8 Books to Read if You Love Outlander
There is nothing NOT to love about Diana Gabaldon’s epic novel Outlander. Do not present me with an argument, for lo, it will not be considered by me anyway. Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser are a story for the ages, and if you’re anything like me, once you part ways with them it’s hard to know where to go next…literarily speaking. So if you’re still pining for a sweeping bookish escape through time and space, you are in luck. Here are 8 books that will get you through your Outlander withdrawal, and tide you over between episodes of the new adaptation on Starz:
Dragonfly in Amber, by Diana Gabaldon
I didn’t read ANY of the other books in Gabaldon’s Outlander series for almost twenty years! That’s right, I read Outlander, felt my heart explode from the awesome and the sexy and the Scotland (go with it), and then…DID NOT READ THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES. Don’t be like me, but trust me when I tell you: they only get better.
The Clan of The Cave Bear, by Jean M. Auel
A coming of age story, or, I guess I should say, a coming of ice age story. By which I mean I shouldn’t. Because that is a truly terrible joke. Yet, I regret nothing! This classic’s protagonist ,Ayla, is every bit as resourceful as Claire, and every bit as into getting it on whenever possible. Swag on, Ayla!
Human Croquet, by Kate Atkinson
Literary time travel at its sexy best. This earlier novel by the renowned Atkinson (Life After Life, can I get a whaaaaat?) is all about the mysterious family Fairfax and chronicles all the leaps in their history from the 16th century onwards. Loads of secrets, and more than one curse. Get on it!
A Year and a Day, by Virginia Henley
Historical. Romance. For. The. Win. Okay, so: A warrior named Lynx (truly) proposes a “hand-fasting” to a willful Scottish lady (as one does). This means they can have sex for a year, and any child born of their union is considered legitimate. It’s like a rom-com! Only the stakes are much higher and the meet-cute involves a forced marriage. This book is dead sexy and also I love it.
Sushi For Beginners, by Marian Keyes
If you like Claire Randall, you’ll LOVE the women Keyes writes. Also, while outdoor sex on the Scottish highlands is all well and good, nobody writes a love scene like Keyes, absolutely NO one.
The Pride of Lions, by Marsha Canham
This steamy read takes place at the same time Claire and Jamie are getting ready for the Jacobite revolution, and also features an English lady and a Scottish man. But in this case our couple is thrown together in decidedly less fated terms: our hero “wins” our heroine in a bet. I maybe yelled “shenanigans!” roughly 800 times while poring over this one. That’s a good thing.
The Perilous Gard, by Elizabeth Marie Pope
This YA throwback is all about earnestness, sighs, and youthful pining. It’s set in Elizabethan England and centers on an English lady who must travel from the castle where she’s being held captive to the world of the fairies in order to rescue the man she loves. Totally touching and totally lovely with more than a hint of pure magic.
To Tame a Wild Heart, by Tracey Fobes
I cannot even, with this book! It’s kind of the greatest. As in Outlander, our protagonist, Sarah, is a healer—only her powers could be supernatural! Fairies, yo! More fairies! The story is a Scottish Cinderella with some sexy-times thrown in for good measure. Sarah learns her true father might just be a wealthy Duke, who encourages her to join society where she (naturally) meets a wild heart in need of taming.
What Outlander-inspired reads do you love?