TOP TEN TUESDAY | A FEW TAKES ON LOVE

As you know if you’ve been around this neck of the woods for any length of time, I’m not really much for romance. So asking me to share my favourite romantic books is an exercise in futility. So instead, I’m going to do a few different riffs on the general theme and see where that takes me.

1. A book about platonic love

The love explored in this book is that between a mentor (and stand-in father figure) and a young girl. The two have 70 years and a lifetime of experiences that separate them, and yet they are able to reach across this great distance to share a relationship that is very beautiful.

2. Worst “love” story I’ve read

I really did not get the hype on this book. The central love story we’re supposed to be rooting for is between two people who already have partners. Loyalty and fidelity are important to me, so I absolutely cannot get behind a love story that breaks one or both of these. I know it happens in life, and things can get messy, but if I’m reading a story and I’m supposed to buy into its premise and become invested in a relationship, it damn well better be worth investing in. This one really wasn’t – on top of which I just didn’t care for many of the characters. Hard nope.

3. The love of a parent for their child

This story isn’t about love. Not really. It’s about the mystery of a woman’s childhood on the run, and unraveling the personal history that she cannot overcome.

4. A story of unexpected love

This book is full of love, and reading it was like getting a big hug. I adored the relationship that develops between our curmudgeonly bookstore owner and the small person who comes into his world and brings it to life. One of my all-time favourite books.

5. A story of love lost

This book is part love story, part tragedy. I can’t say too much about the premise because I don’t want to give anything away, but let’s just say that it starts with a man catching a glimpse of a woman he once loved on a train platform and goes from there.

6. A story of forbidden love

This book is primarily stuck in my memory for the sensory overload of reading it, but it’s actually the story of a young woman and the man she loves but isn’t allowed to be with. She is the youngest daughter, and as such is expected to remain single and care for her mother. Unable to marry the woman he loves, her love marries her sister so he can at least be near her, which turns out to be a pretty terrible idea for everyone involved.

7. A story of the end of love

This book is so many things, but one of the overarching themes is the end of a marriage, and all the frustrations, betrayals and emotions involved. It’s also a story of the end of a marriage in modern times – when financial constraints mean the couple in question can’t actually separate. As Facebook would put it, it’s complicated.

A few love-ish books I’d like to read

8. A true story of love in sickness and in health

I’m interested in this book because I’ve heard it’s a raw, unflinching account of mental illness and the strains it can put on a relationship. Having been there (recently) myself, if to a lesser degree, I’m fascinated to give this one a go.

9. A story of first love

I’ve heard a lot about this book from various BookTubers and it sounds poignant and emotive. It’s the story of a young woman who falls for her professor, and the tumult of the relationship. I’m clearly not doing it justice here, but it does sound well worth a read. Its follow-up, Pages for Her, came out last year. I’m hoping to read both.

10. A book with love in the title that I’d like to read

I’ve never read any Alain De Botton, but I’ve seen him speak on YouTube and his ideas were well-put and thought-provoking. So I’m interested to give some of his writing a try, and this seems to be one of his better-known collections of writing.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly link-up feature created by The Broke and the Bookish and hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week TTT has a different topic, and everyone who links up has to create a link of ten items that fit that topic. To see past and upcoming topics, go here.