The Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Isabel Dalhousie is living with her lover, Jamie, along with their young son, Charlie. Once again, Isabel is drawn into the affairs of someone else, this time at the request of her acquaintance Minty Auchterlonie who draws her into an intrigue involving two other men. At the same time, Isabel's relationship with Jamie takes a giant step forward and Isabel finds that her niece, Cat, has once again become engaged to a totally unsuitable man. The relationship between Isabel and Jamie is very touching, and I continue to hope that eventually Isabel will turn away from interfering in the affairs of others and devote herself completely to her own little "family".

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An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jamie and Claire begin this story by attempting to return to Scotland, where Jamie plans to retrieve his printing press and return with it to America, where he plans to make an attempt at proving that "the pen is mightier than the sword". They plan to take young Ian with them to fulfill the promise that Jamie made to his sister and her husband that he would return their son to them. As usual, matters interfere with the best-laid plans and Jamie, Claire, and Ian find themselves embroiled in the Revolutionary War as it begins. Other strands of the story keep us abreast of Brianna, Roger, Jem, and young Mandy in the twentieth century, Lord John Grey and his attempts to keep his stepson, Willie, safe, and the way the stories intertwine with one another. I don't know if I can stand the likely 5 year wait before I find out what happens next. As usual, Diana Gabaldon leaves me wanting more!

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A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jamie and Claire continue their love story in this epic book about the events leading up to the Revolutionary War. Brianna, Roger, and their son Jem are living with Jamie and Claire on Fraser's Ridge. Claire succeeds in creating ether, enabling her to operate on a young boy with appendicitis successfully. Brianna uses phosphorus to make matches. Jamie becomes a colonel of the militia for the governor of North Carolina, while contemplating when he must make it clear that he is rebel, rather than loyalist. The "Frenchman's gold" makes a reappearance in an unexpected way and the house fire that Brianna came into the past to warn them about happens, but not in the way that anyone expects.

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The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
In The Fiery Cross, Jamie and Claire continue to establish their home on Fraser's Ridge. Brianna and Roger, with their son Jemmy are part of their extended family, which continues to grow as Jamie adds more settlers to his mountain land. In this book, we see the beginnings of the strife that will eventually lead to the Revolutionary War.

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