Outlander #8

Outlander fans who were with Diana Gabaldon from early on had to wait from 2010 until 2014 to read the 8th book in the series, Written in My Own Heart's Blood. I only had to wait 5 months. 

Truly, I wasn't sure how quickly I'd pick up the 8th book, but when I went to look for Stephen King's Pet Sematary (the next Books and Beer Club book - October is our horror month) in e-book form and couldn't find it, I decided to browse the e-book catalog of one of my libraries and see what was available. When Written in My Own Heart's Blood  was available without a hold (in other words, without a wait), I grabbed it. A sign that it was time to continue with the series.

I finished this book in a record 15 days! I'm not sure if this was my favorite book or not, but I just breezed through it. And now, like everyone else who has made it to book 8, I anxiously await book 9.  Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone is the title for the next book, but still no word on when it will be published.

I'm not sure what I loved most about this book. Part of the book was set in Philadelphia, a city that is close to my heart. I loved living in Philadelphia and I love visiting my daughter that lives there now. 

A blast of Philadelphia rushed in, fluttering the stacks of paper: smoke from a dozen nearby chimneys, an acrid stink from the manure pile behind the livery stable down the street, and the intoxicatingly resinous scent of leaves and bark and brush and flowers that was William Penn's legacy. Leave one acre of trees for every five acres cleared, he'd advised in his charter, and if Philadelphia had no quite met that ideal, it was still a particularly verdant city.

That wasn't it. Or at least that wasn't only what I really liked about the book. I guess I really enjoyed the way Jamie and Claire's story intersected with Lord John Grey's story (and that of his brother, Hal). I appreciated getting to know William a little better. We got to know Lord John's niece, Dottie, and her brother, Henry a little bit better. Many of the young people have matured and were entering relationships of their own. We got to learn more about Jamie's past through the eyes of Roger. Some of Bree's story in this installment seemed a bit far fetched. As if time travel isn't far fetched enough to begin with.

As I was reading, I tried to remember what I had and hadn't learned about the American Revolution. I realized that I knew more of the big themes rather than the smaller details. Some of the historical names were well known (George Washington, Benedict Arnold) and some seemed familiar. How much of the Revolution did I really have no idea about? A lot of it. I felt a little ignorant, but I never stopped to wonder how Claire might have known so much about the Revolution. She was born and raised in England. Her only exposure to US history was through her daughter attending school in Boston. Then I came to this bit of text, written from Claire's perspective.

"Why didn't I bloody know what was going to happen? I asked myself in frustration - and not for the first time.Why hadn't I thought to brush up on American history when I had the chance? Well, because I hadn't expected to end up in America, was the answer. Just went to show, I supposed. Pointless to spend too much time in planning, anyway, given the propensity of life to make sudden left-hand turns without warning."

That's exactly it! How do we know what we'll need to know in the future, what is important to study and when it's okay to simply go with the flow.

Another line that jumped out at me was about Henri-Christian, the dwarf son of Fergus and Marsali. He was playing with some neighbor children, those of the Phillips family.

"The Phillipses were Jewish, though, and apparently felt some kinship with a person whose differences set him apart."

 I could certainly relate to that as well.

The final bit of text that jumped out at me were some of Claire's thoughts on life in general. I read this section on the afternoon of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. The sermon at our service was about life. It's never too late to change. Make the most of life. That sort of thing. As I approach the age of 60, I often think that I had so much more time behind me compared to what I have ahead of me - even if I live a good, long life. Daunting to think about. And how often have I looked at my own hands and knuckles and wonder how did my hands get so old looking so fast. But has it been so fast?

'I can't explain,' I said, defeated. 'It wasn't there - or I wasn't looking at it - after I was shot. It wasn't nearly dying that made me look in, see it yawning there. But being so ... so bloody frail! Being so stinking afraid.' I clenched my fists, seeing the knobby bones of my knuckles, the blue veins that stood out on the backs of my hands and curved down my wrists.
'Not death,' I said at last, sniffing. 'Futility. Uselessness. Bloody entropy. Death matters, at least sometimes.'
'I ken that,' Jamie said softly, and took my hands in his; they were big, and battered, scarred and maimed. 'It's why a warrior doesn't fear death so much. He has the hope - sometimes the certainty - that his death will matter.'

