Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

Title: Voyager (Outlander #3)

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Publisher: Dell 2001

Genre: Historical Romance/Fantasy

Pages: 912

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Popsugar - More than 800 Pages

Sweeping us from the battlefields of eighteenth-century Scotland to the exotic West Indies, Diana Gabaldon weaves magic once again in an exhilarating and utterly unforgettable novel....Their love affair happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her ... and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.When she discovers that Jamie may have survived, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face what awaits her ... the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland ... and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that lies beyond the standing stones.

I am not kidding when I say that it has taken me almost a year to get through this one. I started reading it way back in March (??? I think) and just finished it. I just got stuck in the middle for the longest time. I really enjoyed the first about 200 pages detailing Jamie's time after Culloden and Claire traveling back to Scotland. Once they were reunited, I just lost a bit of interest. The pace really slowed down and I just didn't have the burning desire to keep reading. Once I passed page 600 or so, everything starting moving a lot faster and I sped to the finish. There were so many twists and turns in that last 1/3 of the book. I was right along for the ride. Definitely a good read, just took me a year to finish. Here's hoping it doesn't take me all of 2018 to finish The Drums of the Autumn.

Outlander

#0.5 Virgins
#1 Outlander
#2 Dragonfly in Amber
#3 Voyager
#4 The Drums of Autumn
#5 The Fiery Cross
#6 A Breath of Snow and Ashes
#7 An Echo in the Bone
#7.5 The Space Between
#8 Written in My Own Heart's Blood
#8.5 A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows
#9 Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Title: Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2)

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Publisher: Dell 2001

Genre: Historical Romance/Fantasy

Pages: 947

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Scifi/Fan; Read My Own Damn Books; Popsugar - Over 600 pages

With her now-classic novel Outlander, Diana Gabaldon introduced two unforgettable characters — Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser—delighting readers with a story of adventure and love that spanned two centuries. Now Gabaldon returns to that extraordinary time and place in this vivid, powerful follow-up to Outlander....For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland’s majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones ... about a love that transcends the boundaries of time ... and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his....Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire’s spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ... in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising ... and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves....

Confession time: I have been reading this book off and on for about 4 months now. And I have no idea why I kept putting it down because I loved it! Of course, I thoroughly enjoyed Outlander and this is just more of the same. This volume we get to follow Claire and Jaime as they try to thwart Charles Stuart's ill-fated attempt to regain his crown. My favorite section of the book was the part set in Paris. I loved meeting some new interesting characters (Fergus! Mother Hildegard and Bouton! Master Raymond!) and seeing Claire and Jaime in a different environment. And of course we all knew that Jack Randall would reappear at some point. Really loved where the story went in this volume. Makes me more excited about reading the third book sometime soon. (Although I might need a break from the 600+ page behemoths in this series. Maybe in March?)

Outlander

#0.5 Virgins
#1 Outlander
#2 Dragonfly in Amber
#3 Voyager
#4 The Drums of Autumn
#5 The Fiery Cross
#6 A Breath of Snow and Ashes
#7 An Echo in the Bone
#7.5 The Space Between
#8 Written in My Own Heart's Blood
#8 A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Title: Outlander (Outlander #1)

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Publisher: Dell 1998

Genre: Historical Romance/Fantasy

Pages: 850

Rating: 5/5 stars TV Show: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fantasy Project; NPR Scifi and Fantasy; TBR Reduction; A to Z -- O; Book to Movie; Outlander

Unrivaled storytelling ... unforgettable characters ... rich historical detail ... these are the hallmarks of Diana Gabaldon's work. Her New York Times bestselling Outlander novels have earned the praise of critics and captured millions of readers.Here is the story that started it all, introducing two remarkable characters, Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser, in a spellbinding novel of passion and history that combines exhilarating adventure with a love story for the ages....The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon — when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach — an "outlander" — in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord ... 1743.Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life ... and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire ... and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

My reread of this novel was slow going. I have no idea why it took me this long to read, because I really really enjoyed this book. Whatever the reason, I loved getting back into the story of Claire and Jamie. I originally read this a few years back at history reenactment events. Fitting as we were reenacting French and Indian War set just a few decades after Outlander. I never continued the series, yet have wanted to in the intervening years. One of my goals this year to finish the series.

Within the first chapter I dove head first back into the story. I love the character of Claire. She is such a well-rounded character I can imagine meeting her on the street. I love that her reactions to falling back in time are realistic. She is confused, angry, sad, but understands that she needs to figure this new situation out to survive. I love it! And meeting Jamie Fraser is just the beginning of a great romance. I love their little conversations here and there even before the wedding. I can't wait to see where their story leads in the rest of the series.

