Current Project:Golden Heart Entries
Status: MAILED!!!!!!!!!!!
My paternal grandmother passed away Sunday afternoon, after a decade's long battle with Alzheimer's that stole her, the real her, from us years ago. Of all that Alzheimer's robbed her of, the loss of her ability to read was one of the cruelest. Unlike my mother's family where the library & bookseller gene mainfests shortly after birth, my father's mother came from simpler, Midwestern stock. Her house was neat and tidy, and books didn't factor into the decor at all. There were some musty books of my grandfather's in the basement, and she often had a book of inspirational sayings or a "Chicken Soup" book next to her chair. But other than this, you had to look hard to find the books in her house.
It was sheer luck that I discovered the boxes of romance novels under the guest room bed. When I spent the night, I would stay up late reading by the light of the closet. Occasionally, I would fall so in love with a book that I couldn't bear to part with it, and I would sneak it home in my overnight bag, heart pounding with guilt. I never told her that I found the books, and I lived in fear that she would clean them out before I could read them all. Once or twice I spied a romance on her nightstand table, and I would wait eagerly for that book to join the cache under the bed.
These were the best of the early Harlequins and category books--rich older men, naive young virgins, and covers festooned (thanks, Debbie!) with mustaches, walks on the beach, and Dorothy Hamill haircuts. I quickly became a connoisseur of the category novel--I knew which lines I preferred and could easily predict whether I would like a given story.
I'm sure that Grandma would much have much rather inspired a love of inspirational books, but I'm not sure I would have become a romance reader without her. My mother steered me clear of the paperback racks at the library, and the book-loving side of the family doesn't exactly embrace popular fiction. But, thanks to Grandma, I spent much of the 90's reading category books before I discovered contemporary single-title romances. I was adept at sneaking books back from the library and yard sales, and I became a good detective when visiting other relatives and homes.
Afterall, if GRANDMA had romances under HER bed, who else might have them stashed away?
Where did you find your first romance novel? Any closet readers in your family? Remember, tommorrow, as you carve that turkey, the relative you least suspect may have Nora's entire backlist in the linen closet!
8 comments:
Great blog, Wavy!
As far as I know, none of the relatives I visited had romance novels anywhere! LOL My grandpa (who lived with us) had stacks of westerns by his living room chair.
I read the gothic romances of the 70's in high school- Phyllis Whitney, Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart.
Pies are baked, house is clean, now I'm waiting of company to arrive.
Have an awesome Thanksgiving all!
No one I knew read romance novels when I was growing up. I started reading historical romances in high school and usually got them from the library. I loved anything that had to do with the Tudors.
I think I burned out on historicals because I don't like them as much as I used to. A few years ago I got into science fiction romances, and then when I joined Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, I read the romances written by my friends. I read very few romances these days, though every book I read has a romantic subplot of some kind.
I'm ready for TG day! My oldest daughter and I will be cooking together at my MIL's. It should be fun. 8^)
Ah, Wavy, I love the images of your grandmother hiding books under her bed and you sneaking them out to read by the light of the closet. That is so cool.
I, like Paty, started reading Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney, etc... I can't recall reading a straight romance, I just loved the whole gothic flavor and intrigue. Dark covers, stormy skies, spooky houses, heroines in capes, heroes with black secrets -- sigh. I can't think of a romance reader in my family or even anyone who has potential. My family is always very careful to mention I am the only romance writer they read. There is a heavy leaning toward mysteries in my gene pool.
The most unexpected romance reader I ever came across was when I volunteered at a small library. We had a paperback room and every Thursday from 1-4 p.m., a young religious woman wearing the appropriate bonnet, attired in a modest dress complete with apron and speaking not a word to anyone would come into the library, go to the little closet sized room, choose a romance -- the steamier, the better-- and sit on a stool, reading. She never checked out a single book. She fascinated me.