Now, like every other Outlander fan, I have to wait for the next book. I'm waiting patiently for a free Starz weekend or a way to get to see Season III of Outlander on TV. Perhaps I'll pick up the novellas that go along with the Outlander series. I believe there are many of those to keep me busy while I wait.

Yes, I strongly recommend the Outlander series to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction. Or time travel. Or both. And if you like romance, all the better!

Outlander #7

What to say about An Echo in the Bone, Diana Gabaldon's seventh installment in the Outlander series? Similar to the first book, it leaves so many unanswered questions making me want to rush to read the eighth book. The eighth book is currently the last book in the series, although Gabaldon is making progress on the 9th book. Will the 9th book be the final book?

Anyway, back to An Echo in the Bone. I don't even know where to begin. The book begins with Brianna and Roger adapting to their new lives in the "present" time. Brianna finds a box full of letters written by Claire and Jamie in the 1700s. I can't recall where Brianna found the box of letters, but they are very special to her. She and Roger do a good job of taking their time to read the letters. This keeps the connection between the centuries strong. Claire is truly writing to Brianna in the future, letting her know what is/was going on after Brianna returned to her own time.

Other than that... this book seemed to cover the most and had the most parallel stories compared to any of the other books. There were the Claire and Jamie stories. Claire does so many surgeries and procedures on the fly. Amazing! Gave me a lot to think about. There were Brianna and Roger stories, adapting to live in Scotland of the present in addition to connecting to their life in the 18th century. A character from the 18th century who has haunted Roger somehow shows up in the 20th century. Roger and Brianna are part of both work stories and personal stories. The kids, Mandy and Jem, have their own stories as well. (The Mandy and Jem stories are those that have me the most curious as I take a break between novels.) We've got Lord John's stories (several of them) which are completely distinct from much of the William stories. William as a soldier. William as a cousin. William as a son. We've also got Ian's story... which is a big, big story in this novel. Actually, Ian has stories. He falls in love... and he reconciles with his parents in Scotland. So many of these subplots intersect, with the long list of characters becoming more intertwined than they have been in the past. There's a Fergus story or two. There's an interesting Laoghaire story. Yes, this book is very involved.

With all that was going on, I was surprised that it wasn't terribly difficult to pick up the book and put it back down again. But as I've mentioned earlier, I would be hard pressed to tell you what was covered in this book. Was there anything I didn't like? No. I liked it all. I have no complaints. Yet I'm still struggling to figure out what to write about.

I've realized that I know a whole lot less about the American Revolution than I probably should. I was so focused on getting through the book, though, that I didn't drift off to do research about the Battle of Saratoga when I was in Saratoga last week. Surprising since that's something I'd normally do. As always, it is so cool to read a book while you're in the exact location where the book is set. So cool And yes, I'm a history geek.

When I went to Philadelphia later in the week and saw that a museum of the American Revolution was opening at the end of the month, I was disappointed, wanting it to be opened the day I was there. Wanting to be inside that building so badly. Wanting to learn more about the Revolution the way only a visit can help you do.

My other disappointment while in Philadelphia was the weather. Had the weather been better, I would have explored a few more of the places mentioned in the book by foot. With the horrendous rain we experienced, I was lucky that I go to see the outside of the new museum, take a stroll past Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. I wondered where Lord John's house was in Philadelphia. Had I wandered past it without even knowing? Is there a Philadelphia companion book to the Outlander series? Diana Gabaldon, are you reading this? Is this something you'd be interested in doing? I'd love to work on a project like that with you.

