Running With Quills: Have you always been a romance reader?

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Have you always been a romance reader?

Don't ask me why, but I suddenly started wondering how many of our blog-ees are lifelong romance readers and how many came to the game later. I think of myself as a lifer, but the romance genre as we know it today bears little resemblance to what was available when I was a kid and young adult--which I considered at the time to be zilch.

That wasn't entirely true, of course. There were the early Harlequin books, and I loved them for a while, but then they began to bug me because the hero was always this older than dirt guy (to my 12, 13, 14 year-old mind) of 30, who treated the 18-year-old English flower like crap through most of the book then pledged his undying love on the last page. Huh? I could never see where that was coming from, because he sure as heck didn't show it. ("I love you darling, truly I do. And by the way, you look lovely in your frock. We must spend a fortnight in my flat.") Gak.

But then came the Gothics, with their covers of women looking over their shoulders at a castle/manse/decrepit old house with its one lighted window as they fled in their nighties into the night. Hey, at least those heroines got a little lovin' with the non-communicative broody guy, which, I gotta tell you, I think is great fun in fiction, but would probably be a nightmare in real life. And Mary Stewart, bless her Queen of Woman in Jeopardy books heart, always did m

e right. Charlotte Armstrong did, as well. So, while I read mucho non-romance in my younger years (and, okay, still do), I still believe myself to be firmly in the lifelong romance reader camp.

I've met plenty who were late bloomers romance-wise, however--readers and writers. I remember Tami Hoag coming to a Greater Seattle RWA meeting and telling us she'd disdained romance until one afternoon when she and her husband got stuck waiting for a tow-truck after their car broke down. The only thing to pass the time was a romance book her sister-in-law had left behind. (I think it was a Woodiwiss, but I'm not positive about that) Like other late blooming romance readers I've spoken to, she became a believer--even if she ultimately found her true love to be suspense.

What's your story? Were you born with a romance in your hand? Or did someone hand you one after years of reading brand X genres, whereupon you declared with heartfelt fervor, "How the heck have I missed out on this for so long?" And does anyone remember the very first romance they ever read?

Tell Motha Susan, my pets. She's nosy and wants to know.
Just because.

54 Comments:

Anonymous said...: I feel like I have been reading romances forever (although I am not THAT old!). I think my love affair with romances started with Austen's Pride and Prejudice! I confess that I get a surfeit every so often and have to take a break and read other genres but I always come back to romances because I don't believe in wasting my time if I can't get a "happily ever after" ending.

E.L. Felder; 10:43 PM
susan andersen said...: Yep, that's it exactly, E.L. Those HEAs are very, very addictive.; 12:16 AM
Mary said...: I love this blog and that's a GREAT question. But alas, no romance was not my first love. I actually got to reading really late for my own pleasure. The first book I read because I wanted to and not because my teacher told me I had to was Cujo. lol

Yeah so after reading that and by the way...loving it! I was on a horror genre kick for years and when my mom bought Harlequin and told me I should read a few of them, I actually laughed at her and told her I would never read her pornish bodice rippers. Yeah, I can't believe I ever said that, but she thought it was funny.

Then about 8 years later I picked up a book called Once in Paris By Diana Palmer and I tell you I was stunned. It had the action I liked, it had really good writing and the characters were great! let's not forget the romance part because the romantic scenes actually made me blush and I kept looking around to see if anyone could tell what I was reading. I actually felt guilty for reading what I thought of as soft porn, at the time. *sheesh I was shy and naive....lol* But I looked into a few more of her books and loved them as well and my love of romance took off from there. I still love a little horror with my romance though :); 12:17 AM
PJ said...: I started reading romances at the age of 13 and considering the fact that I just turned 58 I guess that pretty much makes me a lifelong romance reader. I've read a lot of other genres along the way but romance has always been my favorite.

I don't remember the title of my first romance but the two authors who got me started were Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart.; 2:36 AM
Anonymous said...: I guess I got started on Barbara Cartland when I was about 12 or 13 years old. From then on throughout my teenage years I read just about any romance book I could get my hands on in Icelandic (and there where quite a few of them) as well as some in English. I didn´t start reading romances in English until I was 16 or so but I never stopped since.

Sirry; 3:05 AM
kris b said...: great question susan! ;-)

I read my first book when I was 14 I remember well because my sisters had been after me forever to read a book! it was Johanna lindsays captive bride and I was hooked after that! consider myself a lifer! and its mostly always been romance though have changed genres now and then but always go back to what I like!

