Aside from the mystery genre (in all of its forms), romance is easily the most popular genre of the book world. Circulation statistics for our romance books at the library have always been steady but with the advent of library e-books being offered in the last couple years we are seeing just how significant is the demand for romance among our readership.

So why do more digital romance books circulate? One theory is that there is some level of discomfort with holding a romance novel, especially a racy novel, in clear view of passerby. Anonymously downloading a library e-book from home to your nondescript e-reader or tablet, however, is quick and discrete. If you are one of these nameless readers (according to Romance Writers of America you are probably a woman between 31 and 49, married and of average education and income), you are not alone in your reading preferences.

There are two basic elements that comprise a romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.  These novels can have any style or tone, be set in any place or time, and have varying levels of sensuality ranging from timid to steamy.

I have often wondered, since the outcome of these novels is always known in advance, why are they so popular and appealing? Why do readers seem to enjoy ingesting the same story in only slightly different guises over and over again? I have come to believe that its appeal probably goes deeper than we might suppose. For one thing, it is comfortably predictable, and real life is not. In a romance novel, we know that the two gorgeous people who are meeting in a fated moment will feel an instant and mutual attraction for each other, we know that the relationship will be temporarily but only superficially threatened, and we know that they will eventually resolve all of their problems and live happily ever after. They will also bask in financial ease, no doubt.

Another reason for the popularity in romance is that, while there is always that level of predictability, it is so genre bending. There are seemingly limitless subgenres to choose from.

For example, historical romance is categorized as any romance taking place before 1945. This subgenre includes the regency period (late 1700s to early 1800s). Julianne Donaldson, who attempts to write in the ilk of Jane Austen, has made a name for herself in the “clean” romances department, meaning that there is no sexual activity in her books.  The more traditional “bodice ripper” can be found by searching our catalogue using the key words “regency” and/or “romance”.  Lisa Kleypas, Mary Balogh and Jo Beverley are a few prolific writers in this category.

Inspirational Romance including Karen Kingsbury and Janette Oke are faith based romances. Beverly Lewis and Cindy Woodsmall write Amish romances known as “bonnet rippers.”  All these writers can be categorized as writing “clean” romance, while the exact opposite of the “clean” romance is the erotic romance of such authors as E.L. James, Sylvia Day and Maya Banks.

Paranormal romance feature romances between humans and other beings such as vampires or werewolves.  Charlaine Harris, J.R Ward, and Sherrilyn Kenyon are some authors to look out in this category. I’ve never considered myself to be a romance reader, let alone a paranormal romance reader, but was surprised to discover how much I enjoyed the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness, starting with The Discovery of Witches. Harkness is a USC history scholar and you can tell how much research she put into her novels -- I would suggest it for fans of Diana Gabaldon’s time-travelling Outlander series. Another author to look out for in the time-travel romance category is Canadian Susanna Kearsley. Her most popular book is The Winter Sea. It follows a novelist named Carrie McClelland who decides to set her new novel in Slains Castle in Scotland and uses her ancestor, Sophia Paterson, as one of the characters. Soon Carrie’s novel begins to take on a life of its own and she realizes that an unusual bond with her ancestor may be providing her with an immediate window into the past.

You may recall that Susanna Kearsley’s latest book, Bellewether, which is a historical romance with some paranormal elements, is our One Book, One L&A selection for 2018. Kearsley will be attending our 5th Annual Local Author Gala on September 29th. More details are to come.

All of the books mentioned here are available to reserve from your branch of the County of Lennox & Addington Libraries or online here.

This article was originally published in The Napanee Beaver.