Sacramento Public Library discussion

Romance books.
I read them.
And this month I am inviting you to read one too for our monthly reading challenge.

“But I don’t like romance books.” you say.

“Well,” I would reply, “there are a lot of different types of romance books out there from contemporary romance, to historical, to romantic suspense, to general fiction books with romantic elements. I am guessing there might just be a book in the genre you might like.”

Me, I really enjoy the emotional journey and guaranteed happy ending of a work of romantic fiction and I love the way there are so many different types as I mentioned above and so many different settings in which to escape. From the the 18th century Scottish Highlands (Outlander by Diana Gabaldon) to 1980’s Omaha (Eleanor & Park by Rowell) to modern day Paris ( The Chocolate Touch by Laura Florand) to outer space (These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman) they can also take you on an actual journey, not just an emotional one.

I will be reading two romances this month, one contemporary (The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins) and one historical (The Heart of a Duke by Victoria Morgan). Both are relatively new authors for me and I am looking forward to reading more of their work. You are welcome to read these books along with me or to read any other book with romantic elements you like. Aren’t sure what to read? Just ask, we’ll find the right book for you! We’ve also listed a few suggestions below for ideas. As always, as you read along leave a comment below. One lucky commenter will receive an advance copy of an upcoming book and a tote bag to carry it.

Happy Reading!

OK, I'll take your challenge. I HATE romance books. I especially hate romance novels disguised as sci-fi. So, to challenge my own preconceptions and perhaps open my eyes to possibilities I will read These Broken Stars, I have placed it on hold at SacLib and hopefully I will have it in time to read this month.

While I do read a lot of books containing romance (though not necessarily romance books), I mainly stick to reading YA paranormal/sci-fi. So for this challenge I think I will try my hand at Contemporary YA. I will either go with Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (thanks for the suggestion Brendle) or The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

Steven wrote: "OK, I'll take your challenge. I HATE romance books. I especially hate romance novels disguised as sci-fi..."

How awesome that you are giving it a try! I feel the need to find you the right book so I am going to also suggest these titles from the Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold, a series which veers from military scifi to spy adventure to mystery to humor to romance and points beyond depending on the book.

Shards of Honor
Barrayar
Komarr
A Civil Campaign

I will consult with some other sci-fi readers and offer a few more next week!

Brendle wrote:
How awesome that you are giving it a try! I feel the need to find you th..."

Thanks!!

OK, so change of plans, thanks to your last suggestion. A good friend of mine from high school who is now a hermit living off the land in the mountains of Vermont sent me, a few years ago, a rather large selection of Sci-fi ebooks on CD. Falling Free is on there. As soon as I am done with The Gripping Hand I will start reading that one. Does it count as romance? The cover looks like it. If it is too much for me (lol) then I will start reading The Haunted Mesa, Louis L'Amour's only "Sci-fi" book, at the same time. His typical misogynist style common for his era should wash any bad taste a romance novel leaves in my mouth. (That was a joke).

I, too, typically avoid romance books, but accept the challenge for February. I think I'll read Eleanor and Park but might try the romance novel by the author of The Stone Diaries. Carol Shield?

Not real interested in sci fi. I'll stick with the romance for now, thanks.

I do love reading romance books and I just finished Fallen Beauty . I loved Cress , and my fave is still Outlander :) Looks to find more romance books.

I'm another one that doesn't typically read romance novels. But I love historical novels. That being said, I did read & enjoy the first 4 of the Outlander series, & more recently I stumbled across The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. I enjoyed that book so much that currently I'm reading The Shadowy Horses, by the same author.

My sister recommended Mark Helprin's Winter's Tale so I've started that one for the February challenge. So far no romance involved but I figure any film released on Valentine's Day must ensure the novel it's based on qualifies as romance.

