Tag: Diana Gabaldon

Mini-Review: A Breath of Snow and Ashes

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Breath

  • Author: Diana Gabaldon

As with the majority of the Outlander books, I bought my copy of A Breath of Snow and Ashes from a used bookstore.  I would have bought them brand new, but after buying both the second and third books in the series as ebooks, I *had* to get the rest as quickly as possible to avoid any more middle of the night ebook purchases I couldn’t really afford.  I wish I had looked more carefully at the hardcover edition of this book, though, because, as I was reading, I discovered the former owner enjoyed snacking while they read and didn’t care about using food covered fingers to turn the pages.  Perhaps that’s an indication of how engrossing book #6 is?

With the exception of the first book, I flew through A Breath of Snow and Ashes much faster than any of the others, despite it being the longest of the series so far.  So much happens, though!  I couldn’t stop reading, regardless of the fact that I was in the middle of at least three other books.  I carried it around with me everywhere, even though it’s a hefty hardcover, just in case I ever had a few minutes to spare.  I despised anyone who dared to interrupt me while I was reading, and I talked the Boyfriend’s ear off every time something major would happen.  I believe my gushing over this, and past, books is one of the reasons I had a bit of an Outlander Christmas, and while it doesn’t end in a cliffhanger, but with a lot of questions unanswered, as soon as I finished it, I started An Echo in the Bone.

First Book of the Year 2016!

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First Book

Sheila over at Book Journey wants to know what we’ll be reading as our first book of the new year.  When I signed up, my first book of 2016 was going to the be The Portable Dorothy Parker.  However, I just finished A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, and as I knew would happen, I wanted to jump right into reading the next book in the Outlander series.  So, I’m bringing in the new year with An Echo in the Bone!

2015-12-31 21.17.24

Happy New Year, Everyone!

 

Mini-Review: The Scottish Prisoner

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Scottish

  • Author: Diana Gabaldon
  • ISBN: 9780385337526

I purchased this book from a used bookstore after I had read the first three books of the “Outlander” series and knew that I wanted all of the related books.

The Scottish Prisoner combines Lord John’s and Jamie Fraser’s timelines more so than any of the other books from either series.  It also tells part of Jamie’s life that isn’t in the “Outlander” books.  Chronologically, the story’s events fall between Voyager and Drums of Autumn.

I’ve been told countless times that I need or should read the “Lord John” books, but I’ve never had any interest in them.  If the series always featured Jamie, then I would read them with the same love I have for all things “Outlander”, but otherwise, I’ll pass, thank you.  However, since The Scottish Prisoner does have Jamie in it, I was glad to pay money to buy the book.  The story is exactly what you can expect from Diana Gabaldon.  I loved it and got through it quickly.  There were several nights when I stayed up later than I should have just to keep reading, and if there is any test to determine the quality of a book, that would be it.  So, if you’ve read the “Outlander” series, at least up to Drums of Autumn, this book is well worth your time.

#COYER Scavenger Hunt #39: Read a book with no living thing on the cover.

 

Mini-Review: The Fiery Cross

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Fiery

  • Author: Diana Gabaldon

I bought The Fiery Cross a couple years ago. I was introduced to Outlander through my book club, and when I finished it, I bought Dragonfly in Amber.  When I finished it, very late on a school night, I immediately bought and began reading the ebook version of Voyager.  To save money and avoid anymore 1 am ebook purchases, I went on a quest to find the rest of the books in the series in used bookstores.  While I did manage to find them, life and other books got in the way of reading them.  I read The Drums of Autumn about a year and a half ago but didn’t start The Fiery Cross until this February.

While I spent more time getting through this book than any other in the series, that’s not because of the book itself or the fact that it could be a doorstop.  I’ve been reading brick-sized books since I was 12 and I love this series.  I’m attached to the characters to a degree I haven’t experienced since I read Anne Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles”.  This is the book I wanted to read instead of so many other books this year, but I signed up for several reading challenges, and it only qualifies for one of them.  When I found myself in the kind of stubborn mood that made me refuse to read anything I “should” read, I finished the remaining 400 pages within a couple days.  There were several tension-filled on the edge of the couch moments in those pages, and a couple of them made me shed tears of relief after everything worked out.  I can’t wait until I have the time to start A Breath of Snow and Ashes!

Monday’s Minutes #21

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Currently Reading: A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall, a review book, and The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon.

Crown Fiery

Challenges:

  • Once Upon a Time IX Progress: 5 out of 5. All I have left is to read “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Shakespeare.
  • Show Your Shelves Some Love Progress: 18 out of 51.
  • Outdo Yourself Progress: 30 out of 66.
  • Netgalley/Edelweiss Progress: 9 out of 50.
  • SF/F Bingo: Unless I figure out a new way of rearranging the books I’ve already read, Journey to the Underhill Gates and The Thrones of Fire and Stone by P.J. Owen, as wells as The Coffee Legacy, don’t fit on any of the remaining squares.

S&S Bingo2update10

Total pages read for the week: 468

Total # of books for the year: 31.  This week, though I did get some reading done, I had a giant case of the “I don’t want to do anything” and spent about half of my time gaming.  I think I was more burnt out from the Spring semester than I realized, and I’ve been trying to do too many things since it ended; many of which needed to get done before my Summer classes start next week.

Top Commenters: This week, my Top Commenters were Jen @ That’s What I’m Talking About, Berls @ Fantasy is More Fun, and Lark @ The Bookwyrm’s Hoard.

What are you reading this week?

#ShelfLove: Pretty Please?!

Published on by RachelleLeave a comment

showyourshelves_zps8f6e8b06-png320x480For May, those of us participating in the #ShelfLove No Book Buying Challenge are supposed to give our best “sales pitch” for why we should be allowed to buy a certain book.  So, just this once, I’m amending my decision to not buy any books this year, with the exception of using gift cards, IF I convince you, dear readers, to give me permission.  There’s a poll at the end of this post where you will have the chance to tell me “aye” or “nay”.

The book:  The Outlandish Companion, Vol. 2 by Diana Gabaldon

Outlandish 2

Why I want to buy this book:

  1. I’m obsessed with Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series (Jamie and Claire are my OTP.)
  2. I’m obsessed with all things Scottish (Except whiskey.  I’m a rum girl.)
  3. I already have Volume 1.
  4. It would help me in completing my Outlander collection.

Why I should be allowed to buy this book:

  1. It would help complete my collection.
  2. It doesn’t come out until October of this year, so it’s a present that I can look forward to getting.
  3. I will be using the money I get from my box of books that I will be taking to the used book store (My original plan was to take the box in at the end of the year for next year’s book budget).  Since this is a brand new hardcover book, that means I’ll have to fill the box, and then some, to have enough money.  In other words, I’ll be clearing off shelf space (the whole purpose of the #ShelfLove challenge) in order to buy it.  The last I checked, it was just over $28 as a pre-order.

[polldaddy poll=8835124]

The poll closes a week from now, and I’ll post the results in the next “Monday’s Minutes”.