I'm currently binging on Outlander
 

So I've been wanting to read the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon F O R E V E R!!! Now I've finally gotten around to starting it and I'm so glad I did. I have a bit of a commitment phobia to long series, and this being 8 (?) books I was hesitant.

I'm so glad I started this and I'm hooked! Hubby and I (he does not like to read -- I'm still working on that) have also been binge watching the series as well, but being careful I don't surpass my spot in the books with the shows. I'm impressed with the show and it's the first time I've read/watched at the same time with any series or movie.

This may be a new addiction for me. I may have to start reading the Walking Dead books and get caught up on those so I can also binge read/watch that series too (that will be lots of reading though to get caught up to the new season starting soon -- yay a cannot wait).

If you want to broaden that out a bit, try the Audible versions. They are excellent. And all but one of them are WhisperSync for Voice enabled, for those on a Kindle, though I see that you aren't.

Good to know :)

Just goes to show that it takes all sorts :). Delighted to hear that you're enjoying them. Suffice it to say that they aren't my cup of tea.

I bought an omnibus version of the first seven (I think?) ebooks for some ridiculously cheap price quite a while ago. I'll get around to trying them someday.

And it would be boring if everyone liked the same thing. Thank god for diversity. But honestly I'm crazy enjoying these books. It's been a while since I've read anything that I couldn't figure out the plot or how it ends. This one I have tons of ideas but have no idea where it will go and it moves so quickly and always surprises me.

I have a feeling I'm going to have a major book hangover when this series is done and will be in a corner weeping for a long time.

For me it had virtually no plot - just an endless succession of capture/rescue/sex scenes. I also intensely disliked all the bondage/rape scenes. I didn't just not like it; it's one of the few books I can honestly say that I've actively disliked.

I haven't read the series yet but I started watching the series on Amazon Prime and was hoping it was more of a Highlander style approach. Found it very slow, some episodes were good and others not so good but stopped after the first season. Might have to pickup the books, not sure how closely the books vs the TV series link together.

Many parts of the first book are word for word in the TV series. I was surprised. And I thought they did a good job. The end is a bit different but the same result as to where it leaves off.

Well I can appreciate the bondage/rape stuff (although it's not quite as bad as some of the Anne Rice writings -- i.e. Beauty series) because it's the time period when those things were sort of acceptable, just not as graphic as the ones I read in Beauty. It's just the way things worked back then. Besides, I've read 50 Shades (well almost, I couldn't bring myself to finish the first book) and I have no aversion to smut when it's written well, but that was just crapoloa! If i ever read the word "quiver" again I may just throw up.

As for the plot, well it *is* a constant round of capture/rescue/sex. Well more like sex/capture/sex/rescue/sex/sex/sex (but hey, hubby certainly doesn't mind when I read him those parts) so that's fun, but I know this is going somewhere, it has to. I just don't know where it's going yet or where these people will end up and right now that is what I wanted to read (lately everything i have been reading fiction wise I've been able to basically figure it all out after the first few chapters and I'm frankly getting annoyed with my (apparently exceptional) mind reading abilities.

I love these characters. I think the authors' character development is fantastic. And that may be the reason the other poster mentioned that some of the episodes were a bit slow (i.e. the one where Jamie and Claire have just gotten married and they spend several days in the bridal room getting to know each other before finally consummating their marriage). While the reading dragged on and the episode never seemed to end, I think it was pivotal to the development of Jamie's character and a good insight as to his background, where he came from and what he's gone through in life and why it's made him the way he is today.

God, I could discuss this book forever. And here I am discussing it with someone who doesn't like it! Well if you got this far into reading my reply, kudos to you! :thumbsup:

I just don't like sex scenes in books. Not because I'm prudish, but simply because I find them extraordinarily tedious. That's the main reason I dislike these books. Oh well, the important thing is that you find them enjoyable, and there's no shortage of other books for me to read.

I did that, too. It was some ridiculously low price that I became aware of when someone made a post here a few years ago.