Well, I love romance in my books and if you are looking for a combo sci-fi, murder mystery, and romance, then any of the J.D. Robb books will work for you. I also love the Christine Feehan "vamp" books but I want to finish "Black Lament" and then I will look around for a more "romantic" book. Beatrice Small and Jayne Krentz are two good authors! Happy Reading and remember, romance has a strange way of showing up where you least expect it!

I really like Kristan Higgins' books, especially Catch of the Day. I don't normally read romance, but that one was available as a library eBook so I gave it a try. Since then I've read most of her books. The Next Best Thing is also a favorite. Her characters and the relationships are very real.

@Steven Well, there are romantic elements in Falling Free, though less than in some of Bujold's other books. Still, for the purposes of this challenge, I think it would absolutely qualify. Happy Reading!

@Francie and @Patrica You are going to LOVE Eleanor & Park which is simply a perfect book. It is a story of first love and not overly romantic, yet it is at the same time. It would be a good book for those who want to give this a try but think they don't like romance.

@Francie I think you are absolutely right on that one and do agree Winter's Tale would work for this!

@Betty I've been wanting to try Susanna Kearsley. Glad to hear another recommendation for her!

@Apryl I've only read 3 Kristan Higgins books so far, but have been delighted with each. My favorite is All I Ever Wanted, but with so many of her books yet to read, that could change!

Annemarie wrote: "Well, I love romance in my books and if you are looking for a combo sci-fi, murder mystery, and romance, then any of the J.D. Robb books will work for you..."

Funny you should mention Jayne Ann Krentz. I read her latest romantic suspense book, River Road, over the weekend and thought it was her best in years.

Oh, and for those of you who don't know, JD Robb is the pen name of Nora Roberts, the queen of romance writing.

For those of you looking for some of the newest romance titles, we've compiled a list on our Great Reads page:

http://www.saclibrary.org/Home/Great-...

I simply love Mark Helprin's "Winter's Tale"! The language is magnificent, the descriptions are other-worldly, and the story is wonderful. Yes, this novel does qualify as a romance (p. 129, "Then she turned to him and stretched out her arms. And he went to her as if he had been born for it."), but it's also a love story about New York City as much as about Peter and Beverly. I'm so glad that this novel is 700+ pages because I don't want it to end. Thank you, Brendle, for this month's challenge. And, it's nice to know that "Eleanor and Park" is waiting for me when I finish "Winter's Tale."

OK, I'll take the romance-reading plunge...I've read a couple of Carrie Vaughn's "Kitty Norville" titles and liked them. They're quick, fun reads with a healthy dash of romance.

"Cress" is on my to-read list as well, but I'm well down the hold queue so I don't expect it to arrive for a while.

I started reading royally lost and its cute, and lots of romance.

John wrote: "OK, I'll take the romance-reading plunge...I've read a couple of Carrie Vaughn's "Kitty Norville" titles and liked them. They're quick, fun reads with a healthy dash of romance."

Other urban fantasy series with romantic elements I would definitely recommend would include Patrica Briggs, Seanan McGuire, Kelley Armstrong, Ilona Andrews, Kim Harrison and Kevin Hearne.

Brendle wrote: "Annemarie wrote: "Well, I love romance in my books and if you are looking for a combo sci-fi, murder mystery, and romance, then any of the J.D. Robb books will work for you..."

Funny you should me..."
I am patiently waiting for my copy of "River Road" from the neverending wait list! Good to hear that it is worth the wait.

I just finished Eleanor and Park and LOVED IT!!! Thanks for the challenge and the recommendation, Brendle :)

I finished "Black Lament" and started "Black City." I am also reading "Daughter of the God-King" and so far it is a pleasant surprise. It definitely has romance, mystery, and an element of history. I hope the book fulfills on its promise of "intrigue, romance, and ancient secrets."

Patricia wrote: "I just finished Eleanor and Park and LOVED IT!!! Thanks for the challenge and the recommendation, Brendle :)"

I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it--but not at all surprised. It is simply a wonderful book! Be sure to read Rainbow Rowell's other books, Fangirl and Attachments, both of which are very good.

