Sweet Romance Reads: The Book Club.... by Christine Bush

Monday, July 9, 2018

The Book Club.... by Christine Bush

We just went to see the new movie, “The Book Club”. Great cast, great dialog, etc, though I am NOT a movie reviewer, and this blog is not at all about that. It's about something else.

It’s about love. About finding love. About keeping love alive. Sometimes about finding new love. At any age. I loved this movie because of the love message. I am not particularly into 50 Shades kind of books, though I know some are. At the risk of being a spoiler, in this movie, a group of “ladies of a certain age” who have been a part of a book group for decades decide for some reason to read 50 Shades instead of their usual “intellectual fodder”.

In my opinion, the life changes that occur in them all really have nothing to do with the specifics of this book (though it sure is used for some comedy, and I have to admit I laughed myself silly, as did my husband). It has to do with aging, about the fact that time marches on, and we must decide what to do about it. It has to do with our awareness of ourselves as women, of relationships (or lack of) in our lives, and about the fact that by changing our awareness, we can often get the courage to change our lives. This movie made me think.

I think our romance novels (our sweet ones!) do this all the time. When we read good stories, we experience the feeling of new love in the characters. This can awaken memories from our own past, encouraging us to keep that special love with our special someone alive and dynamic, each and every day. It can make us more loving partners in this busy thing called life.

If we don’t have that special someone in our lives, a good story can inspire hope and motivation to open our minds and hearts to new love. This can be a scary proposition. Inspiration from reading romance can help us make necessary changes and decisions to enable us to face our dreams.

Recently someone asked me why our books often (almost always?) feature characters at the early stages of life, when the truth is, so many women (and men) in today’s world are also hopeful for new relationships at a much more “seasoned” age. And many readers who are happily married are far from young. I thought about that.

In my own case, this was absolutely true. I recently found my “love of a lifetime” and was just remarried as a senior citizen after many years of being alone (who would have imagined it?).

So I’ve committed to put some older heroines and heroes in my books and novellas. It’s been lots of fun.

Some of my characters are in the “40’s”age range. And my new Christmas novella which will be included in our upcoming anthology, “Sweet Christmas Kisses 5” features senior citizens who dare to fall in love. I can’t wait to hear what you think! Love can come at any time in our lives!

How do romance novels relate to your own love awareness? Do they make you inspired and hopeful if you are looking for that special someone? Do they make you cherish and appreciate that wonderful partner already in your life?

Christine Bush is a USA Today Bestselling author of romance, romantic mystery, and suspense. She can be found living in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania with her husband and 2 lazy cats, and spending time with her 12 grandchildren. When she’s not writing, she’s teaching Psychology at a local college, and working with clients in her private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She loves to hear from readers and writers!

Christine's latest book, a romantic suspense titled “Almost Anonymous” was released in April.

https://www.amazon.com/Almost-Christine-Bush/dp/0692855815/