By: Klancy Hoover
I have over 71 books on my bookshelf, and almost all of them are fantasy novels. Actually, 48 of them are fantasy novels while the other remaining books on my bookshelf are mostly science-fiction. And I’m sure that you’re probably wondering why I ransacked my bookshelf in the middle of the night in my onesie to count the number of books that I own. The answer is this: my New Year’s resolution!
If taking stock of the books on my bookshelf has taught me anything, it’s that I have a reading comfort zone. Fantasy and science-fiction novels are oftentimes my go-to reads, mostly because I know from experience that I enjoy their type of storylines. But this year, I want to venture out of my reading comfort zone and challenge myself to experience different storylines only other genres can offer. That’s why, for my New Year’s resolution, I am going to challenge myself to read books from the one genre that I know the least about: romance.
My knowledge about romance, as a genre, is limited to a small pool of novels that only represent a small portion of the genre as a whole. The two novels I recognize instantly and know of their authors are Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. Of course, almost everyone recognizes them. Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Darcy, Noah, and Allie are all iconic characters that are involved in equally iconic relationships. For my New Year’s resolution challenge, however, I want to dive deeper into the world of romance novels by reading books from various romance subgenres, such as historical romance, contemporary romance, erotica, and paranormal romance. Here is a list of the books from each subgenre I have selected to read:
Historical Romance: Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas.
Contemporary: Roomies by Christina Lauren.
Erotica: The Siren by Tiffany Reisz.
Paranormal Romance: The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter.
My hope, after my New Year’s resolution challenge, is to have a better understanding of a new genre. I want to challenge myself to be open to new experiences by being introduced to new storylines that help inform me about different reading tastes and ideas. Through my New Year’s resolution challenge, I won’t only be celebrating a new year—I’ll be celebrating a new genre!
Edited by Emily Chance