Every year, we produce a summer reading hour to talk about some of our favorite books of this year, and give you recommendations of the best beach reads.

And this year, we’re diving into the illustrious, the notorious, the infamous paperback: the romance novel.

There’s a lot of stigma attached to romance reading, especially within the reading community. But this top grossing genre is actually one of the most popular book genres in the world.

Today, we go beyond harlequin bodice rippers and Fabio and dive into the world of romance with our panel.

Got a favorite romance novel or love story? We want to hear from you.

GUESTS:


AK Nevermore: president of the Connecticut Romance Writers of America and author living in Connecticut


Michelle Smith: President/Owner The BookSmiths Shoppe, LLC. in Danbury


Lauren Anderson: Founder of Possible Futures Bookspace in New Haven.

Authors featured in this broadcast:


AK Nevermore


Kristan Higgins


Amy Neff


JJ Graham


Krystal Marquis


Chloe Liese

Book recommendations from the staff at Connecticut Public


Normal People, by Sally Rooney


A Court of Thorns and Roses (series),by Sarah J Mass


Fourth Wing (Empyrean series),- Rebecca Yarros


Author Emily Henry


Author Casey McQuiston


The Selection,series by Kiera Cass


Bridgeton,series by Julia Quinn


The Princess Diaries, series by Meg Cabot


Conversations with Friends,by Sally Rooney


Persuasion by Jane Austin

Dylan Reyes contributed to this episode which originally aired May 24, 2024.

Every year, we produce a summer reading hour to talk about some of our favorite books of this year, and give you recommendations of the best beach reads.
And this year, we’re diving into the illustrious, the notorious, the infamous paperback: <a href="https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/liberal-arts/misconceptions-about-the-romance-genre">the romance novel.</a>
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/style/article/romance-novels-diversity-lgbtq-cec/index.html">There’s a lot of stigma attached to romance reading,</a> especially within the reading community. But this <a href="https://wordsrated.com/romance-novel-sales-statistics/">top grossing genre</a> is actually one of the most popular book genres in the world.
Today, we go beyond harlequin bodice rippers and Fabio and dive into the world of romance with our panel.
Got a favorite romance novel or love story? We want to hear from you.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>
AK Nevermore: president of the<a href="http://www.ctrwa.org/home.html"> Connecticut Romance Writers of America</a> and author living in Connecticut
</li>
<li>
Michelle Smith: President/Owner <a href="https://booksmithsshoppe.com/">The BookSmiths Shoppe, LLC</a>. in Danbury
</li>
<li>
Lauren Anderson: Founder of<a href="https://www.possiblefuturesbooks.com/"> Possible Futures Bookspace</a> in New Haven.
</li>
</ul>
Authors featured in this broadcast:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://aknevermore.com/">AK Nevermore</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.kristanhiggins.com/">Kristan Higgins</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://amyneff.com/">Amy Neff</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://jjgrahambooks.com/">JJ Graham</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://krystalmarquis.com/">Krystal Marquis</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://chloeliese.com/">Chloe Liese</a>
</li>
</ul>
Book recommendations from the staff at Connecticut Public
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/normal-people_sally-rooney/19514700/#edition=25494028&amp;idiq=37058750">Normal People,</a> by Sally Rooney
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://sarahjmaas.com/a-court-of-thorns-roses-series/">A Court of Thorns and Roses (series),</a> by Sarah J Mass
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.empyreanriders.com/articles/empyrean-series/">Fourth Wing (Empyrean series),</a> - Rebecca Yarros
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.emilyhenrybooks.com/">Author Emily Henry</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.caseymcquiston.com/">Author Casey McQuiston</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.kieracass.com/books">The Selection,</a> series by Kiera Cass
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.possiblefuturesbooks.com/item/kQHiZI37AAumWFQi09AUXQ">Bridgeton,</a> series by Julia Quinn
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.riverbendbookshop.com/book/9780061479939">The Princess Diaries,</a> series by Meg Cabot
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/conversations-with-friends-sally-rooney/11167655">Conversations with Friends,</a> by Sally Rooney
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/6399/persuasion-by-jane-austen/">Persuasion</a> by Jane Austin
</li>
</ul>
Dylan Reyes contributed to this episode which originally aired <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/where-we-live/2024-05-24/beyond-fabio-diving-into-the-world-of-romance-novels-and-literature">May 24, 2024</a>.

Produced by Connecticut Public, 'Where We Live' puts Connecticut in context. Host Catherine Shen brings us fascinating, informed, in-depth conversations and stories beyond news headlines.  We start local, but we take time to explore domestic and international issues and consider how they impact us personally and here at home.

Produced by Connecticut Public, '<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/where-we-live/about">Where We Live'</a> puts Connecticut in context. Host Catherine Shen brings us fascinating, informed, in-depth conversations and stories beyond news headlines.  We start local, but we take time to explore domestic and international issues and consider how they impact us personally and here at home.

Where We Live is a call-in talk show about who we are in Connecticut and our place in the world.

Where We Live

Produced by Connecticut Public, '<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/where-we-live/about">Where We Live'</a> puts Connecticut in context. Host Catherine Shen brings us fascinating, informed, in-depth conversations and stories beyond news headlines.  We start local, but we take time to explore domestic and international issues and consider how they impact us personally and here at home.

Advertisement