Outlander Obsessed

Cue the bagpipes and donn your best kilt...

scottish highlands

castle in the highlands

thistle

Can I nerd out on you guys for a minute? About 4 or 5 years ago, my friend Meredith and I were eating lunch together one day and talking about books we liked. I happened to mention my secret love for really good historical fiction. “Have you heard of the Outlander series?” she asked me. I hadn’t. “Oh, I think you’ll really love it!” she replied. Cue me checking out the first book from the library. And then promptly buying every single one that had been published immediately after finishing it. She was right — I got hooked.

I’ve been especially excited because after a grillion years in development, the story finally got made into a TV series, and is airing right now on Starz. Of course, Starz is like the one premium channel we don’t already subscribe to, so it’s now on my list. I kind of want to subscribe, let episodes pile up in the DVR, and then curl up later in the autumn and binge watch (oh, I’m sure Joe will LOVE that).

If you’re not familiar with the story and are wondering what I’m talking about, the backstory on Outlander is this: a young woman falls back in time to the mid 1700s through a Stonehenge-like structure in the Scottish Highlands, while on her honeymoon after the second World War. She ends up meeting a cast of characters, is forced to marry one of them, and romance, intrigue, and drama ensue. If you’re really dedicated, you can read all eight — yes, eight! — of the books that are currently published in the series. The original Outlander novel was published in 1992, and this thing is still going. As it happens, the eighth book was just released earlier this summer, and I really enjoyed it. For a series that is SO long and spans SUCH a length of time, there are always a couple story lines that aren’t as interesting; I thought this latest book was great though (I read it while in Paris!).

If you need an end of summer read, I highly recommend you get into the series. Fair warning though: besides being addictive, these books are LONG (the paperback version of the first book is 850 pages; others in the middle of the series are well into the 1000s), and many of the story lines are not for the faint of heart (think violence, but probably nothing worse than Game of Thrones). However, the characters are really unforgettable.

Are you guys watching the series? Had you heard of Outlander before? And have any of you read all the books? PS, the first two episodes are available for free right now on Starz website, if you want to check it out!

Image Credits: Highlands image by Moyan Brenn, Castle image by Moyan Brenn; thistle image by Dave Conner. All images used under Creative Commons license CC by 2.0, with size modifications made by me.

25 Comments

  1. 8.21.14
    Gabriela said:

    I’ve been seeing commercials for this show but had no idea it was a book first! Now I’m totally intrigued. I love the Game of Thrones books and it’s been so fun to see how they play into a show, so I’m definitely going to look into Outlander!

  2. 8.21.14
    jillian said:

    ohhh thanks for the tip about outlander playing the first two episodes online! i just finished the first book and i was totally bummed that we dont have starz! xo jillian – cornflake dreams

  3. 8.21.14

    Obviously, you got me hooked on this series. I’m ALMOST done with book 1 – bring on the rest!

    PS – I’m inviting myself over for the marathon viewing of season 1 :)

  4. 8.21.14

    love this series and dont’ have starz! I watched the first episode though.

  5. 8.21.14

    I saw those books a while back and added them to my “to-read” list, because I thought they sounded fantastic (I love historical fiction too, especially with a romance thrown into the mix), but I think I was just intimidated by the length, so I never read them. They always have such positive reviews on Amazon and Goodreads though. People really seem to love them. Thanks for the review, I think I should reconsider giving them a try! I’m really obsessed with Game of Thrones so I think I would love the TV show too.

  6. 8.21.14
    Renée said:

    YES – a thousand times yes! A dear friend recommended this series to me and another friend (she actually gave us copies of Outlander for our respective bridal showers!) and we are both obsessed. Like, texting about Claire and Bree and Jamie and their antics during our train commute.

    I have watched the first two episodes online (we also don’t have Starz… tried to get the husband into that idea but failed!) and I have to say that I am completely thrilled with the casting and the representation of the books on screen thus far.

    Can’t wait to hear your thoughts when you watch!

