Alright, I admit it, I like love stories. But I don't like the stereotype romance novel. So, I'm looking for good love stories, but I'm having a hard time finding them.
Do you have any recommendations (preferably e-books, but paper books as well)? They don't need to be "pure" love stories, but it should be a main part of the book.

From the top of my head only a few books come to mind that I've read that would fit my search criteria:
Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife
Jodi Picoult - Salem Falls
Nicholson Baker - Vox
Terry Goodkind - Wizard's First Rule (I've stopped reading the series after Blood of the Fold, but Wizard's First Rule is great)

Rudyard Kipling's short story, The Brushwood Boy, would fit well, I think. I don't even want to spoil it by describing any part of it. There are "e-text" versions of it all over. Out of copyright in the US, though I don't see it in PG unless it's in one of the omnibus files.

Q. Do you like Kipling?
A. I don't know - I've never kippled.

You might also like the non-fiction book, Thunderstruck, by Erik Larson. It documents a murder, the development of radio, and yes, an unusual love story.

A Beautiful Mind, Sylvia Nasar, non-fiction. The "love story" isn't nearly as prevalent in the book as the movie.

Galileo's Daughter, Dava Sobel, non-fiction. Not a romantic love story, but it does document the relationship between the very public Galileo, and his very private (nun in an impoverished convent), but perhaps equally brilliant, daughter.

The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova. Again, not really a love story, but the strange but passionate relationship between two of the main characters, husband and wife, plays a pivotal role. Oh yeah, and Dracula.

Alright, I admit it, I like love stories. But I don't like the stereotype romance novel. So, I'm looking for good love stories, but I'm having a hard time finding them.
Do you have any recommendations (preferably e-books, but paper books as well)? They don't need to be "pure" love stories, but it should be a main part of the book.

BoingBoing linked to the author of this short story (http://strangehorizons.com/2006/20060130/kowal-f.shtml) yesterday. Does that count?

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Thunderstruck and The Historian look very much like I might like them, so I will probably buy them. I'll have a second look on Galileo's Daughter. I've already seen the movie A Beautiful Mind, so I'm not sure if I want to read the book (I prefer reading the book first), but I might reconsider.
Furthermore I downloaded The Brushwood Boy and will read it in the next few days.

BoingBoing linked to the author of this short story (http://strangehorizons.com/2006/20060130/kowal-f.shtml) yesterday. Does that count?Yeah, I just read it and it's a nice little story. I'd prefer novels though, but thanks anyway.

Have you read "When the Wind Blows" by Patterson?

BOb

Depending upon the level of ... adult content ... that you are comfortable with, I know a few that I can recommend by email.

One author that I can recommend here is Christine Feehan. I've only read the Ghostwalker books and the Drake Sisters. The stories have interesting plots and characters and strong romantic elements, though I found myself more often than not skipping the sex scenes.

Ace

I can highly recommend Exit to Eden by Ann Rice. The book is very good. The movie however is awful.

Here's a mixed bag - all good reads:

The Thornbirds, Colleen McCullough
Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak

I actually thought of Atlas Shrugged which definitely does not taste like chicken but you're right The Fountainhead is a good recommendation, though the romance is only one modest sized thread out of a dozen or so.

I actually thought of Atlas Shrugged which definitely does not taste like chicken but you're right The Fountainhead is a good recommendation, though the romance is only one modest sized thread out of a dozen or so.

That modest sized thread out of a dozen or so left a lasting impression on me - if I recall correctly it is quite steamy. It's been a while since I read Atlanta Shrugged, but I supposed there was some kind of romance between Dagny & John Galt.....

Around Valentine's day, I was wanting to read a good love story and started looking around (I do not like romance novels at all). I found this article, which provided quite a list.....I downloaded and read Wuthering Heights, and was very disappointed. The story was not at all what I expected and did not satisfy my urge for a good love story at all. But I'll work my way through the rest of the list:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/aug/10/books.booksnews

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/aug/10/books.booksnews

Mostly blech. The Bard is always good though.

Here's a really good one: Anne Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy (fantasy)

Something lighter: A Quest For Chameleon, Piers Anthony (the rest of the series gradually goes down hill)

Here are some more:

Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
The Far Pavilions, M.M. Kaye

I'm not a romance fan - but I love the novels of Anne Tyler; 'Accidental Tourist', 'Back When We Were Grownups' are good 'uns :2thumbsup.

Orwell's '1984' might also fit the bill of non-stereotypical romances.

Also, PG has "The Young Visiters or, Mr Salteena's Plan" a romance written by a 9-year old Daisy Ashford.

Since I just reread Frederica I can recommend Georgette Heyer's regency romances.

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Suite/3088/Heyer.html

recommends some suitable books to start with.

