingachgook in "Last of the Mohicans".

I'll Be Back!

I just wanted to let you know that I am on a slight hiatus at the moment.  I am reading The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon because as much as I love myself some Nathaniel...Outlander (aka Jamie Fraser) trumps ITW and most everything else out there.  (Don't ask me about Paullina and Shura because I just don't even know how I'd answer that!)

I PROMISE I will be back to reading Dawn on a Distant Shore soon!

MORE!

SPOILER ALERT:  Do not read unless you have finished Into the Wilderness.

I am finished.  And I don't know where to begin.  This may sting a little...but I think you can handle it.  

This was a good book.  A good, solid book.  What bugs me is that it had the potential to be a phenomenal book...but too many details were left out...so it's just a good book.  

Example:  Elizabeth is near death and Nathaniel climbs into bed, naked, with her...so she will smell him and truly know he's near.  He's hoping this will jar her out of her near-coma.  Soooo tremendous that he did that; truly raw and emotional.  If you've ever witnessed a loved one in a coma, you know you will do absolutely anything to get them to wake up.  So this hit home.  But I wanted more!

Why only a page?!  This could have gone on for a chapter.  He could have talked to her.  No - he could have murmured to her.  He could have told her his fears while she was sleeping.  He could have told her that he thought he'd be alone the rest of his life and that her coming to Paradise was a miracle...and that he couldn't lose her now.  We could have seen Too Many Doves and Falling Trees all worrit about him for days on end.  He could have gotten up only to use the privy and sported red, swollen eyes...which would have made the ladies even more worrit...and would have made us swoon.  But no.  Instead, we got one page of him losing water from his eyes...being calmed by her smells and falling asleep.  That's it.  Hell-O??? It's big PICTURE time! McFly?!?

I realize this is my opinion and you may have your own - which rocks.  Maybe you only wanted a few sentences about Nathaniel's suffering and are content with the way it was written.  I, however, am not.  I wanted MORE and I got LESS.   Much less.  

This is NOT an insult to Sarah Donati's writing.  If anything, it's a compliment.  I liked her style...I just wanted more.  

And OK - maybe less - in spots.  I could have dealt with less bush...(forest, I mean. ;)...less waxing on about Richard Todd...less treks up the mountain and less drinking in the pub/general store/gaol.  Less, that is, if we would have gotten more Nathaniel and Elizabeth...more Julian and the Judge...more Curiosity and more Ronnie Mac-whatever his Scottish name was. I loved all of them and wanted more.   Well, maybe not the judge.  He's a douche.  But I could have dealt with more details about his life.  If this were Diana Gabaldon, there would already be a prequel about the judge in England...AND one about his parents.  And their gay butler.  Lorddddd there'd be a ton about their gay butler.  But I digress...

OK so last night I was wondering whether to go on to Book 2 because Book 1 was slow moving at times and wasn't grabbing me tightly enough.  So I asked Cari about Scotland.  When we left off in Book 1, they realized Hawkeye is an Earl and is rich beyond belief.  This news, when told to any other red-blooded American, would elicit all kinds of whoops and hollers and general merriment.  Not Nathanial.  Ohhhhh nooooo.  Boyfriend's got to sulk and get pissy and stomp his feet and say "I'm not going to Scotland! Waaaaah!"  And that, right there, made me put up my hand and say "When".  I was like "Are you KIDDING ME?!?'  But Cari set me straight and told me that's what the "Distant Shore" is in Book 2.  (Duh...party of Carol?)  So now I'm intrigued about a possible trip to Scotland and downloaded Book 2 last night. 

Crossing my fingers, y'all.  I'm told Book 2 is slowwww...and Book 3 has barely any McLovin'...but Book 4 has crazy amounts of McLovin'...so I may have to persevere. 

I am definitely into the characters and the world of the Bonners now...so hopefully I'm in for the long haul. 

More to come...

The Home Stretch

SPOILER ALERT:  Don't read unless you have read 95% of Into the Wilderness. 

I am yawning like crazy but wanted to post one thing before I go to bed...and then I'll post more tomorrow.

When Elizabeth was unconscious and Nathaniel stripped naked and got into bed with her?  Oh wow.  Be still my heart.  And NOT because he's hawt...but because it was the most raw and genuine gesture I have ever seen.  He wanted her to smell him.  (I swear, I'm not laughing when I say that...like I did with Edward Cullen's "essence".)

OK seriously - chew on that (as if you haven't; I realize I'm late to this party) and we'll discuss more tomorrow!!!

Downtown

Please Boots?  Please?!

