Sunday, September 15, 2013

The Book(s) of Love (or, It's Our Anniversary!)

Happy Sunday, readers!  FYI, this is not just any old Sunday.  It's also the 6th wedding anniversary for me and my darling husband.  WOOHOO!  I told him a few weeks ago that this means we only have 1 year left until the 7-year itch.  He was not amused.  Apparently 6 years has not been enough time for me to improve my joke delivery?
Walking off into the sunset. He had no idea what he was getting into. MUWAHAHA!
We are spending this year's anniversary FINALLY moving into our house (HOORAY!), but in the meantime, I had to do a little post here to commemorate the big day.

Fun fact: our first dance at the wedding was to The Book of Love, by Peter Gabriel.  We had the hardest time picking a song, and then my friend Jennie had me listen to this one.  Hubs and I immediately got tears in our eyes the first time we heard it.  I guess that's how you know you found your wedding song: when it makes you burst into mushy, girly tears, even though you are very rarely prone to mushy, girly tears.
Other than just being OUR song, it's also cool because it's a little bookish, right?  So in honor of today, here's a quick list of some of my favorite "books of love"...not necessarily in the romance genre, but novels that make even my not-usually-sappy heart swoon.

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Easily my all-time favorite book.  Potentially one of the most unusual love stories out there (given the whole, you know, time traveling thing) but if there was ever a "let's overcome some crazy obstacles to be together" story, this is it.

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

You can check out my full review of this one here, but Celia and Marco have one of the most awesome (and visually pleasing...love the imagery!) literary romances ever.

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Granted, Heathcliff and Catherine basically want to kill each other for most of this book, but that's probably why I love it so much.  What fun is a sappy romance when you can watch the two lovers try to annoy the crap out of each other first?  (mini-review here)

4. What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson

The book made me cry.  Then I watched the movie and that made me cry too.  A couple is separated when the husband dies in a tragic accident, and they discover what must be done to reunite themselves in eternity.  Such a cool concept and SO SAD but worth the tears.

5. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Okay, I'll give Nicholas Sparks ONE shout out here.  The Notebook is not an amazeballs book by any means, but it is really sappy and swoon-worthy.  Paired with the movie it has to be noted as a good romance, even if you're not typically a Sparks fan.

6. PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

This isn't really a romance, since the main character's husband dies in the beginning and she must spend the rest of the novel trying to rediscover her life.  But she does that through the letters her husband left behind, and that alone is enough to make you say "awwwwwwwwww" over and over.  PS, the book is better than the movie.

What are YOUR favorite "books of love"?

19 comments:

  1. Congratulations!!!! The Notebook and The Time Traveler's Wife are my 2 faves (that come to memory).

    Tanya Patrice
    Girlxoxo.com

    Reply
  2. Ahhhhh I love the Time Traveler's Wife, that's a good one.
    And yeesh, I have GOT to read The Night Circus. I've said that ohhhh, how many times now?!

    Happy anniversary, you two!!!

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    1. Haha don't we all have a few books like that, that we never get around to??? Thanks!

  3. Wow, congratulations! What an exciting day for you :) I haven't read PS I Love You but since I've enjoyed several of Cecelia Ahern's books, I'm hoping to get to it soon.

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    1. Funny, I am the opposite--that's the only one of hers that I've read so far! And I've been meaning to try some others for quite a while.

  4. Happy happy happy anniversary to the both of you :) One of my fave love stories is The Song of Achilles...sigh and swoon.

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    1. Oooh haven't read that one yet. Been on the TBR for a while though.

  5. I don't read many "books of love," although I used to. I read WUTHERING HEIGHTS so long ago I barely remember it. I did read and review THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE only a couple years ago.

    Niffenegger has put together a beautiful love story, not something drippy as love stories almost always are. And this certainly is not a romance novel. But THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is also, obviously, science fiction.

    After I began reading THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE, I thought it was going to be monotonous even if not a silly love story. The dialog was so well written, though, I continued to read it. But I’m not the love story type, so I still wasn’t optimistic.

    It was the continual time travel that I thought would get monotonous. Instead, I became attached to Claire when the story was told from her point of view, then attached to Henry when it was told from his.

    I can count on one hand the number of novels that have affected me the way this one did. I suggest you see if it does that to you.

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    1. I completely agree with you about TTTW. I read it several years ago and it has stuck with me for sure. Romance is generally not my genre, but the added sci fi aspects, paired with the way Niffenegger gets you invested in the characters, makes it into something much, much more than a love story.

  6. Awww, I love this post! Thanks for sharing your anniversary and your book recs! :)

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  7. I had no idea that song was Peter Gabriel. The only place I've ever heard it was in the series finale -- well, what SHOULD have been the series finale -- of Scrubs, and that scene makes me tear up every single time I watch it.

    Happy anniversary! (a day late...)

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    1. Hahaha, I agree, that SHOULD have been the finale! When my husband and I watched it (we were big Scrubs fans), we were pretty excited that they chose our wedding song for the last episode. lol.

  8. Congratulations on your anniversary! I hope the move went well.

    Yay for The Time Travellers Wife and Wuthering Heights! I have to disagree with you about PS I Love You; the movie is my go-to I'm-sad-and-need-a-mushy-movie movie, but I didn't like the book at all. (I thought the writing was super repetitive; how many times do her characters need to 'giggle'?) :P

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    1. Haha I didn't remember that about the giggling! (I read it quite a while ago). Did you read the book first, or see the movie? I feel like I'm more inclined to enjoy the movie over the book if I see the movie first...in this case, I read the book first and it made me dislike the movie because there were so many big differences (especially in the tone).

  9. HI Kelly! I linked your blog this morning for your banned book post. I need to go to work so wanted to be sure you were linked up before I left. :) Cant wait to see it! Have a super day!

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  10. Congratulations! The Night Circus was very good in that regard, definitely romantic but different in its approach.

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    1. Agreed! In order for me to enjoy a romantic novel, there usually has to be something more than just a love story to hook me.

 
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