Links & Books

RESOURCES

Romance Novels

Harlequin
The official website of the world's largest publisher of romance novels includes author blogs and reader forums. For the British division, Mills & Boon, visit www.millsandboon.co.uk.

Romantic Novelists' Association
The website of this writers' organization (which Roger mentions in the film) includes information about activities promoting the genre, as well as a blog where you can find out more about romance novel authors and their work.

Romance Writers of America
This organization's website is dedicated to advancing the professional interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy.

Everything I Know About Love, I Learned from Romance Novels. (Sarah Wendell. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 2011.)
In this book, romance readers and authors share stories and lessons from romance novels, providing a road map of dos and don'ts for real-life relationships.

Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart B*****s' Guide to Romance. (Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan. New York: Touchstone/Fireside, 2009.)
This irreverent and hilarious guide to the romance genre is written by the women who founded the popular blog "Smart B*****s, Trashy Books."

Concerns

Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care
In this 2011 blog post, psychologist Susan Quilliam critiques the lessons that romance novels deliver about sex.

Journal of International Women's Studies
In this traditional academic article, "Gender, Romance Novels and Plastic Sexuality in the United States: A Focus on Female College Students," published in 2006, Huei-Hsia Wu analyzes differences in young male and female romance novel readers.

Psychology Today
In a post on the magazine's website entitled "How Much Do Romance Novels Reflect Women's Desires?" Maryanne Fisher offers a quick take on romance novel characters as role models.