by Lauren Napoli –

Five great books that happen to have great romances too.

Craving a good love story, but find your stomach turning at the prospect of a disappointing plot and overly saccharine writing? Here are my top five weird, wonderful, lovely picks!

1) House of Sleep, by Jonathan Coe – “Intricately plotted and ingeniously constructed… A deft satire… a strange and poignant love story.” ~ The Wall Street Journal.

2) Stardust, by Neil Gaiman – marvelous, enchanting, twisty, sparkling.

3) Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater – compelling, tactile, original, sprinkled with Celtic mythology.

4) 2 AM at the Cat’s Pajamas, by Marie-Helen Bertino – vibrant, wildly entertaining, buoyant, serendipitous.

5) Let the Right One In, by John Ajvide Lindqvist – chilling, touching, awful and fantastic.

Bonus Pick Number 6 – The Princess Bride, by William Goldman.