Kris b; 4:01 AM
Shiloh Walker said...: I've been a diehard reader since about second grade. Mom used to have to fuss at me to stop reading and EAT MY BREAKFAST. then she griped because I'd read the cereal box as I ate... *G*

I got hooked on romance in about 7th grade, I guess. Went on a trip with my grandmother and aunt, who were romance readers, and I didn't have any books. they did. all were romance.

I was introduced to romance via their Rosemary Rogers books. Serious eye-opener. I then found Nora Roberts at the library and have been hooked since.; 5:18 AM
Anonymous said...: I started reading romance when I was about 10 or 11 and have been reading it ever since. My first romance was a Julie Garwood novel - one of my Mom's favorite authors.
Now, at 27, Romance novels are my breaks between work stuff and whatever else catches my interest, i.e. philosophy, mysteries, westerns, literary fiction and classics, memoirs, nutrition and wellness, and psychology to name a few.
No matter what others say, romance novels are an important part of my reading experience, and romance novelists are just as talented, if not more so, than some of the other "anti-romance" authors I have read.

Jennifer; 6:05 AM
Noelle said...: Hi Susan. I'm a lurker here but I wanted to post because I am one of the few that became a fan of romance much later.

I was a very pretentious preteen, teen and young adult and would not have been caught dead reading romance. In 7th grade I wrote poetry about the conflict in Northern Ireland and read A Midsummer Night’s dream. In high school I lusted after Russian male ballet dancers and read Chaucer and Chekov oh and The Little Prince in the original French. Radiculous wasn’t it? Who in the world did I think I was? LOL Then in college the closest I got to mainstream fiction was Mark Twain.

But at some point in my late twenties a co-worker suggested a book called Outlander by Diana Gabaldon because she knew I attended the local Scottish games. I loved it! But when I went looking for more books like it I couldn’t really find anything similar until I tried an Arnette Lamb title from the romance section. And that was it, I was hooked for good.

Many years later, I’m not only a huge romance reader but also a writer (For Aphrodisia as Chloe Harris) and an advocate for romance as an officer in my local RWA chapter.

So it just goes to show that there is hope for all those pretentious young women out there, they can be saved. :); 6:42 AM
Lori Foster said...: I always felt sorry for the girls I saw reading romances. LOL. Of course, I had no idea why, since I'd never read one.
It wasn't until I was grown, with 3 kids, that I read my first romance. My sis gave me a bag of books when I was sick, and I started one - and the rest is history.
By far, romance is the most engaging genre ever, in my never humble opinion. I no sooner started reading them than I wanted to write them.
I cut my teeth on Johanna Lindsey, Julie Garwood, Linda Howard, Stella Cameron (hey Stella!) and Jayne Ann (hi Jayne!) and they blew me away. Awesome, awesome stuff.
Now I feel sorry for anyone who's NOT reading romance. LOL

Lori; 6:49 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm a lifelong.

I only wanted to read the "Little House" books that had "Manly" in them and the "Nancy Drew" books with Ned.

I'm pretty sure my first romance was a Harlequin called (I think) Pay Me Tomorrow by Mary Burchell (again I think).

I remember asking my sister who lent me the book if Mom knew she had these dirty books!!! Well I think I was 10 or 11 at the time.

And I totally agree with you about how the men were written in romances before. And they always seemed to have him driving cars like Cadillacs that made me cringe because I associated that kind of car with grandparent type people.

Ruth; 7:01 AM
Carla Neggers said...: I re-read at least one fun classic every summer. This summer it was Mary Stewart's Madam, Will You Talk? Loved it. I read anything and everything as a kid (mostly I still do) but I remember when I discovered a musty copy of The Moonspinners in the town library. Romance, mystery, adventure...I was hooked.; 7:24 AM
Anonymous said...: I am a life long reader (long car rides made me the reader I am) and read my first Harlequin Romance in 4th grade by Violet Winspear. (I was complaining that I was bored and Mom became fed up and told me to find a book to read.) I was hooked ever since.

I am amazed now to see those authors I found in Silhoutte/Candlelight/Harlequin etc )Jayne Krentz, Nora Roberts, Kay Hooper, Elizabeth Lowell, Sandra Brown to name a few) become such main stream authors. That is fantastic.

