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.

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.