Does a night of getting dolled up, picking up a babysitter and wearing pantyhose just not sound so appealing anymore? Here is a humorous look at a good subsitute.
As a single parent, dating is tough at best. When you go back to the dating scene after several years of being away, it is a re-education. One must learn what the newest "casual" fashions are, the newest makeup, what the chic hairstyle of the season is and so forth in order to approach the dating world. When you are caring for kids, working full time and trying to maintain the balance of the world - things like having polished nails get put to the bottom of the priority list. Dating becomes intimi-dating.
After a few weeks of not figuring out hairstyles and makeup, of not getting a babysitter and not going out, I went to an old standby - a good book. It is always easy to find a good guy between the covers of a romance novel - if he wasn't terrific, the book would fall under the mystery or horror categories. I have decided that Romance Writers make the best dates. Well, indirectly that is.
Since the majority of romance novelists are women and write for women, it may seem kinky. Do novels by male authors carry the same appeal to male readers? Single dads you'll have to let me know. Do you prefer to delve between the covers of a book rather than head to the bar?
Here are the reasons why dating with a book is better than the actual thing:
1 - The awkward first meeting lasts only a page or two. If it is too weird, skimming ahead to a better part is always an option.
2 - There is no makeup required.
3 - No wasted evening spent in a bar, listening to pickup lines and thinking of ways to avoid people who may potentially approach you with a line.
4 - You can learn all about this great guy while lying in bed, on the couch or while in the tub - wearing whatever un-fashionable duds you pull out wrinkled from the drawer.
5 - When you get bored with him or the pace of the "date," you close the book and start up right where you left off with no hard feelings another time.
6 - The sex is a) always good, b) happens multiple times and c) has no awkward moments.
7 - You don't have to remember to shave in the morning if there's a chance you might decide to read that night.
8 - The great guy in the book doesn't care what your naked body looks like or what condition your underwear is in.
9 - There will be a happy ending.
10 - When that happy ending is over, you can pick up a new book and start right in on another one!
Romance readers have voracious appetites for new books and new characters. Is it because we like happy endings so much? Yes, but also because a well written book is a short escape from reality. Those escapes in some instances are what keep women (and to a smaller and more secret group of men) sane. And with $4 billion dollars spent on Romance novels every year, I am not alone in my beliefs.
How many of you enjoy a romance novel every now and then...heck, every week? Send me exceptional titles and I'll compile a "To Read" list. Until next time, happy reading...or dating.
