The standard answers include Victor Hugo, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Sir Walter Scott (all of whom she admired to one degree or another).

Going further afield, you probably want to read Heinlein's "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress"; all of James Clavell, but particularly "Noble House"; great heaping gobs of Poul Anderson (the van Rijn stories and "Harvest of Stars" and "The Stars Are Also Fire"); and perhaps Nevil Shute (start with "A Town Like Alice" and "Trustee from the Toolroom").

Other writers who qualify as romantic realists would be Ian Fleming, Mickey Spillane (his earlier books), Joseph Conrad, and western writers Frank Spearman and Jack Schaeffer.

Hope that's at least a good start for you. :) -DJF

Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaids Tale', anything by Nathaniel Branden, and perhaps Sartre and/or Camus.

Alongside Night, by J. Neil Schulman has been recommended to me as a work of Agorist fiction. It depicts a future US Government that's on the verge of collapse and the efforts of the Agorist Cadre to replace it with their own, private-sector system.

Someone that came before Nancy Drew and better. The books may be big but that's becoase they are A-W-E-S-O-M-E.I present to you the awsome my favorite person ever and the one and only..........Trixie Belden!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The detective that has thirilling adventures with her friednds Honey who got her name by her hair. Di short for diana. Jim honey's adopted brother that was saved by Trixie and honey in the mystery of the mansion a.k.a the 1st book. and her brothers Mart Trixie's almost twin. and Brian the eldest of the belden family. bobby is to young though. they are the BWG Bobwhites of The Glen. You see they are Bobwhites (the school animal) and they live on Glen Road. go to school tube and search Trixie Belden watch every single video to learn more about this searies of real people!!!!!!!!!!! you could even visit the belden home Crabaple Farm!!!!!! U will Jion the fan club if not I know where you live.

- Your secret admirer