I suppose these romances are different since they are so fun to read and often they are comedy of manners.

Anything by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee, especially Liaden novels.
There are sample chapters available at Baen.
Start here (http://www.webscription.net/p-599-korvals-legacy-collection.aspx).

Whew, the list grows longer, thanks!

Have you read "When the Wind Blows" by Patterson?No, I haven't, but the book is cheap and sounds interesting so I'll add it to my wishlist.

One author that I can recommend here is Christine Feehan. I've only read the Ghostwalker books and the Drake Sisters. The stories have interesting plots and characters and strong romantic elements, though I found myself more often than not skipping the sex scenes.Hm, at first look they seem to be your typical paranormal romance novels, but I'll read a sample and decide then.

I can highly recommend Exit to Eden by Anne Rice. The book is very good. The movie however is awful.The description doesn't really sound like something I had in mind more like SM eroticism, but I'll take a look at it anyway.

The Thornbirds, Colleen McCullough
Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
Doctor Zhivago, Boris PasternakThe Thorn Birds and The Fountainhead sound good, I'm not sure about the other two, but Gone With the Wind is available at Feedbooks so I have downloaded it.

Here's a really good one: Anne Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy (fantasy)

Something lighter: A Quest For Chameleon, Piers Anthony (the rest of the series gradually goes down hill)The Black Jewels trilogy seems to be interesting, I've added it to my wishlist.
Actually I've already read many of Piers Anthony's Xanth books when I was younger, but they were rather light and satirical.

Here are some more:

Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier
The Far Pavilions, M.M. KayeAdded to my wishlist, though I'm not sure about Cold Mountain yet – some reviews mention it to be rather verbose.

I'm not a romance fan - but I love the novels of Anne Tyler; 'Accidental Tourist', 'Back When We Were Grownups' are good 'uns :2thumbsup.

Orwell's '1984' might also fit the bill of non-stereotypical romances.

Also, PG has "The Young Visiters or, Mr Salteena's Plan" a romance written by a 9-year old Daisy Ashford.Accidental Tourist sounds like I will like it, added to my wishlist.
I've already read 1984 and yes, the romance-part, if you can call it that, is very non-stereotypical.
The Young Visiters doesn't appeal to me on first look, but it's free so I'll take a second look.

Since I just reread Frederica I can recommend Georgette Heyer's regency romances.I think, I'll try Venetia first, thanks.

Anything by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee, especially Liaden novels.I can't really say what to expect judging from the description on Webscriptions as it isn't very specific to say the least, but I'll read some of the sample chapters.


Thanks again to all of you!

Icehand,

Someone just recommended "The Time Traveler's Wife" to me. Here is a review

http://www.mostlyfiction.com/scifi/niffenegger.htm

from which I quote:

"You might say the The Time Traveler’s Wife is a love story with a time traveling twist, or a time travel story with a romantic twist."

I haven't read it, but I am adding it to my list. Not sure if I can find it as an eBook though.

BOb

Someone just recommended "The Time Traveler's Wife" to me. Here is a review

http://www.mostlyfiction.com/scifi/niffenegger.htm

from which I quote:

"You might say the The Time Traveler’s Wife is a love story with a time traveling twist, or a time travel story with a romantic twist."

I haven't read it, but I am adding it to my list. Not sure if I can find it as an eBook though.

The Time Traveler's Wife is definitely a love story. I don't know that I'd call it a romance. I can, however, wholeheartedly recommend it.

Amazon classifies it under Science Fiction and Fantasy. When I read it in 2004, I wrote, "Well, first, I disagree that this falls into the category of Science Fiction and Fantasy. It's plain and simple a love story. Yep, there's the interesting device that one main character is a time traveler and it adds some complications to the lives of those who know and love him. But, the book can and will be enjoyed by people who don't like SF as a genre."

Um, I don't want to be rude or anything, but actually in the beginning of this thread I mentioned The Time Traveler's Wife as a good example of what I am looking for. So yeah, I've already read it and liked it a lot.

Um, I don't want to be rude or anything, but actually in the beginning of this thread I mentioned The Time Traveler's Wife as a good example of what I am looking for. So yeah, I've already read it and liked it a lot.

Sorry, remembered the thread from a few days ago, got that book reco'd to me, thought it would be a good fit. Guess I didn't remember the details... and I didn't re-read the OP of course.

BOb

Um, I don't want to be rude or anything, but actually in the beginning of this thread I mentioned The Time Traveler's Wife as a good example of what I am looking for. So yeah, I've already read it and liked it a lot.

BTW: Your message was a bit rude.

BTW: Your message was a bit rude.Hey, I'm sorry. I appreciate that you remembered this thread and recommended me the book.

I would suggest Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.

