Sick of Romance...

Since I am enjoying a long leave and have a lot of time on hands, i decided to just do some reading. The unending book supply from a nearby library kept feeding my hunger.

I prefer reading the stories that offer a bit of mystery/suspense in them. Not too emotional and not too scary. I enjoy a good mystery. I also enjoy a Love story here and there, but again I don't want something too emotional and too often.

The category of books i avoid are the serious ones, cause i am looking for some entertainment here. And the ones i wished i had avoided were the Romantic Suspense Genre. I agree that the suspense gives me a kick, but the romance?

I had recently picked an author's book and found it contained 4 stories in them. I should have realised it earlier, but it was too late. They were Mills and Boons style. Heavily loaded with romance and lightly sprinkled with suspense. It was not repulsive but plain repetitive. And when i was finished with it, i swore never to read anything like that for a long time, it had been like an overdose.

I had picked a few books of Sandra Brown and Nicholas Sparks, different writing styles. While reading Sandra Brown, the promise for a good thriller suspense is well fulfilled. It contains a healthy dose of romance in it that keeps the story moving. The intelligent and hurt heroine who gets wooed by the perfect brooding stranger of a hero appealed to my senses. Surely i feel like i want to read more of her works.

On the other hand, Mr.Sparks leaves you with a lasting impression that goes beyond the book itself. His style leaves you with the impression that you have just seen a die hard Romantic classic, his narration gives a cinematic experience. My favourite would be "Message in a Bottle". It tugged the strings of my heart and brought tears to my eyes. Definitely worth a read.

As a final note, I had earlier blogged my need to read "Veronika decides to die". I managed to buy the book but could never bring myself to read it. It stayed idle in my shelf for over 8months. Finally when i read it, i realised that I had found it at the most apt moment of my life. It was more than a novel as the words in it had deeper meaning and a lot more to understand from. More about it later.