# Embarrassing request: Books with good romances **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2008, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094 "2008-11-17T05:18:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/21 "2008-11-17T15:50:27Z")
> [@Glory](#): > > The Time Traveller’s Wife features a lovely romance… Enthusiastically seconded. Audrey Niffenegger is the author. I would further recommend: _The House of Sand and Fog_ by Andre Dubus has a very compelling tragic romance, if that’s your thing. Likewise _Aztec_ by Gary Jennings, which is also one of my all-time favorite historical-epic novels, and _Cold Mountain_ by Charles Frazier, which is a much more intimate book set during the Civil War. _A Widow For One Year_ by John Irving explores several quirky romances over the span of decades. _The Shadow of the Wind_ by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, translated by Lucia Graves, is a zesty Spanish-gothic romance, and is particularly well-suited for those who love books and literature. _Memoirs of a Geisha_ by Arthur Golden is all about unrequited love and quiet patience, set against a fascinating Japanese backdrop. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/22 "2008-11-17T16:04:46Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Want some candy? Okay, I’m not proud of this, but read the first several Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. (There will be a point at which you SHOULD stop reading them, because they get shitty. But you won’t. You’ll keep reading them. It’s okay. I understand.) The first three or four are actually quite good - they’re mysteries, I guess, but they’re also funny and there’s a strong romantic-triangle element as the books go on. Stephanie Plum is a New Jersey bounty hunter who, uh, catches a lot of cars on fire and eats dinner with her parents a lot. I’m serious, here - this is precisely what you need while thesis writing. Do not read these books while you have pneumonia. I quite literally thought I was gonna die laughing at one point, because I needed some air but I could not stop laughing. I have terrified my daughter by telling her that I was going to become Grandma Mazur (sp? been a while since I read any of the books). I’ll also agree with Jennifer Crusie. Lighthearted, funny, with just enough of a plot. Most of Barbara Hambly’s fantasies have romance in them, if you want to try fantasy again. Avoid Anne Rice at all costs. ---
**Author:** ![Sonnenstrahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Sonnenstrahl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonnenstrahl)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/23 "2008-11-17T16:11:38Z")
Thanks, everyone! Those look really interesting. I’ve read a few, but most are new to me, or they’re books I’ve been planning to read for ages. I can handle a bit of time travel, and Connie Willis looks really interesting. I read Pillars of the Earth and its sequel just this past year, and I loved them. Of course, if I wanted to get all purist the attitudes of the characters were so completely wrong I should have been annoyed, but they were too good reads for that. I took World Without End on vacation, and it just the perfect book for that. ---
**Author:** ![simply\_cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@simply\_cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simply_cats)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/24 "2008-11-17T17:24:50Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Do not read these books while you have pneumonia. I quite literally thought I was gonna die laughing at one point, because I needed some air but I could not stop laughing. I have terrified my daughter by telling her that I was going to become Grandma Mazur (sp? been a while since I read any of the books). > > I’ll also agree with Jennifer Crusie. Lighthearted, funny, with just enough of a plot. > > Most of Barbara Hambly’s fantasies have romance in them, if you want to try fantasy again. Avoid Anne Rice at all costs. I’m going to hop in with Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, and anything by Jennifer Crusie. I like to laugh with my romance 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/25 "2008-11-17T17:26:34Z")
The **Outlander** series by Diana Gabaldon. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/26 "2008-11-17T17:27:16Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > Here’s an oldy but a goody, if you love historical fiction: _Katherine_ by Anya Seton. That’s the one I came in to mention – it’s a very powerful love story. Have tissues handy. I devoured the _Angelique_ series by Sergeanne Golon when I was in my 20’s, but I think those books are out of print. I remember _Forever Amber_ by Kathleen Winsor as pretty good. Amber has a more than a bit of Scarlett O’Hara in her. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/27 "2008-11-17T18:14:10Z")
A.S. Byatt’s Possession: A Romance is FANTASTIC - though not necessarily a light read. If you choose to skip over the poetry, you can make it a hell of a lot less dense and still get the plot, though you miss a lot of the literariness of the book. (Yeah, made that word up). On the light side, Carl Hiaasen writes…well “lets make fun of Florida” crime novels that are funny, usually contain light romance and probably shouldn’t be read while you have pneumonia. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/28 "2008-11-17T18:14:47Z")
Oh, and I have to add Joe Haldeman’s _The Forever War_. A classic, gripping, hard-edged SF combat story but with a real emotional core to it in the (very!) longterm romance of the soldiers Mandella and Marygay. Twenty years later, Haldeman wrote about Marygay’s experiences from her perspective in the short story “A Separate War.” Both are excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Sonnenstrahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Sonnenstrahl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonnenstrahl)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/29 "2008-11-17T18:27:26Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > A.S. Byatt’s Possession: A Romance is FANTASTIC - though not necessarily a light read. If you choose to skip over the poetry, you can make it a hell of a lot less dense and still get the plot, though you miss a lot of the literariness of the book. (Yeah, made that word up). Haha, that’s exactly what I did with that book! Thanks again, everyone! ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/30 "2008-11-17T18:36:38Z")
