Ellington

Sometimes, it is relaxing to be caught up in the thrill of someone else's love story rather than the drama of your own. Love stories are not only written for individuals who find themselves in the adrenaline-rushing realms of attraction or for singles who seek a special relationship that leaves them speechless. Ironically, even those completely content in singleness can have a joyful encounter in the passion of others. After all, if a reader gains an intimate experience simply by reading a romance, why should he or she feel obligated to find the "real" thing in life? Of course, only a few love stories do the trick.

"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen (Penguin Classics, 2002, $8)
Jane Austen introduces 18th-century characters that demonstrate a slew of human characteristics with whom all readers can relate. Real family pressure is revealed when the five unmarried daughters of the Bennet family are strongly encouraged to marry. Elizabeth Bennet, the second daughter and the book's female protagonist, frustratingly despises Darcy, her male counterpart, until circumstances shift hatred to adoration. A great contrast of love and contempt, this love story will keep you reading through the night.

"Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel García Márquez (Vintage Books, 2007, $14.95)
Readers often join book clubs to enjoy literature and move it past the written word into the verbal arena, conversing about particular best sellers. Oprah's Book Club, the most popular in the country, digs deep into "Love in the time of Cholera," revealing why this love story has something for everyone. García Márquez uses similar terms to describe both the effects of love and cholera in his novel that covers all the small and large, serene and passionate aspects of love.

"Committed: A Love Story" by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin/Reprint Edition, 2011, $16)
Elizabeth Gilbert is not the only skeptic of marriage, but she may be the only one expressing her hesitations about the societal institution. In her follow-up to "Eat Pray Love" (Penguin, 2007, $15), Gilbert describes her journey of love with Felipe, a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship. The couple had each been divorced before and promised to commit to one another without the confines of marriage. That was, until the United States government got involved. Read this realistic love story to understand what overcoming (sometimes literal) boundaries in relationships really means.

"Hunchback of Notre Dame" by Victor Hugo (Signet Classics, 2010, $5.95)
Don't you despise those love stories that make characters seem glorious and often lacking real human attributes? "Hunchback of Notre Dame," by Victor Hugo, offers an entirely different story to his audience. The societal outcast Quasimodo has a heart of gold and deeply desires local Gypsy dancer Esmeralda. She pities Quasimodo when he is publicly humiliated. Later, Esmeralda is sentenced to death for a crime she didn't commit. Quasimodo saves Esmeralda from her death penalty, but you'll have to read this unique story to know whether true love can overcome her distaste for his appearance.