Search Results for: blog romance novels and marriage

The Effects of the Media on Romance

Where do our irrational romantic impulses come from? Are they just something we naturally want; after all, everyone likes to be spoiled. But often we equate all romance with grand gestures, or expect our relationships to play out like fairy tales. We have the media to blame for that. I know I sound like a broken record sometimes, and it must seem like I think we shouldn’t watch movies or television. I don’t believe that at all, but I can testify that too many romcoms, or at least, not approaching them in the right way, can have a negative effect. … Continue reading →

Expectations of Marriage

The success or failure of a marriage, I’d suggest, does have a lot to do with expectations of the marriage. Many times expectations are unrealistic and romantic. They have a dewy eyed view of marriage. Then when reality hits, it is hard to cope with. The reality is marriage is not all happy times and romance. Sometimes it can be hard. Be prepared for that. Sometimes you may still feel lonely or misunderstood. Don’t expect marriage to fulfill all your needs and expect that person to fulfill all your needs. This is an unrealistic expectation. No –one person can do … Continue reading →

The Right Place for Romance

Last weekend in Sydney one man was in the right place looking for romance, or was he? The man among 250 women was Daniel Scarparolo, who was attending the Romance Writers of Australia Conference. From Perth this young man is writing a romance novel – his first. In a time when some publishers have gone to the wall or merged and sales are reputedly down, romance novels are flourishing. In USA sales of romance fiction were $1.37 billion in 2008. In England and Australia sales are also high. This is despite a gloomy economy. What is the big attraction? Is … Continue reading →

TV and Marriage

Is TV affecting the state of our marriages today? This was a question Mick posed when we were watching a TV show recently. His comment was ‘maybe people see so much of this sort of thing on TV with so many marriages breaking up so easily or being abusive and negative situations that they think that’s what marriage is.’ It’s a fair comment. For example can you think of any current TV show that presents a happily married couple that is in a loving and stable long term marriage? Off hand I can’t think of one. Turn on practically any … Continue reading →

Lies Society Has Fed Us about Marriage

Marriage is just a piece of paper. Marriage is a contract. A binding contract. Imagine if you wanted to buy a house or a car or any other major purchase. You need to sign a contract. You make a commitment to it. Marriage is no different in that it is a commitment to one person. That piece of paper is a contract made before witnesses and before God if you are believers that you promise to commit totally to your spouse for your lifetime. It is as binding as any other contract, though unlike some contracts it doesn’t come with … Continue reading →

Looking for Romance in The Wrong Places

Sometimes we can look for romance in all the wrong places. Like this story of women who looked for romance in the toilet. This is not a joke, although it does have a humorous side to it. This story, told me by a writer friend, is about a woman he used to know who had a free lending library in her toilet. Now before you get the wrong idea here. The space was there but the toilet had not been installed. Her husband, a long distance truck driver, had a habit of never finishing jobs he started. In their ‘unpainted … Continue reading →

The First Year of Marriage

As I listen to people talk I find a lot of couples seem to have unrealistic ideas about marriage. Of course, I suspect many of these are perpetuated by romance novels, songs, and movies. One couple I know found the first twelve months or so of marriage very difficult. Every little thing seemed to aggravate the other person. This was largely because they were living in a small flat and she was not used to not having a space that was not completely her own. Another woman found it strange sharing a bed with another person. Personally I like waking … Continue reading →

Can Watching Romantic Movies Negatively Affect Your Marriage?

According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald by novelist Jojo Moyes, and based on research from the ‘Family and Personal Relationships Laboratory at Heriot-Watt university in Edinburgh,’ watching romantic moves can be detrimental to marriage giving people an unrealistic view of relationships and marriage. While common sense might tell us there is no such thing as the perfect relationship, the conclusion is that some people are far more influenced by what they see on film or read in books than they realize claims Dr Bjarne Holmes, conductor of the research. Films and books often tap into this whole … Continue reading →

Favorite Romance Movies

While talking to Mick the other day about my blog on romance novels, he suggested another topic could be romantic movies. So, I’ve decided to compile a few of my favorite romantic movies. A couple you might find on other lists. Some, I’m sure, you will not. And maybe that’s because I define romantic a little differently to popular opinion. Here’s my short list. They are in no particular order, but as they occurred to me. All of them are films that Mick and I watched together, which tells you that he’s a romantic at heart too – though he … Continue reading →

Romance Novels and Marriage

This morning I read an article in the Sydney Morning Herald reprinted from the Telegraph Magazine. The article by Louisa McKay stated ‘Mills and Boon enjoys 100 years of endless love.’ In the last year around the world, Mills and Boon romances sold ‘more than 160 million books,’ or ‘5.5 books a second.’ Staggering figures about the successful publishing phenomena of Mills &Boon romances. As an avid library user I see females from teenage girls to little old ladies borrowing these Mills and Boon romances. What is it about the romance novel that has captured the public’s attention to such … Continue reading →