Having nothing to do with the book
(For the first time ever, I saw the Rocky statue. Totally getting off track here but this is a very big deal. I was attending school and living in Philadelphia when the Rocky movies first hit the screen. I've been to Philadelphia numerous times over the years. And this was the first visit to the Art Museum since the late 1970s and my very first time to see the statue. Just my luck, the steps to the museum were "closed" to prepare for the NFL draft which will take place there at the end of the month.)

Was this the longest book in the series in terms of word count? I don't think so. I'm not 100% sure, but it sure felt like this book took me the longest time of any of the books to read. Since book 9 most likely won't be published until 2018 at the earliest, I think I'm going to take my break from the series now, knowing that I can pick up book 8 whenever I want. If I read book 8 soon, I know there will be a big wait for book 9. One of the advantages of being late to the game of reading a massive series is being able to read on my own schedule rather than waiting (with longing) for the next installment to be published. Only those of you who read these types of series will understand that!

Good job, Diana Gabaldon for keeping me (and millions of other readers) engaged for so long!

I'll end with some questions I have at the end of An Echo in the Bone which I don't believe are spoilers.

• Where is Roger?
• Where will Jamie and Claire settle next?
• Will they ever return to Fraser's Ridge in North Carolina?
• What will William do next?
• Will Ian ever find happiness?
• What does Jenny think about America?
• Any more time travel for anyone?
• Who wins the war? Okay... only kidding.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

I have been remiss in not posting while reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6) by Diana Gabaldon. It seems like I started the book months ago, then had the problems with Overdrive, then while I was waiting for the e-book to become available again, I had book club books to read. But finally had a good long reading session yesterday and finished Book #6.

You may or may not recall that after Book #5, I felt as though I was at a good point in the series to take a break and get some other reading done. I kind of knew what might happen next, just not what it might mean. Well, after the conclusion of Book #6, I immediately went in search of Book #7. I really, really, really want to know what happens next! I'm not at a good breaking point at all!

I can't really tell you what the book is about since I can't really recall where book #6 started. The bulk of the book was about the days leading up to the American Revolution. What was especially interesting to me is that most of the American Revolution history that I already knew was related to New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania. I'll even admit that I never really gave much a thought to what was going on in North Carolina before or during the early days of our country. (In my little teeny mind, prior to reading this book, North Carolina didn't become a player until the days leading up to the Civil War. Have I mentioned that I love a book where I learn something new?)

I also won't tell you what happens at the end of the book, the type of cliffhanger I'm now left with. That would be a spoiler and I'm determined not to include spoilers when reviewing or writing about books. Suffice to say, it's a major cliffhanger and I can't wait to see what comes next. I'm #3 on a waitlist for the e-book.

That should give me a little time to get some other reading done while I wait.



Who I recommend this book to? Anyone who is hooked on the Outlander series!

Last night I started the January Books & Beer Club pick - The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, another classic that I've never read. Fantasy is not my cup of tea so I wasn't even sure if I would take the time to read this one. So far, it's not quite what I expected. I'm not sure what I expected. And it's a much quicker read than I imagined it would be. Stay tuned for my review.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

I discovered The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katrina Bivald quite by chance. It was delightful! Originally published in Swedish in 2013, it was published in English in 2015. It's the story of a reader, Sara, who prefers books to people and believes there is a book for every single person. That every single person can be a reader if given the right book to read.

Sara and Amy become pen pals, exchanging books and information about books. Sara, dissatisfied with her life in Sweden, is going to lose her job. Amy invites her to Iowa for a visit. Sara arrives in Broken Wheel, Iowa, just as Amy's funeral is coming to a conclusion. Now what is Sara supposed to do?

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is a love story. It's a love story between Sara and her books, between the dying town of Broken Wheel and Sara, and between Sara and Tom. It's not exactly chick lit. But if you like chick lit and you love reading books about books, this could be the book for you.

Lots of references are made to books and authors in the novel, most of which I have either read or am familiar with. There have been times in my life when I've preferred books to people. I'm sure you won't be surprised that I found Sara very easy to relate to. Living where I live, I also have a sense about what a dying town might look like and how a new business in town brings a new life to the place. After all the heavy historical fiction I've been reading, it was nice to read something contemporary and light.

