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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 11, 2016)
Great romantic ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED ROMANTIC FICTION reads “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” by Muriel Barbery “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Miffenegger “Possession” by A. S. Byatt life. Still suffering from his own heartbreak, it seems “the only one he can’t heal through literature is himself.” “A Long Fatal Love Chase” by Louisa May Alcott: “(The heroine) Rosamond Vivi- an, brought up on a remote island by an indif- ferent grandfather, swears she’d sell her soul to Satan for a year of freedom. When Phil- ip Tempest enters her life, she is ripe for the plucking, but is soon caught up in a web of intrigue, cruelty and deceit stretching back far into the past.” —Publisher’s Weekly “One Plus One” by JoJo What’s not here Moyes: “One Plus One The wildly popular, more HTXDOV RQH ¿QH QRYHO :LWK formulaic romances, by its ensemble cast of skillful- authors like Victoria Holt, ly crafted characters — from Georgette Heyer, Nora Rob- single-mom Jess Thomas to erts and many others, are a tortured goth teen Nicky and huge topic best reserved for gifted sister Tanzie to Ed another day. Two things are al- Nicholls, technology mil- ways present in them: the sto- lionaire — each person’s ry focuses on the relationship VWRU\ ÀRZV RQ LWV RZQ \HW and romantic love between two they all meld together into people and always has a happy an uncommonly good sto- ending or at least the expecta- ry about family, trust and tion of one. love.” —Donna Chavez on Also not included here are the Booklist great romantic classics of au- “The Rosie Project” thors like Jane Austen, Daphne by Graeme Simsion: “In du Maurier, the Brontë sisters, his bestselling debut nov- and the like — proof certainly el, ‘The Rosie Project,’ that there are plenty of literary Simsion introduced the de- romances out there. However, lightfully original character it’s doubtful that most readers of Don Tillman, an Austra- don’t already know about these lian geneticist with Asperg- authors’ works. er’s syndrome who sets out WR ¿QG WKH SHUIHFW ZLIH E\ Fiction XVLQJ WKH VFLHQWL¿F PHWKRG “Scott Pilgrim’s Precious —People Magazine Little Life” by Scott O’Mal- “The Plum Tree” by El- ley: ³7KH ¿UVW LQ D VL[ERRN len Marie Wiseman: “Told graphic novel series about from the perspective of a love lost and won. (It’s) young, non-Jewish German centrally based around mu- woman living through the sic (and/or) games, with a ‘Comedy of Errors’ feel. It shows how Scott d e p r i v a - tions of WWII and the rising learns about things far beyond himself with fear of the Nazis … (this book) follows a the help of a young woman named Ramona family torn by feelings of patriotism … and and her exes.” —Lindsay Johnson, Astoria the growing Nazi terror. (Wiseman) weaves a story of intrigue, terror and love from a Librarian “Little Paris Bookshop” by Nina perspective not often seen in Holocaust George: Calling himself a “literary apothe- novels.” —Jewish Book World “The Wind is not a River” by Brian cary,” Monsieur Perdu (which means “lost” LQ)UHQFKRSHUDWHVDÀRDWLQJERRNVWRUHIURP Payton: “(A) gripping tale of survival a barge on the Seine in Paris, where he pre- and an epic love story in which a husband scribes novels to heal customers’ troubles in and wife — separated by the only battle With Valentine’s Day around the corner, there are few better ways to get your “ro- mance injection” than through books, in print or digital form. To help get you started, area libraries and bookstores kindly recommend- HGVRPHWLWOHV²ERWK¿FWLRQDQGQRQ¿FWLRQ — of books fashioned in a romantic vein. They’re listed here in no particular order; and because the next best thing to enjoying a book is to turn someone else onto it, this writer couldn’t resist adding some of her favorites to the mix. of World War II to “Change of Heart” by Jody Piccoult take place on Amer- “Lakeside Cottage” by Susan Wiggs LFDQ VRLO ² ¿JKW WR “Brooklyn” by Colm Tobin reunite in Alaska’s starkly beautiful “Keeping Kate” by Lauren Winder Farnsworth Aleutian Islands.” “The Poldark Saga” by Winston Graham —Amazon.com “A Sweetness “War Brides” by Helen Bryan to the Soul” by “Becoming Clementine” by Jennifer Niven Jane Kirkpatrick: “Based on his- torical characters and events … the captivating story of young, spirit- ed Oregon pio- neer Jane Herbert, ZKR « ¿QGV KHU- self involved in an unusual and touch- ing romance with a dreamer 16 years her senior, struggles to make peace with an emotionally distant PRWKHU DQG ¿JKWV WR build a family of her own.” —Amazon.com When it comes to well-written romantic to helping win World War II, ¿FWLRQDIHZRIWKLVZULW- American soldiers stationed in er’s personal favorites the U.K. also won the hearts of include: Mrs. Gaskell’s more than 70,000 young women wonderful 19th centu- from all over their host country. ry novel of love amid the :KHQWKH¿JKWLQJVWRSSHGWKHVHEULGHVIRO- industrial revolution in northern Britain, lowed husbands they hardly knew to a new “North and South”; Alison Lurie’s explora- life in the U.S. tion of seniors in love in “Foreign Affairs”; the young adult novel “The Sherwood Thanks to director Jane Tucker and librarian Lindsay John- Ring” by Elizabeth Marie Pope, which in- son at the Astoria Public Library; Karla Nelson, owner of FOXGHVWDVW\ELWVRIKLVWRULFDO¿FWLRQDQGWKUHH Time Enough Books in Ilwaco; Esther Moberg at the Seaside ghosts; and “Pink Slip” by Rita Ciresi. Public Library; and library assistant Katherine White at Ilwaco Timberland Library for their invaluable help. Non-fiction “The Astronaut Wives Club” by Lily Koppe: The wives who smiled bravely as their husbands — America’s Mercury 7 astronauts — took off on death-defying missions is the subject here. These women came as close to being royalty as is possi- ble in this country. They enjoyed tea with Jackie Kennedy, graced the cover of Life magazine and even set fashion trends. A fascinating and inspiring story. “GI Brides: the Wartime Girls who Crossed the Atlantic for Love” by Dun- can Barrett and Nuala Calvi: In addition the arts VISUAL ARTS • LITERATURE • THEATER • MUSIC & MORE Story by KATE GIESE February 11, 2016 | coastweekend.com | 9