TV Show:

I was wary of the television series. Would it hold up to such an amazing book? Thankfully it does! Most of this is due to such great casting. They found the perfect people for Claire and Jamie, but the best casting is Tobias Menzies as Black Jack/Frank Randall. I've never been a huge fan of Frank, but to finally see him, I am more sympathetic to his situation. And then we get the flip side of Black Jack. Truly a villain for the ages. Beyond the main characters, I really enjoyed Dougal and especially Angus. And the scenery is just absolutely gorgeous. I want to go to Scotland right now! The only problem I have with the series was the horrible cliffhanger the creators left us with at the end of the first run. I guess I know what happens, but my goodness that was evil.

Outlander

#0.5 Virgins
#1 Outlander
#2 Dragonfly in Amber
#3 Voyager
#4 The Drums of Autumn
#5 The Fiery Cross
#6 A Breath of Snow and Ashes
#7 An Echo in the Bone
#7.5 The Space Between
#8 Written in My Own Heart's Blood
#8 A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows

2015 Fairy Tales and Outlander Reading Challenges

For this year's reading challenges, I decided to do something very different and drastic. I am going to read women authors. I feel like I've been neglecting all those wonderful female authors sitting on my shelves. I will be tailoring my challenge participation to account for this overall goal. I do have a few exceptions. I may read a male author if 1) I've already started the series and desperately want to finish it (i.e. Song of Ice and Fire) 2) It is a book club selection (out of my hands) or 3) If it is a male author writing nonfiction specifically about a women subject (e.g. a biography of Kate Chopin). Other than those three exceptions, I want to discover some wonderful women authors.

From The Daily Prophecy:

Yes, this is happening! I contacted Debz Bookshelf (who hosted this challenge for three years) if it was okay to take it over. I’ve never hosted a reading challenge before, so it’s all new for me and I will try to make it as fun as possible! Here are the details:
The challenge runs from January 1st – December 31st 2015.
The goal is to read fairytale retellings, but if you want you can also pick other retellings. It’s up to you what you count as a fairytale. Here are a couple of books you can pick from:my bookshelf with fairytale retellings and Fairytale lists on Listopia. You can read Middle Grade, Young Adult and Adult books for this challenge. Obviously, the book doesn't have to be published in 2015.
There are 6 different levels you can aim for:-Prince Charming: 1 – 4 books.-Magic mirror: 5 - 9 books.-Big bad wolf: 10 – 15 books.-The wise princess: 16 – 20 books.-Wicked fairy Godmother: 21 – 25 books.-Bluebeard: you are killing it! 26+ books.
Every beginning of the month I will make a link-up post where you put all your reviews in and they will have fun/informative introductions.
It’s not a promise, but there might be challenges.
Most important thing: HAVE FUN and spread the word :)

I want to get back into reading some fairy tale adaptations. This sounds perfect. I decided to got with the Big Bad Wolf level of 10-15 books. Realistically, it will probably be 10 books, but maybe more.

From It's a Book Life:

Why am I hosting this challenge? A while ago I read the first book in this series and never got around to reading the rest. Then I watched the television show this past year and realized that I wanted to read this series now more than ever. Therefore, I decided to challenge myself to finally read all eight Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon, and I didn't want to do it alone. I really couldn't find any other challenges out there this specific so I decided to create one. (I know this is kind of like a read-a-long but these books are so big I feel like it is more of a challenge.) **This is my first time hosting a challenge so hang in there.
Who can join? Anyone and everyone is welcome to join the challenge. It doesn't matter if you have read the books before and just want to re-read them or if this is your first time digging in.
How long does this challenge last? The challenge runs from Feb. 1, 2015 to Sept. 30, 2015. Why those months? Those months seem to be the least hectic for everyone. Also, I wanted to aim for reading a book a month.
The Reading Schedule (The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon in Order)February - Outlander March - Dragonfly in Ember April - Voyager May - Drums of Autumn June -The Fiery Cross July - A Breathe of Snow and Ashes August - An Echo in the Bone September - Written in My Own Hearts Blood ** If you get behind or ahead in the reading schedule that is totally fine. The goal is just to read all eight books by the end of September.
Bonus Reads The Exile - A Graphic Novel Lord John Grey Series - Lord John and the Private Matter - Lord John and the Hand of Devils - Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade - Scottish Prisoner
Will there be a giveaway? If at least 10 lovely people sign up for this challenge I will host a giveaway at the end as a reward for all of those who participated, whether you read one or all eight books. There will be a chance for extra entries if you read any of the bonus books on this list.
How do you keep track and share what you have read? Head on over to the review link up post (COMING SOON!) to share your reviews on the books! If you don't have a blog you can always just post a link to your review on goodreads or simply share in the comments what book you finished reading and what you thought.
How do you join? Sign up below with the linky anytime! All you have to do is share the link to the blog post, twitter, goodreads shelf, or whatever way you want, stating that you are going to participate in the challenge. Please link back to this page so others can join the challenge as well and see what it is all about. Feel free to use the challenge banner below in your post.

