(full article at https://www.santinakpan.com/single-post/12EssentialRomanceBooks)
THIS IS A LIST of twelve essential romance books, but it's also a list of essential books. Reading romance is essential.
An enthusiast of the genre, like me, can read 90 romance books a year. That's intense, many would say, and casual readers who prefer other genres don't have to do that. But for anyone who claims to be a reader, casual or otherwise, reading romance is essential and this is a list of books by Filipino authors that you can start with. Pick up one or two, choose a gothic or fantasy romance if that's what you prefer, sort by language, or first find a character you can identify with. Do this before dismissing the genre as a whole, because the work we're doing in it is important. These reads are essential because each book contributed to pushing the genre a little further, and that in itself is a gift to readers that should be passed on. These books have told readers that their stories matter. That the woman as main character, with goals and relationships, is worth writing about. The main characteristic of Filipino-authored romance as a genre is that love is worth pursuing; it conquers all. Romance books are where we get to examine how we love, those we choose to love, and the kind of love society rightly or wrongly considers acceptable.
The genre should have it easier, one would think. Filipinos love reading romance, and Filipinos love writing it. But we who read and create them need to keep living in a world that dismisses these books and enjoyment of them. As "guilty pleasures." As "shallow." As "fluff." As "this book is great because it's more than just a romance." As "that thing only women read." This doesn't seem evident because romance books for adults and young adults consistently make the bestseller lists, but the genre is not studied as widely in classrooms, stocked in libraries, represented in workshops, discussed in conferences. A missed opportunity to learn why these books are popular, and teach readers to be critical of what could be problematic content.
That the books are strongly associated with women and femininity makes the dismissal offensive; imagine the careers threatened, recognition withheld, and stories silenced by this environment of disdain. It's also inaccurate, because romance books have as a requirement a noble, admirable, and swoon-worthy love interest and in most of the books this role will still go to a man. Men are represented in the genre with an optimism that is often criticized as "unrealistic," because how dare we expect them to be as noble, as admirable, as capable of romance? What does that tell us when real people see fictional romance heroes as competition, instead of inspiration/aspiration?
In presenting what we've chosen as essential books, I also hope that we look at how we've been treating our authors. In the past twelve years, being a successful romance author in the Philippines has meant, for example: sales of over 100,000 copies of her books (Denny aka HaveYouSeenThisGirL), a book signing that packs a sports arena (Jonaxx), creating a well-loved multi-book romance fantasy series with its own mythology and language (Vanessa), a major movie adaptation (Bianca Bernardino), acclaim on critics' lists alongside international publications (Six de los Reyes), bestseller status on international charts (Dawn Lanuza, Marian Tee). This is success that many dream of, already achieved and achievable, but in classroom after classroom, and literary conference after literary conference, we talk about this to a room of people who are amazed at this "new information." What is preventing us from recognizing this? Because it's romance?
Still, they persisted. The past twelve years have been very important for romance because several reader-friendly innovations changed things. Online communities (in Wattpad, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Goodreads) emerged and allowed Filipinos to read, create, and explore what it is they love about the genre. Important conversations are happening about how we can write better romance, and cover what's necessary when writing about love, sex, and relationships in this country. The romance genre in the Philippines can and should be more inclusive—to authors, readers, as well as characters.
These books listed are presented in order of publication year because it's an interesting progression. A book may emerge at times as part of a publishing trend but introduces a new element, or as a fresh response to what's missing. They're "essential" as of right now, but there's more to write, and we're not done yet.
Some notes before we begin: As an active member of these communities there will be titles listed here that received my support or encouragement in one form or another. There's one book that I wrote. And for Tagalog romance, fellow author Georgette Gonzales shared her picks.
List at https://www.santinakpan.com/single-post/12EssentialRomanceBooks
STAI LEGGENDO
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