I’m forever grateful to Diana Gabaldon for writing the Outlander series.
I first discovered it in October 2010 as a free e-book for my Kindle. (OMG- can I just tell you how much I love my Kindle? Greatest invention ever. But that’s for another post.) The books could be classified as Romance, or Historical Fiction, or even Science Fiction for the time-travel element. Here’s how Amazon.com describes the plot of Outlander, the first book:
“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.
I was lame and sore in every muscle when I woke next morning. I shuffled to the privy closet, then to the wash basin. My innards felt like churned butter. It felt as though I had been beaten with a blunt object, I reflected, then thought that that was very near the truth. The blunt object in question was visible as I came back to bed, looking now relatively harmless. Its possessor [Jamie] woke as I sat next to him, and examined me with something that looked very much like male smugness.”
Now, I’m normally a nonfiction/spiritual awakening kind of reader (with some exceptions like Twilight & Southern Vampire series), so I surprised myself when I clicked on the book title; I mean, my closest living example of someone who reads romance novels is my late grandmother who rarely left her home (ok, kitchen chair) & had stacks of them piled up around her house.
The first couple of hundred pages were a little slow, but holy crap once it picked up it RAN! I was hooked. Like a druggie. Outlander is like “my own personal brand of heroin,”(Edward to Bella in Twilight). The characters are so real. I’m convinced they absolutely must have existed, and Diana Gabaldon somehow channeled their essence into the books. They’re so real to me.
I laughed, cried, raged, lusted…Oh yes. Jamie Fraser. (Cue dreamy sigh…)
A funny thing happened as I read the books—I became aware that I was less critical of myself. And I looked at my husband differently, felt closer to him. I initiated sex much more often—something about this story affected me in a such a way that I’m not the same. And I like it (so does my husband!).
Now GO READ THIS BOOK SERIES!
outlanderfan.com 
amy said,
August 8, 2011 at 9:23 pm
I FINALLY remembered to get it at the library today!!!
outlanderfan said,
August 10, 2011 at 9:02 am
Good for you! If you love it I have a copy you can keep- I won a box of them! You have to let me know what think!
Kate Fields Bartolotta said,
August 14, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Thank you SO MUCH for recommending!! Started last night & only have about 100 pages to go (I’ve had to stop every once in awhile & interrupt fights, feed the kids…etc….luckily they play together pretty well:) Can’t wait for Dragonfly in Amber!!
outlanderfan said,
August 14, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Yay Kate!!! I’m so glad you like it- Welcome to my Outlander world, lol.
TRuff said,
November 3, 2011 at 8:45 am
I got into Outlander when I bought my Nook in July 2010. It was my first library ebook that I checked out. I loved it and devoured the first three books in 3 weeks or so. I got my friend into them and waited for her to catch up to continue. We we’ve been getting other friends into them too. We are obsessed. We have been so worried about Outlander withdrawal that we haven’t finished the series yet and only recently started The Fiery Cross. I am so excited for The Scottish Prisoner at the end of this month to get my Jamie fix. Both me and my friend also won 10 free of the book and have been happily sharing the love.
outlanderfan said,
November 3, 2011 at 9:46 am
@ Truff: Did you know you can read the first 22 pages of Scottish Prisoner? Just go to this link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/71357887/The-Scottish-Prisoner-by-Diana-Gabaldon-Excerpt Enjoy and thanks so much for commenting! = )
Desiree Weston said,
November 3, 2011 at 11:49 am
How do you win the books? I only own a paperback copy of Outlander, and would like to have the whole set..
outlanderfan said,
November 10, 2011 at 7:41 am
Desiree, there is another giveaway going on right now thru Dec 7th- here’s the link:
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/16833-outlander
Good luck!
Desiree Weston said,
November 3, 2011 at 11:51 am
I read the excerpt from The Scottish Prisoner on scribd.com…wow, I can’t wait to get my preordered copy..!
outlanderfan said,
November 3, 2011 at 1:47 pm
@ Desiree: Random House has had a couple of contests recently- I even won a box myself! If they have another one I’ll be sure to mention it. And I can’t wait to get my preordered copy of Scottish Prisoner too!!!!
jessica said,
February 8, 2012 at 3:07 pm
A little late in reading this blog but i HAD to leave a comment. I 100% agree with everything you said. I was particularly surprised that I’m not the only one that has been more intimate. It’s amazing how these books can affect a reader in such a way. I just recently started reading the books a month ago – about half way through Voyager, but I have definite plans of rereading them all again!!!
outlanderfan said,
February 8, 2012 at 4:23 pm
It is amazing Jessica- it’s like I have a new appreciation for ‘the male species’ lol. Did you start reading the books a month ago for the FIRST time, or are you rereading them? Thanks so much for commenting! ☺
Jessica Symons Stubbs said,
February 8, 2012 at 6:08 pm
I just started reading them! Any spare time I have I’m reading….they are ridiculously addicting! My sister in law has just started reading Outlander and it’s soooooo hard not tell her everything! I’m getting a little obsessive lol
outlanderfan said,
February 8, 2012 at 9:52 pm
I’m so envious you’re experiencing everything for the first time! You are so lucky!!!
Jessica Symons Stubbs said,
February 9, 2012 at 12:06 am
LMAO I said those same exact words to my sister in law- and I haven’t even made it through the series yet!!!
amberanacapa said,
June 1, 2012 at 10:04 pm
I was so glad to hear someone else say that they thought the books had changed them. I fell that way too.
OutlanderFan said,
June 2, 2012 at 9:00 am
It definitely did- and thank you for sharing that, it’s validating to hear someone else say it out loud, lol.
Mary said,
August 29, 2012 at 7:47 am
I am so happy I stumbled upon your website!! I’ve only begun reading these books in late June; I’ve read the Outlander series twice since then! Soooooo obsessed with these characters – I’ve never, EVER been touched by an author’s work as I have by these books. And – what you said about becoming less critical of yourself and feeling closer to your husband – so resonated with me! I have a theory about this…. Have you ever socialized with another couple whose relationship is, let’s say – toxic – and had it negatively affect, at least temporarily, your relationship with your husband? We have – and by the same token, spending time with another couple that has a deep and abiding affection for each other can have a positive effect, too – right? Jamie and Claire’s relationship is so real to us readers that it’s almost like spending time with them… I think there’s a psychological element at work here…. I was talking to two of my sisters about Diana’s works and I told them I feel like I’ve fundamentally changed since reading them. I couldn’t put my feelings into words but – you get it, right? I can’t even talk about these books without getting all choked up… Am I crazy? Thanks for listening – I’d love any feedback/insights you can offer…
OutlanderFan said,
August 30, 2012 at 10:40 am
I think you hit the nail on the head, Mary; we do spend so much time with the characters throughout the series, they do feel real (I have a theory that they are real, but that’s for another post 😉 And no, obviously I, who created a website/facebook page/twitter account around Outlander and spend most of my free time working on it for free, do not think you’re crazy, lol. It fundamentally changed me too ♥
Mary said,
August 30, 2012 at 4:38 pm
THANK YOU for the reassurance! And – I would love to hear your theories about the characters being real…. I would tend to agree with you ; )