I take a lot of heat from my friends because I read romance novels. Many of these friends are avid watchers of romantic comedies or Sony Classic Movies such as Atonement, Pride and Prejudice, or any other period piece that features Keira Knightley’s disfigurement (she is HEINOUS). These movies are no better.
First of all, romance novels can be checked at the library – my preferred method, or bought at the bookstore for $6.99 and read multiple times. Movies are $10 and can be watched once.
Romance novels bear no hidden snobberies. They are meant for pleasure and are perfect for superficial occasions, such as lying out on the beach, passing time at the doctor’s office, and working out at the gym. Many people who like movies such as Brideshead Revisited have no idea that the movie is a bastardization of a book that only mentions ½ of the complete plot line.
Romance novels have helped me read faster and promote large vocabularies. They are not porn books. They also provide a topic of conversation that allows friends to join together to rib on me in public.
As fiction confection, romance novels are divided into many different genres. CHICK LIT books are ROMANCE NOVELS. The only difference is that they are $15 and slightly more socially acceptable for women in the 20s to read. These books are entertainment, not literature. There are no pretensions harbored here!
Here are a few with authors that I recommend:
Chick Lit: Sophie Kinsella, Jane Green
Contemporary: Elizabeth Lowell
Contemporary, erotica - ok, this stuff is porn: Susan Johnson
Contemporary supernatural: Nora Roberts
Historical, Regency: Judith McNaught, Julia Quinn, Christina Dodd, Sherri Thomas, Lisa Kleypas, Mary Balogh, Samantha James, Joanna Lindsey
Western: I can’t read these. Cowboys don’t do it for me.
Try one! Contact me if you want to borrow one from me. I have plenty.
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