Regards, Ruth; 7:28 AM
susan andersen said...: I LOVE the all responses!

MARY, Diana Palmer is the author who got me hooked on category romances when my son was tiny and my husband was away on business so often. Except for those early Harlequins, I hadn't read the short format again until then (that's also where I was introduced to Jayne as Stephanie James). But because I was a single parent much of the time I needed something fast that I could read when my sweet baby boy was napping, I picked up The Lady and The Cowboy (a Silhouette Desire, I think) and was hooked!

PJ, Mistress of Mellyn was my first Victoria Holt. And the above mentioned Lady, WYT my first Mary Stewart. Loved, loved, loved them!

SIRRY, I'm giving you the Be-Still-My-Beating-Heart medal of romance reading--not only a lifelong romance reader, but in two languages! You go, girl!; 7:39 AM
susan andersen said...: KRIS B, yep, loved Johanna Lindsay, too! And those covers! Whoa mama. Her covers seemed to introduce the near naked man. Gotta love that. *g*

SHILOH, that was me, as well. I had to have something to read at all times or I got antsy. And Rosemary Rogers--I read her books from cover to cover, but I always wanted to bitch slap the hero. He got to nail every woman who breathed but he sorta vilified the heroine because she gave into him so easily.

Or it's entirely possible that's merely the way I remember them. :); 7:45 AM
Terry S said...: I discovered romance when "Nine Coaches Waiting" by Mary Stewart was literally the ONLY romance in the local library and I've been enjoying them ever since.; 7:50 AM
Kate Douglas said...: Am I the only one who started out with science fiction? Actually, like Shiloh, I read everything, but my father read S/F and I was forever borrowing his books. (Probably why I love paranormal romance now) I also worked my way through all my parents' Readers Digest Condensed Books and their fairly extensive library of Book of the Month choices until a coworker in 1976 gave me a copy of the Harlequin, Leopard in the Snow by Ann Mather. It was my first romance and I was hooked--and convinced I wanted to write them myself. I didn't "get serious" until I wrote my first story in 1984, but I didn't sign my first NY contract until 2005. (It's not nearly as easy as it looks!) For me, though, it's that wonderful, soul-satisfying HEA that gets me every time!

Thanks, Susan. What a great post--I'm loving everyone's answers!; 8:06 AM
Anonymous said...: Hi Susan,

I guess you could say I'm a lifelong reader of romance since I can't remember the first one I read. I starting reading at age three and that was almost 57 years ago. I do remember Kathleen Woodiwiss' book Shanna getting me through two pregnancies and Mary Stewart being the author I turned to when I had the flu or bronchitis when the kids were little. I love the gothics and the historicals, but I really took a fall for the romantic comedy that emerged and flourished during my 40's. Finally, the women had humor and spunk, and the men didn't have to be so controlling. I loved that the women didn't have to be young or virginal and the men didn't have to be rich and cold. I also noticed that was about the time characters jumped to multiple books and the trilogy/series allowed their stories to be expanded. We could see HEA couples grow old together and their families expand through multiple stories.
I still read a lot of other stuff. I just finished NurtureShock and highly recommend it. I read a Cam Jansen mystery with my five and a half year old grandgirl last night (it was GREAT, by the way).
Now the problem with a thread like this is that I could probably write a 300 page book on this subject and bore everyone to death. I will end with saying, Susan, you and the rest of the Quills (you know who you are) have given me so much over the years that all I can say is THANK YOU!

Lynne Thomas; 8:54 AM
Catherine said...: Hi Susan
What I remember as the "first books" I was into were--Trixie Belden mysteries. Had to have every one. Matter of fact, when I moved a couple were lost, so for my 40th b-day, I re purchased the first 3 that were lost.
The first romance I started were Jude Deveraux's--Velvet series. I was supposed to be studying for HS finals and found this book on mom's bed and started reading. Well, finals that semester weren't the best. But hey, read the 4 Velvet books. From there, it became all of JD's, Johanna Lindsay, Julie Garwood and now all of you ladies, and the list continues =)
Great blog thanks

Catherine; 9:35 AM
Jayne Ann Krentz said...: Oh, wow, do I ever remember my first true romance novel: Violet Winspear's Devil in a Silver Room. Great title, huh? I didn't find it until the year I graduated from college though, so, unless you count Nancy Drew, I was a late-bloomer. I have never looked back!; 10:22 AM
Anonymous said...: Delurking to comment because this subject is so close to my heart. I read my first romance in 2nd grade, one of my mom's harlequins. I actually got in trouble because she didn't feel it was appropriate for an 8 year old to read. After 4 years of me sneaking them and getting caught, she finally gave up and I have now been reading them 24 years.

