Calizzy Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 I'm going to the beach in a week and I'm wanting to bring a love story. Any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 Dr. Zhivago Or something by Jane Austin if you want lighter reading. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 ‘The Bride Test,’ by Helen Hoang. I thought it was going to suck but it was so cute I stayed up to 1am to finish it, even though I am plenty old enough to know better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 Pride and Prejudice! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 Sense and Sensibility 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookbard Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 (edited) I am kind of obsessed with Dr Zhivago, but if you want a lighter read, some of Nora Roberts' books could be good. Some of her stand-alones can be gory but some are nice like the 'key' trilogy. A more modern book is Geekerella by Ashley Poston- it's about a geeky fangirl going to a comic con and falling for a nice boy -obviously based on Cinderella. I really enjoyed this! Naomi Novik's book Uprooted is a fantasy with a romance, and there's Robin McKinley's fairytale retellings (eg Beauty) which are romances. Edited January 1, 2022 by bookbard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 Persuasion - the central characters are a little more mature than in other Austen. The first few pages are also delicious, unadulterated Austen snark. 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 For a modern fantasy with a fairy tale feel, Daughter of the Forest and sequels. There is a non-graphic rape scene near the beginning of book 1, fyi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 Modern light—first two books of Jan Karon’s Mitford series Juvenile fantasy but sooooo well written—Beauty, by Robin McKinley. If you like fantasy fiction, her books are a delight. Agreeing with the Jane Austen recommendations. I also love Jane Eyre. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 (edited) On 12/31/2021 at 9:55 PM, Rosie_0801 said: ‘The Bride Test,’ by Helen Hoang. I thought it was going to suck but it was so cute I stayed up to 1am to finish it, even though I am plenty old enough to know better. Been there, done that, have the perfect meme. On 1/1/2022 at 3:19 AM, bookbard said: I am kind of obsessed with Dr Zhivago, but if you want a lighter read, some of Nora Roberts' books could be good. Some of her stand-alones can be gory but some are nice like the 'key' trilogy. A more modern book is Geekerella by Ashley Poston- it's about a geeky fangirl going to a comic con and falling for a nice boy -obviously based on Cinderella. I really enjoyed this! Naomi Novik's book Uprooted is a fantasy with a romance, and there's Robin McKinley's fairytale retellings (eg Beauty) which are romances. I'd pick Nora Roberts,. But given the Dr. Zhivago and Austen suggestions I'm guessing my idea of beach reading is different than the rest of the board, lol. Favorite Nora Roberts are: Legacy - https://amzn.to/3mOapjK Never mind - that was NOT a favorite, lol. Chasing Fire - https://amzn.to/346O3Dk The Chesapeake Bay series - https://amzn.to/3pX2YJ3 I have lots of other contemporary romance authors I read if you want suggestions - just need to know sweet vs heat, suspense or not, etc 🙂 On 1/1/2022 at 10:33 AM, Harriet Vane said: Modern light—first two books of Jan Karon’s Mitford series Juvenile fantasy but sooooo well written—Beauty, by Robin McKinley. If you like fantasy fiction, her books are a delight. Agreeing with the Jane Austen recommendations. I also love Jane Eyre. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand Thank you, off to look up Beauty for my daughter! Edited January 3, 2022 by ktgrok 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 2 hours ago, ktgrok said: Thank you, off to look up Beauty for my daughter! Robin McKinley was my first favorite author. I discovered her books in high school (started with The Hero & the Crown and The Blue Sword, which are a little more challenging than Beauty.) Just a word of caution: Deerskin is not a book for children. Read reviews, lol. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 1 minute ago, alisoncooks said: Robin McKinley was my first favorite author. I discovered her books in high school (started with The Hero & the Crown and The Blue Sword, which are a little more challenging than Beauty.) Just a word of caution: Deerskin is not a book for children. Read reviews, lol. Than you! I just ordered Beauty for her, will be here by tomorrow! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Modern romance: The Sun is Also a Star This is YA, and maybe not fully considered romance, but it was a good read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Not really romance, romance. While it is also a love story, it is just interesting and historical in nature. The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage81 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 On 12/31/2021 at 8:55 PM, Rosie_0801 said: ‘The Bride Test,’ by Helen Hoang. I thought it was going to suck but it was so cute I stayed up to 1am to finish it, even though I am plenty old enough to know better. Have you read the other books in the series? They are The Kiss Quotient and The Heart Principle. They’re all pretty good. 😊 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 An oldie, but very amusing, with a mystery to boot: Crocodile on the Sandbank (Peters). It is set in the 1880s in Egypt, and follows a very determinedly "modern-minded" British woman who goes to Egypt in the hey-day of early archeology. Entertaining, well-written, sparky-verbal sparring, and a bit of a parody of the old British adventure novels in foreign countries. [Note: sadly, the series tanks quickly after the first book, and the author guts her wonderful characters, turning them into paper-thin stereotypes, and makes them a bit mean-spirited.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 (edited) On 1/1/2022 at 8:33 AM, Harriet Vane said: ... Juvenile fantasy but sooooo well written—Beauty, by Robin McKinley. If you like fantasy fiction, her books are a delight... Those who like Robin McKinley's Blue Sword, Hero and the Crown, and Beauty, might also enjoy Naomi Novik's Uprooted, but especially, Spinning Silver. Also possibly Patricia McKillip's The Changeling Sea. Edited January 3, 2022 by Lori D. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 I like Eugenia Price for a good old fashioned romance. She has several series, so it’s a matter of picking your historic period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 25 minutes ago, Lori D. said: Those who like Robin McKinley's Blue Sword, Hero and the Crown, and Beauty, might also enjoy Naomi Novik's Uprooted, but especially, Spinning Silver. I liked both of those (loved Uprooted! — though just a heads up for those looking for ideas for younger kids, there is a fairly adult s3x scene in the book…) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 1 hour ago, Vintage81 said: The Heart Principle. They’re all pretty good. 