In Portland, Romance is more than a summer fling

It’s the summer. The days are longer, and the nights are hotter.    It’s the perfect time to talk about romance, specifically romance novels. They’ve become so popular in recent years, with over 39 million copies sold in 2023, according to The New York Times.     That doesn’t exclude the Pacific Northwest. Here, we’ve also seen a rise in romance books being checked out of libraries. In the Portland metro area alone, we have two bookstores dedicated to romance books.   On today’s episode, OPB’s Crystal Ligori and Sukhjot Sal warm our hearts by telling us how the genre got so popular and why they love it so much.    For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage. Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too. You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.   Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps: Hush  Timber Wars Season 2: Salmon Wars Politics Now Think Out Loud And many more! Check out our full show list here.