The Romance Section

A covert snapshot of the romance novels on sale at CVS pharmacy.

I don't claim to be an expert on romance literature; I can't say I've read even one romance novel. The industry, however, and subsequently the the romance of section of book stores, fascinates me.

I can definitely see the appeal of the romance novel - scenes from romantic and sexual fantasies that don't carry the same stigma as pornography, plus the added intellectual stimulation of reading - but that doesn't keep me from finding it amusing. I, too, enjoy the steamy scenes that crop up in the books I read. But they are rarely as amusing as 250 pages of "pulsating members" and "savage highlanders."

A few of my friends and I have taken to browsing the romance section in Borders Bookstore, and we've noticed a number of trends. Here's a list of what we've noticed:

-American Indians
-rich, married (unavailable) men
-rich men in general
-highlanders
-vampires
-inexperienced young women
-foreigners

Maybe I shouldn't be, but I was surprised to see that when you search for "romance" on the Borders website, you are answered with almost 16,000 matches.