Valentine’s
Day is just around the corner, and many people are wondering what to give their
lover or romantic partner as a gift.
Some gifts will be flamboyant and expensive,
like jewelry, exotic cars and exclusive getaways.
For most of us, a romantic
evening at home with a special meal, including aphrodisiacs like oysters, some
fine wine, and a classic romance movie to watch is more likely to happen. And,
it can be sexy and memorable.
To help you get in the mood, check out one of these classic
romantic reads, then see if a movie on the second list appeals to you to share with your love.
There
are tons of lists online, so I’ve gone with two pretty reputable lists.
Readers Digest for the best books, and Vanity Fair for the best movies.
According
to Readers Digest, these are the 10 best romance novels of all time:
The
Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough 1977
Wuthering
Heights by Emily Bronte / Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 1847
The
English Patient by Michael Ondaatje 1992
True
Believers by Nicholas Sparks 2005
The
French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles 1969
Chesapeake
Blue by Nora Roberts 2002
The
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro 1989
Anna
Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 1877
Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon 1991
Follow
the Stars Home by Luanne Rice 2000
According
to Vanity Fair, 25 of the best love story movies of all time are below:
The
Age of Innocence 1995
The
Americanization of Emily 1964
Before
Sunrise / Before Sunset / Before Midnight
1995 / 2004 / 2013
Brief
Encounter 1945
Brokeback
Mountain 2005
Carmen
Jones 1954
Casablanca
1942
The
English Patient 1996
Ghost
1990
Holiday
1938
I
Know Where I’m Going! 1945
It
Happened One Night 1934
Love
Affair 1939
An
Affair to Remember 1957
Love
Story 1970
Notorious
1946
Now,
Voyager 1942
An
Officer and a Gentleman 1982
The
Remains of the Day 1993
Roman
Holiday 1953
Say
Anything… 1989
Sense
and Sensibility 1995
The
Shop Around The Corner 1940
The
Way We Were 1973
Working
Girl 1988
What
is your favorite romantic read and movie?
The
world needs love. Valentine’s Day reminds us to love one another.
Happy
Valentine’s Day to all authors and readers!
GEMMA JULIANA
An eternal matchmaker, Gemma gets great joy
from creating love stories where two hearts end up beating as one. She has
traveled the world and enjoys adding the extra spice of international settings
to her stories, which are set in many genres.
Gemma lives with her true love in a cozy
Texas cottage along with their teen son and a crafty dog who rules them all.
Her muse is nourished with the finest creativity fuels – chocolate and coffee.
Gemma loves to hear from readers! Connect with her at:
www.gemmajuliana.com
https://twitter.com/gemma_juliana
4 comments:
How interesting, Gemma. I've seen a good number of the movies and read a few of the books. Now, Voyager is one of my favorite movies of all time. I've seen it several times. As for the books, I read The Thorn Birds, and while I enjoyed it, I found the heroine annoying and I wouldn't call it a romance. That's just me. I also read The French Lieutenant's Woman and absolutely hated it. I love the Outlander series.
Those are some wonderful lists. I was surprised about one of the movies The Before Series and read what it was about... They do sound good but I miss the happy ending. I want love to always triumph and some of those movies and books don't have it.
Some of the movies like Ghost and Pretty Woman are ones that remain in my memory. Something about that wish for true love where a fight for love is important to me. :)
I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!
Interesting lists, but certainly not the same ones in a reader's mind. But then how could it be? I'd add An Affair to Remember and Pride and Prejudice (English version).
Thanks for visiting, Cara, Melissa, and Jean. I think any such list is heavily influenced by the person writing the list and what sort of 'love' they enjoy.
Some of those movies do not have happy endings, and while there are complex relationship dynamics in them, I agree they shouldn't all be called romances.
It was interesting, especially with the movies selection, how many were from long ago. The evolution of what we consider romance has shifted a lot, but of course at the end of the day it is always about love... like Melissa, I prefer a happy ending and those darker, more tortured love relationships just don't satisfy me.
Post a Comment