Okay. don’t laugh when I suggest this. I promise you I’ve read it and it is a good story. Better yet this is a trilogy so it gives you lots of brain candy reading. Ready? **Morrigan’s Cross** , **Dance of the Gods** , and **Valley of Silence** by Nora Roberts. It is general romance stuff, yeah, but it has vampires and time travel and a war between good and evil and sorcerers and shape shifting and…well, you get the idea. Even without the romance bit it is still a fun read that doesn’t take up too much mental energy. I also have to agree with the recommendations of Water for Elephants. It is an excellent story and I quite enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/31 "2008-11-17T18:57:21Z")
There have been a lot of good suggestions, so I’ll go off the beaten path a bit: You don’t like fantasies, so this one is a stretch, but _[The Sharing Knife](http://www.amazon.com/Beguilement-Sharing-Knife-Book-1/dp/0061139076/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226947827&sr=8-1)_ by Lois McMaster Bujold. There are currently 3 books in the series. They read to me like a cross between romance and fantasy, but without a few of the icky cliches that can mar romance novels (looking at you, _Twilight_). I don’t tend to read straight historical fiction, but I love historical mysteries so I’ll suggest the Catherine LeVendeur books by Sharan Newman, starting with _[Death Comes as Epiphany](http://www.amazon.com/Death-Comes-Epiphany-Catherine-LeVendeur/dp/0765303744/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226947931&sr=8-1)_. At the beginning of the series, Catherine is planning to become a nun in 12th century France. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/32 "2008-11-17T18:58:54Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > …I devoured the _Angelique_ series by Sergeanne Golon when I was in my 20’s, but I think those books are out of print… Beginning in the France of Louis XIV, our heroine traveled the world, had many adventures & several lovers. But she did know True Love. Eroticism & deep historical research–what a combination. “Sergeanne” Golon was/were, in fact, Serge & Anne Golon; she apparently did most of the writing & he did research. He passed on years ago. She was involved in serious legal battles over the rights to the books & has apparently won. The books were wildly popular but the series has been long [out of print](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=sergeanne+golon) in English. Let us hope for new editions. Angelique has a new generation to conquer. And old fans who kick themselves for not hanging on to those paperbacks. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/33 "2008-11-17T19:16:50Z")
Hey, those Renaissance Italian nuns were _hardcore_. 😉 Welcome to the boards! Why did you pick 17th-century French nuns as your thesis? _curious_ As for romance novels: _Annette Vallon_ by James Tipton is good, or possibly _Stardust_ by Neil Gaiman (if you’re into fantasy)… ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/34 "2008-11-17T20:48:55Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Angelique has a new generation to conquer. And old fans who kick themselves for not hanging on to those paperbacks. ::raises hand:: I traded mine in. I’ve been tempted to find and re-read them, to see how they hold up. I just don’t know if the 60±year-old me would be able to recapture the emotion. Have you read any of them recently? ---
**Author:** ![Sonnenstrahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Sonnenstrahl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonnenstrahl)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/35 "2008-11-17T21:17:50Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > Okay. don’t laugh when I suggest this. I promise you I’ve read it and it is a good story. Better yet this is a trilogy so it gives you lots of brain candy reading. Ready? Hey, I never laugh at book recommendations. Especially not when I come asking for romances. My friend laughed at me when I told her that I LOVED **The Historian** , by Elizabeth Kostova, but I will have the last laugh when my research takes me to find Dracula. 😃 > [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > “Sergeanne” Golon was/were, in fact, Serge & Anne Golon; she apparently did most of the writing & he did research. He passed on years ago. She was involved in serious legal battles over the rights to the books & has apparently won. That’s my dream job, doing research for writers of historical fiction. I don’t care that such a job doesn’t exist. I would love to write fiction myself, but I’m just not that creative. > [@Kythereia](#): > > Hey, those Renaissance Italian nuns were _hardcore_. 😉 Welcome to the boards! Why did you pick 17th-century French nuns as your thesis? _curious_ There was a big movement at that time towards religious renewal that women in particular embraced. That led to the foundation of a lot of new, “active” orders of nuns who taught girls and nursed the sick and travelled to the new world and all those fun things. I think they’re pretty interesting, but I also think there’s a bit of exaggeration among scholars who want to find 17th-century feminists, so there’s an interesting paradox. Or alternately, if you don’t want to read my weird ramblings, because I’m a gender historian and I think nuns are cool. That’s my concise answer. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/36 "2008-11-17T23:05:48Z")
**The Scarlet Pimpernel** is a wonderful, action-filled romance! It has a lot of the elements of modern romance (people in love who have become alienated, suspense and action, happy ending!) and an engaging story set in French Revolution times. And when he kneels to kiss where her slipper has trod–squee! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094/37 "2008-11-17T23:14:35Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > **The Scarlet Pimpernel** is a wonderful, action-filled romance! It has a lot of the elements of modern romance (people in love who have become alienated, suspense and action, happy ending!) and an engaging story set in French Revolution times. Awesome suggestion. I love this book. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embarrassing-request-books-with-good-romances/473094.md?page=1)