Outlander

Whenever I miss Scotland, and God knows I do, I watch either a vid/clip or read a book about it and I'm there. The best way however to go to Scotland without actually going that is, is to (re)read the novels of Diana Gabaldon. (over and over again)

Outlander is the story of a woman after WWII who is trying to reconnect with her husband after being away from each other during the war. They go to Scotland on a delayed honeymoon and one day she steps through a circle of stones only to arrive in the Scotland of the 18th century.
The way Gabaldon describes Scotland (even in the 18th century) is so vivid that I'm there every step of the way! Thankfully she wrote 9 novels! I haven't even read the last two yet because I wanted to re-read them all again first so that I would have the timeline in my head again.

There even is a series of the novels now. It's so accurate, they follow the books so closely that I never think anything is missing. Every detail is there, it's almost the same as it was in my head while reading. Now I started re-reading it only the characters have gotten the faces from the series. Is that a bad thing? On the one hand maybe that is, but then again, Jamie always was a damn good looking man, even being described so in the books, on screen he's is as well!

A lot of people know I am loving Scotland and thankfully I've been to Edinburgh this year already but the Highlands are my favourite place. I'm not going on holiday this year but reading Outlander is making up for that. I am there, together with Claire and Jamie, riding on horseback through the Highlands, seeing the hills, the lochs, feeling the wind and the rain, the mist, seeing the lochs glisten as I pass them. I am in Edinburgh, I am at Lallybroch laughing, hiding for the English or kissing that hot Scotsman...
I am doing all that and more... And I'm only in the third book, more to come re-reading it all!

© KH