10 Great Gifts for the Romance Fan in Your Life

You've never quite gotten your friend, sister, mom or wife's obsession with the darned things - those cheesy, silly books with half naked bimbos and over-muscled meatheads standing and drooling over one another in impossible poses that she reads by the dozens. But you love her, and you want to get her something for the holidays (or her birthday, or whatever) that will really make her happy.

These gift ideas are bound to make your hopeless romantic smile!

1. The number one gift you can get any romance fan is a GIFT CARD at their favorite bookstore! Try a local bookstore first - you can't beat the service and cozy atmosphere of a business in your own community. When you get to know the owners and clerks, and they get to know your reader, they can recommend new reads you might have missed otherwise!

Even if you don't have a local independent bookstore, you can still support smaller booksellers by using Alibris.com - the best place to find used, rare, and out-of-print books, movies and music.

If all else fails, or if you want the best possible selection for your special romantic, try gift cards from Big Online Retailer Amazon.com. Or, to give a choice between online and store shopping, BarnesandNoble.com and Borders.com are the way to go!

And I would be remiss if I didn't encourage you to buy ebooks - the future of romance is there! The biggest online retailers of the best ebooks are Fictionwise.com and Ereader.com. You can also buy gift certificates from my favorite ebook publishers: cobblestone-press.com, ellorascave.com, freyasbower.com, ladyaibell.com, changelingpress.com, and liquidsilver.com!

2. When it comes to romantic movies, you can't beat the classics. A&E offers an amazing "Romance Classics Collection" that includes Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Jane Eyre, Ivanhoe, Tom Jones, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Lorna Doone, Catherine The Great, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, The Great Gatsby and more! Retailing around $200, it's available at A&E: aetv.com and Walmart.com!

3. Oh, how I pray someone I know sees this article and knows how badly I want a Massaging Bedrest Pillow With Heat from Brookstone.com! I love to curl up in my cozy bed when I read... but anyone who does that knows how hard it is to set up the pillows to support their back and stay comfortable! With this lovely article, your reader will never have to worry about that again! *sigh* It might be a bit pricey at $125, but imagine the love your reader will feel for you every time she snuggles up to read! It even comes with an adjustable lamp and cup holder! Brookstone sku # 540021

4. A slightly cheaper but almost as cool alternative for the bed reader is available from The Reader's Catalog (readerscatalog.com) - The Comfort Reader Pillow SKU 05-UFD01. This comfy baby sells for a reasonable $34!

5. Gifts.com calls them "guilty pleasure soap operas" - three hottest nighttime dramas on TV, and a sure best for any romance fan. Now on DVD. Try the complete Sex and the City, Season 1 of Desperate Housewives, and/or Seasons 1&2 (uncut) of Grey's Anatomy! Yeah, I know, it's annoying to hear your girlfriend/sister/mom/wife go on and on about how hot McDreamy is... but you're bound to get enough brownie points to make it worth it! These are available pretty much anywhere DVD's are available!

6. Very cool! Writers' Pencils - these neat pencils offer insights and advice about the writing life from famous authors like Confucius and Beatrix Potter! Available from The Reader's Catalog (readerscatalog.com) SKU: 04-QPW01

7. Don't miss BookMateStore.com for some of the coolest reader accessories around, including book covers, bookstands, and attachable book lights! Save your poor hands from cramping when you get into a really good book, or read one of those hulking hardcovers!

8. Is it wrong to recommend an entire website? Aw, who cares? I love this place so much, and I can heartily recommend almost anything they offer. Levenger.com calls itself "Tools For Serious Readers," and boy howdy is it that! They sell the best bookmarks and book weights around, and offer everything from pens to lap desks, bookends to neck pillows, and everything in between for your reader!

9. A Book Lover's Diary (ISBN 1552090159) A great place for an avid reader to keep records, including: books to read, books read/a personal review, books to buy, books loaned out or borrowed, favorite books, memorable passages, addresses of libraries and book stores! Indispensable! Available wherever books are sold.

10. The Book Bouquet (bookbouquet.com) offers awesome book baskets, including Book-A-Month, birthday baskets, business gifts, and more!