My big rebellion came when I was very young and living in Hawaii, recently married, and found a stack of confession magazines in the laundry room of our apartment complex. I loved them because they were about relationships.
Happy Turkey Day, everyone.
Fun blog, Wavy! I come from a family of readers--my dad mostly read the newspaper, but he read it every day from cover to cover, and my mom read *everything* (nowadays she reads mostly romance!). They both instilled a love of reading in my brothers and me and there was no prejudice about subject: fiction, non-fiction, literature, genre, poetry, it was all fair game. I'll admit I never read category romance as a kid, but that was only because I never heard of them until much later in life. I had a hazy idea about Harlequin, but most of my bookstore forays were spent in general fiction (where single title romance used to be shelved), science fiction and mystery.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say the first romance I ever read was a Zane Grey novel. My mom had that hardback collection of his complete work (I now have what's survived of it) and I started reading them the summer I was 9 or 10. And before you cry, "But he wrote westerns, not romance!", let me tell you, those are still some of the most romantic books I've ever read. They had heros and heroines, adversity and triumphs, and always, always, a central love story where the hero ended up with the heroine, all set against an authentic backdrop of the West. Paty, I truly understand the attraction of a Cowboy Hero!
I'd guess the first more traditional romance that I read was Mary Stewart's Airs Above the Ground the year it was published (so that would about the same time I was reading good old Zane). I picked it up because it had a Lipizzan horse in it and there was a mystery connected to the Spanish Riding School (LOL). I fell in love with the story and her writing and systematically made my way through her backlist. Her novels are still among my favorites. All it takes is reading the titles to send me right back into the stories -- My Brother Michael, Nine Coaches Waiting, The Moon Spinners (which bears little resemblence to the movie Disney made from it), and Madam, Will You Talk to name just a few.
Boy, now I feel all nostalgic and really want to go re-read those old favorites! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Debbie, I love those Mary Stewart books, too. I've read every one of them. Madame Will You Talk, I think, was my first and I just adored it.
I'll meet you at the library in the "S" section.
Wavy, I love this story!
I remember reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond pretty early. It's more YA, but I loved the romance part.
I never read category when I was younger. Probably because the books were too thin. I've always loved a fat book that would take me days to read. It was one of my criteria when book shopping. Must have lots of pages. Several of my books have 700 to 1000 pages.
Congrats on sending off the GH. Feels good, doesn't it?
Bethany, congrats on getting your GH entries out!!!
Sorry I've been MIA, guys. I've been sick *hack, hack* and not feeling very social. But I'm starting to feel a bit better, so hopefully I'm on the upswing.
I've been trying to remember when I first read a romance novel, and I honestly can't. In high school my SIL gave me a couple inspirational books about a Jewish girl set during WWII. I don't remember a whole lot about the books (not even the names) except that there was a very minor romance element and I kept reading to see what would happen there. As it was inspirational, not a lot DID happened there, as I'm sure you can imagine, but I think that may have been the first time I read for romance.
There is, however, a ver clear defining moment for me. The first Christmas after I was married, my hubby bought me Scarlet: The Sequel to Gone With The Wind. I loved Gone with the Wind the movie, and had enjoyed the book, and was very excited to read the sequel because I really wanted Scarlet to grow up and get her HEA. That book was HUGE and I think I read it beginning to end. Neglected everything until I finished it. The DH told me (during that time) that he was never buying me another book EVER because I tuned him and the entire world out. Little did he know that was the real start to my romance reading, and, unbeknownst to both of us, it's probably the spark that started me on my writing career. ;)
Bethany,
My sympathies on the loss of your grandmother. And CONGRATULATIONS on getting your Golden Heart entries mailed!
I don't remember where I found my first romance. They always seemed to be around.
No closet readers in my family. Everyone read out in the open. Well, except for my oldest brother, who also read in bed with a flashlight and the sheet tented over his head when he was supposed to be sleeping.
Hope you are all enjoying Thanksgiving!
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