Between the sheets - books for romantics

by Nicola Shepherd

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Romatic book ideas:

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Write him or her into a romantic novel

Online just fill in a questionnaire about relevant characteristics, appearance details, likes and dislikes, and then your partner will appear as the hero or heroine in a romantic novel, which is both tasteful and titillating, according�to the publishers. Two companies in America offer this service, rewriting their books according to your brief and binding them before shipping. www.yournovel.com and www.bookbyou.com

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Try a bit of food seduction in print

A gorgeous book filled with luscious images of chocolate such as La Maison du Chocolat by master chocolatier Robert Linxe or Seduction in Spice the ultimate aphrodisiac's cookbook by chef Rudolf Sodamin (publishers for both, Rizzoli).

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Nostalgia rules

Remind him or her how it used to be with two books which evoke the good times. Nostalgia - From Elvis to E-mail: Trends, Events and Trivia from the Postwar Era to the End of the Century by Paul Dickson, is just bursting�with great facts. Or there's The Kiss - A Romantic Treasury�of Photographs and Quotes (published by Running� Press).

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Love in words

The top ten most romantic novels as voted for by some of today's top authors include Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. There are also the love letters of the famous, John Keats'� to Fanny Brawne and Winston Churchill's to his wife Clemmie.�Or try your own little poetry reading. The Nation's Favourite Love Poems (BBC Books) is a good source, or that famous WH Auden poem Funeral Blues (as used in the film�Four Weddings and a Funeral) from Tell me the Truth about Love.�

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Getting down to it

If subtlety is wasted on your partner, get straight to the point with Anais Nin's The Erotic Life of Anais Nin or David Bailey's collection of beautiful pictures of his wife Catherine.�

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