The winning essay
I asked the winner of the OUTLANDER 20th Anniversary Contest, Rinah Benoliel, if she would let me post her contest entry so that the rest of you can see it. Rinah has kindly agreed, so here it is. Thanks, Rinah!
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Outlander and I go way back. Actually, it was my mother who first introduced me to Outlander, back in the late- 90s. Though books about time travel weren’t my “thing” I gave them a try and devoured the four books that were available at that time. I loved the books, but didn’t follow the series any further.
Then, last year, a close friend mentioned she was reading the best book called Outlander and I had to read it. Once she described it, I thought it sounded familiar and realized I had already read Outlander before. I immediately started reading the first book again, and I was hooked from the start. I read straight through Book 7 and have enjoyed every moment.
For me, reading is generally a solitary experience; it is my relaxation and escape. The Outlander series fulfills that (in a big way), but it has also become part of an incredible social experience for me. There is a group of four of us now (local friends), who have read all the books, sometimes at the same place in the series, sometimes ahead or behind each other. But every time we get together, we talk Outlander. We giggle, fantasize, analyze and compare, all about Outlander!!! Anytime anyone of us sees a reference about Scotland or time travel, from articles on Stonehenge to a 5K Kilt Run, we share it with each other.
We all have busy family lives and lots of responsibilities, but Outlander is just for us. It is our escape from real life, an indulgence and a pleasure shared between girlfriends. I have never read anything like these books, or been able to connect to other people through books like I have with Outlander.
Our trip to Scotland is pushed off for a while until the kids are bigger…but we’ll make it there one day!!!
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Outlander and I go way back. Actually, it was my mother who first introduced me to Outlander, back in the late- 90s. Though books about time travel weren’t my “thing” I gave them a try and devoured the four books that were available at that time. I loved the books, but didn’t follow the series any further.
Then, last year, a close friend mentioned she was reading the best book called Outlander and I had to read it. Once she described it, I thought it sounded familiar and realized I had already read Outlander before. I immediately started reading the first book again, and I was hooked from the start. I read straight through Book 7 and have enjoyed every moment.
For me, reading is generally a solitary experience; it is my relaxation and escape. The Outlander series fulfills that (in a big way), but it has also become part of an incredible social experience for me. There is a group of four of us now (local friends), who have read all the books, sometimes at the same place in the series, sometimes ahead or behind each other. But every time we get together, we talk Outlander. We giggle, fantasize, analyze and compare, all about Outlander!!! Anytime anyone of us sees a reference about Scotland or time travel, from articles on Stonehenge to a 5K Kilt Run, we share it with each other.
We all have busy family lives and lots of responsibilities, but Outlander is just for us. It is our escape from real life, an indulgence and a pleasure shared between girlfriends. I have never read anything like these books, or been able to connect to other people through books like I have with Outlander.
Our trip to Scotland is pushed off for a while until the kids are bigger…but we’ll make it there one day!!!
Karen thank you for running this competition, what a lovely gift for Diana, I hope she enjoys reading through the essays.
:-)