Have you tucked into a romance novel lately? If not, you might be in the minority of readers.

Romance sales are soaring. Last year, they grew twice as fast as the rest of the fiction market.

In the past, the genre’s commercial value was widely accepted - romance books have always been big sellers. But now, its literary merit is being recognized, too.

So this Valentine’s Day, there’s more reason than ever to find love in a stack of books. And we won’t leave you hunting.

GUESTS:

• Charlie Hunts, owner of Charlie’s Queer Books in Seattle
• Ren Rice, owner of The Romance Era Bookstore in Vancouver, WA
• Jenna Zarzycki, a librarian with the King County Library System

RELATED LINKS: 

• NPR producer shares her pick of romance novels from our annual Books We Love list — KUOW
• A surprising genre of romance novels is gaining popularity — KUOW
• The Romance Era Bookshop
• Charlie’s Queer Books

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Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.