Some suggestions for romance

Okay, here are some ideas with descriptions from Amazon (I haven't read any of them)

Jane Eyre
Having grown up an orphan in the home of her cruel aunt and at a harsh charity school, Jane Eyre becomes an independent and spirited survivor—qualities that serve her well as governess at Thornfield Hall. But when she finds love with her sardonic employer, Rochester, the discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a choice. Should she stay with him whatever the consequences or follow her convictions, even if it means leaving her beloved?

Wuthering Heights
There are few more convincing, less sentimental accounts of love than Wuthering Heights. This is the story of a tormented foundling who falls in love with the daughter of his benefactor, and of the violence and misery that result from their thwarted longing for each other.

One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding (non fiction, kind of romance related...)
In its nascence in the American lexicon, the term "Bridezilla" has inspired articles, reality television and watercooler tales of brides gone mad. This phenomenon piqued New Yorker staff writer Mead's interest, sending her on a three-year investigation of the current American wedding and the $161-billion industry that spawned it. "Blaming the bride," she writes, "wasn't an adequate explanation for what seemed to be underlying the concept of the Bridezilla: that weddings themselves were out of control." Interviewing wedding industry professionals and attending weddings in Las Vegas, Disney World, Aruba and a wedding town in Tennessee, Mead ventures beyond the tulle curtain to reveal moneymaking ploys designed around our most profound fears as well as our headiest happily-ever-after fantasies. Goods and services providers alter marital traditions—and even invent new ones—to feed their bottom line. Stores vie for bridal registry business in hopes of gaining lifelong customers. Women swoon for what retailers call "the 'Oh, Mommy' moment" in boutique fitting rooms—an unsettling contrast to the Chinese bridal gown factory workers who make them possible, sleeping eight to a room and scraping by on 30 cents an hour. Part investigative journalism, part social commentary, Mead's wry, insightful work offers an illuminating glimpse at the ugly underbelly of our Bridezilla culture.

Great Expectations
A terrifying encounter with an escaped convict in a graveyard on the wild Kent marshes; a summons to meet the bitter, decaying Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella; the sudden generosity of a mysterious benefactor - these form a series of events that change the orphaned Pip's life forever, and he eagerly abandons his humble origins to begin a new life as a gentleman. Dickens' haunting late novel depicts Pip's education and development through adversity as he discovers thetrue nature of his 'great expectations'.

Katherine by Anya Seton
This classic romance novel tells the true story of the love affair that changed history-that of Katherine Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the ancestors of most of the British royal family. Set in the vibrant 14th century of Chaucer and the Black Death, the story features knights fighting in battle, serfs struggling in poverty, and the magnificent Plantagenets-Edward III, the Black Prince, and Richard II-who ruled despotically over a court rotten with intrigue. Within this era of danger and romance, John of Gaunt, the king's son, falls passionately in love with the already married Katherine. Their well-documented affair and love persist through decades of war, adultery, murder, loneliness, and redemption. This epic novel of conflict, cruelty, and untamable love has become a classic since its first publication in 1954.

Read My Heart: A Love Story in England's Revolution by Jane Dunn (non fiction)
When Sir William Temple (1628–99) and Dorothy Osborne (1627–95) began their passionate love affair, civil war was raging in Britain, and their families—parliamentarians and royalists, respectively—did everything to keep them apart. Yet the couple went on to enjoy a marriage and a sophisticated partnership unique in its times. Surviving the political chaos of the era, the Black Plague, the Great Fire of London, and the deaths of all their nine children, William and Dorothy made a life together for more than forty years.

Drawing upon extensive research and the Temples’ own extraordinary writings—including Dorothy’s dazzling letters, hailed by Virginia Woolf as one of the glories of English literature—Jane Dunn gives us an utterly captivating dual biography, the first to examine Dorothy’s life as an intellectual equal to her diplomat husband. While she has been known to posterity as the very symbol of upper-class seventeenth-century domestic English life, Dunn makes clear that Dorothy was a woman of great complexity, of passion and brilliance, noteworthy far beyond her role as a wife and mother. The remarkable story of William and Dorothy’s life together—illuminated here by the author’s insight and her vivid sense of place and time—offers a rare glimpse into the heart and spirit of one of the most turbulent and intriguing eras in British history.

Romance?

We've decided a romance is in order for the lovey month of February. We talked about reading 2 perhaps--a delightful Emma by Jane Austen and the fun and light Austenland by Shannon Hale, perhaps. We even mentioned The Host by Stephenie Meyer which is an unusual, but interesting romantic science fiction novel. What do you think? What suggestions do you have for a nice romance?

First Meeting

We had our first book club meeting today and like so many committees, we decided on nothing definitively. Obviously, we decided to start a blog for better communication. We also broke down the rest of the year into categories so we could experience varied genres. Here is the general rundown:

February: Romance
March: Current issues/political/non-fiction
April: Spiritual
May: Motherhood
June: Western/Adventure
July: Historical/Biography/Patriotic
August: Beach Reads
September: Classics we haven't gotten around to yet
October: Suspense
November: Political
December: something Christmassy

Some of us wanted to meet more than monthly, so we're kind of hoping for a bi-monthly meeting. Maybe the first book can meet the genre and the second can be chosen by rotating members of the group. What do you think? Should we set up a rotation schedule?

We thought we'd meet in the morning once and the evening another time so more people can participate. What times and days are best for you? We can get a general idea and then do a poll.

We also thought we'd have a list of responsibilites that we rotate through, like hosting and bringing snacks.

I've added everyone I know of wanting to participate as an author on the blog, but since somebody had to start it, I got things going. I'll change out the templates regularly at Jennie's request. If you have any kind of suggestions, just let me know.