Love Can be Scary
We have a new display here at the library, located right in-between our new and notable bookshelves. In honor of October and all things spooky, I wanted to highlight the one thing that might be scariest of all: love.
If you took a peek at the display (and I hope you do, because it's pretty cool -- if I may say so myself. The fact that I personally arranged it has nothing to do with the coolness, I promise! *wink wink*) you might notice a running theme. Each book could be classified under the "paranormal" subgenre of romance novels. Now, I know what you're thinking. If the idea of reading a romance novel in the first place seems scary, some might be scared off even more by the paranormal sub-genre. Speaking as the romance genre's unofficial spokeswoman and biggest fan (yeah, I totally just made up that title), I implore you: don't run away! Part of romance's appeal is the fantasy, right -- and it doesn't get much more fantastical than witches, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, etc.
In the interest of of education, I've posted below a little paranormal romance primer (which I've also posted on the book display -- did I mention that the woman who designed the display is AH-mazing?):
What is paranormal romance?
Paranormal romance is a subgenre of romance fiction that focuses on romantic love in a world with supernatural or paranormal elements. Some characteristics include:
*Supernatural beings such as vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, shapeshifters, vampires, etc.
*The romance isn’t limited to supernatural couples, often a human (or multiple humans) are involved as well. In order to be considered a romance novel, there must be a central romantic story between the main characters.
*Often this love is considered “forbidden.” Maybe the couple are from warring clans, or belong to groups that historically did not get along (such as elves and dwarves, or vampires and werewolves), or the couple is separated by time, space, or species.
* Paranormal romances can be set in a world where the existence of monsters is accepted (aka “magical realism”), or in a world that is unaware of paranormal creatures.
*Paranormal Romances often explore themes of empowerment, such as female agency, self-actualization, or choice.
And now my favorite part: book recommendations! Some of my favorite paranormal romance authors include: Kresley Cole (she features all sort of paranormal beings: vampires, werewolves, ghosts, Valkyrie, witches, zombies...), Ruby Dixon (aliens), and Evangeline Anderson (also aliens). For the Romance Required book club (run by yours truly -- or should that be "yours ghouly?") this month we are reading "The Dead Romantics," by Ashley Poston. In this book we meet Florence Day, a ghostwriter who can coincidentally see ghosts. One might think that's a good skill to have, seeing as how her family runs a funeral home, but Florence has been doing her level best to ignore her ghostly visitors since she was a teenager. Soon, though, she learns that she can't ignore what other people can't see, when her love interest (her prickly editor, Ben) suddenly finds himself among her invisible visitors.
Romance Required meets the last Friday of every month at 1pm. We hope to see you there -- but if you find you can't meet with us, you can always leave your thoughts in a comment here on this blog. And if you really would like to attend but can't make our meetings, reach out to me (Colleen) -- we have been toying with the idea of adding a Zoom component so members can join us remotely, if there is sufficient interest.
Isn't romance simply booooooo-tiful? Stop by the library today to scare up a good time!
