My how times have changed! What do you think Jane Austen, author or such classics as Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Emma, would say about the popularity of 50 Shades of Grey? Both are in the genre called “romance novel” but where one author writes implicitly, the other writes explicitly.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, this could be the ideal time to give your darling (or gift yourself) a romance novel. There’s an endless variety to choose from. You can reach back to one of the classics (romance novels date back to the 17th century) or select from an endless list of more contemporary books. Romance novels are a $1billion industry, so vast, it has spawned several subcategories: historical romance (examples are Jane Eyre and Gone With the Wind), contemporary romance (examples are The Notebook and The Time Traveler’s Wife), gothic romance (examples are Wuthering Heights and Rebecca), paranormal romance (examples are Lover Awakened and The Paper Magician), inspirational romance (examples are The Atonement Child and Baby, It’s Cold Outside) and romantic suspense (examples are Now You See Her and Montana Sky).

Romance novels reflect the culture of their times, exploring and reflecting aspects of life that are of particular interest to women. They reflect the world as women view it or would like to see it. The best of these novels are entertaining and enlightening for men as well as women. Check out your local book store or library to see what’s worth reading in the wide world of romance novels.