Finally finished The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5)

Check me out on Goodreads!

I finally finished reading book 5 in the Outlander series. The Fiery Cross, by Diana Gabaldon. I will be 100% honest with you. I won't be able to give you a great review of the book because I can't remember what happened in this book versus earlier books. I don't remember exactly where Book #4 ended and Book #5 began. (That can happen when it takes a full two months to read a book.) And I don't want to give away anything!

I was really late to join the Outlanders fan club. This past summer, Books and Beer Club was reading the first book in the series for its July and August book! Book #1 left me with a ton of questions which could only be answered by continuing to read Book #2. Book #2 ended with more of a cliffhanger than an over-abundance of questions, as did Books #3 and #4. Book #5 doesn't end with a cliffhanger. I'm curious about what happens next but I don't have any burning questions. I'd planned to take a break after this book and I think it's worked out to be the perfect time.

In case you're unfamiliar with the series, as I was until I started to read it, it's a combination of time travel and historical fiction. Claire Randall, a British WWII nurse on vacation in Scotland, somehow goes back in time to the Scotland of the 1740s. That's where she meets and eventually falls in love with Jamie Fraser. Prior to reading the book, I knew nothing of the Jacobite Rising. I've learned more about redemptioners (a sort of indentured servant). And now I'm learning more about the years leading up to the American Revolution. I think I've mentioned before that I love learning new things so this is right up my alley. Books #1 and #2 had some pretty steamy sex scenes. While the content has gotten more factual as the series progresses, the romance has not died one bit between Claire and Jamie.

You might be wondering about my 4-star review on Goodreads for the book? Why not 5? I assign my stars based on a gut reaction to a book.

• If it's pure perfection and the absolute perfect fit for me, I'll assign it 5 stars.
•  If something nags at me, it goes down to a 4... which is still a pretty darn good book that I'd highly recommend to anyone who loves to read. 
• 3 stars means that I liked the book well enough but I'd only recommend it to certain people.
• 2 stars means that I got through the book just fine but I really didn't like it and I wouldn't recommend it.
• 1 star means that something at the end of the book got me really angry or was a huge disappointment in the end. Otherwise, I drop books after about 100 pages if I don't really get engrossed in anyway. When I last checked my dropped books shelf on Goodreads, I was surprised by how really full it actually was!

Having said all that, while I don't think I've given any of the Outlander books more than 4 stars, but I would most definitely give the series 5-stars.

Here's an interesting interview with Diana Gabaldon that I just came across that was most informative. And to think that she wasn't just playing around when she first started to write the book. Wow. Wowee! You can also see how huge the books are that she's signing in the video. No wonder it's taken me 8 months to get through 5 books!  


What I think I can say about The Fiery Cross without spoiling anything for you is that this book is told from 4 points of view. Claire tells her story in the first person. Jamie, Brianna and Roger's stories are told in third person. Each of these characters has many, many stories to tell.

There were lots of political stories to tell. The setting for the book is 1771 and 1772 North Carolina. While most of those in the Colonies weren't aware that big things were brewing, Claire, Jamie, Brianna and Roger know exactly what's coming. I learned tidbits of things regarding the American Revolution that I never knew before.

There were medical stories to tell. Claire seemed to rely more on her 1960's medical training to deal with the healing she needed to provide in the 18th century. As I read about her experiments with penicillin, I wondered if the character of Claire was changing the history of penicillin that I'd first learned about by reading A Fierce Radiance, a historical fiction novel about the early days of penicillin written by Lauren Belfer. How much of that history would have been changed had someone caught on to what Claire was trying to do. With all the talk about changing the history of the United States, what about the possibility of changing medical history? She also did much more reflecting of her life as a healer and a doctor. I wonder if that will continue in subsequent books. No, please, don't tell me!