I am determined to finally read this series in 2015!

2012 Reading Challenge Round-Up -- Failed Edition

I hear 2013 calling my name. I think it's time to call 2012 quits and start my end of the year posts. In total I entered 27 reading challenges this year. Let's see how I did... Failed challenges edition.

Wow! Two years in a row I wanted to read this series and two years in a row I utterly failed...

Outlander (1991)
Dragonfly in Amber (1992)
Voyager (1994)
Drums of Autumn (1997)
The Fiery Cross (2001)

So close! Yet, I didn't complete it in time. Those Us and Xs are very hard to find. And I cheated a bit with the Q.

A — American Vampire by Jennifer Armintrout (2/2/12)
B — Bad Doings and Big Ideas by Bill Willingham (4/23/12)
C — Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (1/12/12)
D — Doctor Who: Through Time and Space (2/22/12)
E — The Boys Volume 10 by Garth Ennis (6/7/12)
F — Frostbite by Richelle Mead (6/22/12)
G — A Gentleman Always Remembers by Candace Camp (2/7/12)
H — Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein (1/8/12)
I – Intentions of the Earl by Rose Gordon (6/29/12)
J — The Joy of Scrapbooking by Lisa Bearnson (1/30/12)
K — Wonderland by Tommy Kovac and Sonny Liew (5/23/12)
L — A Lady Never Tells by Candace Camp (1/23/12)
M — The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore (2/11/12)
N — Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli (6/1/12)
O — Slanted and Enchanted by Kayla Oakes (9/16/12)
P — The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (5/7/12)
Q — Social Q’s by Philip Galanes (12/4/12)
R — Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (2/1/12)
S — Fables: Super Group (2/2/12)
T — Timeless by Gail Carriger (3/18/12)
U —
V — The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (4/20/12)
W — Fables: Witches by Bill Willingham (1/6/12)
X –
Y — The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (2/26/12)
Z — Zombie Blondes by Brian James (2/4/12)

Failed, but a pretty decent showing considering my goal.

0-99 — This Book is Overdue by Marilyn Johnson (9/1/12)
100-199 — Haunts of San Jose by David Lee (9/1/12)
200-299 — The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (2/26/12)
300-309 — Click edited by J. Courtney Sullivan and Courtney Martin (12/7/12)
310-319
320-329 — Liberty Defined by Ron Paul (9/3/12)
330-339 — The Green Book (12/11/12)
340-349 — Active Liberty by Stephen Breyer (12/10/12)
350-359
360-369
370-379 — Change.edu by Andrew Rosen (9/16/12)
380-389 — On Target by Laura Rowley (9/19/12)
390-399 – Social Q’s by Philip Galanes (12/4/12)
400-499 — Words Words Words by David Crystal (12/5/12)
500-599
600-699 — The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson (4/18/12)
700-709 — Slanted and Enchanted by Kayla Oakes (9/16/12)
710-719
720-729
730-739 – Minigami by Gay Merrill Gross (12/11/12)
740-749 — Blue by Lisa Cregan (12/10/12)
750-759 — Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun by Gita May (9/21/12)
760-769
770-779 — The Joy of Scrapbooking by Lisa Bearnson (1/30/12)
780-789
790-799 — Harry Potter Film Wizardry by Brian Sibley (1/29/12)
800-899 — Readings on Shakespeare’s The Histories (3/25/12)
900-909 — The Lost Millennium by Florin Diacu (9/12/12)
910-919 — Paris in Love by Eloisa James (5/16/12)
920-929 — Not Quite What I was Planning (12/3/12)
930-939 — Ten Discoveries that Rewrote History by Patrick Hunt (9/18/12)
940-949 — Sprezzatura by D’Epiro and Pinkowish (12/6/12)
950-959
960-969 — A History of Egypt by Jason Thompson (12/7/12)
970-979 – Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick (6/17/12)
980-989
990-999

Another overly ambitious goal, but I gave it a try anyway.

1982 — Blade Runner / Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (11/27/12)
1983 –
1984 –
1985 –
1986 –
1987 –
1988 — The Sandman Volume 1 Preludes and Nocturnes (6/4/12)
1989 –
1990 — The Sandman Volume 2 the Doll’s House (6/6/12)
1991 — Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein (1/8/12)
1992 — The Sandman Volume 4 Season of Mists (7/2/12)
1993 — The Sandman Volume 5 A Game of You (7/5/12)
1994 —
1995 — The Dark Compass by Philip Pullman (8/12/12)
1996 — The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (4/20/12)
1997 – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
1998 — Reading’s on Shakespeare’s The Histories (3/25/12)
1999 — HP 2 by J.K. Rowling (2/22/12)
2000 — The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (8/20/12)
2001 — Sprezzatura by D’Epiro and Pinkowish (12/6/12)
2002 –
2003 — HP 5 by J.K. Rowling (5/29/12)
2004 — Persepolis: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi (7/4/12)
2005 — The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (4/8/12)
2006 – Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick (6/17/12)
2007 — Lost in Austen by Emma Campbell Webster (1/29/12)
2008 — Hatter M Vol. 1 (1/15/12)
2009 — The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks (1/7/12)
2010 — Fables: Witches (1/6/12)
2011 — Jack of Fables: The End (1/6/12)

This one was a bit of a joke. I think I knew signing up that I wouldn't complete it. Oh well!

