Why I Re-read the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

My latest posts have been long. Sorry.  I have so much to say about the books I love, which makes it so hard to stop myself.  Today I am going to stop myself.  My hope is that my reasons for re-reading this series will get you to try them out for the first time.

Reasons 1-10 THE WRITING IS AMAZING.

11. The characters became real people in my mind the moment they appeared on the page.  I want to be with them constantly.

12. This story is not a romance.  It is the story of a marriage that survives across time.  It survives no matter how many wrenches, or in this case dirks and broad swords, are thrown at it.  Claire and Jamie are no doubt hot for each other from day one, but that isn't why their relationship is appealing (though it doesn't hurt).  They truly love and respect each other in the face of so much adversity and they make it work.  This is why they last even when, at one point, they are separated by a 200 year time zone difference.

13. I love history, but learning about history in story form makes it so much more accessible.  There are periods and people and places that I would never have learned about or cared about if not for these books.  The range is wide...1743-1965ish, and filled with intriguing events that your US and World History classes never had time for.

14. Because the books are so character and detail filled, I catch something or someone new on each read.  The first read gets you the barebones story, which is more than enough, but each re-read will get you the nuances and the little tidbits you missed before.

15. Last, but not least...I haven't been able to find anything else that compares to level of story telling that Diana Gabaldon has reached.  I have found good stuff to read, even great stuff, but this series is off the charts.  If I ever find anything that comes close to it, I will let you know. But until then...I'm back to book two.

Happy Reading!

I Love Books

There are very few things that I would rather do than read a book.  In fact, if I am not currently living in the world of a good book, I get very irritable and tend towards a mini-depressive state.  Because I know that about myself, I often have 2 or 3 books going and about 20 on reserve at my bedside or on my Kindle.  I always ask for books for gifts and they are usually my favorite presents.  I check out tons of things from the library even though I know I won't get to them before they are due.  I have no idea if I am like other readers in the obsessions that I have with particular books.  I go back to certain ones and read them again and again.  Others, I don't read more than once, but they just become a part of me.

Though my life is nothing that I need to escape from, I revel in the escape of words and worlds and wonders that are created inside my mind.  I love learning and delving into the topics and people that are coming alive on the pages for me.  My favorite real life people (besides my dear husband and children, of course) are the people who will talk "books" with me.  My mom, my book club girls, the librarian at my school, the substitute teachers who bring me books they've finished and loved.  And so before I get sappy and philosophical on you about why books are life... on to the real point.

Recently, I've been reading a lot more than usual. This means I am reading a lot, a lot instead of just a lot.  This is partly do to the fact I had 2 weeks off from work for Christmas Break and partly due to the fact that it has been so cold.  I don't want to do anything but cozy up in bed with a book and a hot cup of tea.

I've read some great ones in these last few weeks and I would like to share what I think about them here in the next few posts.  Come back soon for my thoughts on Murdering My Youth by Cady McClain, this star won't go out by Ester Earl with Lori and Wayne Earl, The Clan of the Cave Bear Series by Jean M. Auel, and a re-read of Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon.

I have been touched personally in some way by each of these titles and I believe that is what makes a "good read."  So, I won't be evaluating them for their literary value (though they definitely have it), I will be telling you why they work for me and how they have changed my thinking or encouraged me to do better or be better.  I will let you know why they stuck because lots of books don't.  The books that stick are the books worth reading.  And if in the next few weeks you happen to pick up one of these titles, come back and let me know what you thought.

My Murdering My Youth post will be up sometime in the next couple of days.