Kella and I enjoy our occasional "classic" novel but let's face it they can get dry and read like a textbook. There are the select few classic novels that I can reread but most of the ones I haven't read, I have tried reading and failed miserably. They have their own shelf on my bookcase for the time that I would like to take my revenge. (Is that a little harsh? Yeah...maybe.)
ANYWAY!
I find that as the woman I am that I enjoy a little romance. What woman doesn't enjoy a little chick flick? I mean what woman doesn't like Pretty Woman or Dirty Dancing? There is something to the whole romance genre that pulls us women in and makes us melt. Honestly I think it's good for the heart. Film connoisseurs will say that chick flicks are terrible. They will also say that the stories are always recycled with different actors and a mild plot twist so it isn't EXACTLY the same. So to those people I say yes but the formula is fine the way it is because you know what? It makes women happy and as they a happy woman is a happy man.
Now, that being said I am going to point you in the direction of romance novels. The whole genre I think as a whole has gotten better over the years. I think that Fabio kind of put it into everyone's heads that the romance novel or as Kella and I like to call them 'fluffy books' are a joke. This is not entirely untrue but there are SOME books that are written in the genre that are good. There is a distinct plot and a cast of characters that make it so the book is not just "porn for women" but an actual love story.
The romance novel like a chick flick has a formula.
1. There needs to be a heroine or leading lady who has some flaws and issues. She doesn't necessarily need to be the damsel in distress or the overly confident type. What she needs is something deeply rooted that makes her both likable and relatable at least for the last half of the book. If the author can't connect to their readers on that feminine level then forget about it.
2. There needs to be a hero or a leading man who at times can be a little arrogant but too has some deep seeded issues. He also needs to be extremely good looking. Women like to fantasize about men with abs and muscles and height. The reader needs to be able to see that this man has some depth but also as a desire, and a passion for not only his woman but for other things. They want him to protect her and love her deeply. The reader wants to know that once the man has met the leading lady that he would never cheat on her and wants to have a family with her.
3. The plot has to be something interesting. There has to be an event or something that happens that tests their love and brings out the flaws. You want to see the characters as real people in their story.
4. Of course there needs to be a few lovemaking scenes. It wouldn't be a romance novel without those right?
5. Let it be about the love.
Men might tease their women about reading these novels but honestly there is something good about them. There is something about letting love conquer all in the end that makes a person feel good inside. Sure you could snicker and say "it makes you feel good alright." But then I would ask you. what is wrong with feeling loved? What is so wrong about reading about two people finding each other? Sure it may not be realistic but I think stripped down (pun intended) the basic theme of the romance novel is love and love with everything you have so that you can work toward that happy ending. We all deserve to have passion in our lives so why not just enjoy a novel that you don't have to really analyze but experience.
Romance novels aren't supposed to be works of literary history but there are a few that would be considered...Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, and Gone With the Wind. Though there aren't pictures of half naked women and men on the front these are just some of the novels that could be considered a romance. And look at the people who love them.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Some Book Related Fun
I saw this posted on one of the blogs that I read and I thought for the fun of it that I would do it. It's a fun way to share what you're reading at the moment.
-Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
- Don't make them spoilers!
- Share the title and author too.
"Loathe you. So she wouldn't reach out her hand to strangle him, she crossed her arms over her chest." - sentences from If You Dare by Kresley Cole
-Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
- Don't make them spoilers!
- Share the title and author too.
"Loathe you. So she wouldn't reach out her hand to strangle him, she crossed her arms over her chest." - sentences from If You Dare by Kresley Cole
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