Outlander by Diana Gabaldon vReview by Tonya Olson Ferrell The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon is an eight-part journey through history and time. Genre-wise, it’s a hard one to pin down; I’d classify it as one part romance and one part historical fiction with a scoop of fantasy thrown in. The first book in the series, simply Outlander was originally published in 1991 but we’ve seen a resurgence in its popularity since Starz picked up the book as a TV series adaptation in 2014. The book opens with Claire Randall on holiday with her husband, Frank, in Inverness, Scotland in 1945 following the culmination of World War II. Both Claire and Frank served in the army throughout the war, she as a nurse and he as an officer. The trip is their attempt to reconnect after six years apart. While you might hear the word “romance” and assume that this book is a story of their love, you would be mistaken. Through a supernatural accident, Claire is somehow transported back in time two centuries to the Scottish Highlands of 1743, where she meets Frank’s ancestor Captain Jack Randall, as well as an injured Scottish clansman, Jamie Fraser. The book focuses on these three characters while Claire tries to figure out how she got to 1743 and how she can get back to her own time, all without raising suspicion, or being branded a witch. Slowly she finds herself falling for Jamie, despite her marriage to Frank. She opens up to him with the truth about her circumstances and finds herself an ally, albeit a confused and wary one. He agrees to help her with her quest to return to 1946, but he’s also a wanted fugitive and, unsurprisingly, things go awry. Like any good romance, the pages of Outlander are filled with steamy love scenes (while not quite as saucy, its popularity over the last three decades is reminiscent of the Fifty Shades trilogy). However, you’ll also find a good dose of violence – both physical and sexual in nature – with rape being a major plot point for a good portion of the first book. Despite that, these books are immensely readable tomes, with the first in the series clocking in at 662 pages of small print. I’ve been slowly working on the series, mostly via the excellent audiobooks, since I picked up the first one in 2015 and the overall plot only gets more interesting and complex as the story weaves on. The library owns all eight books in the Outlander series in both hard copy and audiobook, as well as the first two seasons of the TV series; eBooks are also available through Overdrive. Give it a try today! check out...hervoiceonline.com vDAYTON continued from page 17 in this county that doesn’t know Dayton, that doesn’t love Dayton, that doesn’t smile when they see Dayton. They tell me that I don’t even know how Dayton makes them feel. Even me, I can be having the crappiest day and she’ll be like ‘did I tell you today that you’re beautiful?’ She’s happy – doesn’t hesitate to make others happy. I wish more people had this attitude.” The community’s love of Dayton was evident last year when she won the title of Frog Queen during the community’s annual 4th of July celebration. Everyone congratulated her and she was lucky enough to be able to pass the crown on to her sister this year. “It was such an honor to be there with my mom and sister in that moment.” There was also the instance during Dayton’s sophomore prom where she was named Punch Bowl Queen. Dayton did half-day preschool and halfday kindergarten with one class. Marcia loved how Dayton interacted with those kids and how they accepted her but the school and Marcia thought it would be best if Dayton repeated kindergarten. Her original classed moved forward while Dayton stayed back. So when Dayton was a sophomore, the junior class, which was her original class, all got together to make sure Dayton was voted the Punch Bowl Queen. “When Dayton gets something like that it’s like she just won a billion dollars – they don’t understand what that means to her. That was her world.” Dayton told me it was one of the happiest moments and she felt truly honored. The best thing about Dayton is that it’s hard to be sad around her. She is such a lively person who is so full of love and hope. Her family calls it the Dayton Effect and when you’re around her it’s hard to not see what they mean. Marcia thinks of it as a life lesson. There are rough spots and Dayton has some bad days too, but the good in life far outweighs all of that and Dayton teaches them that every day. Dayton will tell you that she thinks her life is absolutely wonderful and Marcia thinks life with Dayton is absolutely wonderful. “You’re oblivious to any negativity, that’s not always safe, but you only focus on the good and your impact on other people. The need to be good. And a world of music is pretty awesome. And then I think, maybe it’s not so bad. Maybe life’s not so bad.” vBy Brandi Bue HOW POWERFUL DO YOU FEEL? While 51% of the nation’s wealth is held by women, close to half are worried about outliving their wealth. Taking control of your finances can help you feel better, and we can get you started with a plan. See what a Raymond James Advisor can do for you. LIFE WELL PLANNED. Kathy Greeneway Certified Financial PlannerTM 225 Cedar Street, Yankton (605)665-4940 First Dakota Brokerage Services, Inc. A subsidiary of First Dakota National Bank. Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC an independent broker/dealer. Securities are offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, and are not deposits; not insured by FDIC or any other governmental agency; not guaranteed by the financial institution; subject to risk & may lose value. First Dakota National Bank and First Dakota Brokerage Services are independent of RJFS. HERVOICEvJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018v23