#TBT: My First Historical Romance

So very, very true.  This week's Throwback Thursday (#TBT) is a book that is very near and dear to my heart.  This book was given to me when I was sixteen, it was sent to me by my Aunt as a birthday gift.  At the time, I had no idea that it was the fourth book in the series, all I knew is that I'd fallen in love with the characters, the world, the history that enriched every page of this very large book - 1,070 pages.  

At the time, I'd never read anything in this particular genre.  Nor, had I read anything this large (aside from textbooks because I was in high school at the time).  The size of this book intimidated me, it made me nervous.  Could I actually read a book this large cover to cover?  Would I like it?  Why had my aunt sent me something so big? My fears were at the time well placed, and ultimately the reason she'd sent me the book was because she knew I loved reading and thought I'd like the book.  I did read it.  No, I devoured it - cover to cover.  All one thousand and seventy pages.  Did I like it? More than like, I loved it.  

What book am I talking about? Diana Gabaldon's Drums of Autumn book four in her Outlander series.  Jamie and Claire easily became my all time favorite couple, Black Jack Randall easily became my favorite villain.  I loved absolutely everything about this story, to the point that when I was attending college at Flagler in St. Augustine, FL, there was a second-hand bookstore close to campus and I bought the first three books in the series, as well as book number five.  I am still missing book number six in the series.  

When I heard that Outlander was going to become a television series, I think I seriously fangirled.  I absolutely love the fact that this world has been brought to the screen and everything about it is perfect, is wonderful, and I'm reminded of all the reasons I fell in love with this series in the first place. 

Throwback Thursday: My First Historical Romance

Welcome to another edition of Throwback Thursday.  I realize I missed a couple of weeks, but I think you'll forgive me, at least I hope you'll forgive me.  Today is a very special throwback, to the first historical romance that I was given at the age of sixteen.  It was my introduction to the world crafted by Diana Gabaldon in her Outlander series, of which I have now become obsessed with, and am currently only missing like 3 books in to have them all.

When I turned sixteen, I'd gotten a package from my aunt, and it was thick.  I wasn't entirely sure what it was, but I had at least the idea that it was a book.  Little did I know, that the novel she'd sent me would suck me in whole-heartedly and have me addicted to this wonderful romance between Claire Randall and James Fraser and the rich history of Scotland.

It took me a day or two to actually gather the courage to read the book, because it was thicker than most of the books that I'd read up until that point.  Also, I'd not been an avid reader until I'd finally sat down and read this book - which took me all of two and a half days to read.  880 pages was intimidating despite the fact that I was sixteen and should have been reading more than what was required of me in high school.  Do I regret not reading a whole lot when I was in high school - most definitely, however, I have since made up for it now that I am older.

Gabaldon's descriptions are phenomenal and you can't help but get sucked in by the story she has weaved of Brianna's own step into the past to find her mother and the father she's never met.  To be the daughter of an eighteenth-century Scotsman and a twentieth-century woman, has got to be something that makes growing up interesting especially when you discover who your father actually was.

This series is one that I will always have with me, and eventually I will complete it.  This is one that I ultimately prefer to have in physical copy.