😊 I didn't know about this one, thanks 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 1 hour ago, alisoncooks said: I liked both of those (loved Uprooted! — though just a heads up for those looking for ideas for younger kids, there is a fairly adult s3x scene in the book…) Thank you! I was assuming this was adults who are willing to read YA or mature YA/adult 😉 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calizzy Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 Thanks, I ordered a bunch of these! Now I have reading for several months! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooCow Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 The Flame and the flower can't remember the author Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danae Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 1 hour ago, MooCow said: The Flame and the flower can't remember the author Kathleen Woodiwiss 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) 9 hours ago, alisoncooks said: I liked both of those (loved Uprooted! — though just a heads up for those looking for ideas for younger kids, there is a fairly adult s3x scene in the book…) I read that as a FAIRY adult s3x scene … and not gonna lie, I was momentarily intrigued. Completely lost interested when I re read it’s just humans. lol Edited January 4, 2022 by Murphy101 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 35 minutes ago, Murphy101 said: I read that as a FAIRY adult s3x scene … and not gonna lie, I was momentarily intrigued. Completely lost interested when I re read it’s just humans. lol Well, I mean, he *is* a mysterious wizard, so…? 😜 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 I have read for fun so little in recent years…..all that comes to mind is Love Story and Message in a Bottle. Also Anita Shreveport has a couple of good love stories….one partic stands out but the name escapes me. Nicholas Sparks is sappy to me, but when I read Message in a Bottle, my then husband woke up from a nap to find me sobbing and he thought someone had died. It was the scene when he said something to his dead wife about feeling guilty about finding someone new and the dead wife said to him, ‘ Silly man, who do you think sent her to you.’ Sorry for the spoiler for the 1 person on the planet who has not read that book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 3 hours ago, MooCow said: The Flame and the flower can't remember the author 2 hours ago, Danae said: Kathleen Woodiwiss I remember that one! I read it decades ago! Not exactly Dr. Zhivago or Jane Austen… but a lot more fun! (Also kind of trashy, if I remember correctly… 😉 ) If I’m looking for beach reading, I want light and easy. Literary masterpieces need not apply. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 If you want to get sucked into a whole universe of well-written, but very adult, romance start with Kresley Cole’s A Hunger Like No Other. It’s a whole paranormal series and a complete escape from reality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) Oh, and if you are up for four novels, the romance between Harriet Vane and Peter Wimsey in - Strong Poison, Have His Carcase, Gaudy Night and Busman's Honeymoon. Edited January 4, 2022 by Laura Corin 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 8 hours ago, Scarlett said: Sorry for the spoiler for the 1 person on the planet who has not read that book. Ha, that would be me. I haven’t read any of his books, but I don’t do books where the love interest dies, so…;) He’s pretty much out as a potential author for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 6 hours ago, Laura Corin said: Oh, and if you are up for four novels, the romance between Harriet Vane and Peter Wimsey in - Strong Poison, Have His Carcase, Gaudy Night and Busman's Honeymoon. Definitely favorites. Love the way Sayers weaves a solid mystery through the romance. Takes the time to really develop the characters as well as their relationship. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danae Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) 15 hours ago, Catwoman said: I remember that one! I read it decades ago! Not exactly Dr. Zhivago or Jane Austen… but a lot more fun! (Also kind of trashy, if I remember correctly… 😉 ) If I’m looking for beach reading, I want light and easy. Literary masterpieces need not apply. I was introduced to her work when A Rose in Winter was excerpted in Good Housekeeping. So yeah, decades ago. Edit: also books with sex and happy endings written by women are no more trashy than books with sex and depressing endings written by men. Why the one gets disparaged and the other wins literary awards is one of the great mysteries of the age. (Or not.) Edited January 4, 2022 by Danae 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 On 12/31/2021 at 5:52 PM, Calizzy said: I'm going to the beach in a week and I'm wanting to bring a love story. Any recommendations? To get a feel for your likes, what are books in that vein that you've previously enjoyed? Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 6 hours ago, Danae said: I was introduced to her work when A Rose in Winter was excerpted in Good Housekeeping. So yeah, decades ago. Edit: also books with sex and happy endings written by women are no more trashy than books with sex and depressing endings written by men. Why the one gets disparaged and the other wins literary awards is one of the great mysteries of the age. (Or not.) Because patriarchy does it's job really really well. If it's written by women, for women, about what women want then it MUST be trivial and trashy. In romance the jerkwads don't get away with their crap and that's a dangerous precedent . . . better to denigrate the entire genre. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 30 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said: Because patriarchy does it's job really really well. If it's written by women, for women, about what women want then it MUST be trivial and trashy. In romance the jerkwads don't get away with their crap and that's a dangerous precedent . . . better to denigrate the entire genre. Yup. Oh, and romance is "formulaic" because it always has a happy ending. But no one says mystery books are formulaic because they always figure out who done it in the end. Funny how that works. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 On 1/3/2022 at 11:54 AM, Lori D. said: Those who like Robin McKinley's Blue Sword, Hero and the Crown, and Beauty, might also enjoy Naomi Novik's Uprooted, but especially, Spinning Silver. Also possibly Patricia McKillip's The Changeling Sea. I read Spinning Silver last night. I thought the ending was very sudden and rather rushed. I would not have called it a romance but I did enjoy it until that point. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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