Oh my… it’s been a while! And I’ve really missed participating with The Geeks, so I was thrilled to see a fairly easy topic this week to get me back into it!
Here’s the prompt I chose for this week (love that we had choices, weee!):
Do you have a favorite book that really pulled you back in time, or perhaps gave you a special interest in that period? Include a link to a review of it on another book blog if you can find one.
I didn’t even have to think about this one… Hands down, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.
When I first started reading again a few years ago, my friend Angie introduced me to all things romance and paranormal and urban… and historical (and probably some other things that I’m forgetting at the moment, but you get the point!). And another friend of mine at the time was always mentioning her “all-time favorite book,” Outlander (which I had never even heard of before). I was curious, so I ordered Outlander from Paperback Swap… cringed a little when it arrived and I saw the SIZE of the thing… and set off on a Highlander adventure.
I then spent the next couple of weeks devouring every book in the series. I couldn’t get enough of Jamie and Claire… and, yes, the time period.
From Amazon.com Review:
In Outlander, a 600-page time-travel romance, strong-willed and sensual Claire Randall leads a double life with a husband in one century, and a lover in another. Torn between fidelity and desire, she struggles to understand the pure intent of her heart. But don’t let the number of pages and the Scottish dialect scare you. It’s one of the fastest reads you’ll have in your library.
While on her second honeymoon in the British Isles, Claire touches a boulder that hurls her back in time to the forbidden Castle Leoch with the MacKenzie clan. Not understanding the forces that brought her there, she becomes ensnared in life-threatening situations with a Scots warrior named James Fraser. But it isn’t all spies and drudgery that she must endure. For amid her new surroundings and the terrors she faces, she is lured into love and passion like she’s never known before.
Gabaldon creates characters that you’ll remember, laugh with, cry with, and cheer for long after you’ve finished the book. –Candy Paape
Historical romance remains my favorite genre today. And Highlanders are my absolute favorite (I think I’ve maybe mentioned this a time or two on other book “review” posts! Just maybe…). And I know it all started with Jamie and Claire.
Oh my, there are so many billions of book blog reviews for Outlander!! I’ll just list a few of my favorites that I came across this morning!
Jackie (fellow Geek!) at Literary Escapism
Needless to say, I highly recommend Outlander… to just about anyone. And now I’m itching to read it (and the rest of the series) again!!
New and Improved... 
I’ve always thought about reading Diana Gabaldon. Maybe this is the push I needed. 😀
Oh, that book sounds tantalizing! My TBR pile keeps growing by leaps and bounds now that I’ve started Weekly Geeks! And I love the header…Shabby Princess is simply wonderful! I’ve used the gem swirls many a time and just love them!!
This is one of my favorite books!
I’ve only read the first one. I really need to get going on the rest!
I really enjoyed the first 2 of this series, and then started feeling burnt out on it in the middle of #3. I’m sure I’ll go back to it at some point. Fun read!