It’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday, and this time the prompt is “reasons why I love X”. I chose to talk about the romance genre, because I think most people here originally followed me for my SF/F reviews, and my taste has been expanding a lot in the last couple of years. I still love SF/F, but I’ve tried to abandon any snobbery about any genres and just give more things a try, and now I read about the same amount of romance as I do SF/F! So… why is that?
- There are happy endings. It’s not the ending, it’s the journey. I know that the couple are going to be happy at the end, but I don’t know exactly how they’ll get there. This really appeals to me, especially lately: I don’t really like not knowing the ending. I don’t really like sitting with anxiety about how things are going to turn out. I don’t need to know all the details, but I need to know everyone will be safe and happy at the end.
- It’s often a quick read. I love the fact that there’s so much available that I can read in the space of one bath or in one sitting. I’ve lost my attention span for 6-book epics, I’m afraid. There are shorter mysteries and fantasies and SF novellas and so on, I know! But I’ve tapped into a pool of just-short-enough novels here and it’s perfect.
- There’s a lot of diversity. I know there remain huge problems with romance fandom when it comes to diversity, but I know exactly where to turn for the sort of characters I like. I was overjoyed when I first dipped my toes into actually reading romance and the first thing I received to review was An Unsuitable Heir, by K.J. Charles. Finding Pen Starling at that moment was wonderful.
- There’s so much out there! Okay, this is actually true of every genre, but it’s a relatively new genre for me, so there are so many surprises and new stuff waiting!
- Romance pairs with so many other genres. A lot of the romance I read is actually also fantasy, or mystery, or historical fiction, and sometimes all three at once. You don’t have to stick with just one flavour!
- It’s usually focused on characters and relationships. I love some amazing world-building, I really do. But I usually need characters I can get invested in, and by its very nature romance tends to focus on that dimension of the story.
- There aren’t usually world-ending stakes, or they aren’t the forefront of the story. Okay, in e.g. Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk, there’s a kind of world-in-peril thing… but mostly you end up wanting to know if Whyborne and Griffin end up making friends again. This is a feature and not a bug for me and my current tastes!
- Self-publishing is really strong in this genre. I don’t know if there are pockets of self-publishing out in SF/F where everything’s going really well, but I don’t know of them, and it feels like romance authors have got it down. Often amazing covers, great support for one another, good editing… and well-formatted ebooks at a reasonable price (honestly, I’d pay more for them).
- Trope-y goodness. Sometimes it’s really fun to see an author take on a clichéd idea and play with it. I’m here for your enemies-to-lovers, your there-was-only-one-bed, your last minute realisations. Do it — and surprise me!
- It really annoys some people. Okay, this is petty, but after someone had a meltdown about me being too “smart” to read romance (having three degrees only makes you a certain kind of smart, as anyone who has ever watched me fumbling through adulthood can attest), I can’t help but really enjoy existing to confound people’s expectations of what a romance reader looks like.
So there you go! Excited to see what other people have been gushing about this week — and don’t worry, if you comment here, I’ll visit you back as soon as I can!
What a nice list. 🙂
My TTT .
Lydia recently posted…Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: A Villain That I Wish Could Be Redeemed and Why
I do love to pick up a romance novel when I’m looking for a light, quick read! Most of my favorite authors are independently published too!! Love your list!
Thank you!
Great list! I agree, I love how happy the romance genre is and that I can rely on it to give me the warm fuzzies – especially right now when the world’s gone to shit. I do love that romances are generally quick reads, too!
Jess @ Jessticulates recently posted…#WyrdAndWonder Top Ten Tuesday | Why I love The Goblin Emperor
Ohhh I see your chosen theme and that’s it, that’s all I can see, I have to check your post now!
I don’t blame you for liking how reading romance annoys some people. I have a Masters degree in English but very little desire to read academic books or literary classics so I find it funny that people think that’s all I read
Louise @ Monstrumology recently posted…Why I Love Monsters
Same! 🙂 Technically my MA is more medieval literature and actually included studying Tolkien, but still people assume… sigh! 🙂
It really annoys some people. LOL. I wasn’t expecting that, but I LOVE IT!
Deanna @ A Novel Glimpse recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons Why I Love Reading Romance
I try not to be petty, but sometimes… 🙂
I’m not big on romance, at least not as the main plot, but I can understand why people love the genre. Happy endings are definitely a plus, especially when life on the outside is so chaotic and frightening. And annoying people is always a fun reason! LOL.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I think it helps that romance isn’t really any one thing. There are all sorts of other genres you can have with it! 🙂 Thanks for dropping by!
I’d like to support self-published authors, but it’s been really hard to find good self-published books. I should probably check out some romance.
Aj @ Read All The Things! recently posted…Discussion: What To Read For Mental Health Awareness Month
Yeah, I don’t really know where to go in any other genre! In romance, I kind of follow daisy-chains of authors who know each other or write together!
I hate that thought of being classed as ‘too’ something for a genre! Reading sweeps me off on adventures and entertains me and that’s what matters to me. I don’t care if it is cheesy or silly, as long as I enjoy reading it! There is a lot of snobbery about romance for sure-I don’t enjoy it personally but it entertains a lot of people and therefore is perfectly healthy!
Exactly! I used to be a bit snooty about it and I kick myself now, because there’s a lot of fun to be had.