  7. 8.21.14
    Shay said:

    Outlander is hands-down my FAVORITE book. I’ve read it at least 25 times (I can recite portions of it? Is that bad?), so I was so SO excited when I heard it was finally being made into a show. And, two episodes in, I haven’t been disappointed! The cinematography is gorgeous, Scotland is gorgeous, the characters are SO well-cast. I was really afraid they would ruin it, but so far so good! You guys should definitely subscribe to Starz and watch!

    xo Shay

  8. 8.21.14
    JC said:

    I am in the middle of this series right now. My bf and her mom got me into it. Just finishing book No. 2. It’s so good!!!!

    Also did you know there is a blog devoted to the food of the series? It’s like my historical Fiction foodie geek dream come true! Outlanderkitchen.com

  9. 8.21.14

    We have read all the books and dreamed of Jamie nightly when we did! And the series does not disappoint (neither does the actor who plays Jamie…) Who knew men could look so good in kilts! Problem is, our husbands watch the show, too, so we can’t oggle and drool openly. :)
    xxoo
    C + C

  10. 8.21.14
    Nnenna said:

    Yes, I am also Outlander obsessed! As of a few weeks ago, I had never heard of the series, but then I started seeing the ads everywhere. So, I watched the first episode online and was immediately hooked, then bought the first book and finished it in a few days. So far I’m loving the TV series and seeing the characters come to life. I’ve already picked up the second book and I can’t wait to get started!

  11. 8.21.14

    I’m so hooked & fan-girled out I posted about it, too. I’m so bad I’m watching the episodes as they air + DVRing them for future viewing. Love this series.

  12. 8.21.14
    Jasmin said:

    I heard about the series on NPR in an interview with the author and now I really want to read the series before watching the show! Trying to find time in between applying for residency & completing my forth year clerkships! It sounds soooo good!

  13. 8.21.14

    My mom told me about this show yesterday and how I HAVE to watch it! I love that you’re obsessed with the book series. That’s cute. You should definitely make Joe binge watch it. Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to tell my mom that she’s not the only one obsessed.

  14. 8.21.14
    Maddy said:

    We’re reading the first book of this series for my book club – one of the group has already read them and says they’re great books, so it’s good to hear that you like them too! Historical fiction is so fun and makes you feel like you’re learning too…

  15. 8.22.14

    I’ve always meant to read the Outlander books but I just never got around to it…until I started hearing about the TV show this week! I think I’d better start reading them now so I can catch up with the show! I didn’t know there were that many books in the series – I always thought it was a trilogy or something but hey I think that’s always a good thing if you love something and can’t get enough of it! I’m always so disappointed when a favourite book series (or usually trilogies) finishes. Like (major nerding out moment here) the Harry Potter series!

  16. 8.22.14

    So funny, a girlfriend was just telling me how obsessed she is with this series! I may have to pick it up.

  17. 8.22.14

    I’ve heard of the series before and I have always wanted to read it but the length of the books kind of always scares me away. It’s a serious commitment! I think I will give it a try though because the plot sounds really interesting.

  18. 8.22.14

    This sounds great! I’m working my way through The Goldfinch right now but I feel like this series will be next on the list. Summer reading turning into Autumn, apple-cider-drinking leisure:)

  19. 8.22.14
    Ella said:

    Sounds right up my alley! Can’t wait to check out the series.
    http://www.youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26

  20. 8.22.14
    Jen said:

    I looove this series. I don’t re-read many books but I go back to these again and again. So far, I like the show on Starz. It’s following the novels which is lovely for fans of the novels. I highly recommend!

  21. 8.22.14
    Lana said:

    Clearly the best series ever. I love meeting/hearing about other people that are obsessed. It make me feel less crazy. I am in Canada so the series doesn’t start till this Sunday on Showcase, but I have been counting down the days till it premiers.

  22. 8.22.14
    Stephanie said:

    I’ve never heard of this series but I LOVE historical fiction so this sounds like it’s right up my alley. I’ve been looking for a new series to get into, too, so I’ll have to check this one out!

  23. 8.24.14

    Your blog are seriously amazing and also great photos!

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