Benefits of reading Romance . . . .
by sue on Dec.03, 2009, under Book Chat
Ok, get your minds out of the gutter 
There are some real, proven, benefits to reading & since romance books are the ultimate, there must be more benefits when reading romance, right?
Based on a survey done a few years ago, 1 in 4 adults read zero books - unbelievable! The average adult reads 4 books per year.
I found this analysis on the web. These stats were compiled by a person not familiar with the romance genre, or he would have correlated his points choosing the appropriate romance books, don’t you think? Since he did not, I thought I’d do it for him
Bottom line is reading has been shown to scientifically have many benefits, so outlined below are those benefits with the books I’ve chosen to better depict the benfits, Enjoy!
1. Reading is an active mental process – you think more and become smarter.
2. It is a fundamental skill builder - Books provide information that goes deeper than just classroom discussion. 
3. Improves your vocabulary – you will find yourself exposed to many new words you wouldn’t be otherwise.
4. Gives you a glimpse into other cultures and places – What is your favorite vacation spot?
5. Improves concentration and focus – Since you must concentrate in order to read, like a muscle, you will get better at concentration.
6. Builds self-esteem – you become better informed, your feelings about yourself only get better.
7. Improves memory – Many studies show if you don’t use your memory, you lose it.
8. Improves your discipline – Obviously, if 1 in 4 people don’t read one book per year, then there is a discipline issue.
9. Learn anywhere – Books are portable. You can take them almost anywhere.
10. Improves creativity – by reading more books and exposing yourself to new and more complete information, you will also be able to come up with more creative ideas.
11. Gives you something to talk about – Have you ever run out of stuff to talk about?
12. Books are inexpensive entertainment – What’s the average price of a movie ticket these days? $10 – $15? You can buy a paperback for that price and be entertained for many hours more.
13. You can learn at your own pace – when you read books.
14. New mental associations – In reading a book to discover the solution to one problem, you find the solution to others you may not have considered.
15. Improves your reasoning skills – reason better with the knowledge you gain.
The author of the original article continues with his diatribe, however, I thought I’d stop here & ask you, what you think of the the stats? What was he missing? What other things do you benefit from after reading a good romance novel? Comment below — keep it clean
Until tomorrow! Happy Romance!
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About Sue & Borders True Romance Blog
Sue G - Borders True Romance Host - Borders Romance Buyer, reads romance. For her JOB. No, really. You can email Sue at sgrimshaw at bordersgroupinc dot com.
Borders True Romance Blog is a community, developed for you, the romance reader, to find out more about the books you love; the authors who write them & where to buy them :) Borders.com
Previously published as Wishes No Matter How Fast You Run. . .The newborn baby boy is beautiful, perfect, and hers for the asking. All Kate Summers has to do is agree to one condition--she must disappear from Boston and never breathe a word about the adoption to anyone. Or How Far You Go. . .Fifteen years later, Kate has built a good life for herself and her son, Jon, in Hopewell, Oregon. Still, she is haunted by the fear that he will somehow be taken away. Then Daegan O'Rourke arrives in town and strikes up a friendship with her and Jon. But Daegan has his own past to hide--one with shocking ties to hers. A Killer Will Always Find You. . .Someone is watching Kate, watching her son, and is willing to go to any lengths to claim him. And the one man Kate is tempted to trust has dangerous secrets that could change her world forever. Soon the past Kate thought she could outrun will explode, unearthing a legacy of lies and treachery, and a fury powerful enough to kill. . .
Friend Feed
December 4th, 2009 on 3:10 pm
I always feel good when I finish a great book, whether it’s romance or non-fiction. And one unforeseen benefit of all my historical romance reading was being able to answer a Trivial Pursuit question or two–no one else knew what a claymore was
December 4th, 2009 on 12:27 am
Biggest benefit, especially when it’s a re-read: the total knowledge that you will be happy when you’re immersed in the plot, the characters and the place (historical fan here). I am so flipping busy in RL just at the moment that I can’t devour my current read, Goddess of the Hunt, the way I ordinarily would. It’s having some benefits — I’m trying to anticipate what will happen next! Sometimes I’m right, sometimes wrong but Tessa Dare is a keeper … glad she’s part of the RomLand galaxy.
