With the seemingly endless hours of sunlight, summer often feels like there
is
just a little extra time for everything. For me, this manifests most in
re-reading. If you see me in spring, fall, or winter, I will tell you that
there
are simply too many books on my list to read that I can’t imagine reading a
book
I’ve read before again. Summer dares me to use a little extra slice of
daytime
to revisit old classics or read a more recent favorite again.
For those who also love using summer as a chance to reread a classic but
don’t
want to ignore more modern novels, here is a roundup list of books to pair
with
the stories that have lasted centuries, focusing particularly on romance.
If you want to reread EMMA by
Jane
Austen, pair it with…TAMING LILY by Monica Murphey!
Though the characters are different on the surface, I have always read
EMMA as a story of two lovers with strong wills who care deeply about
the
other, which is exactly what TAMING LILY brings. Lily, like Emma, is able to put on a
strong face when things are going wrong, even when she might have had a play
in
what happened. Mr. Knightly, like Lily’s Max, sees her in a way no one else
does. Both pairs certainly butt heads, but at the end of the day, they want
nothing more than to see the other happy.
If you want to reread Shakespeare’s
A
MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT DREAM, pair it with….TRANSCENDER
by Vicky Savage!
Characters in both stories discover a new world, have confusing love
affairs,
and deal with family matters. You have to use your imagination for both, and
the
stories are rich with emotion, intrigue, and the perfect amount of humor.
If you want to reread GONE WITH THE
WIND by Margaret Mitchell, pair it with…RIVAL
by
Penelope Douglas!
Who hasn’t had to fan themselves over the heat between Rhett and Scarlett?
RIVAL
holds
the same intense, romantic banter from the main couple that sometimes toes
the
line between love and hate. Both couples are dramatic and wild about each
other
in a way that will leave you turning the pages to see what side of that line
they end up on.
If you want to reread BEAUTY AND
THE
BEAST, pair it with…CAPTIVE by Brighton Walsh!
CAPTIVE
takes a contemporary look at what might happen if a hired man kidnaps a
woman.
In both stories, the characters are ripe with complexity and present an
interesting moral discussion. In the end, it shows how deeply you have to
look
sometimes to find the heart of another person, and the joys that doing so
can
bring.
If you want to reread
PERUSASION by
Jane Austen, pair it with…PERFECT TIMING by Laura Spinella!
There is something so exciting about lovers who come together again after
years
apart. Much like Anne and Wentworth, Aiden and Isabel came close to being
together once then became separated. Years later, fate brings them back
together, but with so much history between a couple, it is impossible to
tell if
they can move forward as they once hoped to.
If you want to reread PRIDE AND
PREJUDICE by Jane Austen, pair it with…HOW WE
FALL
by Kate Brauning!
Though HOW
WE FALL is considered a young adult novel, it has so much appeal for an
adult or a new adult audience as well. The couple has intense romantic
chemistry, and they’re surrounded by a situation that makes them have to
mature
quickly. I’ve paired this one with PRIDE AND PREJUDICE for several
reasons. In Jane Austen’s time, it was entirely common for cousins to marry
(although most will agree Mr. Collins’ still wasn’t the best choice). In
today’s
society, ‘kissing cousins’ are often considered taboo, or at least strongly,
strongly frowned upon. HOW WE FALL, in addition to having great build up and
various family dynamics, explores a romantic relationship between cousins
whose
family is strongly prejudiced against. In their own way, both stories force
you
to examine your own areas of prejudice and the consequences your actions can
have on other people.