- I talked at the West Hartford Barnes & Noble the other day.

- Had fun?

- Sure. Afterward, we spoke with one of the B & N staff – a really nice woman.

- She liked what you had to say?

- Oh yes. But she mentioned a problem she’s had – something missing from the bookstore.

- What?

- Romance books for boys.

- Romance is for girls.

- That’s what she thought, too. But then a 14-year old approached her and asked her if there were any for boys.

- Strange.

- Not really. Think about it. Boys know as little as girls about how dating works, maybe even less. Yet they’re typically asked to take the lead.

- I thought feminism took care of that.

- You’d think. But it hasn’t. Not completely. And most boy books aren't exactly models for romance.

- So the kid wanted a how-to book?

- I don’t think so. What he wanted was a book about romance, that he’d enjoy for its own sake, but from the point of view of an inexperienced teenage boy.

- There’s got to be some out there.

- Precious few.