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| Illustration by: MissABeet |
For those of you enjoying a romantic weekend — enjoy. I suspect you will have little time or inclination for getting your nose stuck into a book. Jane Austen will always be there, for when it all goes wrong!
For everybody else, I recommend some escapist reading therapy. Romantic encounters on the page are always a whole lot more thrilling and perfect than the ones in real life, anyway! Here are the ingredients for the best Valentine weekend ever:
An oversized duvet
An enormous mug of hot chocolate
A plate laden with dunkable chocolate biscuits
A book.
That’s it. That’s all you need; nothing else required.
Selecting a book, however, is a bit like selecting a boyfriend: it is a highly individual and personal choice, and what seems quite thrilling at first may become rather tedious after a while. It’s also far too easy to judge by appearances, so remember that the battered, tatty old thing that seems a bit crumpled and has lost its smart jacket could be just what you need!
Despite the highly personalised nature of a Valentine’s read, I’d like to recommend a few favourites of my own, and some recommended by others:
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen will leave you feeling like you’ve had the last laugh on your overly romantic, naïve and gullible mates. Emma does this pretty well too!
A Room With A View by EM Forster – Properly romantic! Enjoy spending the weekend picturing some other poor girl putting up with Cecil Vyse.
Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding – For those of you young enough for it to have passed you by. Like its template Pride and Prejudice, it never goes out of date!
By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart – This is basically one long wail. It is a prose poem for those in a very self-indulgent mood. Health warning: it probably won’t cheer you up!
If you like to combine a little sci-fi with your romance (as I do) try The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It’ll have you sniffling, whilst you simultaneously unravel the complexities of time travel and the structure of the narrative.
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguri – Unconventional as a romance, but rather good for reminding you to grasp the moment, and not leave it all too late…
...and if you just feel like it is never going to happen to you – and you prefer a lighter read – you could try Paris For One By Jo Jo Moyes. Like Bridget Jones’ Diary, it is for anyone who has ever struggled to get their boyfriend on a mini-break. And Dreams Come True by Bridgette Lesley tops the Goodreads light romance chart, with another book by the same author taking the second spot – could be worth a look!
But, if you are looking for full on slushy, steamy proper romantic stuff, you could always try some Mills and Boon/Harlequin Romance. Having sampled some of these (as research, obviously, for when I tried to write one), I can report that there is quite a difference between authors and style. But, the current top Mills & Boon romances are: Sheikh’s Scandal by Lucy Monroe, The Shaming of Xander Sterne by Carole Mortimer and The Sheikh’s Sinful Seduction by Dani Collins. Other beguiling bestselling titles include: Naughty Nights In The Millionaire’s Mansion by Robyn Grady, Bedded For Pleasure, Purchased for Pregnancy by Carole Marnelli and The Virgin Secretary’s Impossible Boss by Carole Mortimer. You can purchase them (secretly) from millsandboon.co.uk/bestsellers. Go on – I won’t tell anyone!
Alternatively, if you have time on your hands, you can have a go at writing one! Mills & Boon/Harlequin Romance are one of the few legitimate publishers who welcome unsolicited manuscripts. Find guidelines here. I hope you have better luck than I did! Read a few first; they look for distinctive voices, strong internal conflict and character led plots. And lots and lots of high emotion! If you’re interested, have a look at this illuminating interview with Mills & Boon writer Heidi Rice.
So— Happy Valentine’s weekend reading everyone! Remember, your chief protagonist will never be late for a date because the footy has gone to extra time and penalties, or fall asleep snoring in front of a good movie and then spill his beer on your jeans. Romance is much better in books!
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