Summer Lovin’
A lot of summer reading lists say romance is the perfect summer genre. Do you agree? Why or why not? What genre do you find yourself reaching for most in the summer months?
I don’t read a lot of romance in general, so when book influencers start talking about how X book is THE book to read this summer, I tune out.
Don’t get me wrong. I have zero problems with romance as a genre. I do not think it is in any way “lesser” or any of that nonsense, and I do dabble here and there. It just isn’t what I tend to reach for at any time of the year.
I don’t get to go to the beach very much. Hello, living in central Canada! We get some really intense summers with lots of humidity, though. And since we don’t have central air in our house, I essentially melt over the summer months. (It was 25° Celsius, but felt like 32° Celsius at 62% humidity at 8:30 this morning. Blech!)
So, I read everything over the summer that I read the rest of the year, but I also tend to reach for the “light” versions of those books. Most of my energy goes to keeping cool, and I can’t keep on top of really intricate stories. For example, if I wanted to read a fantasy book, I would reach for one with a smaller cast and a smaller-scale story versus one with dozens of POV characters and a wide, epic story that takes place over years.
I also find I can’t read more than one book at a time, and I can’t read two of the same genre back to back, or I lose the details.
I also find that I don’t reach for romance to escape, which I think some people do. (Cool for them!) I would rather step into the shoes of a hacker trying to save the world from exploding people, or a starfighter pilot trying to prove herself not a coward, personally.
So, is romance my perfect summer genre? Decidedly not. And I disagree that romance should be the go-to for light reading. Not only because some romance isn’t light at all, but also because every genre has its own light entries.
There are any number of reasons that romance doesn’t resonate with me, and they are all personal to me. But I do think that romance, and to a smaller degree contemporary, need to take a step back on the summer book lists and let other genres into the club.
What do you think, awesome nerds? Feel free to make your own post, and link up in the comments! I am really looking forward to hearing what you all think.
If you are in the pro-romance-as-summer-reading camp, I would also really love to hear your thoughts!
Stay bookish, lovelies! ❤
I personally *hate* romance books. They’re all so full of drama, and I hate that kind of drama. I don’t want to read about couples fighting, I want to read about something bigger than that. I want to read about the little guy making a difference, not a dick learning how to love this one girl who really shouldn’t be with such a jerk.