Thanks to all of you for hours of endless enjoyment!

Nicole; 10:44 AM
Mary said...: Susan, I'm glad I'm not the only one who was introduced to romance by way of Diana Palmer's books. I love Lady and the Cowboy, I still have it on my shelf. I went out and bought so many of her books after reading that first one and most of them are still on my bookselfs. I still buy anything she writes.; 10:46 AM
Jessica said...: I've been reading books since I taught myself to read when I was 4. I'd check a huge stack out of the library (and another from the Bookmobile) and they always asked my mother if that was ok. Her response? "Sure...she'll be finished with them all by tomorrow."

As for romances, I started early, with the young adult romances (especially the Sunfire ones -- I loved those), Victoria Holt, and Phyllis Whitney.

My first "adult" romance was one of the Zebra ones with the splendiferously awful covers -- Texas Conquest by Caroline Bourne. It was actually pretty good, cover notwithstanding. I soon discovered, though, that not all romances by the same publisher were equal, and branched out into loads of others (all the authors others have mentioned), and I've never looked back.

I read plenty of other stuff -- mystery, historical fiction, straight history, etc. But I'd have to say romance is my first love and makes up over 50% of my reading.

Great topic!!; 11:14 AM
Kathy R said...: I bought my first romance back in 1980 when Rebecca Brandewyne was doing a booksigning in my hometown. I loved is but was not hooked until several years later a woman that worked for my company started bringing in her leftover Harlequins (she went to Wal-mart and bought almost everyone that came out each month) and others. Well I have been a lover ever since. I read a large variety of romance. I love series books Now I have my dream job of owning a bookstore . I started out reading Connie Mason and Virginia Henley but I also read Kenyon and Feehan. I have read all of the Running with Quills authors and Lori and Susan E have always been favs. My daughter has teased me for years about reading smut but let me tell you after reading "It Had To Be You" she is now an official romance reader. That makes 4 generations now which includes my 97 year old grandma; 11:23 AM
elizabeth said...: I was beyond a late bloomer. I didn't even know romances existed. I did know that when I ran across any science fiction that seemed to hint at the possibility of *gasp* man and woman together, I loved it.

I had published many science fiction and mysteries before my husband grabbed a handful of Silhouette books from an ABA convention. He told me they were the newest, hottest thing going.

I read the five books. All were well executed.

The last one of those books was a Stephanie James/Jayne Ann Krentz. I thought it was crackling good. Intelligent, witty, sexy, and altogether a great read.

I thought, "Where has this been all my life?"

Then I thought, "I love the man/woman stories. It has always been the core of my sf and mysteries. So why don't I write romances?"

So I did, and a new way of life was born.

Thanks Jayne!; 11:48 AM
Stella Cameron said...: I read some pretty out-there books as a child but not romance. I wasn't aware of it. As an adult I went in for a lot of heavy stuff because I thought I was supposed to although I always loved mysteries.

THEN, I found romance in my twenties and the rest, as they say, his history.

Stella!; 12:11 PM
susan andersen said...: JENNIFER and LORI, muwahahaha. I love it when we suck in the non-believers and they have to eat their words. Then Lori, you took it to an entirely new level and wrote them, too. Yahoo!

RUTH, funny how a kid's mind works, isn't it? :)

CARLA, what a cool idea to read a classic each summer. I've got probably every book Mary Stewart wrote on my bookshelves--up to her Merlin books, which I didn't like as well. I'm going to try that next summer, or take one with me on this winter's ski trip.

RUTH, it looks like you and JAYNE got sucked in by the same author, but at very different stages in your lives. Coincidence? I think not. *g*; 12:40 PM
susan andersen said...: NOELLE and NICOLE, I'm so glad you two have come out of lurkdom to join in the fun. Don't be strangers.