Into the Wilderness CHAT

- If anyone wants to chat Into the Wilderness, I'll be in the MOP chat room early tonight at 8:45.

I want to discuss the following:

- Why am I seeing on Amazon that Into the Wilderness is a "sequel to The Last of the Mohicans"??

- The first time Lizzie visited the mountain, it took like 2+ hours.  Now they come and go every five seconds like it's nothing.  Whassup?  Did she get faster?  Are those Magic Moccasins?

- Hannah was a twin, right?  Didn't Sarah die giving birth to her and the twin (who died at birth)?  If so - why did Hanna say she remembered her mother?  Hannah is five and the mother died five years ago.  I can add.  I swear. 

- Why did Lizzie flip NOT flip when she found out about the mine?  "Oooh I'd really like to give Nate a hard time...but just THINK of the rings and table service!" 

Lions and Tigers and Duck Yearlings, oh YUCK!

Holy crap, I haven't posted in a dog's age.  Why?  Because I've been READIN', y'all!

SPOILER ALERT - Crap, I have no idea where I am.  Wait - yesterday I saw "L".  WTF number is THAT?!  Clearly I must brush up on my Roman numerals.  50??

Jack Lingo:  The Man.  The Myth
The stinky turd-ball. 

Wow - so much has happened.   Girlfriend killed Jack Lingo, which was cool...but I kindof felt like it was too soon.  He could have come around again and again and all the more fun would have been had out in the brush.  And why couldn't she find her ring?  Does Dutch Ton have it?  She found everything else but the ring.  Odd.

Liz and Nate finally got back to Paradise - and not a moment too soon.  I was sick to death of traipsing around through the woods in moccasins.  It was like Pillars of the Earth or Drums of Autumn all the hell over again.  Walk...see a wren.  Walk...slip on leaves.  Walk...get down to bizznazz...Walk...get caught in rainstorm.  Walk...get knifed.  Walk...bury someone.  Walk...get taken to Indian lands in Canada.  Walk...sleep on your rolled up blanket.  (Ew.  Like you'd EVER do this?  Gross.)

Sometimes the woods ain't so lovely...

AND - speaking of rainstorms...can you IMAGINE getting stuck out in the woods during a thunderstorm...at night? Yeah, right.  They'd have found me sitting up against a tree, pushing my finger downward against my lips making noises that sounded like a newborn's.  Or lady Gaga.  IF they found me at all.

"Oh Nathaniel... it's OK.  Break on into
that mine and make me a necklace." 

So let's see...what has really struck me in this story?  I will tell you what - and pay attention now children because I never talk serious at y'all:  I am very much enjoying the struggle between the White and Native American worlds.  I think this is being conveyed very realistically (much moreso than a certain fictional series I love more than life about a redheided dude.)  I love how Lizzie's is completely caught between the two.  I suppose Nathaniel is as well...but honey badger don't give a shit.  He's like "I'm here...I'm white-but-I-act-like-an-Indian...deal with it!"  I find Lizzie to be very commendable because she doesn't worry about what others think (most of the time)...but I suppose that's a little easier when you've got Aunt Merriweather's dinero accruing interest in the bank - AND all that silver in the mine that really is the Kahan'ahaneshaaa'snaaah's  Mohawk's.

Today, children, we're going to talk
about just how damned hawt my
hubband is, mmmkayyyy? 

So Boots is back to teaching...and her students are gettin' into trouble with the ink pot.  And Nathaniel just happens to catch Liam Kirby outside the window of the school.  Frankly, I found it a little more disturbing that Nathaniel was also outside the window of the school.  Doesn't boyfriend have some corn to be shucking?  Oh wait...that's womens' work.  I forgot.

What I find interesting is that Daddy Warbucks has barely said/done much since they got back to Paradise.  What a wuss!  And Julian is the biggest wussy man on the planet, too.  And Kitty is on my LAST nerve.  What a moron she is.  I don't feel bad for her anymore.  She is a) stupid  and b) bitchy.  A lethal combination for one's karma.  She's lucky to make it to the end of this book.

I am a little sad that the nookie seems to be dying down.  We just had a scene where they hiked over to the waterfall...swam in...went behind it..."were cold....got warm...and went to sleep".  Not a direct quote, but you get my drift.  No details in the hay-rolling at all.  I was like "Whoa!  Watch out! says that bird.  Has it come to this already?!"  (Sorry for all the Honey Badger references.  It's that kind of day.)

OK so I'll be reading more today.  I know I'm 75% through on Kindle.  Will I be moving on to Book 2?  Still not sure.  Depends on how this one ends. :)