February 9, 2023
Romantic Reads
Celebrate Valentine’s this year by settling in with one of these romantic reads and a cup of tea.The Love Hypothesisby Ali Hazelwood
“You can fall in love: someone will catch you.” —The Love HypothesisThis adorable, tropey romance follows graduate student Olive Smith, who finds herself roped into a fake relationship with Stanford’s grumpiest young professor. It starts when Olive needs to convince her best friend Anh that she no longer wants to romantically pursue their mutual friend Jeremy, so Anh can feel comfortable dating him. So naturally, she lies, saying she’s dating the attractive, yet cold, biologist, Dr. Adam Carlson. After working out the details, they both agree to fake-date, yet as it goes on, Olive finds she may actually be catching feelings. This lighthearted novel has the feel of watching a cutesy rom-com play out in book form. Think The Proposal but set in the world of academia. This book really just allows the reader to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Its ease of reading also makes it a phenomenal study-break activity. I found myself laughing and gasping through the whole thing, always drawn back into the pages!
“You can fall in love: someone will catch you.” —The Love HypothesisThis adorable, tropey romance follows graduate student Olive Smith, who finds herself roped into a fake relationship with Stanford’s grumpiest young professor. It starts when Olive needs to convince her best friend Anh that she no longer wants to romantically pursue their mutual friend Jeremy, so Anh can feel comfortable dating him. So naturally, she lies, saying she’s dating the attractive, yet cold, biologist, Dr. Adam Carlson. After working out the details, they both agree to fake-date, yet as it goes on, Olive finds she may actually be catching feelings. This lighthearted novel has the feel of watching a cutesy rom-com play out in book form. Think The Proposal but set in the world of academia. This book really just allows the reader to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Its ease of reading also makes it a phenomenal study-break activity. I found myself laughing and gasping through the whole thing, always drawn back into the pages!—Syd Morgan, Books Editor
A Room with a Viewby E.M. Forster
“By the side of the everlasting why, there is a yes.” —A Room with a ViewWhat happens when a young woman in Edwardian England has to choose between buckling to societal pressures or following her heart? A Room with a View answers that question through the story of Lucy Honeychurch, a wealthy English woman who travels to Florence, Italy, chaperoned by her uptight older cousin Charlotte Bartlett. The two stay in a pensione (a small hotel), where they meet a motley assortment of fellow Brits, including lower-middle-class Mr. Emerson and his handsome son George. Mr. Emerson shocks Charlotte and company by mentioning the word “stomach” in conversation at breakfast, following up that unforgivable faux pas by offering his and George’s room to Charlotte when he overhears her complaining that they were promised a room with a view that didn’t materialize. Charlotte flatly turns him down, not wanting Lucy beholden to such a crass man (though it’s clear his greater sin is not being rich). But a clergyman in their party intercedes and talks her into accepting. And so begins a tentative friendship between Lucy and the rough-around-the-edges but exceedingly kindhearted Mr. Emerson, and her occasional bewildering interaction with brooding, taciturn George.Though haunted by her attraction to George, especially after a thunderbolt of a kiss they share in a Tuscan field, Lucy follows familial expectations once back in England and becomes engaged to rich, rather pretentious man of leisure Cecil Vyse. But guess who happens to move to Lucy’s neighborhood? That’s right—the Emersons. It’s a crazy coincidence, but just roll with it, as it’s also a delight. As her wedding date draws nearer, the Beethoven sonatas she pounds out on the piano grow more overwrought, and Mr. Emerson is the only one to notice something is amiss. He sweetly exhorts her to embrace life, even if that means flying in the face of class concerns and uptight convention. Because, he famously tells her, “By the side of the everlasting why, there is a yes.” But will Lucy say yes to George and to happiness? Or will she be left asking herself why she married damp, overbearing washcloth Cecil for the rest of her life? A Room with a View is a wonderfully written romance that, though published in 1908, still holds plenty of wisdom, charm, and gentle humor for today’s readers.
