Outlander Series Re-Read Book 1 and notes on the series in general

 

WARNING:  SPOILERS HIGHLY LIKELY SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE OUTLANDER SERIES AND/OR WATCHED THE SHOW!  

Title abbreviations
VI: Virgins (skipped) 1740 France Jamie & Ian Murray are mercenaries
OL: Outlander
Exile: The Exile (graphic novel) skipped
DIA: Dragonfly in Amber
VOYAGER: VOYAGER (no short version in use)
The LORD JOHN novels
-- LJ&HOD: Lord John and the Hand of Devils
-- LJ&PM: Lord John and the Private Matter
-- LJ&BotB: Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade
SP: The Scottish Prisoner
DOA or DRUMS: Drums of Autumn
TFC: The Fiery Cross
ABOSAA: A Breath of Snow and Ashes
ECHO: An Echo in the Bone
LEAF: A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows
SPACE (or occasionally, SB): The Space Between
MOBY: Written in My Own Heart's Blood
BEES: Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone

Since I decided to the do series re-read (still debating whether I will just read the 9 main books or all of the short stories, the Lord John books, etc. I will decide that after I finish DIA.  There are some books not listed above: A Fugitive in Green (Henry Grey's story which comes after DIA), a few LJ stories in both Hand and Seven Stones that occur between books 3 & 4 on either side of SP (Seven Stones also has a few stories that take place after SP)...so I may skip those and some of the LJ books.  Though not SP.  

From a FB post I made on 8 May 2024.

Well after binging the 6th season of Outlander, which I chose to watch when I did because I was in one of those I don't know what to read moods, I decided to do a re-read of the books. To be clear, I have a huge TBR coupled with library cards, so it really should not be difficult to find something to read. Plus, all the books I've already read, since a good re-read is always welcome. But that may have been my issue...a plethora of choices combined with a flare means my brain fog is foggier than usual. To illustrate the point, I was trying to make a spreadsheet yesterday that consisted of a span of dates ranging from 1 March 1960 to 24 (25? 26?) Oct. 1960 separated by month, at least 3 set times on each date and lat/long coordinates. I know how to type a deg symbol ° (holding Fn & Alt then typing 0176) but doing so for the 1400+ times I needed to was a pain. Obviously, I also could have copy/pasted the symbol but interrupting my typing of the number to paste the symbol made that more time consuming than helpful. It took me an hour to realize the smart thing to do was type a symbol on the keyboard I wouldn't need to use for anything else in the document and then when I am done, do a simple find and replace. I chose an asterisk if you're wondering. Also, if you're wondering what this project is and why...it's a map and because the map in the book is not great so why not make my own? But yeah I felt pretty silly when it hit me that find a replace is a good idea in this case. That's when I knew maybe I'd better stop on that project.

Then I started wondering how long it took me to read the series before. Last read it in 2021 (thanks Goodreads). Took me from 21 June 2021 to 27 July 2021 to read the 8 major novels plus the novellas and the Lord John Grey series as listed on the author's website. Book 9 of course didn't come out until Nov 2021 so I read that one then.

Chronology of the Outlander Series

I'm now curious how long it will take me this time. And do I want to read all of them or just the main novels. Probably decide after I finish book 1. If I manage not to get distracted by the actual history and geography (always a problem for me) then it may not be too bad. But especially when they get to Fraser's Ridge and in the later books Philadelphia and even more so the Battle of Monmouth in book 8, I do get distracted. The distraction with the Battle of Monmouth is the church where Claire treats wounded soldiers. It is a real location. The current church building was completed in 1753. But the church has existed longer. In 1749, my 6th great-grandparents were married there. He was also one of the subscribers to the fund to build the current building. And my 5th ggf was christened there in 1752.

Added to FB post 09 May 2024 (regarding the book Outlander):

I always love finding things I either missed on the first read or things I've completely forgotten. Um spoilers abound. I'm only 2 chapters in on the first book and have noticed 2 things.

1. Claire met Roger Mac when he was a child of 5 or 6, before she went through the stones the first time. I completely forgot that when she and Frank met with Rev. Wakefield, Roger was in the study for a bit. 

2. This is less a thing and more an interesting turn of a phrase. "I see she’s got her blouse cut down to her breakfast..." from when Rev. Wakefield's housekeeper read the tea leaves for Claire then looked at her palm. Mrs. Graham was telling how she did not need to be a fortune-teller to know that when a young woman came into the church's fundraising tent with her blouse low cut like that and "cheap scent, and earrings down to her shoulders" that the woman would be a mother within a few years.

Additional thoughts:

3. Show Dougal vs book Dougal are pretty different. I liked show Dougal. Book Dougal had moments where i didn't trust him one tiny bit, moments where Jamie even didn't quite trust him.

4. I don't recall Dougal's overall portrayal in the earlier eps of the show, but there are moments in the first book he is a major jerk. One moment was after engineering the wedding of Claire and Jamie, he then gets miffed when Jamie presents Ellen's pearls to Claire. Odd since we later find out they were not a family heirloom; they, like the boar tusk bracelets from Murtagh, were a gift from a suitor. Marcus MacRannoch gave Ellen the pearls, even though she ended up choosing Brian Fraser to marry. Why it bothered Dougal that Jamie passed on the pearls, I cannot understand. Then when Jamie enters for the wedding, he's dressed in the Fraser tartan rather than what he'd been wearing. And when Jamie uses his real name, that notches up the annoyance. Jamie innocently states, "I hardly think it would be legal, did I not marry in my own name. And you do want it legal, now, don't you?"

5. Jamie's concerns over Dougal eliminating him if anything happens to Colum are valid. I'd hope Dougal would stick to protecting family over his desire to be in charge but...

6. As with Dougal, the differences between book Murtagh and show Murtagh are pretty big ones. His physical description is a huge one. In the book, he's 5'4" and mostly likeable after when he first meets Claire. TV Murtagh, he looks very unlike his book description, down to being nearly a foot taller. And he's a lot more likeable.

Quotes from Outlander © 1991 by Diana Gabaldon