If I am correct and the Valentine's Swap that's going on right now is not a romance swap, I was wondering if anyone would want to have one of those? Maybe for Sunday? Unless you cannot POSSIBLY wait and want to have it immediately. I thought someone had previously mentioned doing that but haven't heard anything lately.

If the Valentine's Swap IS a romance swap and I'm just a stupido who got it wrong, then uhhh I'm just kidding :whistle: Or if someone already has one scheduled, well then just add me to the participants list? :D

LOL I would've run the other way if it were a romance swap! :runaway:

So no, the Valentine's Swap is definitely not a romance swap. :wink:

You know what? I actually thought about that. "Cherie's playing and I do believe she has said she doesn't like romance, so I really don't think it's a romance swap."

Thanks for clearing that up for me! And feel free to join us (if there is an us) if you have a sudden change of heart :wink:

:kiss: You're a sweetie! :kiss:

Give me a LARGE dose of danger, intrique, murder, mayhem, vampires :vampire2:, werewolves, or zombies with my romance, and then you've got me! :giggle: Or if the romance is very much a secondary part of the story line and yeah, then I somewhat do read romance.

It's funny because so many of the books on my shelf ARE categorized as romance for that very reason. Many of the paranormals for instance. But even with those, I've been passing a lot of them on unread calling them "a romance in a vampire wrapper", and thus not really to my liking. :lol:

Y'know, I've only ever read two romance books... in my whole life... ever. (Despite the fact that, when I was in grade 7, someone gave me a whole BOXFULL of romance novels.) But they were interesting. In one, the heroine was blind (it was called The Colour of Love). My mother made me read the other one :giggle: we mostly ended up talking about the sub-plot mystery and griping about how we thought the heroine was a very silly girl. I keep intending to keep giving the genre another try, though. I've got one romance on my bookshelf right now with an interesting gimmick... but I haven't read it yet, and am completely buried in school books right now so offering up another TBR would not be wise at this time. If you play another one of these at the end of April when exams are over, though ... :lol: I could see my way clear to joining in.

Well, judging by this overflow of interest (:rofl:) it might not even happen until then, lol.

I'm torn ... Do I save myself for the chickie swap or do I go for a luvvy swap :shrug:

I am now wondering. we slowly have learned to know wich book fall under the category chick lit.

But when you register those books on Bookcrossing, chick lits, under which category do you register them?
Women's Fiction? Romance, Literature & Fiction?

Which books do you categorize under romance?

Let me take a look at my shelf. see which books are there.


I see the books by Kathy Lette and some by Meg Cabot I have put under Women's Fiction.

it gets more confusing when I check my books under romance.
Some not registered by me are Jean Plaidy books.
are they considered romance books?

I also have books by Catherine Coultier, Nora Roberts and Danielle Steel under romance. I think that is correct. (also the Guardian which I would have added to Literature and fiction I think :lol: )

so which books are romance books. (so many books have a romance story)

Ohh...I would definitely be interested in a romance swap...But it doesn't look like it's going to happen :(

Also, based on past experience, what we call a romance swap usually end up being a chicklit swap anyway...

To me, the difference between romance and chicklit has always been clean cut...but I know many people would disagree...

Oh I think there's a difference between chick lit and romance. Personally, any book that's written in the first person, is chick lit to me, not romance. But i can see how it can be hard to tell with contemporaries

Marlene - The ones you say you have listed under romance (Roberts, Coulter, etc) are correct. Authors like Sophie Kinsella, Jennifer O'Connell, Jennifer Weiner, and such are chick lit.

What Fantasy said is a good way to tell. If it's written in first person, 99% chance that it's chick lit. Also, a romance always ends with the characters together and, generally, there's no greater lesson learned about self-esteem, or a big life lesson at all, lol. It's about two characters who go through whatever (family problems, catching theives, solving murders, killing demons, starting a new family) and end up happily ever after at the end.

And that's why I adore them. :) Did that help?

I find chick lit nearly always has a love-gone-wrong aspect. Usually overcoming job, romance, family, life adversities but written in a somewhat humorous way... & the cover is usually a pretty colour. It is also contemporary.

Romance is also overcoming adversity such as - warring families or some such thing, but not usually the type of problems we ordinary people will suffer, & the getting together of a couple at the end is vital. Can be set in any time period.

Love overcomes all in a romance but not often in chick lit.

:)

As to your other question, Marlene, I usually mark chick lit as women's fic even though I think there is a specific type of book that can be labelled as women's fic that's not chick lit and not romance. Authors like Mary Kay Andrews and Joshlyn Jackson I consider to be women's fiction. I still label chick lit as women's fic though because to me it's more accurate than romance or just lit/fic. And I dont like the 'other' category.

Thanks for all the help.
So I think I understand now and yes I will be adding my CL books to the women's fiction.

Plus I don't think I am a romance lover.
I used to be , loved Catherine Cookson but that is maybe not romance cause ehr books don't always have an happy end.