Time flies by so fast. Yet again another year has passed since I started on my journey of documenting the good and the bad about the books that I have read. Me being a romance reader is not something that I see would change in the foreseeable future. I love the nuances that goes along with the stories I pick up to read, the little tidbits that makes my heart beat a bit faster and makes my pulse speed up every now and then. But then romance is one genre that is ridiculed by a lot of people, labeling it as fluff with no substance. So as I mark the 4th anniversary of my blog, I intend to try and write down my thoughts on what romance has taught me and how it has influenced me and my life and in actuality what reading romance means to me.

Believe it or not, romance teaches me how to read people. How to read the subtle and not so subtle changes that move across one’s facial muscles and of course body language between two people that can tell a lot. I don’t know whether it is because I am intuitive to begin with, I have usually been the sort of person to fade into the background and watch the interplays of conversation between people. Sometimes fading away is a necessity, other times I do it out of habit more than anything else, and sometimes it depends on my mood and the people I am with as well. And I think reading romances, especially those with depth is a greater way to increase your ‘knowledge’ on psychoanalyzing than putting yourself to sleep by reading an actual textbook on Psychology!

Another aspect of life that romance has taught me is that, well, like everything else that is fiction, romance too is best left to fiction. We might love it when a hero goes overly possessive about the heroine in the book and cossets her like there is no tomorrow. But in reality, I don’t think I for one would be able to give into that much possessiveness from my partner in life. Like the true love between soul mates that find one another against all odds being a fantasy for most of us (I have to admit that few find it in this world as well) as it happens in romances, I find that rather than keeping my head up in the clouds and driving my expectations beyond what is achievable, reading romances keeps me grounded. It is my escape from reality when I need it, it is the soothing balm that makes the deeply hidden romantic inside of me rejoice and revel in the beauty of selfless giving that is love in its truest form.

It is of no secret that I am someone who loves the English language and the power of words when presented in a manner that can strike the heart with the steepest of arrows. There are authors like Sherry Thomas, Jeannie Lin and Nalini Singh that actually makes me a believer of poetic proses in their books that do not come out at all as flowery, but really touches me unlike any other. It has always been my advice to my friends and acquaintances who rarely read books of any kind and yet complain about the fact their English writing standard is not up to par to read something that interests them. And that is exactly what I do when I pick up a romance novel; I read a subject matter that makes me forget the time & place, that makes me lose myself and in the process it adds to my vocabulary, my usage of the language and in the end I gain much more from the book than just a mere happily ever after and a warm feeling deep inside of me!

Like any other genre of fiction out there, I know for a fact that romance writers put in a lot of hours of research and thought into their books too. For instance, Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series has completely and irrevocably changed the way I feel about paranormal romances featuring shape shifters. Nalini’s world building is beyond complex, but written in a way that even someone who has no understanding of complex and advanced theories of science would be able to grasp what is happening! For me, reading books as such lets me explore the realms of the minds of these authors, makes me go all awestruck and fan-girl the minute I open up a book from the author and in the end I literally and figuratively escape with my mind into a world that is filled with all sorts of brilliant nuances that I wouldn’t forgo for anything.

So as I mark MBR’s Realm of Romance’s 4th blogversary, I am reflecting on the things that makes reading a romance not just a road I take with the hero and heroine towards their happily ever after, but rather a journey of constant learning, seeking and always finding enough to keep me going and coming back for more!

Giveaway!

So as it is the usual custom on my blogversary to give gifts, I have a 50$ Amazon GC to give away! Just share with me what reading romances or reading in general means to you and you will automatically earn an entry into the draw that will take place on August 1, 2013. Please ensure to leave a valid e-mail address via which to contact you in case you are the winner. And don’t forget to spread the word. For sharing is caring!

And don’t forget to wish my blog a happy birthday! xoxo

Giveaway Timings:

• Giveaway begins: 00:00 hours, July 30, 2013 – Maldivian Time
• Giveaway ends: 00:00 hours, August 1, 2013 – Maldivian Time
• Maldivian Timezone: GMT+5