In Preparation...


For those of you who keep track of such things, Fall of 2009 is the scheduled release date for author Diana Gabaldon's newest novel, Echo in the Bone, the latest installment of her fabulously popular Outlander Series.





In preparation of this newest release, A Reader's Respite and Passages to the Past are joining forces to bring you the Outlander Reading Challenge: 2009. We will attempt to read - or listen to - each of the previous six books in the series (all bazillion pages of them) prior to publication of Echo in the Bone.


A side view of A Breath of Snow and Ashes. Just kidding. Sort of.

Anyone is welcome to join us. But a word of warning: this challenge is not for the faint of heart eyesight. It takes a brave and dedicated bibliophile to complete this challenge.

And that is why there will be prizes involved. Cool prizes.

23 comments:

  1. I bought the hardcovers of the first four in this series way back when they came out, and I never read them! I won't be joining this challenge, but it will be fun to keep track of all of you that are! Maybe I'll be inspired . . .

    Merry Christmas, Michele!

    Lezlie

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  2. I'm so excited about this. I can't wait to get started.

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  3. Hmm, maybe. I read the first 3 (4?) books and then ran out of steam. But I loved the first 2, so maybe its worth getting back into it.

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  4. Lezlie, you coward, you! :P ha. Merry Christmas to you!

    Nely - we are the brave ones, aren't we?

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  5. Lorin - you can always pick up where you left off, if you like! I'm not fussy about it. :)

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  6. ok i will try and read... but not for challenge... because i m not sure if I will be able to get all the books ok?!
    i will read as many as i get and whenever i get my hands on the rest ok?!
    hopefully... i will like it to persue it ;)

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  7. I won a copy of Outlander in a contest (one where you get to pick any book as a prize) and it arrived yesterday right after I signed up for the challenge. If that's not a good sign, I don't know what is. :)

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  8. Alyce - wow, you're kidding me. That's just a sign if there ever was one!

    Veens - which of the books do you have right now, if any?

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  9. I really enjoyed the first Outlander books but found it so, so hard to read the rest of them...I think that I gave up on Dragonfly in Amber. :-/ Maybe I'll start them again.

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  10. I'm with Lezlie - I own the entire series ( first four in paperback though) but the time just hasn't been right to read them yet....I will be following your progress as the time still isn't right....

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  11. "...this challenge is not for the faint of eyesight."

    No kidding! ;)

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  12. What is so great about the Outlander series that there is a challenge on it? I will have to look into it immediately...

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  13. I'm in! 2009 is going to be challenge year for me.

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  14. I am seriously tempted by this challenge even though I don't generally do rereads!

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  15. Marg - I'm not a big re-read person either. Guess I make an exception for these. Also, I'm trying to do the audio for something different. I may end up reverting to the books, we'll see.

    Either way, these books are so good and fun!

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  16. Violet - they are just a wonderful series of books and we all have a thing for a certain Scotsman. ;)

    Literate Housewife - yay! Glad to have you join in the fun!

    Prizes...oh yeah...that's what I'm talkin' about!

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  17. The narrator of the unabridged audio version is excellent! I have ABOSAA on CD, and there are 48 of them! It took me ages to get through, until I got a bit impatient and then picked up the book at one point!

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  18. Marg - I'm wondering if it's still Davina Porter who narrates aBoSaA? She did the first two books (that's as far as I've made it on audio) and she is absolutely fantastic (tho I did laugh a little at her American accent at first for Brianna, but still, how she kept all the accents straight is beyond me!).

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  19. Yes it still is Davina Porter! I have listened to some of her other narrations as well, she is excellent.

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  20. What a fun challenge. I'm afraid I might be too faint of heart for this one.

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  21. Hmm... I'd like to re-read (more likely I'll just listen to them this time) these before the next book comes out so I'll have to keep this challenge in mind.

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  22. Wow, another one for the series. I love this series but have not been able to read the last one yet which I bought as soon as it came out. Excuses. Must read before September.

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  23. Hmmmmm, I'm thinking I should join this one. I have all six books, having only read the first one so far. Pathetic I know. I'd even need to read the first one again. I sure would love to get through them this year.

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Fire away!