A new list of books I want to reread

I've made some progress on the list of books I wanted to reread that I posted in December, so I decided to update the list of books I've been thinking about a lot lately and just haven't gotten to yet:

1. Devil Water by Anya Seton
2. Avalon by Anya Seton
3. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
4. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
5. The Promise by Chaim Potok
6. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
7. The White Mountains by John Christopher
8. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
9. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
10. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

My numbers 7-10 haven't changed. I guess I've just been reading from the top and getting new ideas of what I want to read next. (For example, I did a reread of The Chosen, so now I want to get another shot at its sequel. I begin to fear I will never have the time (or the courage) to attempt all 1,463 pages of Les Mis again - no matter how much I loved it the first time around.

You may have also noticed how heavy this list is on Anya Seton. I blame Chicago Review Press, which keeps putting out her oeuvre in shiny new paperbacks that I feel I must own. I loved Devil Water when I first read a mildewy old edition that's falling apart. Imagine how good it will be with new book smell!

Quiz Time

Personally, I thought I was more Brianna...

Which woman from the Outlander series are you?

You are Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser. You are resourceful, practical and a strong woman. You're not afraid to stand up for yourself or do whatever is needful for those you love, whatever the risk to yourself. You have a gift for healing and you are a faithful lover. Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Here's the other thing, Alex Kingston has never been my idea of Claire Fraser. No, Claire has to be somebody like Julia Ormond:

Outlander: The YouTube Movie

I just found out about "do-it-yourself" Outlander trailers from Herself (as Diana Gabaldon is known among the Ladies of Lallybroch). I have to say I liked this one - a summary of the first part of Outlander.

I don't know if it will make any sense to you if you haven't read the book, but whoever put it together did a nice job.



I was also impressed with another one that made creative use of Kate Beckinsdale movies and the Braveheart soundtrack. You can find that one here.

My Top Three

The results of this little survey are supposed to say something really important about my personality. What, I can't say - other than these are my favorite books, movies, songs etc.

1. Three songs you can — and do — listen to again and again:
1. "Beautiful Day" by U2
2. "Clocks" by Coldplay
3. "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel

2. Three movies you can — and do — watch over and over:
1. Beauty and the Beast - The best Disney film and one of the best musicals ever
2. The Phantom of the Opera - Ditto (except for the Disney part, of course)
3. The Hunt for Red October - It's just a really good movie... and it has Sean Connery. What more do you need?

3. Three dishes you would choose for your last meal:
1. Grilled salmon
2. Wild rice
3. A frozen mocha latte

4. Three most relaxing vacation spots you've ever visited.
1., 2. & 3. "Up North" (It's a Michigan thing)

5. Three books that you consider great reads:
(Like I haven't mentioned this here before)
1. Katherine by Anya Seton
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
3. Persuasion by Jane Austen

6. Three shows that you consider the best on television, past and present:
1. All time favorite? I know it makes me a nerd, but I've got to say Star Trek: The Next Generation (and not any of its much-lamer sequels, mind you.)
2. Friends
3. I made the mistake of renting Disc 1, Season 1 of Alias a little over a year ago. I have not been able to pass up a good Rambaldi story since.

The Outlander saga

Here's another review of one (or six, actually) of my all-time favorites

Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
The Fiery Cross
A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon



People kept telling me how good these books were, and I kept putting off reading them because they're time travel romances. Time travel romances are always completely cheesy aren't they? Well, I finally broke down and read "Outlander," and quickly discovered it's one of the most original novels out there. I was so happy to see Barnes & Noble move them out of the "romance" section because they are way more involved than your typical girl meets boy.

Claire, the World War II combat nurse who wanders through an ancient stone circle in the Highlands of Scotland and finds herself suddenly in the 18th Century, is a refreshing change from the princess-type heroine. Jamie Fraser, the Scot who winds up being the love of her life, is at times both a sweet innocent and a dangerous and passionate warrior. In the later novels I've come to love their daughter and son-in-law as well.

Be forewarned: these books are gargantuan pieces of historical fiction mixed with fantasy, some very steamy erotic stuff and the occasional gruesome torture scene. They are also addicting. I stayed up until 3:30 one night finishing "Outlander." The next day, I went to the bookstore and bought the rest of the series.