The National Year of Reading is an organization dedicated to a year-long celebration of reading. They recently conducted a study that revealed 39% of Britons aren’t honest about what books and magazines they read. Apparently, they tend to make more of their literary prowess just to impress. Imagine, trying to impress someone with what you read? Now there’s a thought.
The study further stated that one in five adults said they would read while waiting for their date to arrive in order to make a good first impression. Now that’s just wrong. Personally, I’d be putting on the finishing touches to my lip gloss.
As if that wasn’t enough, men said the book they use to win over women is Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. And men were impressed by women who had inspected news websites before a date. News websites – as if!
So here’s a question to all you romance readers, and it’s not a total non sequitur. Imagine you’re in the dating scene - Would you give a potential bed mate a romance novel to read as a way of ensuring they understood what you want in an intimate relationship? And if so, what book would it be?
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Kati
on Dec 14th, 2008
@ 9:07 am:
Interesting question. I’m proud to be a romance reader and happily pull a romance out of my bag at any opportunity. And there are elements of love scenes in romances that get me going. There are also a ton of those same scenes that are very erotic and I NEVER, EVER want to live out. I enjoy reading about them, and they speak to the fantasy aspect of my life, but I don’t want to do them in real life. I doubt I would give a significant other a romance to demonstrate what I wanted in bed. I’d think if you’re close enough to be intimate, then you’re close enough to have what might be a slightly uncomfortable conversation about how best to please each other in bed.
Now, if he decided to look down on what I’m reading, I’d want him to read a book just so he could understand my yum before he yukked it.
Marisa
on Dec 14th, 2008
@ 1:48 pm:
Well, reading is a an absolute pleasure for me. And I would hope it would be true for any person I dated. AND however, they don’t necessarily have to like the same books I like. After all we can both read different books at the same time in the same room and still enjoy each other’s company. I would not give a potential partner a romance novel to ensure they understood intimacy – no, I’m with Kati on that one. But I’d expect him to respect what I like to read.
heidenkind
on Dec 14th, 2008
@ 11:34 pm:
I read a lot of different books and I don’t need anyone I’m dating or friends with to read the same thing I do. However, I would be deeply annoyed at anyone who refused to even try to read a romance novel just based on a personal bias they had about the genre.
Valie
on Dec 15th, 2008
@ 1:10 pm:
Well, well, well … I often told myself that some men should read Lisa Kleypas’ books ! or Julia London’s ! or …