I'll take the challenge.... I want a good, stereotypical trashy historical romance!

Katie wrote: "I'll take the challenge.... I want a good, stereotypical trashy historical romance!"
I don't know if its trashy enough but it definitely is historical but alternative history--"The Boleyn King" and "The Boleyn Deceit."
Then you have Jane Feather's books which concentrate on the Victorian Era and women spies and women writing news articles, all while searching for love!

I finished something real, cute romance and reality tv :)

Katie wrote: "I'll take the challenge.... I want a good, stereotypical trashy historical romance!"

Excellent! If you're looking for recommendations, I've posted a few recent titles on the group bookshelves. Just click on the romance tag. We also created a list of recent romance releases which you could peruse: http://www.saclibrary.org/Home/Great-...

Happy reading!

So, I read the first of my two selected challenge books, The Heart of a Duke by Victoria Morgan, this weekend. I will confess to being a bit disappointed in the book after really enjoying her debut, For the Love of a Soldier. While that book felt energetic and original, this one felt a bit ordinary and flat. The mystery subplot was especially lacking for me in that the characters should have figured out the villan's motivation a lot faster--I certainly did! I would give it three stars--a pleasant diversion, but not much else.

@Tabitha I loved Cruel beauty too :)

Finally, I picked up These Broken Stars from the library today. The other books I read this month had elements of boy risks his life for the sake of his love but nothing you would really call romance. So here goes. If nothing else I have been introduced to Lois McMaster Bujold. Falling Free was an excellent SciFi book. I will definitely read more of her books.

Steven wrote: "If nothing else I have been introduced to Lois McMaster Bujold. Falling Free was an excellent SciFi book. I will definitely read more of her books."

Oh, that is wonderful to hear. I am so delighted that you enjoyed your first Bujold book. I believe her characters are some of the richest I have ever encountered in all of my reading. Miles, the main protagonist of the Vorkosigan series (who you have yet to meet) is utterly amazing and an absolute pleasure to spend time with.
Enjoy your reading!

I just finished Mark Helprin's "Winter's Tale" and loved it. I'm in awe of the beauty of the language, the depth of the characters and the magic of the plot. Its modern fairy tale ending made finishing it on Valentine's Day a delightful coincidence. Those who loathe descriptive prose should probably not venture into this wonderful story but for those who savor beautiful and effective imagery, you should definitely put this novel on your to-read list. I'd intended to read "Eleanor and Park" next, but I have library books due soon so have begun Sue Grafton's "R is for Ricochet." It was a nice coincidence to discover on page 1 that this book also meets the Romance challenge for February. Paragraph 2 reads, "This is a story about romance--love gone right, love gone wrong, and matters somewhere in between." I'm looking forward to discovering what entanglements Kinsey finds herself in in this alphabet mystery.

I have been reading the chapel wars. very cute romance :)

Steven, I second Brendle's recommendation for delving into the rest of the Vorkosigan books. Also, I don't know if your tastes run to fantasy as well (some sci-fi readers don't like to venture that way), but if so, Bujold has another series called The Sharing Knife that is basically romance dressed up in fantasy trappings. If you can stomach the genre, the first book, Beguilement, might be a good choice for the challenge.

Also, you might want to try Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan. It's a YA book, so it's romance-heavy and a bit of a light read, but as a reader of the genre I found it to be a pretty solid sci-fi story, too.

@Justin - I will add those to my 'to-read' list. Thanks!

Just finished "Black City" and while Maddy was a bit whiny in this book, her kisses are definitely magical! I have already requested the next book "Black Heart" but since it just came out in November, I might have a long wait for another in the series! I just started "Dark Witch" by Nora Roberts and I hope the rest of the book moves as quickly as the intro. It combines fantasy with romance in Ireland--the most magical and romantic place on earth!

I finished Divergent a few days ago, wanting to read the book before seeing the movie. Does that count as "romance"? Felt like it to me. Didn't like it.

