New reads:

This week, I am reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon, which is the sixth in the Outlander series (see more here, here, here, and here). These books are so massive, they take me a while to get through them. But they're the perfect books to read on a cold, grey night. I am looking forward to reading this one (I'm nearly halfway through) and the next one during the holiday break.

Here's what it's about:

"A new novel by Diana Gabaldon is always cause for celebration. And A Breath of Snow and Ashes, the eagerly anticipated sixth Outlander novel, is no exception. In it, the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author returns to the world of eighteenth-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his twentieth-century time-traveling wife, Claire Randall, in a powerful, unforgettable tale of love and war, vibrant history, and heart-stopping excitement.

It is 1772, the eve of the American Revolution, and the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit: in Boston, men lie dead in the street, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the darkness of the forest. And over the house on Fraser's Ridge, where Jamie Fraser and his family reside, a shadow lengthens...

The Colony is in ferment, and Governor Josiah Martin sends an envoy to Jamie Fraser, asking for help. With unpardoned Regulators, agitating Whigs, and the vigilantes of the Committee of Safety at large, the Governor needs someone to unite the backcountry, pacify the seething resentments of settlers and Indians, and keep the mountains safe for King and Crown. Jamie Fraser, everyone agrees, is the man for the job.

But there is one problem: Jamie Fraser's wife, Claire, is a time-traveler, as are his daughter and son-in-law. And Jamie knows that three years hence, the shot heard round the world will be fired, and then end of it all will be independence -- with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. Beyond everything else, though, looms the threat of a tiny clipping from the Wilmington Gazette dated 1776, which reports the destruction of the house on Fraser's Ridge and the death by fire of James Fraser and all his family.

For once, Jamie Fraser hopes the time-travelers in his family are wrong about the future -- but only time will tell."

Have you read any of the Outlander series? It's seriously the best. I picked it up one day, on one of my running buddies' recommendation, and I've been obsessed ever since.