#7: Read a romance where at least one of the protagonists is over 40.

[Book Riot]

Use this space to discuss books you’re reading or that might fit the 7th Read Harder task. Sign up for our new Read Harder newsletter to get recommendations for each task delivered straight to your inbox! https://bookriot.com/newsletter/read-...

[Elizabeth]

I immediately thought of Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure for this one.

[Alex]

Something to Talk About despite some lackluster reviews, I'm excited to get to this

[Dawn]

I'm going a different direction here. Something from this list:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

[Bonnie G.]

I am going with one of the following (or maybe all, I love romance)

That Kind of Guy
After Care
The Idea of You
The Forbidden Man

[Holly]

Royal Holiday

[Juliet]

I'm going to go for a Georgette Heyer re read here, Not sure which one yet. Black Sheep, These Old Shades and Lady of Quality will all work

[Rebecca]

I think I'm going to read The Shell Seekers.

[Dee]

I read a fair amount of rom-com or chick-lit stuff & here are a few to consider:
Royal Holiday (also fulfills Black joy prompt)
The Sunday Lunch Club
The Way We Weren't
Write My Name Across the Sky - also check author Barbara O'Neal back-list
The Summer Seekers
And almost ALL of Wendy Wax back-list, especially her Ten Beach Road series!

[Karen]

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami fits this category. I loved it.

[Kari]

I'm not normally a romance reader so I always need a little help with these prompts. Any LGBTQ+ recs? Particularly of the wlw variety? I've already read The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows and Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure.

[Rebecca]

Kari wrote: "I'm not normally a romance reader so I always need a little help with these prompts. Any LGBTQ+ recs? Particularly of the wlw variety? I've already read [book:The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows..."

I don't have anything to offer, but thank you for those recommendations!

[Elizabeth]

I plan on finally getting to Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure, The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, and Eight Kinky Nights this year, any of which will count for this task. All three are wlw stories for anyone looking for LGBTQ+ stuff in particular.

[Dani]

Kari wrote: "I'm not normally a romance reader so I always need a little help with these prompts. Any LGBTQ+ recs? Particularly of the wlw variety? I've already read The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows..."</i>

I'll be reading [book:Second Wind !

[Mandie]

I'm thinking I might read Virgin River. Jack is definitely 40 in any case.

[Robin]

I also am excited to read Hitomi Kawakami's books The Nakano Thrift Shop and Strange Weather in Tokyo.

[Erin]

Juliet Brown wrote: "I'm going to go for a Georgette Heyer re read here, Not sure which one yet. Black Sheep, These Old Shades and Lady of Quality will all work"

Oh, I love this idea! I may join you in this. I haven't even read two of those, so it's perfect.

[Catherine]

Dawn wrote: "I'm going a different direction here. Something from this list:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2..."

Great idea, thanks! May I ask how you found that list, Dawn? I have the hardest time in GR's Listopia - it keeps showing the same results no matter my search criteria. The list you linked here never showed up (or at least not on the first page of results). I don't have time to read through a 100 pages of list results... LOL
Thanks in advance!

[Dani]

Madzia wrote: "Could the House in the Cerulean Sea work for this prompt? I can't remember the exact age of the protagonist.

The House in the Cerulean Sea"

I believe Linus is 40, so technically not ABOVE 40, but I feel like it counts.

[Kari]

Dani wrote: "Kari wrote: "I'm not normally a romance reader so I always need a little help with these prompts. Any LGBTQ+ recs? Particularly of the wlw variety? I've already read [book:The Care and Feeding of W..."

Second Wind looks really cool; thanks for bringing it to my attention!

[Jessica]

I've read a lot of the ones I'm interested in already! Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure (adorable), That Kind of Guy (enjoyable), Royal Holiday (fun),....

I see The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows mentioned - does it have (a) protag(s) 40+? I did read the first in the series which I think might also count but I'm not 100% sure how old they are.... (The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics)

Any other historical romance reccs?

[Ron]

I wasn't sure about this one but then I remembered one on my bookshelf that hasn't been read yet so I'm going with Still Alice

[Joshua]

Dani wrote: "Madzia wrote: "Could the House in the Cerulean Sea work for this prompt? I can't remember the exact age of the protagonist.

The House in the Cerulean Sea"

I believe Linus is 40, ..."

Oh thank goodness I was struggling with this prompt so much because I don't love reading romances.

[AJ]

Does anyone know if Silver Bay by JoJo Moyes meets the criteria??

[Tiffany]

Ron wrote: "I wasn't sure about this one but then I remembered one on my bookshelf that hasn't been read yet so I'm going with Still Alice"
A great book, but it's not a romance.

[Ron]

Tiffany wrote: "Ron wrote: "I wasn't sure about this one but then I remembered one on my bookshelf that hasn't been read yet so I'm going with Still Alice"
A great book, but it's not a romance."

Oh okay.

Have to look elsewhere I suppose.

Maybe something nonfiction this time around.

If anyone has any nonfiction book suggestions to fit this category that would be great.

[Kari]

Jessica wrote: "I've read a lot of the ones I'm interested in already! Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure (adorable), That Kind of Guy (enjoyable), Royal Holiday (..."

To answer your question about age in The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows, I can't remember if they specifically mention how old they are, but one of the protagonists has an adult son so I assumed she was over 40.

[Lisa]

Our Souls at Night

[[deleted user]]

Dani wrote: "Kari wrote: "I'm not normally a romance reader so I always need a little help with these prompts. Any LGBTQ+ recs? Particularly of the wlw variety? I've already read The Care and Feeding of W..."</i>

Also check out [book:Mr Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo. It's about Queer love over 80

[Teresa]

The Dragon Variation, part of the Liaden Universe, or The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows.

[Chelsea]

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a great gothic romance, and perhaps more so a thriller/mystery. Perfect read for anyone not super into the romance genre. Maxim de Winter is 42.

[[deleted user]]

Would The Switch also counts for this? Age wise it fits, but I don't think I would consider this a romance..
Can anyone who has read it help judge this please?

[kristen]

Ron wrote: "Tiffany wrote: "Ron wrote: "I wasn't sure about this one but then I remembered one on my bookshelf that hasn't been read yet so I'm going with Still Alice"
A great book, but it's not..."

A romance - by definition of the genre - has to include a happily ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) for the protagonists -so be aware of that as you make your selections. I'm not sure anything NF would count...

[kristen]

That Kind of Guy - Talia Hibbert (m/f, POC author)
Grey Hair Don't Care - Karen Booth m/f
Twice in a Lifetime - Clare Lydon wlw

I'm going with Grey Hair Don't Care, personally, and I can't wait!

[Ron]

kristen wrote: A romance - by definition of the genre - has to include a happily ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) for the protagonists -so be aware of that as you make your selections. I'm not sure anything NF would count...

Thanks.

I might end up skipping this one then. I don't read fiction much, let alone romance, so it's tricky. The only romance novels I do read are Nicholas Sparks and his always have some sort of tragedy.

I wouldn't even know where to start with this topic. Unless others have suggestions I suppose I could be open to them.

[Kari]

Ron wrote: "kristen wrote: A romance - by definition of the genre - has to include a happily ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) for the protagonists -so be aware of that as you make your selections. I'm n..."

I think the challenge is yours to define and if Nicholas Sparks works for you, you should count it.

[Kailey]

Kari wrote: "I'm not normally a romance reader so I always need a little help with these prompts. Any LGBTQ+ recs? Particularly of the wlw variety? I've already read [book:The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows..."

So I checked the goodreads description for a spoiler and I think it's safe for me to say: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston would technically qualify, and it's a great read.

[Meredith]

Ron wrote: "kristen wrote: A romance - by definition of the genre - has to include a happily ever after (HEA) or happy for now (HFN) for the protagonists -so be aware of that as you make your selections. I'm n..."

If it's helpful ... there is a Nicholas Sparks book that should work for this task:
Nights in Rodanthe

[Ron]

Meredith wrote: If it's helpful ... there is a Nicholas Sparks book that should work for this task:
Nights in Rodanthe

You know I started thinking about my Sparks books and that was one that did come to mind. I suppose I can add it to my list even though I've read it over a dozen times since it's one of my favorites.

[Kari]

Kailey wrote: "Kari wrote: "I'm not normally a romance reader so I always need a little help with these prompts. Any LGBTQ+ recs? Particularly of the wlw variety? I've already read [book:The Care and Feeding of W..."

Oh wow, that sounds great!! Thank you so much!! <3

[Audra]

Holly wrote: "Royal Holiday"

Does the The Wedding Date fall in this category? I hate to read a series out of order.

[Lisa]

Karen wrote: "Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami fits this category. I loved it."

Added to my TBR, looks like a great read!

[Regan]

For some books with protagonists that are 40 (which I'm willing to count, personally)
The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune are both really good picks for people who don't read a lot of romance, and are also queer romances, so bonus.
I personally am reading Well Matched, which is very technically the third book in a series, but if the second one is anything to go on it just means that the protagonists had previously appeared as secondary characters.

[Bonnie G.]

Audra wrote: "Holly wrote: "Royal Holiday"

Does the The Wedding Date fall in this category? I hate to read a series out of order."

No, the couple in The Wedding Date are in their 30's.

[Jess]

Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud? I mean, I *think* it's a romance with a person over 40 but I haven't read it yet so I'm only guessing

[Sheri]

I'm thinking of reading The Remains of the Day for this one. Or Winter's Tale Strange Weather in Tokyo sounds good. Not a romance reader but I'll try to find something.

[Jordyn]

I know that the female protagonist in Olivia Dade's 40-Love is forty (which may or may not count) but the main character in another one of her romances, Teach Me, is definitely over forty.

[Sue]

I recommend Julie and Romeo by Jeanne Ray, That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert (double dip for author with a disability), Teach Me by Olivia Dade, Swordheart by T. Kingfisher (fantasy romance, hero has been trapped in a sword for 500 years but he was over 40 when he was put in there, ha), and Briarley by Aster Glenn Grey (M/M fantasy romance, the protagonists's age isn't disclosed but it's clear he's over 40 by the age of his daughter and some other timeline clues).

[Sarah]

I just finished Go Hex Yourself and one of the characters is over 500. Super cute and very romantic.

[Bonnie G.]

Was very happy to find Studfinder. I hope it is good because the title is fantastic.