Diana Gabaldon's An Echo In the Bone definitely brings to mind the age that we live in. Her newest in the Outlander series is definitely not meant for the blog-minded! I think it weighed in at 817 pages and I just finished it. All I can say is wow!

I hear this term a lot these days - 'chick lit' - or 'chick read'. It mostly annoys me because I don't really understand what makes women's tastes in literature so very different from men's but that would be a whole other hub I suppose. I have to throw out the challenge though - guys get to reading this series!

When I started reading her first book in the Outlander series, I was hooked. She somehow manages to combine Scottish history intertwined with one of the most romantic stories I've ever read that spans hundreds of years and throws in a lot of time travel (through the stones) and even manages to branch off into American history! In my humble opinion, I would think just about anyone could find something to enjoy in her books.

The only thing I would point out is that her books are not for the 'casual' reader or someone who wants to pick up a book and be done with it in a day or two. Her stories are so engrossing but extremely well compartmentalized so that you can read little 'capsules' without becoming overwhelmed but still keep the thread going. She usually has so many side stories going on at the same time that you find yourself trying to jump ahead to figure out the final outcome. Good luck with that!

I have read a lot of the reviews so far and people are complaining mostly because the WAIT for the next one in the series will be too long! That has to say something! I have just finished An Echo In the Bone; I'm dying already because there were probably 6 loose ends that needed tying and now I will just have to wait to see how they all come out!  It may kill me to wait but oh well.  I guess that is the beauty of writing and keeping someone 'on the hook'. To be so mesmerized by a tale that you cannot wait to read more - what a gift.

Not sure if it is a testimony to 'chick lit' or not but I just love reading her novels - these are just some of the many ways she hooks me!

• History - Scottish as well as American History brought to life intertwined with human stories of characters that are believable if not downright lovable
• Time travel - She makes you believe stepping through the stones and going back in time or forward can happen
• Romance - Some of the most poignant love stories are interspersed throughout all of her books but the classic is Jamie and Claire - you just have to fall in love with them as characters and as they grow and become more mature, expand their love for one another, you want it never to end
• Fantasy - In a world full of realities, sometimes it is just a wonderful thing to have someone 'take you away' to another time, another place and another story.  Somehow she manages to lift you out of your own life and transport you to someplace else that is full of endless emotions and exposures.  You can almost see the battle of Culloden as if you were there; you can feel their pain and suffering.  You can almost see Benjamin Franklin literallly 'in the flesh' as she paints such a colorful picture of his personality.  You can truly feel the agony of love lost and then the joy of regaining that love.

I guess it would be obvious that I would probably give the book a 4-thumbs up review but then I have so enjoyed ALL of the Outlander series.  They are wonderful reads and well worth the time it takes to keep reading!  The Lord John series books are also wonderful and they deal with homosexuality in a time when it certainly was not fashionable.  Again, I think her insights are remarkable and the stories fascinating! 

I sincerely hope I can wait for the sequel to this one!