Books are as necessary to me as air.
December 3rd, 2009 on 4:36 pm
This is a great list! I learn a lot reading historicals about history. I hadn’t thought much about learning from reading romance novals.
December 3rd, 2009 on 4:47 pm
Well, we had to put a spin on the list as the original author was pretty dry — Romance certainly brightens things up
Have you read Echo in the Bone? — Diana keeps me up to date on my historical facts -
December 3rd, 2009 on 4:17 pm
What a great list! I love it!
December 3rd, 2009 on 3:27 pm
“What other things do you benefit from after reading a good romance novel?”
Great sex.
December 3rd, 2009 on 4:21 pm
LOL - well of course
December 3rd, 2009 on 2:09 pm
I have 3 kids ages 13,2yrs and 6mths and i have 2 have time for myself. Reading romance books takes me away from the everyday trials of life. Lets face it sexy vamps, werewolves and shapeshifters etc….who wouldnt want a romance with them. haha
December 3rd, 2009 on 4:24 pm
Thanks Vickey - escape is what it is all about — as I read MISTRESS BY MISTAKE, I kept on thinking what would I do in that situation — single, a few too many glasses of wine, in the garden, in my nightgown when a handsome Lord finds me . . . yeah, Evaline & I may have something in common
http://bit.ly/4O2Wln
December 3rd, 2009 on 1:14 pm
So, as promised, more of Mistress by Mistake http://bit.ly/4O2Wln;
Dash meets Evaline in the garden mistaking her for a servant (as she is in a nightgown & inebriated state):
“Hello,” she said, proud of herself for remembering to be so polite.
“Hello to you,” he said, & he sounded quite real. “And just why are you so disappointed in tonight’s moon?”
“Oh, I’m not disappointed in the moon at all!” she replied, strangely overjoyed at his existence. “Just the fact that I’m terribly alone under it.”
“You’re giggling,” he stated
“I am, ” she agreed, and the sound she made then sounded unfortunately more like a snort than a giggle. “But please don’t take it personally.”
It continues with the tryst however, Evaline passes out prior . . . Dash takes serious ridiculing from his friends when they figure this out.
YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!
December 3rd, 2009 on 12:47 pm
Love that list!!!!
December 3rd, 2009 on 12:15 pm
I read because I enjoy it! I would go nuts id I could not sit down and read a book. I love getting lost in a story. Any kind of story so long as it takes me away from the stress of my day. If I could not pick up a book I don’t know what I would do. I can not understand how somebody could not enjoy setting down to read a book. I don’t think they know what they are missing. I can go to another place, another time, wish I was like some of those kick ass heriones. I love talking about what books were good, what ones missed the mark with the romance group. I love finding new authors. Heck I just love to read and anybody who doesn’t understand that they don’t know what they are missing.
December 3rd, 2009 on 12:55 pm
You’ll have to come to ROMCON — that’s all we’re going to do is talk about books
http://www.romconinc.com/
December 3rd, 2009 on 12:13 pm
All the listed benefits are possibly true but reading for enjoyment, as opposed to reading for school or work, is a predispositioned act based person to person.
My brother never picked up a book that he wasn’t forced to. He never read for enjoyment, never enjoyed novels, etc. I, on the other hand, lived at the library since elementary school age. My mother used to get a kick out of the disparity btwn my brother and I.
So, while I can’t readily dispute some of the benefits the author named (although, I do find some of them a bit far reaching: 2, 6 & 8…uhm, I’m not really buying it). The listed benefits of reading will not likely sway a non-reader or minimal reader into a voracious reader. It’s like eating vegetables, everyone knows it’s good for you but alot of people just can’t stomach it.
December 3rd, 2009 on 12:57 pm
Interesting — I’ve heard readers say they were the bookworms & their siblings not — actually, was the other way around in my family until I got older —
Thanks for your comment — there were actually 25 benefits the .com author listed so I was trying to highlight the more believable — some were even more interesting
December 3rd, 2009 on 12:11 pm
I read therefore I am
One of my favorite moments in life was years ago seeing my brother laying on the couch reading a book and his 4 year old son laying next to him, reading his.
