RedHeadedGirl has been going though the Old Skool romance time travel machine, ever since she found her own lost Help a Bitch Out book. Meanwhile, I’ve been thinking about the older romances I’ve read and loved, and whether they hold up to a re-reading now that it’s been years since I last read them.
So I’ve compiled a reading list of my own for 2011, which I’m calling the “Old Skool Favorites”, books that I read and remember enjoying (even if I can’t remember the title or author and have to dig through the webby recesses of my brain to find a clue to track them down) and want to re-read to see what I think of them now. Maybe I’ll ruin a few of my fondest memories, but my re-read of Midsummer Magic, the first romance I ever read, didn’t turn me away or leave me with a “What the hell was I thinking?” feeling when I finished it.
If you’ve been reading the genre for awhile, you probably have some old favorites that you haven’t re-read in a long time. Every wonder if they stand up to a revisit, if the memory you hold is the same as the book you hold in your hands today? Sometimes, the way-back old skool romances we remember aren’t great because they are good stories – sometimes they’re awesome because of the unfiltered crazysauce within them. Sometimes they’re comfort reads, or they’re connected to a time period that is flooded with nostalgia, which then spills over on to the book, whether the book itself was fantastic or not.
With the Old Skool Favorites challenge, I’m going to re-read my old-skool favorites. I’d love it if you’d join me and re-read yours. You can blog about it or email me, but I think it’s important to know where the genre has been (who it’s been with!) and how it’s changed over the years, and how we as readers have changed too. I hereby and eagerly invite you to join me in a re-read of your oldest favorites, whether they are ridiculous or wonderpants.
My reading list so far, which I will definitely add to as I find more books in storage:
What would be on your Old Skool reading list? Want to join me in a re-read?
My first romance was a Harlequin Presents called some spelling of “Mistique”: she has an abusive past and thinks she’ll make a crappy mom, hero gives her emeralds, I…got nothing else. Except something about how she had a scar on her leg from a dog bite.
I read a lot of Virginia Henley—ick, “mystic ordeal of blood and pain”, WTF—and Julie Garwood growing up. Even back when I was twelve, the heroines seemed excessively and irritatingly clueless: I was a child of liberal parents, growing up in the age of the Internet, and had no patience with anyone who’d managed to reach eighteen without knowing how babies were made, or who freaked out at the sight of a hard-on. Yeah, historical, but still—I expect I’d roll my eyes right out of my head these days, when I’m that much more used to savvy women in historicals.
I could totally stand to read some more Shirlee Busbee, though, and some Dorothy Garlock. And I’m tempted to seek out my first Lindsay—Fires of Winter—, because the cover blurb was hilarious: “Northern lights! Nordic nights! And a woman’s smoldering surrender!”
Old Skool Amanda Quick, that’s right ALL of them. When i was about 15 I started that terrible, terrible quest and finished it might I add.
Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux. Sad times.
Annnnd last but not least my very first romance novel: Castle of the Wolf by Sandra Schwab which I STILL have to find and buy…it’s a long story.
@ Alexys Raines….Castle of the Wolf is available from Amazon UK ….22p for the most reasonable copy
I love the Judith McNaught historicals, but I can not seem to find out from her or the publisher if they will ever be available electronically. Any one know?
Oooh, I was just going through my books a couple weeks ago, and have two diaper boxes of romances I devoured back in the early 1990s. Was planning to page through them (Johanna Lindsay, LaVyrle Spencer, Katherine Coulter, early Mary Balogh), so this challenge is perfect for me 🙂
I can’t believe that somebody mentioned Pamela Belle – I loved her books so much, and still do. ‘Wintercombe’ is probably my favourite historical romance; I’ve never read one which could supplant it. I have no idea why they haven’t been reprinted – I had to pay extortionate prices for my copies online.
The first romance I read was called ‘Valentina’, and it was grim – set in the Napoleonic Wars, I remember, and full of nasty rapey men. Worse, I was only seven (and a precocious reader) and while I was aware of the facts of life, I didn’t know that it was possible for sex to be a) forced, and b) painful.
I think the first romance I read as an adolescent and enjoyed was Bertrice Small’s ‘Skye O’Malley’. Appalling, but gripping.
Ha, Jude Devereaux’s Wishes was the very first romance novel I read! I picked it randomly off a shelf at a tiny library while on vacation. I’ll admit I’m a little scared to re-read some of the Jude Devereaux – I have such fond memories of them.
The first romance novel I ever read was Johanna Lindsey’s Savage Thunder. I was hooked. HOOKED! I don’t remember the name of my crack dealer (she was an underclassmen who sat at the back of the bus and had more romance novels in her bookbag than text books) but I remember that book, my reaction to it and the beginning of my book-a-day habit. The next one I read was This Wild Heart by Patricia Pellicane. I only know that because I searched a long time on the internet for it. For years I couldn’t remember the title or the author, just that heroine was name “Piper” and she had really large boobs. There were a lot of $1 novels and, yes, Connie Mason. I will not be re-reading them. I also read lots of Virginia Henley who merits a re-visit. Her sense of humor and bawdiness is awesome. Nan Ryan is just plain filthy. Love her. And there’s the fabulous Laura Kinsale whose writing was so good it actually put me off romance for a while because I couldn’t find anyone else like her. So, I’m actually behind in Old Skool Romances. I read my first Woodiwiss a couple of years ago. I will not speak of Shanna. I sincerely hate that story and the heroine at the center of it.
Does it have to be historical?? (I prefer contemporary.) Since I’ve been in such a vampire romance kick lately, I thought I might break out the Lori Herter Obsession series (Obsession / Posession / Confession / Eternity). It’s been a really long time since I’ve read them, and I’m curious how they’ll read today.
First time commenter! I have very fond memories of first reading my mother’s copy of Katherine by Anya Seton, but remember finding Green Darkness somewhat disturbing because the present-day “reincarnated” hero seemed rape-y. I also enjoyed reading The Thornbirds, especially after being told that it was trashy!!