Which reminds me: EVERYONE, if you have a subject you'd like to see a blog about on Quills, feel free to drop me a note. I'm always looking for things that I hope will interest y'all, but sometimes I just come up blank. I can be reached at susan@susanandersen.com

TERRY, Mary sucked a lot of us in, didn't she? The girl could write! :)

KATE, lol--for some reason I thought it was going to be easier to break into as well. While it didn't take me your 20 years, it did take me 8. Just goes to show ya--have of success is sheer perseverance.; 12:51 PM
Anonymous said...: I started reading "Romance" back in the '30s while visiting my Aunt. Books were by Grace Livingston Hill. I was 12ish.
Carla, "Madam Will You Talk" is one of my favorites.
Started "modern" romances with JAK's "Orchid" and Amaryllis. My wife had bought them and didn't like them, but I did. And the rest as "they" say is history.

Read and re-read several a week.

Louis; 12:58 PM
susan andersen said...: Aw, LYNNE, thank you. It's always such a joy to read your posts.

CATHERINE, yep, you hit on some of my faves of that era, as well.

JESSICA, somehow I missed out on the Sunfire young adult romances. Dang.

KATHY R, how cool is that that you have 4 generations reading romance! You rock, girl!

EL, that JAYNE, she sucked in a lot of us, eh? And how glad are the rest of us Quills that you came over from the dark side? *G*

STELLA, have you read the Blackbird Sisters mysteries by Nancy Martin? I love those, although I heard she's starting a new series. And I miss Charlaine Harris' Shakespeare mysteries. But whattaya gonna do?; 1:19 PM
Vicky said...: I can't really call myself a lifer yet, since I'm only 18, but I'm pretty positive I'll still be reading romance long into my old age. I started reading romance novels when I was 14, which doesn't sound like a long time ago, but you'd be amazed at how many romance novels and authors you can fit into 4 years. My first romance novel was Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. I was so shocked because I thought people were just joking when they talked about raunchy sex scenes, but then I found out...they weren't. From there, I discovered Maggie Shayne, Lora Leigh, Linda Howard, Lucy Monroe, and of course, your wonderful novels, Susan.; 1:56 PM
Judy F said...: I am a lifer that is for sure. Earliest ones that I can remember are Victoria Holt and Phylis Whitney. Kathleen Woodiwiss too.

My mom got me hooked on them early and I haven't looked back.

I have to have something to read all the time.; 1:57 PM
SamG said...: I had to see what all the fuss was about with books other girls talked about. You know, page xyz in Wifey. Even then, I read the racy ones that people didn't want me to see, but wasn't a huge reader.

It wasn't until I was not in college and only working part time before I started going through a lot of books.

But, I would say I was 90% romance, 10% other/true lit-tra-ture (for those higher-browed amung us)

Sam; 2:52 PM
Katherine said...: I was another one of those early readers, who voraciously read anything with print and who had exhausted the children’s section of the public library long before I was allowed to have an “adult” card. All my allowance went to the Scholastic book program and I could hardly wait for each Friday when a new selection of books arrived. I munched my way through the Brontes, Austen, Dumas and into Mary Stewart and Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels et al by the time I was through high school.

My addiction to the romance genre started when I was working at the public library in my late teens and I grabbed a Harlequin by Stephanie James (A Passionate Business) for some lunch time reading on my break. It was the only new title we’d received that looked interesting…I got in trouble because I lost track of time and my supervisor had to come roust me out of the break room. I think I checked out a sack full at the end of my shift. So thank-you Jayne for starting my addiction and to the public library for enabling a poor college student to feed her addiction. I still use the public library to check out new authors but once I find one I like I always buy the books because I need to support you so you can support my habit.; 4:01 PM
Maibeeme said...: I got started on romances pretty early. I watched Cinderella with Leslie Ann Warren and Stuart Damon (who was the greatest Prince Charming!) when I was five or six and as soon as I learned to read I read the book. The movie was better, but that was my start. The first Harlequin I read was when my mom worked at a store and had a friend of hers pre-read for me (so I wasn't getting content too adult for a nine year old). I don't recall the title, but I think I may have kept just about every book I've ever read. I've got them all over the place. I don't really think I read much of anything except romance except when school required otherwise. I had one English teacher tell me they were written for morons on a sixth grade level and I was highly insulted!; 4:01 PM
susan andersen said...: LOUIS, you are my hero. You read romance when it was uncool for a man to do so. I love guys who are secure in their masculinity.

