Romancing the Blog | Romance Authors and Readers Who Blog

We all know that too much of a good thing can often be a very bad thing. Chocolate cake, for example. And suntanning. But what about romance novels?

Most of us would agree that reading good romance novels can inspire and empower women. But just how much romance can we read before we cross the line to unhealthy self-indulgence? We can’t spend every waking moment with our noses buried in a Susan Wiggs novel. Not when we have livings to earn, children to rear, despotic cats to serve, and so on. Clearly, it’s important to maintain a good balance between our reading and the other facets of our lives. So from time to time, a wise woman asks herself, Am I reading too much romance?

I’m not here to tell you how many romance novels you can safely consume without turning into a wild-eyed book junkie who cares about nothing except her next Sherrilyn Kenyon fix. That threshold is going to be different for every romance reader. But I have compiled a list of warning signs that might indicate you are skating dangerously close to the edge of addiction.

You might be reading too many romance novels if:

1. You don’t understand why your boyfriend is insulted rather than flattered when you accidentally call him by the name of a hunky Suzanne Brockmann hero.

2. Your best friend gets engaged, and instead of being thrilled you worry because you know that immediately before the wedding, the couple will face a Dark Moment when all will seem lost.

3. Although you’ve never seen a man with azure eyes that darken to midnight blue when he’s feeling amorous and black when he’s angry, you’re certain such men exist because Julia Quinn wouldn’t make up stuff like that.

4. You put your Kindle in a Ziploc bag so you can read in the shower.

5. You promise your dog a walk after you finish just one more chapter and are annoyed when, three chapters later, the sound of your dog peeing on the floor pulls you out of the big love scene.

6. You ask your landlord to wait another week for the rent because Nora Roberts has 37 books out this month, 19 of which are certified first-time releases.

7. You blame Jennifer Crusie for your weight problem because even the most disciplined woman couldn’t read all those references to Dove Bars and Krispy Kreme doughnuts and the like without eventually reaching for her car keys and heading to the store.

When I started this list I was planning to include eight or ten bullet points, but I can’t think up any more right now because I just got an e-mail alert from Ereader.com saying they have a new Loretta Chase book available, and–

Oh, wait. I just thought of another one:

8. Your Romancing the Blog column for Monday was supposed to be turned in on Saturday morning, but you didn’t even begin writing it until 10:00 on Sunday night because you spent a big chunk of the weekend reading Eloisa James’ latest “duchess” novel.

Uh-oh. I might have a problem…

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