Outlander to read or not to read? That is the Question.
I love reading books, but I chose my books very carefully. Why, because I have a touch of OCD! If I start a book it doesn't matter if I love it, hate it, or it bores me to tears I have to finish it. That is not all either, If the book is part of a series I will have to read the whole series, and I have to read them in order starting with the first one.
It doesn't matter if the first book is severely lacking in quality, and I hate ever minute of it. If started, I will have to finish the whole series or it will eat at me until I go crazy. In the years I have read, I have only been able to stop one series without reading all of them, and that was almost 6 months ago and It still bothers me. I might go back some day and read it just to be done with it. And don't get me started on Amazon's free book. They are almost always the first book in a series, so I get it and swear to myself that I will just read it as a stand alone and be done, but that never happens!! EVER! I always go and buy the damn whole series so I can finish it.
SO HERE IS MY PROBLEM I don't know if I should read the first book in the Outlander series or not. I love Outlander the tv show on Stars. What is not to love? One word: Jamie!
So being the obsessive fan girl I am I learned that the show is based off of the book series. So I looked them up and was totally planning to read 'em all and see the Jamie Claire love fest til the HEA! But there is one big problem with that; I am pretty sure they don't really get a HEA. You see when I am trying to figure out if I wanna read a series I look up each book that series on Goodreads. I read the Blurb, the ratings, some of my friends reviews, and then one or two Community Reviews of each book for the series I am considering. I am looking for my pet peeves, and to just see what a book is about. When you read as much as I do book cost adds up so if I see a series with tons of my pet peeves I skip em!
The following are my pet peeves (things that just ruin a book for me)
1. Cheaters!!! GOD, I hate fucking cheating in a book. I don't want to be reminded of my Cheating ass ex- husband nor do I want to relive that pain you feel when someone betrays you in the worst way!
2. Cowards! Not fear , but Whiny Cowards ! Hate 'em.
3. Books that are less than 32 pages. Really even most Children's books at least have 32 pages for God sakes.
4. The main couple being apart for a lot of the book. I want to read about a beautiful loving relationship you can't have that if the H & H are never together!
5.The H or H being with someone else after they have met and know they like each other.
6. H or H with my children's name. I so don't want to read a detailed sex scene with my child's name in it.
The first book in the Outlander Series sounds so damn good. That I want to read it so badly, and see if it's better than the Tv series, but when I read the info on all the other books in that series, I about lost my shit. There are so many things I seen in people's reviews about the other books in the series that are Huge pet peeves of mine that I am scared shitless to touch the first book for fear that My OCD will kick in and I will have to read them all. I think it would gut me to read the love of Jamie and Claire destroyed by the things that happen to them in the other book. For FUCK SAKE it killed me just to read what happens to them in the reviews. Claire apparently goes back to her own time pregnant with Jamies child and raises Jamie and her daughter with her first husband Frank. WHF???? And she and Jamie are apart 20 fucking years really?????? Oh and lets not forget that Jamie remarries the bitch that tried to get Claire burnt to death as a witch!!!!! How could my Jamie ever touch that skanky whore EVER? No man with soul deep love of his wife would marry the woman who tried to kill her. Also it seems like everyone is getting raped repeatedly , and Claire remarries a third time thinking Jamie is dead. OMG Shoot me now, fuck! Hell I didn't even read any of them just the reviews and I have knots in my stomach. Damn The author took the beautiful love of Jamie and Claire and just ripped it up and pissed on it over and over and over. She ruinned it for me. Popped my bubble of happiness. I don't get it!! WHY???
Diana Gabaldon
Hi Jessica, I read the first 5 books in this series and let me tell you they are LONG ASS BOOKS! With that being sad, I think the T.V series is SO MUCH BETTER than the books. Yes you read that right. The T.V series adds much more heat than the book did, at least the first book.
ReplyDeleteMy advice, don't bother reading the books if you don't want to spend days/weeks reading them ;-)
Thanks Kathleen for your thoughts. Everyone has been writing me and giving me their thoughts and weighing in and it's been great. It really helps to be able to talk about it with others. :)
ReplyDeleteI have read and loved the first 4 books. I have also listened to the first book on audible. If you like audiobooks, the narrator is awesome for this series. Jamie and Claire have their ups and downs but I have loved every book that I have read.
ReplyDeleteI have only seen the first half of the TV show and I am in love with it. I keep checking to see when I can get my hands on the second half. Hopefully soon. I think that they have really stayed pretty close to the books.
Can't wait to hear what you decided to do!
Hi Carole, Thanks for your thoughts. I know myself enough to know that while I may put it off for a little bit it will eat at me and I will most likely cave and read the whole series. Audio books just depend on who narrators. I may check out the audio books in this series though because the books are so long it would save my eyes :)
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