Finally, there were all the relationship stories. Claire and Jamie, Brianna and Roger, Jamie and Roger, Roger and Stephen Bonnet, Jamie and Stephen Bonnet, the families living on Fraser's Ridge. Some sex and romance but not as much as in earlier books. At least they didn't stand out as much.

I loved reading about Jemmy growing from a baby to a toddler with thoughts, ideas and dreams for himself. There are also reappearances of some other characters from earlier books and explanations regarding a few other characters who don't exactly reappear.

What am I going to read next? Books and Beer Club is reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss for it's March meeting. I got a little nervous when I saw that this book is part of the Kingkiller Chronicle series, but since fantasy, especially fantasy/science fiction is never a favorite genre of mine. It's another long book, over 600 pages. I've just started it today. Will I be able to finish it by the last Wednesday of the month? It's highly rated on both Amazon and Goodreads so I'm hoping that I'll enjoy it enough.

Okay, so where have I been?

I'm still reading the fifth book in the Outlander series. I'm reading it from a 7-book volume on my iPad so it's not even clear to me how much of the book I have left. I read with a larger than normal printface, too. All I know is that I have another 700 pages or so until I'm done. And then... mark my words... I'm taking a break from Outlander to read some different books. I swear. (I've said that as I've finished every single book in the series so far. That's really the bad part about coming late to the game for a popular series. You don't have to wait for the next book to come out. It's right there.)

I love a good series. The first series I got hooked on was The Bobbsey Twins. Oh how I loved the Bobbsey Twins. Who that isn't a twin hasn't had a fantasy about being a twin? Then there was Nancy Drew, even though I had no desire to be a detective. Or a spy. Or anything like that! At about the same time, I was devouring books from the All of a Kind Family series. Fast forward to young adulthood and I loved The Clan of the Cave Bear and all the books that followed. I've had the final book in that series, The Land of Painted Caves, on my to-be-read list for quite awhile. Eventually, I will get to that.

What other series have I enjoyed? The ones that come to mind may or may not be the ones I enjoyed most. (Some of the series I'm listing by the title of the first book since that might be more recognizable.)

• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (young adult series)
• The Quilter's Apprentice - Elm Creek Quilts
• The 39 Clues (middle grade series)
• P.S. Longer Letter Later (not really a series, just a book with a sequel 
• Among the Hidden (middle grade series)
• The City of Ember (middle grade series)
• Maeve Binchy books (they're not really a series, just a bunch of inter-related books with some character overlap)
• The Giver (middle grade series)

Then there are some series that I liked but didn't love.

• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Miss Julia
• The Walk

And finally there are some series I just couldn't get into at all.

• Harry Potter
• Twilight
• Fifty Shades of Gray
• The Chronicles of Narnia 
• No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

I'm sure there are many more and I'll add them as I think of them. I think it's also patently obvious that I love middle grade reader books - series or otherwise.

I'd love to know what some of your favorite series are?

What am I reading now?

I'm sure you're curious as to what I'm reading now.

I'm reading The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon from a 7-Book Bundle that I found in Overdrive. (It's been easier to renew than any of the individual books.) I'm in the very middle of the fifth book of the series, The Fiery Cross. I started the series last July, when one of my book clubs decided to read the first book over a 2-month period. I haven't stopped. I guess that's another reason why I feel like I'm not reading as many books as I used to read. These books are l-o-n-g!

I'm not sure why I avoided the series for so long. "Oh, time travel? I'm not really into that." And for some reason I thought religion played a focal role in the stories. Yes, religion does play a role. But not at all in the way that I thought. And while it is a time travel book, there's probably less comparison between "then" and "now" than I would have included had I attempted to write a similar story.

After completing the first book for book club and summarizing it by writing, "This is the kind of book I would have loved in college..." implying that I wouldn't like it now, I've been stuck into the series for months!

At the same time, I've got  A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer (1995) checked out of the library and waiting for me on Overdrive. Like the Outlander bundle, it's also due in 10 more days. At some point in the next day or two, I'm going to have to stop reading Outlander and start reading "It."