I've read a lot of YA ("teen") stuff that I liked - Push, Forgive Me Leonard Peacok, The Hunger Games Trilogy immediately come to mind - but Divergent was a big disappointment. Derivative, predictable, sappy. Maybe I'll take a look at the Virkosigan books by Lois McMaster Bujold some time in the future, but right now I'm reading Carl Sagan's Contact now on a friend's recommendation. I feel like I need some hardcore SF to take the bad taste out of my mouth.

Next up, I'm thinking I may read Nicholson Baker's Vox. Not sure if that counts as "romance" either, but it sounds pretty steamy. The only other book of his that I've read was Fermata, which I read years ago and loved.

I finished Sue Grafton's "R is for Ricochet" and enjoyed it a lot. It was fun to see Kinsey embarking on a romantic relationship with someone who seems like a good match for her and interesting to watch her navigate the complexities of her latest case. Parts of the book made me laugh out loud but there are also "appropriately" violent scenes as well. I've started "Eleanor and Park," but haven't read enough of it to know much other than how well the author has captured the voices of her high school characters.

I finished "Eleanor and Park" yesterday and loved it. What an opportunity for adults to see the challenges of high school through authentic eyes and for young adults to see themselves and/or those they know. So well portrayed is the importance of looking beyond the surface of another and of honesty, humor and friendship to seed young love. Thank you for recommending this for the February challenge! I've started Daniel Silva's "The Rembrandt Affair," a political thriller rather than a romance novel, but Silva always works romance into his protagonist Gabriel Allon's life. Also, Oprah's February newsletter lists 40+ romantic reads with descriptions. The list is an eclectic one, ranging from the erotic to YA to contemporary and older literary classics. Check it out at www.oprah.com/books and click on the "steamy romantic reads for your e-reader" or something like that--a bit misleading beyond the first couple of entries on this list.

I started rereading austenland :)

I finished These Broken Stars. If you like a little scifi with your romance then you will like this book. I felt the same about this book that I did about The Host (which I did not finish), a great scifi concept that would have been a better story without the romance distraction.
There have been scfi books that use this similar switching of POV's and are rife with romance that I have enjoyed. I particularly liked the Legend Series by Marie Lu. Also, why are these stories always about a spoiled rich girl and a disadvantaged "bad boy". Too cliche.

I finished Open Road summer. Loved the romance :) perfect summer read

Steven, the Legend series is great. I liked the second a little bit more than first. I haven't read the newest one yet, though.

I finished Daniel Silva's "The Rembrandt Affair" which shows the dark side of romance but is another good read in the ongoing political thrillers with protagonist Gabriel Allon. I'm starting Lynn Cullen's "Mrs. Poe," which looks like a more appropriate choice for this month's reading challenge.

Thanks for the Eleanor and Park suggestion. I'm about half way through and it's a great book.

Apryl wrote: "Thanks for the Eleanor and Park suggestion. I'm about half way through and it's a great book."

I cannot tell you how delighted I am that several of you have picked up Eleanor & Park for this challenge. It was my favorite book from 2013 and the one I want to tell everyone to read. Rainbow Rowell has said it was a very difficult book to write, but it sure was a pleasure to read.

Steven wrote: "Also, why are these stories always about a spoiled rich girl and a disadvantaged "bad boy". Too cliche"

Oh, I agree with you about the cliches. I dislike that one, but my least favorite element is the love triangle. I am at the point now where I won't pick up a book if it contains one. I guess it is the ultimate fantasy to have all the guys/girls want you, but I am very tired of Team Johnny or Team Billy games.

Brendle wrote: "Romance books.
I read them.
And this month I am inviting you to read one too for our monthly reading challenge.

“But I don’t like romance books.” you say.

“Well,” I would reply, “there are a..."

as you can see Brendle, you have certainly inspired a great deal of reading and cross-overs, for this month's reading challenge. I hope March is just as challenging! Hope everyone enjoyed romance this month!