Where Are the Book Boys?
There’s a scene we’ve all lived: you're lost in the world of fae politics, shadowy antiheroes, and slow-burn tension so intense it practically vibrates off the page. You look up from your book, tears in your eyes or a hand dramatically clutched to your chest, and your partner (husband, boyfriend, brother, coworker) gives you that look. The one that says: “You’re really into those fantasy romance books, huh?”
Yes. Yes, we are.
But here's the question: why aren't they?
A Nation of Non-Readers (With a Caveat)
Study after study shows that men, especially young men, are reading less and less. In fact, Pew Research reports that nearly 25% of adult men in the U.S. didn’t read a single book last year. Meanwhile, the explosion of the romantasy genre has been almost entirely fueled by women, especially women between 18 and 35. (Sound familiar?) We’re out here forming book clubs, buying special edition hardcovers, and planning whole vacations around fictional courts of shadows.
And yet, many men haven’t touched a book since high school.
So Where Did the Book Boys Go?
It’s not just that men stopped reading. It’s that they were subtly taught that reading, especially fiction—especially emotional fiction—isn’t for them. The cultural narrative has long painted reading as a quiet, soft, introspective activity. Not exactly what the patriarchy rewards.
And let’s be honest: if you’re a guy raised on action movies and sports stats, a book about a mortal girl falling in love with a winged High Lord might not sound like something you’d enjoy.
But we know better, don’t we?
Romantasy is full of loyalty, sacrifice, blood magic, political intrigue, found family, and survival. Everything the traditional male hero arc was built on. It just also happens to include feelings. And kissing.
What They're Missing
Let’s break this down. Reading romantasy (and other character-driven genres) teaches emotional literacy, empathy, narrative imagination, and critical thinking.
And yes, an appreciation for morally gray characters who grow (and brood) and love (and occasionally stab someone for that love).
In short, the things so many women are already doing the emotional labor for in real life. So maybe it’s time we shared the books too.
Want to Understand Us? Read With Us.
This event, the Court of Nightmares gathering in Billings, was born out of a love for books, especially the kinds of books that make us feel something deep in our bones. And for many of us, that love is something we wish we could share with the people we care about. We want our partners to see why we highlight quotes like scripture. Why we go quiet after finishing a chapter. Why we scream about fictional men like they pay our rent.
We want them to get it.
So here’s a challenge: invite your partner to read just one book from your shelf. Let them pick a spicy scene at random. Let them ask questions. Let them judge the covers. We can take it.
Because maybe they’ll roll their eyes... or maybe they’ll be hooked.
A Call for Book Boys
We don’t want to gatekeep the magic. We want our bookstores full of men looking for their next great read. We want our events to feel inclusive for the guys who are curious but intimidated. We want them to see that it’s not weird to feel deeply, to fall in love with characters, to cry at chapter 54.
It doesn’t make them less of a man.
It just makes them a reader.
Want to Be the Main Character? Start With the Books
To the women reading this: share this post. To your boyfriend who hasn’t picked up a book since middle school. To your husband who thinks he doesn’t get fantasy. To your brother who swears he doesn’t cry over fiction.
Send it as a dare. A challenge. A wink.
Because once they step into the Court... they might never want to leave.
P.S. Guys, if you’re reading this: we want you at the Court of Nightmares. You’ll be in good company. We promise.