

I actually started this on Christmas day, but since it is over 1400 pages long, I read the bulk of it in 2010. I finished this yesterday and I am already anxious to start the next book in the series. Breath of Snow and Ashes is the 6th book in the Outlander series written by Diana Gabaldon. I started reading this series several years ago and am slowly working my way through it, as the texts are all at least 1000 pages and very wordy. Some of the characters have worked their way into my heart (Jamie, Claire, Bree, Roger, Jemmy, Fergus, etc.) and some of the characters have worked their way on to my hit list (Stephen Bonnet, Major MacDonald, Ulysses, Malva, Mr. and Mrs. Bug, surprisingly).
The entire series is riddled with one tragedy after another, but this particular book takes the cake, I think. Abduction, rape, murder, theft, revenge, arson, incest, more murder, suicide, STD's, birth defects, fatal diseases, and the loss of friends and family in so many different ways. It's one huge emotional roller coaster, but in the end, people stick together and make things work. It's awesome to see the lengths that the different couples will go to to stay together.
If you have not started this series, I really encourage you to do so. It certainly takes a huge commitment of time, but it is totally worth it. You will gain friends that stay with you your entire life and you will give your husband new standards that he will never live up to. That is, unless he is already a huge red-haired Scottish man of obvious viking descent that has almost no flaws and always know exactly what to do in any situation. In that case, he's safe :o)