VICKY, you've been reading romance for almost a quarter of your life, so we're gonna qualify you as a lifer. *G*

JUDY F, I'm with you--I must have something to read at all times, or I get the shakes. I want to know there's another book waiting when I approach the end of the one I'm currently reading.

SAMG, I'm probably 80-20%, but rarely do I read literature. I find most of it grim and I'm happy-camper girl. Give me popular fiction any ol' day, be it romance, mystery, fantasy or the odd hard-to-pigeonhole category.

KATHERINE, I'd forgotten about Barbara Micheals/Elizabeth Peters! I used to read a lot of her stuff. And that STEPHANIE JAMES chick sure sucked a lot of us in, didn't she? :)

MAIBEEME, that teacher? I'm guessing she never actually read a romance. And making statements about a subject you haven't even bothered to research shows more ignorance on her part than any 6th grader. Hopely she has since learned better.; 6:29 PM
GatorPerson said...: I had a full time career plus a family. I didn't use my library card for about 20 years. No time. Multitasking? One Christmas I remember crochetting, reading a technical book, and watching a TV program simultaneously. So I had no time to indulge myself.

When I finally found time I remember finding my library card, reading Robert's Carolina Moon and Gabaldon's Fiery Cross. Then, TaDa, Lowell's series starting with Amber Beach. Now I had found an alternative universe all for myself.; 6:44 PM
Anonymous said...: Barbara Cartland was my first romance writer that I read and for several years when I was a preteen and teenager. And yes the whole Harlequin thing that you described bugged me too.; 7:08 PM
Anonymous said...: When I was in high school in the 1960s, I read Georgette Heyer, Victoria Holt, Emilie Loring, Mary Stewart, Mary Renault, some Louisa May Alcott, and of course Jane Austen. I discovered Gene Stratton-Porter and Robert Neill on my grandfather's bookshelves. In addition, I read science fiction, Sherlock Holmes, various other mysteries and went through a World War II history phase.

When I got out of college, all I read was science fiction, poetry and nonfiction for years until the mid-1980s, when my obstetrician sent me home two weeks before my youngest was born with the advice that I shouldn't do anything strenuous (leaving details out here, sorry).

I went to K-Mart and bought stuff I hadn't read before so I could sit on the couch and not go crazy. Woodiwiss, some category romance, some science fiction -- just a bag of books to keep me busy. I liked the romances so much I devoured them, and I've kept on reading. I found a good used bookstore and got a lot of my favorite authors out-of-print titles. I was lucky -- it is much harder to do that today.

I recommend Robert Neill, who set his historical romances in the Restoration period after Oliver Cromwell. "Mist over Pendle" is one well-known title. It was published in the U.S. as "The Elegant Witch." The heroines he portrays are intelligent women who are in dangerous situations and have to decide whether to trust the men they're attracted to --classic romance dilemmas. Two other titles that I reread several times were "Black William" and "Hangman's Cliff."

I'm still a sucker for Regencies and historical romance.

-- Ruth; 7:21 PM
abigail2 said...: I was into adventure novels especially whaling novels as a young reader. I got "hooked" on romance novels when we lived in Turkey during the early 70's where there was no such thing as TV (that I could understand).

I lean more toward Romantic Suspense now, but still re-read a lot of my older romance novels.; 8:36 PM
e_booklover said...: I am probably pretty close to life-long although I did and still do enjoy several other genres. My mom started me off right by reading outloud The Hobbit and all three books in The Lord of the Rings . From there I started reading whatever grown-up books I could get my hands on which led me to romance. My mom wasn't a big romance reader and still isn't but the first one I read was A Rose in Winter by Kathleen Woodiwiss. I remember sneaking into my parents room to read it bit by bit and loving it. Needless to say I have a well worn copy of it now on my bookshelf. :); 8:59 PM
susan andersen said...: GATORPERSON, I am in awe of your multitasking skills. And all hail that alternate universe, eh?

ANONYMOUS, don't you just love the old titles? "Mist over Pendle" "Nine Coaches Waiting" "Devil in a Silver Room" They're so evocative.

