Here's my first-ever try at compiling a top 100 romances list for AAR's poll. I didn't quite come up with a 100 that I felt were worthy, but I did better than I thought I would. (I haven't been reading romance all that long, plus I'm kind of picky.) Putting together these lists isn't easy, is it?I kept wanting to put non-romance on there (and some of them that did make it on are debatable). And then ordering them was impossible. Is this my 37th favorite or 38th? Hmmm. So really, after a while I just stopped stressing about it. ;)
1 Blue Castle - L.M. Montgomery
2 This Rough Magic - Mary Stewart
3 Persuasion - Jane Austen
4 Bet Me - Jennifer Crusie
5 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
6 Venetia - Georgette Heyer
7 Nine Coaches Waiting - Mary Stewart
8 Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand - Carla Kelly
9 Busman's Honeymoon - Dorothy Sayers
10 Civil Campaign - Lois McMaster Bujold
11 Windflower - Laura London
12 Anne of the Island - L.M. Montgomery
13 Into the Wilderness - Sara Donati
14 Devil's Cub - Georgette Heyer
15 Faking It - Jennifer Crusie
16 Beguilement - Lois McMaster Bujold
17 Gaudy Night - Dorothy Sayers
18 Lord of Scoundrels - Loretta Chase
19 Moonspinners - Mary Stewart
20 Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
21 Reforming Lord Ragsdale - Carla Kelly
22 Touch Not the Cat - Mary Stewart
23 Madam, Will You Talk? - Mary Stewart
24 Welcome to Temptation - Jennifer Crusie
25 Kathryn in the Court of Six Queens - Anne Merton Abbey
26 Ivy Tree - Mary Stewart
27 Grand Sophy - Georgette Heyer
28 Desiree - Annemarie Selinko
29 Nonesuch - Georgette Heyer
30 Far Pavilions - M.M. Kaye
31 Born in Fire - Nora Roberts
32 Celia Garth - Gwen Bristow
33 Crazy for You - Jennifer Crusie
34 Shadowy Horses - Susanna Kearsley
35 Simply Love - Mary Balogh
36 Mystic and Rider - Sharon Shinn
37 Bitten - Kelley Armstrong
38 Ever After - Elswyth Thane
39 Match Me if You Can - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
40 Montana Sky - Nora Roberts
41 No Humans Involved - Kelley Armstrong
42 Sea Swept - Nora Roberts
43 To Sir Philip, With Love - Julia Quinn
44 My Brother Michael - Mary Stewart
45 Games of Command - Linnea Sinclair
46 Countess Below Stairs - Eva Ibbotson
47 Lord of Danger - Anne Stuart
48 Bridal Season - Connie Brockway
49 Demon Angel - Meljean Brook
50 Mr. Impossible - Loretta Chase
51 Mariana - Susanna Kearsley
52 Mistress Pat - L.M. Montgomery
53 Unacceptable Offer - Mary Balogh
54 Bride of the MacHugh - Jan Cox Speas
55 Dreaming of You - Lisa Kleypas
56 Morning Gift - Eva Ibbotson
57 Wild Pursuit - Eloisa James
58 Slave to Sensation - Nalini Singh
59 Ain't She Sweet - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
60 Finders Keepers - Linnea Sinclair
61 This Heart of Mine - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
62 By Possession - Madeline Hunter
63 Lord Perfect - Loretta Chase
64 Frederica - Georgette Heyer
65 Cordelia's Honor - Lois McMaster Bujold
66 Miss Grimley's Oxford Career - Carla Kelly
67 Slightly Dangerous - Mary Balogh
68 Demon Moon - Meljean Brook
69 My Lady Notorious - Jo Beverley
70 Summer to Remember - Mary Balogh
71 Duke and I - Julia Quinn
72 Manhunting - Jennifer Crusie
73 Rapture in Death - J.D. Robb
74 Talisman Ring - Georgette Heyer
75 Thornyhold - Mary Stewart
76 Heart of the Sea - Nora Roberts
77 Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder
I tried not to go too fangirl-ish and just add everything by my favorite authors, but it kind of happened anyway. Here are the big winners:
Mary Balogh 4
Lois McMaster Bujold 3
Loretta Chase 3
Jennifer Crusie 5
Georgette Heyer 6
Carla Kelly 3
L.M. Montgomery 3
Susan Elizabeth Phillips 3
Nora Roberts 4
Mary Stewart 8
9 comments:
Well, other than the Heyers, I think our lists match quite well. Excellent, this gives me quite a few books to try!
I think as you like Georgette Heyer so much that you should try "The Convenient Marriage". It is by far and away my favourite of hers.
Rosario--That's why I love seeing people's lists. Though it's not good for my TBR.
Aphi--I have read The Convenient Marriage, though I can't remember too much about it now. Young gutsy heroine who stutters, right? I may have to reread that one. :)
I thought about compiling a list - realised there was no way I would be able to *rank* my favourites, and err... decided not to bother. I like reading other people's lists though! :-)
There's definite overlap in our reading tastes (I would suppose that's pretty obvious though!) but I've never read Mary Stewart.
I just read Blue Castle for the very first time last month, and while I liked it, I liked her Emily books much much more. Have you read them? And of her Anne books, Rilla of Ingleside is my fav - there are hanky moments and the ending is just perfect. Is Anne of the Island the one where Anne and Gilbert get together.
The ranking was definitely the hardest part. And like someone was saying (I can't remember who now) sometimes it's like comparing apples and oranges. You love different books for different reasons and it's impossible to compare them.
You have to read some Stewart!! Really. You have to. I listed my favorites of hers here.
(Did that work? I can never exactly remember how to do the link thingie.)
I never did read the Emily books (though I think they might be the only LMM books I haven't read). My sister read them and said the plotline drove her crazy because the h/h were in love but kept apart for a really long time for some little reason. That drives me completely nuts. But maybe I should read them. Rilla's great, but so sad! Poor Walter.
And yes, Anne of the Island is the one where Anne's engaged to the wrong man, but then realizes finally that she loves Gilbert. It's not my fave Anne book, but it's the only one I could categorize as a romance with a clean conscience. ;)
I must try Mary Stewart...I think I bought a couple based on your reviews, but they have become lost in the TBR pile.
jmc--Pull them out! Dust them off and get crackin'. ;)
I think you'll like them.
hey there :D
that's exactly why I haven't made a list, because I know that I'll turn fangirl-ish :D
but you do have a very nice list :D
We have lots of books in common. I have read all those Mary Stewarts but I ended up putting only Moonspinners on my list. I haven't tried Sayers before but I see those books on two other lists so they must be pretty good. I have read all those Heyer books but I ended up putting two others on my list (Lady of Quality and Faro's Daughter) that are my favorites. I've seen those Dorothy Sayers books on three lists and now I'm curious. That was me with the apples and oranges comment. This was a lot of work, wasn't it? But worth it because I think it gives us all recommendations on more books (not that I need more books in my TBR). :)
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