“By the side of the everlasting why, there is a yes.” —A Room with a ViewWhat happens when a young woman in Edwardian England has to choose between buckling to societal pressures or following her heart? A Room with a View answers that question through the story of Lucy Honeychurch, a wealthy English woman who travels to Florence, Italy, chaperoned by her uptight older cousin Charlotte Bartlett. The two stay in a pensione (a small hotel), where they meet a motley assortment of fellow Brits, including lower-middle-class Mr. Emerson and his handsome son George. Mr. Emerson shocks Charlotte and company by mentioning the word “stomach” in conversation at breakfast, following up that unforgivable faux pas by offering his and George’s room to Charlotte when he overhears her complaining that they were promised a room with a view that didn’t materialize. Charlotte flatly turns him down, not wanting Lucy beholden to such a crass man (though it’s clear his greater sin is not being rich). But a clergyman in their party intercedes and talks her into accepting. And so begins a tentative friendship between Lucy and the rough-around-the-edges but exceedingly kindhearted Mr. Emerson, and her occasional bewildering interaction with brooding, taciturn George.Though haunted by her attraction to George, especially after a thunderbolt of a kiss they share in a Tuscan field, Lucy follows familial expectations once back in England and becomes engaged to rich, rather pretentious man of leisure Cecil Vyse. But guess who happens to move to Lucy’s neighborhood? That’s right—the Emersons. It’s a crazy coincidence, but just roll with it, as it’s also a delight. As her wedding date draws nearer, the Beethoven sonatas she pounds out on the piano grow more overwrought, and Mr. Emerson is the only one to notice something is amiss. He sweetly exhorts her to embrace life, even if that means flying in the face of class concerns and uptight convention. Because, he famously tells her, “By the side of the everlasting why, there is a yes.” But will Lucy say yes to George and to happiness? Or will she be left asking herself why she married damp, overbearing washcloth Cecil for the rest of her life? A Room with a View is a wonderfully written romance that, though published in 1908, still holds plenty of wisdom, charm, and gentle humor for today’s readers. —Tracy Fernandez Rysavy, Driftwood Advisor
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
“We were like gods at the dawning of the world, and our joy was so bright we could see nothing else by the other.” —The Song of AchillesThe Song of Achilles is a story woven through the fates of The Iliad, following the heroic and tragic tale of Achilles, the greatest of the Greeks, and Patroclus, the disgraced prince, in their fabled deeds in the renowned Trojan War. The tale follows Patroclus, a young man troubled by circumstance who finds himself under the care of Achilles, the prophesied hero of the Trojan War. It tells of their budding companionship, their unbreakable bond, and their imperishable love for one another. Yet, their inseparable relationship is threatened as they are sent to fight in a decade-spanning war across the Aegean Sea with the city of Troy.I absolutely love this book. It is a perfect blend of romance, Greek mythology, conflict, drama, character-driven narrative, and of course, Greek tragedy. While it is a heavier read, it provides an excellent perspective on a Greek classic. As it is written from the point of view of Patroclus, Achillies’ lover and closest friend, it shares a different standpoint than we normally associate with Greek literature. It does take its own liberties with the story, however. The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is implied to be more than close friends, but some scholars disagree. Yet, at its core, the book is about the connection they had. It is not about the glory that can be won in war, but rather, what can be possibly lost in it. The Song of Achilles is a story of two men trying to break the weaves of fate, but how far are they willing to go to break them?Art by Kim Holm, used here under a Creative Commons license.
“We were like gods at the dawning of the world, and our joy was so bright we could see nothing else by the other.” —The Song of AchillesThe Song of Achilles is a story woven through the fates of The Iliad, following the heroic and tragic tale of Achilles, the greatest of the Greeks, and Patroclus, the disgraced prince, in their fabled deeds in the renowned Trojan War. The tale follows Patroclus, a young man troubled by circumstance who finds himself under the care of Achilles, the prophesied hero of the Trojan War. It tells of their budding companionship, their unbreakable bond, and their imperishable love for one another. Yet, their inseparable relationship is threatened as they are sent to fight in a decade-spanning war across the Aegean Sea with the city of Troy.I absolutely love this book. It is a perfect blend of romance, Greek mythology, conflict, drama, character-driven narrative, and of course, Greek tragedy. While it is a heavier read, it provides an excellent perspective on a Greek classic. As it is written from the point of view of Patroclus, Achillies’ lover and closest friend, it shares a different standpoint than we normally associate with Greek literature. It does take its own liberties with the story, however. The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is implied to be more than close friends, but some scholars disagree. Yet, at its core, the book is about the connection they had. It is not about the glory that can be won in war, but rather, what can be possibly lost in it. The Song of Achilles is a story of two men trying to break the weaves of fate, but how far are they willing to go to break them?Art by Kim Holm, used here under a Creative Commons license. —Aidann Woodcock