You might like Every Story Is A Love Story, a novella packaged with Joe Burke's Last Stand for free at www.memoware.com in various formats and stand alone in a Kindle version, www.amazon.com. It takes place in Woodstock in the early 60's, just before the festival. Also, O+F, at the same url's, a steamier novel set in Maine and Hawaii. I wrote them. Enjoy. J

If you are looking for a good love story that is non-traditional, check out Ken Grimwood's Replay.

-d

I would suggest some of Annie Proulx's work. The Shipping News is good, but for my tastes Accordion Crimes contains more bang for your buck. I've not read more than those two, but only because I am savouring them over years (Postcards, I own, and it will be next, and then I think I'll start on the shorties).

Cheers,
Marc

I second the recommendation for Diana Galbadon's Outlander series. The books really defy categorization; while love pays a large part, it's not a romance, it's time travel but not sci-fi. The Firey Cross was a bit of a drag, but the latest book in the series, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, was just great.

I would suggest Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.
Funny, I had a look at the first book of the series when I was 16 years old or so. It didn't interest me at the time, I don't know why – I'll give it another look, maybe it will appeal to me now, thanks.

You might like Every Story Is A Love Story [...] Also, O+F [...]
I've downloaded the books and will try them, thank you.

If you are looking for a good love story that is non-traditional, check out Ken Grimwood's Replay.
I've read the description on Amazon and it sounds interesting, I'll check it out.

I would suggest some of Annie Proulx's work. [...]
I'll have a look at her works and already downloaded some sample chapters, thanks.

The Last Herald-Mage by M Lackey

All the books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series....

Tears of the moon and under the Kimberly sun by Di Morrissey are both excellent books but you wont find them in e-format unfortunately. I have both as audio books and enjoyed them very much. The first tells the story of a woman whose mother has always been silent on their family background. Following the mother's death she goes to Broome in search of her family history. Deals with issues of migration from England to Australia, the pearling industry and issues of aboriginal culture and how this was stripped form people, although it is a bit of a romanticized view of these issues, as well as a love story. The second book deals with the next generation and has some mystery and intrigue thrown in as well. Both are worth a read.

The Time Traveller's Wife immediately popped into my head when I read the title..and then you'd already listed it. Such a beautiful book.

The Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer is about as non-traditional of a love story as it gets. (I don't like vampire books, but loved the story in these). They are classified YA, but still great stories about an unusual romance. Ditto for her book "The Host". It falls more into the SF range, but is a great and unusual love story.

Funny, I had a look at the first book of the series when I was 16 years old or so. It didn't interest me at the time, I don't know why – I'll give it another look, maybe it will appeal to me now, thanks.


I've downloaded the books and will try them, thank you.


I've read the description on Amazon and it sounds interesting, I'll check it out.


I'll have a look at her works and already downloaded some sample chapters, thanks.

I was a sysop on CompuServe's LITFORUM, and Diana Gabaldon was a member. It was very fun to read her works in progress and actively discuss and debate her ideas on plot and character and background information. Plus she was uproariously funny, and merciless when it came to critiquing others works. A few LITFORUM members became minor characters in the book.

Such a community could not exist today, I think. I suppose a private, members only forum for writers, supported by subscription... I've tried, with various and limited degrees of success.

Patricia, if you're reading... you remind me of her. The same intellect, vast knowledge, and sly, subtle humor.

The Last Herald-Mage by M Lackey

All the books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series....Thanks, I'll have a look at the books.

Tears of the moon and under the Kimberly sun by Di Morrissey are both excellent books but you wont find them in e-format unfortunately. […]Looks interesting, I'll add them to my paper book wish-list ;)

The Time Traveller's Wife immediately popped into my head when I read the title..and then you'd already listed it. Such a beautiful book.Yes, definitely :)

[…] Such a community could not exist today, I think. I suppose a private, members only forum for writers, supported by subscription... I've tried, with various and limited degrees of success. […]Why not? What was different back then?

Thanks for the recommendations, I've actually read the Twilight Saga and The Host already and liked them very much.

Glad I was on the right track. If I think of others, I'll be sure to post them. I did read something a few months ago that fits into this category too, but be damned if I can't recall the title. so unlike me...

Why not? What was different back then?

Not to carry another thread into this one, but Search Engines are the main difference. CompuServe was not a public service. One had to subscribe, and authors knew they could discuss and even upload working mss and not have them spread around the net (there was no net, for one thing), or lose any publishing rights, by doing so. Terms of Service were clear, and enforced, and so on. At one point, when the TOS changed to include verbiage to the effect that CompuServe could publish any content in other media (their magazine) there was huge outcry and much content (from poets, authors, artists, photgraphers) was removed in mass protest. They revised the TOS immediately.