If you have somehow missed the buzz on The Lost City, it is a tale of a romance author (Sandra Bullock) struggling with her grief and grappling with what she thought her career would be and what it is. She spends her timing writing romances about the archaeological adventures of a couple while she longs for more for herself. When her book’s cover model (Channing Tatum) steals the show at one of her book releases, she storms right out — only to be abducted by someone who wants to use her knowledge to uncover lost treasure from a lost city. It is a story of the power of romance, of history, and what it truly means to own treasure. It goes without saying that while watching the movie, my brain was working overtime about what all books the movie reminded me of. It had budding romance, but it also went into the process of writing and the research that goes into writing a historically accurate story. But then there is also the adventure and treasure hunt element of the story: a city on the brink of ruin, a treasure to uncover before all is lost. So, I decided to divide my list of books into two, depending on which element appeals to you more.
Hunt for Hidden Treasure
If your heart desires history, curses and excavations for hidden treasures, then these are the books for you.
Romance Writing
If, like me, you are enraptured by romance authors and the immense about of research that goes into their work, then these are the picks for you. I think a lot about what the content I consume means to me. What I often conclude is that it is a means of inviting introspection, empathy, and most of the time joy into my life. My favorite element of The Lost City was just that. There are always possibilities of gratitude and happiness around you — you just have to find the right door to let them in. A big theme in The Lost City was the author, Loretta, struggling with the idea of who she has become versus who she wanted to be. She thinks writing romances is beneath her and Alan, the charming book cover model, very rightly puts her in her place. This book is a lot of that. But it is also about a writer who is trying to write through her grief, and it is wonderful.