I still haven't read any of them....

You should read some of the sex scenes in Tara Sivec's novels. Now those are NOT tedious! Just sayin' :laugh::laugh::laugh:

We must've reacted to the same bargain, then. :)

This is the reason I upgraded to the Aura One cause it has the built in overdrive and I hopefully don't have to spend any more money on books!

I haven't tried Overdrive but my understanding from reading the FAQ's is on Kindle if you want to rent something on Overdrive from your library it takes you to Amazon to loan the book that way. Again not sure if that's exactly how it works or how easy it is on Kindle but that's my understanding from reading the FAQ's. Not sure how better Overdrive support is on the Kobo.

But the original poster is in Canada. I don't believe library lending on the Kindle is supported in any country other than the US, is it?

Not sure, we have Overdrive library support here in the UK so I presume that it would still work. According to this link it works on Amazon UK and US - http://www.wikihow.com/Access-UK-Lib...ks-on-a-Kindle and more generically Overdrive is supported in 50 different countries - http://goodereader.com/blog/digital-...rent-countries

That's interesting, Dave - thanks for the link. It was certainly the case when I last checked that we couldn't borrow library books on a Kindle here in the UK.

Yeah I checked about a year ago and it wasn't possible either but now my local library (although I'm not a member anymore) do have OverDrive support, seems Overdrive have had a massive push on over the past year and really pushed the boat out to monopolise the market.

Overdrive has always been the dominant system for library ebooks in the UK, but - at least when I last checked - it only supports ePub, not Kindle.

It's wonderful when one finds a new series that clicks. It's a popular series, so you're not alone in liking this one.

But I found it wasn't for me. I like my historical fantasy to actually be historical, with characters that behave as they would in the historical period, and not like 20th Century characters in funny clothes. Or at bear minimum, no obvious anachronisms.

I bought the new Aura ONE and overdrive is built right into the reader so I just have to search the book I want on my reader, and click "borrow" if it's available. And it downloads automatically. I don't ever go on amazon.

I've bought the Outlander series as I've seen them on sale on Kindle, but much appreciate Overdrive for what Gabaldon refers to as the "bulges", the side stories about Lord John, etc., which I was happy to be able to read in an electronic format, but really wasn't interested in purchasing. :)

Did you read the side stories in order (mixed in with the big books) or read all the side stories after you finished the whole "big book" series?

I started on them when I finished the series and I wanted more to read. I figured I'd ignored the Lord John books long enough. Scottish Prisoner is my favorite of the bunch.

from my Galaxy S6

Great! Thank you!

Here's a link from Diana's site that discusses where all the stories fall chronologically.

This was a very good one - “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows” (short story (no, really, it is)) — Set (mostly) in 1941‐43, this is the story of What Really Happened to Roger MacKenzie’s parents.

Outlander (and the Lord John spinoff) is one of my favourite series. I have to say I was less than impressed by the first book but the series really improves quickly. I like multi-POV series so I'm glad it started taking off in that direction. I'm looking forward to the next book but I don't think a release date has been mentioned anywhere.

I had to giggle at the comment about 20th century characters - time-travel is involved, so they may *be* 20th century characters! :D

Umm... no. I'm happy for 20th century character to act like 20th century characters. The problem comes when 18th century ones are just the same.

Thank you!

I've just started book 2. About 9 Chapters in. I can't put this down. I'm so in love with the characters. Her development of them is amazing. I have to like the characters to want to continue reading. And I know this series is going to leave me with a massive book hangover. I'm going to miss them so much when I'm done (does that make me weird)?

I love these books. I have to say top of my hate list for books are romance, even worse is historical romances, or as I call them hysterical bodice rippers. I am also not a prude but find excessive sex scenes tedious. I tend to skim over them. I have no idea why I love these books, I just do. I am now way ahead of the TV series and I have to say I am very much enjoying where they are going. It must be an anomaly, same as Game of thrones, I love them but do not like fantasy books.