Five great romance books you might not think of

A stunning tale of the depths masked by the famed oh-so-stiff British upper lip. Stevens, an old-style British butler, is on a road trip around England and takes the time to reflect on his career and devotion to it. Among the stops he makes (amid many other plot points) is a brief pause to try to convince a former colleague, Mrs. Kendon, to return to her former position as housekeeper at the great house where Stevens remains employed. The encounter and flashbacks to others between the two, heartbreakingly portrays the cost of paths not taken, of moments not seized.

The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro, $29, Amazon and Indigo.