My 8 year old daughter is reading the first Harry Potter book and I can watch her joy as she discovers how much more the book offers to her sense of joy and wonder than the movie does.
Reading is connection. Whether we connect to the story, to the writer or to an idea. I know that I get more upset when a book doesn’t work than I do to a movie, because the book offers me greater gifts.
(Boy this is a ramble…)
And speaking of connection: I have four people that I work with directly who have borrowed romance novels from me.
December 3rd, 2009 on 12:59 pm
some of my best friends are friends because we read romance, which is a huge benefit.
agreed - rather read than see a movie these days
Great comment!
December 3rd, 2009 on 12:10 pm
A great romance transports you to another world, be it a world where vampires exist, where Regency dukes dance, or where hotshot chefs are also tender and loving. ; )
No other genre matches romance for the sheer emotion of the response they evoke, at least for me. The tension, the eventual catharsis, the happily ever after–all of it leaves me feeling uplifted and happy. It’s best for everyone in my family when I get a steady diet of romance to read!
December 3rd, 2009 on 11:32 am
Romance novels offer the hope that true love is attainable, and “Happily Ever Afters” can be ours. They also provide an escape from everyday life. We can view the romantic entanglements and sensual experiences of the characters and imagine ourselves in their place. Some “romance stories” go much further. They present a more realistic look at characters with physical and emotional problems, financial difficulties, abuse situations, unplanned pregnancies and so much more. Sometimes, I want to read about life scenarios which are similar to my own. Other times, I want to be completely involved by characters and life stories far outside my everyday world. You can find all of these things by reading romance novels. Whether you search for the familiar or the exotic, chaste love or deep sensuality, you will find it all in “romance novels”.
December 3rd, 2009 on 1:00 pm
Very well said!
December 3rd, 2009 on 11:02 am
I’m a readaholic and I benefit daily from the books I consume voraciously.
I had an experience with a Barbra Cartland book when I was 16. I went on a trip with my mother’s sisters and we visited a site that I’d read about in one of this author’s novels. Both my aunts are literary snobs and hadn’t heard anything about this place. I of course showed off my knowledge and amazed them, the more so because of my source. I never again had to hear about my reading ‘trashy romances’.
December 3rd, 2009 on 10:51 am
When I read historical romance, I love learning about new time periods and places. Endless possibilities!
December 3rd, 2009 on 1:05 pm
You have got to pick up this book by Susan Gee Heino — Mistress by Mistake - loved it! http://bit.ly/4O2Wln
Here’s some of the witty dialogue:
“This rain may keep up for days, and the bridge is close to failing. You’ll have to stay here,” he said as he kissed her hair. She knew exactly what they’d be doing during her extended stay, too.
“My aunt will be troublesome, you know,” She figured she’d better warn him now, “She’s a bit confused about my age, actually. She thinks she can still arrange something between us — something permanent and legal.”
“I’m bigger than she is. I’ll win.”
SO cute!
December 3rd, 2009 on 10:36 am
Just finished reading a delightful story last night by Susan Gee Heino, a debut with Berkley Romance.
The book is Mistress by Mistake, http://bit.ly/4OsL8H, now on sale in Borders: A fabulous new voice in Regency romance, award-winning author Heino tells of a beautiful heiress and the lord who will be her undoing–or her salvation. A funny, sexy romp! Destined to become a reader favorite.–Christine Wells, author of “Wicked Little Game.”
This story had the benefit of laughter — Susan’s witty banter, sexy scenes & overall fun approach to a young woman’s quest to become independent of an over powering family was just a joy to read.
Here’s some of her clever dialect: “So, how is it you know so much about this house?” Rastmoor asked causing her to jump.
“What?”
“Extra cellars? Secret entrances? How do you know all of this?”
“I, well . . .I’ve been there.”
“To a deserted old love nest? You’re a bit young to be grandfather Dashford’s light-skirts.”
I’ll give you more glimpses into Susan’s story thru out the day . . .
So what book have you recently read that benefited you?