I made a trip to the local Goodwill today and came home with 50+books. I don't intend on keeping them all. 2 of the books I picked up are Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon. Now, it says it's Historical Romance...and I can't stand Romance novels. I do like historical fiction and I don't mind a bit of romance/sex. I usually read horror/thriller but I'll try anything that looks interesting.

So, what is this series like? Do all the books have the same characters?

Thanks :)

Outlander is my favorite book ever!  The entire series is wonderful.  :-)  I also don't read romance for the most part...There is sex in the book, but it is in terms of the characters relationships.  The author has worked hard to get these un-classified as romance.  I would call them more historical fiction, as she puts a lot of detail into her historical research.

It is a series, currently 7 books.  The books all follow the same characters with Jamie and Claire being the main ones. 

Wow 7 books? And are they all that long?

I guess I'll give em a try. Thanks :D

Look for the Outlander book club in hidden gems!  

We just started last week, so you'll have no problems jumping in.

In addition to what Lisa said, just search the Forums for "Outlander".  You'll see how wonderful we all think the books are....

Yeah it seems like a lot of people like these books! I just ordered the rest on Amazon/eBay. Thanks!!

These are really good historical fiction - with just a little romance/sex thrown in to keep things going.  You definetly get taken to another time/place.  There are several of these books.  Worth reading.

So, What do you think, Andrea?

I'm reading Outlander for the second time, and I am soooo loving it!   I think I appreciate Claire much more now that I'm an "older woman" ; ) 

I also think that I didn't pay much attention to detail the first time I read it. I have a bad habit of skimming over descriptive passages, and with this book, I'm finding that I really want to savor it!

ETA:  The first time that I read it was probably in the very early 90's.

<<Wow 7 books? And are they all that long?>>

Actually, I think they get longer as you go, but nobody really minds.  They're that good.  The author has a Ph.D in the biological sciences, so she knows how to do good research (and has), and everything in the books is well researched -- the history, the setting, the "period" issues (clothing, cooking, etc), the flora and fauna, etc.

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Catt

If you like reading these books you should try listening to them.  The unabridged versions are performed by Davina Porter, she is AWESOME!  She does an incredible job with the accents.  I couldn't possible recommend her more!  The books are long so I gotta warn you that the books on CDs could run up to 30 CDs per book, but they are so worth it.  I listen to many many audio books and she is the absolute best performer that I have ever listened to.