Romancing the Reader: August Is Read a Romance Month!

Romance is a billion-dollar industry with countless enthusiastic readers, passionate authors, and a fiercely supportive community. And yet, there’s a stigma there that the genre can’t seem to shake. For every romance fan, you’ll find someone else tearing these books down for being “trashy” and “poorly written.” There are many stories out there from authors and readers alike, talking about their negative interactions with these anti-fans and the emotional toll it takes. (Check out The Romance Publishing Industry and Its Reputation by L. Cameron, an excellent research paper that recounts these systemic issues.)

Someone once said to me, “Romance is too predictable. Two people fall in love—the end.” Sure, okay, yes, if you break it down to the barest of bare bones, then that’s true. A novel needs two components to be considered a romance: a love story at the heart of it and a Happily Ever After (HEA), or at least an emotionally satisfying Happy For Now. We all know the basic format. But it’s how we get to that HEA that matters.

A good romance is full of unpredictable twists and turns, fun dialogue, and exciting characters. Not to mention the fact that there’s a wide variety of subgenres in romance, including historical, contemporary, paranormal, inspirational, and so on—something for every taste! Diverse voices and complex storylines show that romance is MUCH more than what some people say it is.

To view a large selection of romance titles across various subgenres, check out MCPL’s Books, Movies, and Music Romance Genre Page, and make sure to bookmark it! These selections are updated throughout the year. In addition, here are some great romance reads to check out:

• Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley 
• The Escape by Lisa Harris
• West Side Love Story by Priscilla Oliveras
• A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera
• Any Rogue Will Do by Bethany Bennett  

 And some rom-coms movies:

 Love Actually

• The Wedding Singer 
• Just Wright 
• Sleepless in Seattle (Dramedy)
• Notting Hill

So, go enjoy Read a Romance Month! And if you fall in love with the genre, be sure to register for Romance GenreCon at Woodneath Library Center August 4–6.

Lisa P.
Information and Reader Services