The 5 Books That Go With Me When I Run

It goes without saying--or at least I should think so--that if my house caught fire that I would grab my husband and daughter and get the hell out of it.

But if I had time... if it was an evacuation where I would bring other things I would most certainly bring books. Which books?

Well there is the question. I'm limiting myself to the books that are hard to get now--or at least difficult to get in the format that I love. I'm limiting myself to one book per author--and OH that one isn't easy. I'm limiting myself. However, if if push came to shove, and in no particular order.

1) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I've already discussed this book pretty much at length.  It is one of my favorites.  Why wouldn't I just get a new one? Well this is, I believe, a first edition with faces on the cover. It is bent in all my favorite places and this is the actual book that was pressed into my hand by a stranger.  It comes with me.

2) Magic's Price by Mercedes Lackey

At some point I will make a list of books to read after you've finished Game of Thrones.  That being said I would recommend this book be read before you start Game of Thrones. In fact--if you haven't read this series--and you like fantasy--you should drop everything and get this book now.  Actually not this book--as it is the third in a trilogy, but the first one--Magic's Pawn.

What if you knew that the people in charge of your government were good--beyond any shadow of a doubt? You knew this because the head of the government is Chosen by a big white horse called a Companion (capitalization intended as per the book). If you are Chosen by a Companion, you are now a Herald or perhaps a Herald Mage.  Magic exists in this world, and the Heralds are the chief users--except for the people who aren't Chosen.

Into this is a beautiful young man, Vanyel, who discovered that he was gay and in love with a Chosen trainee. On a horrific night, his beloved commits suicide and Vanyel himself is Chosen. This trilogy is the story of Vanyel and his world.  This book is the third of the trilogy and my favorite.

Gossamer Axe by Gael Baudino

Chick with a harp.
That's how the book begins. How you are introduced to Christa, a centuries old woman in the body of a 25 year old in the late 1980's. She and her lover were imprisoned by the Fae. Christa is a bard and was able to escape the Fae's world 200 years prior--but had to leave her lover behind. Now she thinks that she can get her back--using the rock and roll of the 1980's as a weapon.

This book is out of print--and doesn't seem to be available on Kindle.  One of the reasons that it will come with me as I run is that I don't know how I would get it again.  The other one, the main one, is that I, as a child of the '80s, adore the idea of someone using that music to save lives.

Legacy by Susan Kay

Do you like The Tudors? The Other Boleyn Girl? Wolf Hall?
Do books about the Tudor era make money fly out of your wallet?

If these are true and you haven't read Legacy--you're missing out. It is the story of Queen Elizabeth the First.  Beginning shortly before her birth and ending with her death. These historical characters leap off the page and into your brain. The setting is so clear that when you close the book you think you should be blowing out a candle instead of shutting off electricity.

Really this is a toss-up. If I titled this "Six (or Even Ten) Books That I Take With Me When I Run," I would add Susan Kay's Phantom to the list as well. That being said, Legacy is an amazing, amazing book and I highly recommend it.

A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton

I have a lot to say about Laurell K. Hamilton's books but I will save that for a separate post. I should note that for a while she was my favorite author. I broke my "don't ever buy a hardcover book" rule for her more times than I can count.

However this book is in paperback. I had to be cajoled into reading it as it was the start of a new series. And I love it.

It is about Merry Gentry--a real Fairy Princess, but this is not the world of Tinkerbell. This is scary ass stuff of all the kinds of creatures you were terrified were hiding under your bed.  I love this series and the early work of this author.  Why this book you ask?

Simple. It's autographed.

There it is; my top five.

You might wonder why not Nora Roberts. Simple, really, I can fairly easily replenish my collection of her books, while most of these I can't.

What books would you grab if you had to make the choice?

Outlander

Nothing, and I mean nothing, filled my gut with so much bile and trepidation as hearing that Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon, was coming to Starz as a series. This book is in a special niche in my collection.

You see, I have over a thousand books--easily--in my house. They fill every spare inch of the house and overflow. A friend once suggested that I get rid of the books--or really trim down the collection to maybe two bookcases. After I stopped laughing I explained to him how that wasn't possible. The books are my refuge, my friends and my art.

Getting back to Outlander. Of the myriad of books I have read and will read--this book stands apart. It's in the pile of "If my house catches fire--these come with me when I run."

Is it that good? Yes. The characters, the situations, the romance. James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Frasier is one of the best romantic heroes written. The writing is such that even when I am rereading it I am so caught up in the moment that I will forget the craziness of the 21st century. I have  literally jumped out of my chair when the phone rang because I was so stunned that there was a phone!

It's about a nurse from World War II going back in time to Scotland before the Battle of Culloden (1745). She meets, marries, and falls in love with Jamie Frasier--pretty much in that order. Howver she has her husband, Frank Randall who is a direct descendant from Black Jack Randall--the villain of the piece. More than that you need to read it for yourself.

I remember vividly how it was recommended to me. I was shopping in B. Dalton bookstore. I was in the romance section and a person I had never seen before handed me this book. It was a gold cover with a broken clock on it. The woman said that she had never done this before--but I had to read this book. She said that I would like it so much I too would be handing it to strangers to read. She was right. I loved it.

I was stunned then to find myself loving the series. The casting has been exquisite. Catriona Balfe and Sam Heughan have amazing chemistry as Claire and Jamie Frasier. Tobias Menzies should be clearing his mantle for an Emmy as the villain Black Jack Randall--as well as Claire's 20th Century Husband. I look forward, as this blog progresses, to discussing the weekly episodes.

As for now, if you haven't read Outlander yet, do so. Imagine yourself in the stacks of a bookstore--or library. A heavyset woman with a kind face comes over and presses a book in your hand. That's me. I am telling you that this is a book like no other--and you should read it.

Also, congratulations to the cast and crew of Outlander for winning the People's Choice award for favorite cable sci-fi/fantasy show. It was exceedingly well deserved.