This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!†or just two titles that you think would go well together. Maybe it’s a historical novel and you’d like to get the real history by reading a nonfiction version of the story.
Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish are actors who starred in the TV version of Outlander. They recently made a TV series about Scotland. Clanlands is about the making of that show. I read the book before the show came out and I think it was much better than the series ended up being.
You can learn a lot about how a TV show is filmed. Both of them are practical jokers who spent most of their time messing with each other. The book is very funny. You can tell they genuinely like each other.
The book also is a good introduction to Scottish history especially as it ties into the fictional events in Outlander. They visit the sites of pivotal battles and explain enough of the background for you to truly understand what happened.
Clanlands is great combination of travelogue, history primer, lesson in dealing with Outlander superfans, and love letter to Scotland.
I haven’t read Outlander, but Clanlands sounds like a ton of fun. I’ve been in such a mood for a funny travelogue style book, so I definitely think this will end up on my shelf at some point.
Oh cool!
Here are my pairings: https://wordsandpeace.com/2021/11/08/nonfiction-november-2021-book-pairings/
Ahh, I love this pairing!! So perfect that the actors wrote the book!
What a great pairing! I’m adding Clanlands to my list.
Perfect pairing! I watched the TV show Men in Kilts with Sam and Graham and it was great fun–sounds like it was based on Clanlands or vice versa. I was a big fan of Outlander books until I ran out of steam with book 8. I think the first four are by far the best, and the third is my favorite. I didn’t watch the series after the beginning of season 4, and to be honest the series kind of robbed me of my joy in the books.
That all said, I loved your pairing and it made me remember how much I initially loved the books.
Love the Outlander series, both as books and TV-series. What a great pairing with Clanlands. Just have to try to find the book. I guess it is difficult to watch the TV film outside of Scotland?
It was on STARZ in the U.S.
Ok. I think it is not available here in Europe. Maybe the show will turn up somewhere else as well.
I loved the Outlander books. And Jamie Fraser! I should try Clanlands, I am sure I would love it.
A clever pairing, I’d actually prefer to watch Clanlands than to read it though cause Sam is just so watchable 😉
What a great pairing! So many people have loved Outlander, it’s exciting that could be a way to get people into reading some nonfiction too 🙂
I totally thought about doing this one so I’m glad someone did! Clanlands was such an interesting way to learn about Scotland and Outlander! Did you watch the show as well?
I did watch the show. I liked the book better but then again, I always do.
What a fantastic pairing! I haven’t watched Outlander, but have heard such good things about it.
I know the Outlander books are hugely popular but this series was a miss for me. I can imagine that many will flock to Clanlands as they have the Outlander stories.
I wasn’t a big Outlander fan either. I kept getting mad that they were always stopping for see when they were supposed to be running for their lives. I was rooting for the British to get them for their foolishness. 🙂
I liked Clanlands way more.