7 Responses to “Books for newbies?”

1. Maybe the problem was how you prepped your sister on the genre. “done in by that romantic novel cliché of choking to death on a chicken bone.” Er… what other clichés did you warn her about? Aliens with multiple penises?

   What five books would you give to a friend you were trying to convert?

   I think non-romance-readers are often put off by “just romance” plots, so I never suggest category romance or light historicals. I stick to the big genre-crossing names; the most widely successful so far are JD Robb and Jennifer Crusie/Bob Mayer’s Agnes. I guess that’s two for my list.

   Beyond that, I can’t choose a standard set of books–I tailor the recommendation to the friend. E.g. a male friend liked Allison Brennan (more scenes in the killer’s head than mushy stuff–too gory for me) and Gennita Low; he’s now reading Kay Hooper and other thriller romances, plus JD Robb and CT Adams/Cathy Clamp.

   In the last year other friends have enjoyed some of my list of rule-benders plus Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison, Georgette Heyer, DH Lawrence (Lady Chatterley’s Lover), Pam Rosenthal, Emma Holly, Robin McKinley, Dorothy Sayers, and short stories (Steve Almond and the Juno fantasy romance collections). I also told a friend to ask a bookseller for sf romance–that seems to be going well.

   by RfP on July 31st, 2008 at 12:30 pm
   
   

2. Hmm…I guess she’s a closer reader than I. I completely forgot the husband choked to death on a chicken bone. Can’t think of any other books with that particular cliche. But I think maybe that happened in Joan Wilder’s books (Romancing the Stone). It’s very possible that’s she’s referencing that. Any prepping of the romance genre would’ve been through my blog. She’s also visited KristieJ’s and Wendy TSL’s, that I know for sure.

   Kelley Armstrong and JD Robb are very good ideas for those who would be overly leery of straight up romance. Georgette Heyer (who I’ve never read) would be an easy sell as well, as she’s such a prevalent influence. A classic so to speak. Gave her Crusie but she didn’t like it (Bet Me) which surprised me. But I think that’s would be a good author for many others.

   How about for those people who’ve done all that? I know plenty of people who’ve read lots of books with strong romantic elements. Snobbery perhaps, but they wouldn’t look at Sayers the way they’d look at Nora Roberts or another author strongly associated with romance. It’s the “genre” itself that they fear–the cheesy covers, corny titles, the “bodice ripper” rep. As if nothing good could be between such covers. My sister read and loved several Gabaldon’s, but didn’t feel they were romances.

   by Devon on July 31st, 2008 at 9:50 pm
   
   

3. How about for those people who’ve done all that?

   It’s all about what elements the reader likes. The male friend above might like one of the better plotted/more stalkerrific Linda Howards. Another friend liked Mary Stewart, du Maurier, and Anthony Capella’s The Wedding Officer; I’m not sure what’s next–new Gothic like Sandra Schwab? Or another smart/literate heroine–maybe an erotic historical? Or if she’s had her fill of romance for a while, that’s fine too. I’m not really into “conversion”; I just like sharing good books and finding common ground to talk about them.

   Gave her Crusie but she didn’t like it (Bet Me) which surprised me.

   Bet Me has a lot of elements at the extreme girly/schmaltzy end of romance (e.g. the snow globes!), but I like that it looks at the dark side of those elements, and Min can be a girly girl and still subvert romance tropes. But I suspect if you’re not a romance reader, with all those elements it’s probably squarely within gooshy chick lit/women’s fiction.

   Sometimes after Agnes I suggest Faking It/Welcome to Temptation, which wear their twisted elements front and center. But not everyone wants to immediately read another book from the same author/subgenre–that’s a major commitment for a non-obsessive reader.

   by RfP on August 1st, 2008 at 1:14 pm
   
   

4. I have reached the point where I make no effort to convert friends/family to Romance, because in the past my efforts have not been particularly successful. Over the years, I found that there is a quantum leap between people liking books with some romantic elements, such as Sayers, or books from “classic” writers like Mary Stewart, and those same people being willing to read Loretta Chase or Lisa Kleypas. There seems to be a line some people are not willing to cross, mostly because it doesn’t interest them for whatever reason, and it largely has to do with the proportion of a book that is given over to sex, particularly sex that is vividly described.

   by Aoife on August 1st, 2008 at 3:41 pm
   
   

5. What five books would you give to a friend you were trying to convert?

   I’d have to go with Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon, (if they were into history) if they weren’t then I agree with the JD Robb, books. If it was a guy I’d probably give him one of my Heat books, cus the sex would hook them > LOL . If it was a female, i’d be tempted to give IT HAD TO BE YOU by SEP as well, just cuz it’s one of my own all time favorites.

   by Sasha on August 4th, 2008 at 3:11 am
   
   

6. I would give the same books that were used to convert me:

   Black Silk by Judith Ivory/Judy Cuevas
   Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale
   To Have and To Hold by Patricia Gaffney
   Naked in Death by JD Robb
   The Windflower by Laura London (Sharon and Tom Curtis)

   And, mind you, this was only a few years ago.

   by Robin on August 5th, 2008 at 12:31 am
   
   

7. […] When Devon asked how to introduce new readers to “straight-up” romances, I was stymied in part because of these time slips. Forget the fashion issues—I have no idea how to sell a non-romance reader on a 25-year-old virgin who’s been bartered and imprisoned by an otherwise forward-thinking CEO. That world needs some explanation. (Nouveau Gothic?) […]

   by AccessRomance - Readers Gab » Blog Archive » Generation gap on August 15th, 2008 at 9:25 am
   
   

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website