 |
 Welcome, readers! If you're like me, you've always been a "bookbug." I can trace my love
for reading back to my childhood and my large collection of Little Golden Books. That's me (in pink), enjoying a Disney
classic with my sister. SLEEPING BEAUTY and CINDERELLA were among my favorite stories as a little girl, so I guess I've always been a romantic at heart. |
My interest in romance bloomed during high school when I read GONE WITH THE WIND and Catherine Marshall's CHRISTY, which will always be sentimental favorites
of mine. Gothics were all the rage back then and my favorite authors were Victoria Holt, Susan Howatch, and Catherine Cookson. I also discovered Regency romance in the seventies—a refreshing change from the dark gothics, although I enjoyed them both. Later in the decade, when Kathleen E. Woodiwiss made her mark on the literary world, my taste in reading changed dramatically. Suddenly a new wave of sensual writers emerged and the historical romance boom began. Ms. Woodiwiss, and authors such as Valerie Sherwood, Rosemary Rogers, Jennifer Wilde, Cynthia Wright, Laurie McBain, Fern Michaels, and Jennifer Blake kept me dashing to the bookstore.
Series romance
(category romance) also caught my attention during the seventies, but I wasn't a dedicated follower until the early eighties when Harlequin and Silhouette branched out with several new series lines and Loveswept debuted. Publishers made an effort throughout the eighties to keep romance fans interested, and during this time I discovered many wonderful authors of both series and historical romance.
By the nineties, readers had even more options as various sub-genres of romance gained in popularity: time-travel, futuristic, fantasy, paranormal, inspirational, multi-cultural, contemporary and romantic suspense. There was something to tickle every romance reader's fancy. Today I have a collection of books by over 1100 different romance authors, in all category lines and sub-genres. The romance genre has evolved over the years and my reading tastes have changed with it, but I'm so glad I was "along for the ride." I look forward to discovering more great authors and books in the future.
I hope you enjoy your visit. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to send me an e-mail note.
Happy Reading,
Junebug
If you would like to link to Bookbug, please use this URL:
http://www.bookbugontheweb.com
Copy either of the following graphics if your heart so desires :–)
(download to your computer)
