What are some good comic/romance fiction novels for straight men looking for a light vacation read?
I am going on vacation with my boyfriend, who is open minded but isn’t really into reading novels. I am so excited to put my intense chemistry books down over winter break to read some CAREFREE silly and sexy books by one of my favorite authors, Jennifer Crusie. I would love to let my boyfriend try some fiction of his own (so he’s not bored during the hours I’d like to be engulfed in reading!). However, since he is new to novels (and not quite sold on the idea of reading books all together), I have no idea what to get for him.
He does enjoy reading, although mostly he loves witty sports columnists from ESPN online and such. He is well rounded and intelligent though, so I’m sure he can branch from sports reading if the story was easy to relate to and entertaining to read. Probably needs some more testosterone than my collection of novels can provide!
A little about him… He is 27, but has the mind of a man slightly more mature (maybe 33 or so). He’s been through a divorce (so can relate to relationship drama!) and has since gotten in touch with his more “mushy” side since dating me. 
We’ve seen many romantic comedies together, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that he enjoyed some so much and could really relate to the fun, quirky, and “true to life” male characters. I know there must be books out there he will enjoy as well.
Any men out there? Your input would be especially appreciated!
- Jessie O
Tags: Comic Romance, Jennifer Crusie, Reading Books, Romance Fiction, Sexy Books
April 6th, 2009 at 5:14 am
How about The Girl, the Gold Watch, & Everything by John D. McDonald? JDM is best-known for his mysteries, but GGWE is a total departure for him.
The book is about a young man whose eccentric inventor uncle has just passed away. The young guy inherits a gold watch, and he soon learns that the watch stops time: the world around him is frozen, but he’s free to do whatever he wants for an hour. He later learns his uncle used the watch to sleep while time was frozen, making it seem like he got along with no sleep at all.
The main character has a history of lousy luck with the ladies, and he meets a real WITCH during the story. However, his fortunes turn around when he meets someone who’s perfect for him and crazy about him, so there’s the romantic angle.
A time-stopping watch is obviously a built-in sci-fi element. But there’s also plenty of naughty-comedy potential, and JDM takes full advantage of it: the main character’s lady friend (not the witchy woman) uses the watch to abruptly convert a beach from clothed to nude, and at the end a villainess character (yes, the witchy one) gets her comeuppance by being stripped naked and loaded into a truckload of sailors!
Anyway, it’s a pretty good book, it’s not terribly long, and it probably would work for your b/f as an “entry-level” comedy/romance.
Another possibility: if any of the romantic comedies he liked are based on novels (that is, NOT novelizations of the film – the book was written before the movie was made), he could give those novels a try.
April 8th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
i don’t know a man that would, voluntarily read, especially on vacation