1. Blue — Blue by Lisa Cregan (12/10/12)

2. Red — Fables: Rose Red (1/10/12)

3. Yellow —

4. Green — The Green Book (12/11/12)

5. Brown — Choclate by Shara Aaron and Monica Bearden (12/4/12)

6. Black — Blackout by Mira Grant (10/17/12) 7. White — The White Pearl by Kate Furnivall (12/13/12)

8. Other Color —

9. Word that implies color —

This one was a seasonal challenge with interesting qualifies. And yet I only finished 9 out of the 14 categories.

Read a book chosen for the U.S. 2012 World Book Night.
Read a book you were supposed to read in school, but either bailed on or Cliff-Noted.
Read a memoir or narrative nonfiction book. – Paris in Love by Eloisa James
Read a book in one calendar day. – The Frog Prince: A Fairy Tale for Consenting Adults by Stephen Mitchell
Read a book that you’ve always wanted to read but haven’t gotten around to yet. – Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Read a pair of books that have antonyms in the titles. – Beauty by Robin McKinley and
Read a book that is set in a place you’ve never been but want to visit. – The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (Salem, Massachusetts)
Find a book written the year you were born that was later made into a movie. Read the book and watch the movie; compare. Or find a movie released the year you were born that was based on a book. Do the same thing.
Go into a bookstore or library. Pick any bookshelf. Read the third book from the left on the fourth shelf from the top
Read a book about which you’ve heard bad things. – Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
Read a trilogy (or any three consecutive books in a series). Total page count for all three books together must be at least 500 pages. – A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray; Rebel Angels by Libba Bray; The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

2012 Outlander Reading Challenge

From Literary Escapism:

I am a huge fan of Diana Gabaldon’s OUTLANDER series and I keep hearing how people want to read this series, but never do. Sadly, I haven’t read any of the Outlander novels since A Breath of Snow and Ashes came out in 2005. The seventh novel, An Echo in the Bone, has already been out for a year and the eighth novel, Written in My Heart’s Own Blood, will be coming out soon (although not soon enough). So I’m thinking I really need to get reacquainted with Jamie, Claire and all the other wonderful characters in the Outlander novels by starting from the beginning. I’m also thinking this is the perfect time for all everyone who keeps saying they want to read it, to finally picking them up. Plus, for those who have read Outlander, but haven’t picked up the Lord John novels – yea, I’m including those too. *grin*

So for 2012, I’m hosting the Outlander Reading Challenge. Here are the details:

The challenge will run from January 1st through December 31st.

The goal is to read all 7 Outlander novels as well as all 4 Lord John novels, listed below, or as many as you can or want to do.

Once a month, we’ll get together and chat about where and what we’ve read (more details about this to come).

After reading one of the novels, write your review and then come back to the main challenge page and add your link to Mr. Linky. Make sure you include your name and which title you’ve read.

I tried to complete the Outlander series last year failed miserably. I didn't even read one. So, I thought I would challenge myself yet again. Hope this year goes better! I'm only setting a goal of the first 5 novels.

Outlander (1991)
Dragonfly in Amber (1992)
Voyager (1994)
Drums of Autumn (1997)
The Fiery Cross (2001)

2011 Outlander Series Reading Challenge

From The Lit Bitch:

Welcome to The Outlander Series Reading Challenge 2011! I know I am about two days late on this posting but let’s just say it took a fair amount of trial and error to figure out how to make a button and link everything back so my apologies for the late info and post!!

My sister and my mom have been reading the Outlander Series and raving about it for the last few months and I have yet to read the series! My biggest fear is that I will love it so much I will probably not do anything else once I start reading them–so I figured why not have some fun and involve others in my reading journey–and what better way than through a reading challenge. So here you have it, after some painstaking HTML research and a crash course in programming here you have it–the Outlander Series Reading Challenge 2011!

I had to, I just had to join one more reading challenge. I read the first book in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series and have been meaning to read the rest. I started Drums of Autumn a few months ago, but put it down, then lost it in the jumble, and have found it again, but should really start over. So I am committing myself to reading the entire series this year. A friend has joined me in the challenge on an unofficial basis. Now to re-find all my books...