ABIGAIL2, I didn't even know you could get romance books in Turkey. I love this blog--you learn something new every day. :)

E_BOOKLOVER, I love that your mom read aloud to you. That's so cool.; 11:11 PM
still karibear said...: I'm a late bloomer, if you don't count Gone With the Wind and Forever Amber. I didn't get into romances until my mid 20s, then it was Georgette Heyer who sucked me in. Then some of the gothics, whatever the local library had. I mostly went for sci/fi/fantasy, non-fiction of every kind, just generally anything that had print on a page. Earliest stuff after anything about animals was the soldier of fortune junk my first stepfather had hidden away - I knew all about Bautista and Castro long before I got out of grade school! I also read [and wrote] a lot of poetry. The biggest problem I've always had was that once a topic piqued my interest, I'd get absolutely everything I could about it, same for any author I liked. I've gone through way too many to even remember. But these days, I do like HEAs, I have quite enough reality in my life, I want believable escapism. Or at least well enough done fantasy to provide thet 'willing suspension of disbelief' so necessary.; 9:36 AM
Joyce said...: I remember that Mary Stewart and yes I have been reading them for a long, long time.; 12:04 PM
Tammy said...: Hmmmmmm not sure when I started reading them other than I was in my late teens. I HAD to read something and like someone else mentioned that cereal box got old after a time, so I remember my mom taking me to the bookstore (at that time we only had 1 about 30 minutes away - now we have 3 or 4) and she said here's $25 you have 1 hour - lol - I spent the whole $25 and wished for more, I remember I got one sci fi and the rest were romances. I'm almost 47 now so it's been awhile.; 1:20 PM
susan andersen said...: KARIBEAR,reading is the best for taking a person outside their problems--if only for a short while. And I truly believe romance, with its HEA, is the very best!

TAMMY, your mom was generous--$25 was quite a lot of money 30ish years ago (and you got a lot more books for what that same $25 would buy today). Gotta love a parent who'll help support your reading habit!

JOYCE, Yep MS started a lot of us on the road to romance.; 5:52 PM
abigail2 said...: Susan,

My dad was in the the Air Force, and stationed in Turkey! We had a Stars and Stripes Book/Newspaper store that stocked American periodicals and books.

Kim; 8:38 PM
JT said...: Unlurking just to post this...

I consider myself a life long romance lover. It was a fight to keep reading "those trashy novels" all through my teenage years. I can't remember the number of hidey holes that were continually created by me and uncovered by my mother, until she finally gave up when I was in University.

I just have to also say that I miss the alpha males of the eighties and before, politically incorrect though it may be. I fell in love with every single hero of Stephanie James, Diana Palmer etc from those days. I just wish it was easier to get my hands on those Harlequin back lists.; 4:17 AM
susan andersen said...: JT, thanks for unlurking! Now, me, I miss the medieval heroes. THis business is cyclical, though. They may be back.; 7:36 AM
Anonymous said...: I was introduced to romance in my late 20's by my mom who read several books a day. I was hooked and continue to read all types of romances to this day... 40 yrs later! I also wondered why the heroes treated the heroines so badly and as you said confess their undying love on the last page. That really blows my mind. I am glad you mentioned that!! I tend to enjoy romances more if the hero is more "mellow" toward the heroine as the romance heats up.; 6:13 AM
Anonymous said...: I started with a Harlequin called "Teachers Must Learn", can't remember the author, when I was 12. I then devoured all my mother's romance books (some much younger than I should have!).28 years later, I still love a HEA ending.

Heather; 10:48 PM
Renee said...: I am well and truly a 'lifer'.

I Found Mum's 'Mills and Boon's' in her room when I would have been about 11-12. It has been an addiction since.

The earliest authors I remember reading (and I didn't pay a great deal of attention back then) were Betty Neels and Linda Lael Miller.; 3:56 PM
Katrina said...: I have always been a huge reader...Never romance, because to me romance were those books with Fabio on the cover and too smutty for a 13 year old. :-)
Then my best friend's mom handed me over a few books, one which included E.L.'s Amber Beach. I FELL in love with the book before I realized it was a romance book. I seriously had to re-read the first sex scene because I didn't know that's what I was reading. Stupid now I know...But when I was fourteen, I didn't know romance could be anything other than the Harlequin Blaze books. Since Amber Beach there has been no going back from romance. My genres within it have branched out, but my heart lies, and always will lie devoted to romance.; 7:59 PM
Catootes said...: Coming to this thread at a late date.
I was completely absorbed by the romance genre when I filched my very first romance out of my sister's monthly stash of Harlequin Romances.; 12:24 PM

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Have you always been a romance reader?

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