The Romance Reading Challenge 2009: My Bad

Well, I believe I've finished wrapping up all the 2009 reading challenges I actually completed. So I guess it's time to talk about my one total failure in the bunch.

The Romance Reading Challenge looked sooo tempting back in December of 2008, when I first signed up. And I had every intention of reading all five of those romance novels I had lined up.

Never happened.

I think the only book I read all year that could even vaguely be thought of as a "romance" would be Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. I guess I'm just not as much of a romantic as I thought I was.

So, my apologies to Naida (The Bookworm) who hosted the challenge. And I still think it's a great idea for a challenge - just not the right one for me.

The Romance Reading Challenge 2009

Naida (from The Bookworm) is hosting the Romance Reading Challenge 2009 which runs from January 1 to December 31. Basically, the idea is to read five novels that fall within the broad spectrum of romance literature. You can read all the guidelines and sign up by visiting the challenge announcement page (here).

For this challenge, I'm going to be reading five Gothic romance novels – mostly 20th Century, but I think I'll start with Jane Austen. Here's my list (subject to change, of course):

Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen
Daughter of the Stars, by Phyllis A. Whitney
Mistress of Mellyn, by Victoria Holt
The Stormy Petrel, by Mary Stewart
One more – possibly another Victoria Holt, or something by Barbara Michaels.

Or, if I get really ambitious, maybe I'll branch out and try one of the classic Gothics. I've never read The Castle of Otranto, or The Mysteries of Udolpho, or The Monk, or even Wilkie Collins. So I've got a lot of literature to choose from.