I can’t get enough of Jamie & Claire.

And the hundreds of other characters Diana Gabaldon has introduced in the first 3 books in her Outlander series. I finally finished Dragonfly in Amber, her 2nd book in the series that is quite a bit longer than the first book, and equally exciting.

It picks up in a bit of a confusing spot… sort of an OMG moment for the reader and it takes a chapter or 2 of panic-stricken, heart thumping reading to figure out what on earth has happened from the time between the end of the first book and the beginning of this one. But the author circles you back around just in time to tie it all together and keep you enthralled and ready for what happens next which is always an exciting adventure. She introduces many new characters and new places in this book, all in amazing detail that makes you feel like you are there seeing it with your own eyes. The emotions are human, meaning that sometimes you want to throttle the characters you love so much because they say or do things that make you so angry… just like real life. You love these characters, but they do have flaws… and you love those flaws too. And those of you that read it will attest to the fact that upon completion I had to immediately start into the next book Voyager without delay.

I can’t imagine if I were reading these books right after publishing, knowing that I’d have to wait maybe a year or more to find out what happens next. Gabaldon has mastered the art of cliff-hanging. So I’m nearly done with Voyager and it may be my most favorite yet. The first time in the series, I’ve found myself laughing out loud. And I think the way the author writes the comedic episodes, you can really play them out in your mind… really picture the characters doing and saying these funny things and it’s like watching a movie. And laughing at the scene on the screen. Well done, Diana! The book is filled with just as much adventure as the 2 previous books. You don’t get a rest before the next bit of mayhem ensues. You see many different places and new sides to our favorite characters. Oh and there’s a character in this book, a priest, that I picture as John Cleese if they were to ever make a movie of this book (which I so think they should… an HBO or Showtime series at minimum.)

I should be done with Voyager today and then plan to crack open the next in line, Drums of Autumn, and will be sure to report back in on that one as I get done with it. I would have never guessed this would be a genre that interested me, but I’m 100% sucked in. I said the same thing about the Twilight and Sookie books… never read a vampire book in my life and never intended too. And then inside of a year, I had finished 13 of them I think. So never say never, right?

By the way, the scene at the top is artist David Morier’s rendition of the Battle at Culloden. This was the final battle of the 1945 Jacobite Rising, a defeated effort to restore Charles Stuart to the British throne. The Battle of Culloden took place on April 16, 1746 and was waged on British soil near the town of Iverness in the Scottish Highlands. It was an important event in this book series.

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