![]() But I am a naturally fast reader, and can speed it up a bit when I want to.) (I’m not a true speed reader-not the kind of speed reading you take courses for or anything-nor do I wish to be. Give me a book with solid writing and irresistible narrative drive, and I’ll show you a book I’ll read in three days flat. I have a history of burning through great series at an alarming pace. I can’t wait to find out what happens next. I want to read the series-the whole shebang, 8+ books, 8,479 pages, 300+ hours on Audible-because I am completely hooked on the story. I read book #1 and now I am totally hooked. (Silly me, I thought I was signing up for a three-book series, because my friend had three Outlander books on her shelf at the time. There are actually eight, for a total to date of 8,479 pages, with at least one more novel that pushes a thousand pages on the way.) In short, Gabaldon won my nerdy writer’s heart with her terrific two-page intro, and I decided right there that I had to read this book. But she never was edited out, and the story went to press as-is, with her publisher declaring “this has to be a word-of-mouth sales campaign, because this book is too weird for a marketer to describe.” She started her story with 18th century Scottish Highlanders, because as a historian, she knew something about them.Ī modern woman kept asserting herself into the antiquated story, and Gabaldon let her remain for the time being-it was hard enough to write she’d edit her out later. Gabaldon said she sat down to write her first novel, knowing it would be total crap, as first novels usually are, and she might as well get it over with as soon as possible. I don’t own that edition myself this is completely from memory. My friend had the 20th anniversary edition, which begins with a two-page forward in which author Diana Gabaldon explains how the books came into being. I grabbed book #1 off the shelf- I couldn’t help myself-and flipped it open. When I was over at her house soon after, I saw the books-with their fat spines and beautiful covers-neatly arranged on her bookshelf. But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything: that list is several hundred titles long.īut then my friend told me she had decided to read the series for herself. Many of you enthusiastically recommended the Outlander series to me, and I’d hesitantly added them to my To Be Read List. (Based on my present and past confessions, I’m sure you’re in no doubt about my readerly identity.) I’m republishing it today: I hope you enjoy it, and I’d love to hear which camp YOU fall into. I’ve loved reading the series, but it has seriously disrupted my regular reading life.Īs I’ve been blazing through these novels, my mind has kept returning to this post I originally wrote a year and a half ago, when I was hooked on a different series. I haven’t added up how many pages that is. I began the first book of her Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James British mystery series on November 25. Last night I finished my last Deborah Crombie novel. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |