Remember Your First Romance Novel?

Do you remember your first romance novel? The one that got you hooked on the genre?

I remember my first Kathleen Woodiwiss romance, SHANNA, and the blockbuster novel THE THORN BIRDS by Colleen McCullough, though my fascination with love stories didn’t start there. Mine began with the steamy TRUE magazines, which I used to hide from my mother under my carpet.

Before that, the book that sparked my romantic curiosity was ALMOST APRIL by Zoa Sherburne. I bought the novel in fifth grade for fifty cents through Scholastic Books. Just like I’ve kept my favorite childhood book LITTLE WITCH all my life, the coming of age story ALMOST APRIL about “the terribly strange feeling of being almost grown-up and almost in love” has remained on my keeper shelf. I still feel sentimental about that book when I hold it in my hands. The novel has been repackaged for today’s readers with a new cover, but I still prefer the original.

What books shaped your reading habits? Do they remain on your keeper shelf?