Hamilton: The Revolution / Jenny McCarter and Lin-Manuel Miranda / 288 pgs

"How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a
Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten
Spot in the Caribbean by Providence, impoverished, in squalorGrow up to be a hero and a scholar?"
And thus begins the Tony and Pulitzer winning musical on Broadway, "Hamilton." This book was so good. Lin-Manuel Miranda did an amazing job of making sure that the entire musical is within the pages of the book. He also provides a ton of footnotes that explain both the history of Alexander Hamilton and the time period between 1776 and 1804 and his musical inspiration. There's a ton of behind-the-scenes looks at how the musical was conceived, written, edited, changed, and produced. Each of the principal actors are profiled, and those who worked behind the curtain like the choreographer and costume designer. If you either borrow or buy this book, make sure to read the song lyrics while you are listening to the cast album. It was such a great way to take in the whole experience, especially if you, like me, won't ever get to NYC to see it live.

Written in My Own Heart's Blood / Diana Gabaldon / 825 pages

The 8th novel in Gabaldon's Outlander series continues the improbable troubles of the Frasers and friends.  It is beautifully written, as were the rest of the novels - often humorous - often giving far more information than you would ask of even your best friends.  In an interesting turn of events Clair marries John Grey, best friend of her husband and former fiance' of her daughter.  William learns of his true parentage and reacts a bit violently.  This novel ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and I can't wait for the next in the series.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes / Diana Gabaldon / 979 pages

This is the sixth of the long novels in the Outlander series.  Beginning in 1773, the book delves into the beginnings of the Revolutionary War.  Gabaldon did a wonderful job creating dialogue between loyalists and rebels that felt realistic.  It's easy to forget that the Revolutionary War was a war that split families' loyalties.  Having the foreknowledge of what would happen, Jamie is forced to cut off his ties to the British and join the rebels - cutting himself off from Lord John and his son in the process.


The Frasers and Murrays continue their penchant for getting themselves into trouble.  At one point, I found myself wondering how many times women from the same family could be kidnapped. 


If you've been reading the series, this book is where we finally find out young Jem's paternity - no spoilers here though!


Gabaldon has created a world that I enjoy visiting and I'm always a little sad when I finish one of the books (even though 979 pages is a lot to read through).  I'll be starting the next book in the series soon.

The Garden Intrigue / Lauren Willig / 388 pages

  This is another interesting spy book set in the Napoleonic era.  This time, Augustus Whittlesby is finally sick of being an awful poet when he is first lovesick over Jane (pink carnation) and then Emma, an American living in Paris.  He is always fun to read about and will be missed in the series.  The plot brings in Robert Fulton who is not only the inventor of the steam engine, but apparently also inventor of a beta version of a submarine.  It's a neat plot including real characters Fulton, Napoleon, Josephine, and Hortense as well as fictional Emma and Augustus.

The Fiery Cross / Diana Gabaldon / 976 pages

This is part 5 of Gabaldon's Outlander series.  This installment focuses a bit more on Brianna and Roger's relationship, though Jamie and Claire still feature prominently.  If you ever wondered what living in 18th century America would be like, this book gives a pretty good idea.  This is one of the best-written series I've ever read.  Even though the events described are absolutely fiction, it's hard to believe that they never happened and that these characters never lived. 

Drums of Autumn / Diana Gabaldon / 880 pages

This is the fourth of the Outlander series.  This book continues Claire and Jamie's American adventure in 1766-1767.  At the same time (or two hundred years in the future), Claire's daughter Brianna is discovering her own history.  She makes a life-changing decision that affects her boyfriend Roger Wakefield, and her parents as well.  Gabaldon's writing style gets better with each of her novels.  I often found myself paying as much attention to the way she phrased a thought as to the plot of the story.  Gabaldon certainly doesn't shy away from any subject or attitude towards it.  She also remains very realistic about just how dirty the 18th century was.

Dragonfly in Amber / Diana Gabaldon / 743 pages

This is the second installment of Gabaldon's Outlander series.  The beginning of the book was a bit jarring; the end of the first book leaves our heroine Elizabeth Beauchamp Randall Fraser safely in Scotland with her 18th century love, but in the beginning of the 2nd book, she is driving with her daughter in 1963 Scotland.  After the first couple of chapters we get a flashback to explain how she ended up back in the present (or more recent past to us) and who her daughter's father is.  The series is Dr. Who meets Braveheart.  Fans of either who can appreciate a strong female character will love this book,

Outlander / Diana Gabaldon / 627 pages

In the foreword to this book, the author recounts that her publisher told her this book would have to be a word-of-mouth book because it was just too weird to describe.  While there is some truth to that, I shall do my best to describe it.  This is primarily a historical fiction with some time travel and a heap of romance thrown in.  Gabaldon doesn't shy away from describing any of the practices of 18th century Scotland in excruciating detail - whether it's the punishment of a young thief by nailing his ear to a post or the use of herbs and plants in both medicine and magic.


Gabaldon covers a slew of social issues throughout her fiction.  You'll find Elizabeth Beachamp's reactions to domestic violence, corporal punishment, homosexuality, relationships between husbands and wives, and fealty between lords and subjects expressed in a refreshingly honest way.  I personally liked the juxtaposition of religion, magic, and science in 18th century Scotland and the question that Gabaldon raises of whether we have progressed or regressed in our thinking about those subjects.


Overall, it is a great read, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Dragonfly in Amber.