She likes rom coms but does often find that, even for her, they can be somewhat poorly written and a bit dull. Plus she also wants to read something that will…I guess enrich her culturally a little more?
I don't think she would go for something sci/fi or fantasy but would probably be open to classics and she has enjoyed stuff like Girl on the Train in the past.
It can't be anything that is too hard to follow or too long or sad. It doesn't need to be funny, per se, but at least having some elements that are heartwarming/uplifting I think would help.
Is there anything that springs to mind?
Thanks!!
by MaximusSydney
13 Comments
Did she ask you to do this? Because if not you need to back off and let her enjoy what she enjoys without trying to change her preferences
Just because romcoms are light reading or steamy reading doesn’t mean theyre “trash”
She could try Victorian romances like Two on a Tower by Thomas Hardy or one by Anthony Trollope
EDIT: ok skip Two on a Tower cause it’s pretty sad. Trollope’s are pretty lighthearted though
Then she was gone by Lisa jewel? It’s a pretty popular book, and having read it in one day I can see why.
It’s a thriller about a girl who goes missing and is told partly from her pov, partly from her mums, and (once you find out who took her) from their pov
If she’s open to classics I’d try Lady Susan by Jane Austen. It’s not as popular as Austen’s other works but it’s a novella and personally I like to dip my toes into new genres with shorter books. It’s funny and witty.
The Anne of green gables series
Emily of New Moon series
The Blue Castle
All by Lucy Maud Montgomery of course, lol, but the three heroines across the books are unique. If she wants something more standalone, I recommend The Blue Castle first.
[Tom Lake by Ann Patchett](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63241104-tom-lake) might be a good bridge into better written novels, and certainly an introduction to Patchett as the good author that she is.
You can ask for a book suggestion without denigrating books lots of people love as “trashy”. I’m currently reading the whole National book award long list and also an 18 book paranormal romance series – there is room to appreciate all kinds of books without being disrespectful to anyone.
I get that maybe she used that word (and also that internalized misogyny is real), don’t think that makes it ok. This is also just always going to come off weird coming from her partner rather than her. Like if I were making this request for myself I probably wouldn’t have included “even for me” and asked to be “culturally enriched”.
By the by, the entire National book award list (shortlist especially, announced yesterday) is fantastic this year.
Ken Follett. Pillars of the Earth and Century trilogy were hard to put down
{{Rules of Civility by Amor Towels}}
Tia Williams writes great modern romances that are smart, in my opinion.
Is it because she feels stupid reading those books? I have never been much into non fiction or classics. Sometimes those are too deep or complex for me to understand & appreciate it. My genre preferences have changed from crimes to paranormal to contemporary.
I did have a phase of ” trashy romances” or rather i prefer ” junk food ” because it’s read despite its terrible character faults and flaws , grammatical errors and zero plot. Just purely for yourself with no enrichment. I still read those. Sometimes I don’t like it . So I read well written books within romance category.
Some of the classics and other books i enjoyed were
1) Jane Eyre
2) Prisoner of Birth by David Baldacci
3)The count of Monte Christo
These are pretty long books.
Emily Henry (light, fun, but well-written romcoms) and Sally Rooney (slower, more emotional work with some romance, but more litfic/book club style)
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
To read before ones that are longer like Jane Austin and Brontë classics. It’s period and still comedy of manners but bite size and more comedy.