Romance Novels

I'd have to say that romance is one of my favourite genres. But, with the stigma associated with buying one, and the fact that I have a difficult finding a romance that has characters with actual depth (see Twilight rants) I often don't read them. There is nothing wrong with reading a romance novel, I know, but that doesn't seem to stop everyone from passing judgement. Really people who frown upon a book based on its cover? Really?

Aside from that, think about it for a minute: when was the last time that you heard someone refer to romance novels in general in a positive tone? Unless you hang out with people like me, I'd wager probably not often. Now, the nice ladies at http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php have written a nice book that holds lots of entertaining and true information about romance novels, and there's a chapter about this particular subject. I totally agree with their answer: it's a genre written almost entirely by and for women. So what does that have to do with people looking down their noses? Well, we live in a patriarchal society. This means in basic and crude terms that women are less than men, the general idea being that they're only good for two things. It also means that men are allowed to read whatever trashy novels they want with little to no repercussions, and women who read trashy novels of the romance genre are lonely spinsters with unreal expectations of life. Ugh! It makes me so angry! You know, I really think the Smart Bitches are much more articulate on these matters than I am. Go to http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php and find out more.

Thoughts? Please comment.

Kit.