Looking for Some Good Valentine’s Day Reads?

A book doesn’t have to be a Romance to be romantic. Whatever genre you like, here are some suggestions:

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig has a little bit of everything. It’s a historical adventure in the style of The Scarlet Pimpernel, based on the premise that after The Scarlet Pimpernel’s career came to an end, he was replaced by a spy named The Purple Gentian, who was replaced by The Pink Carnation, the only one of the three whose identity was never revealed. Framed by the research of a twenty-first century grad. student doing her thesis on the three spies, a bit of chick lit is added to the historical fiction, romance, and adventure in the eighteenth century main plot.

For Fantasy with a bit of romance, you cannot beat Juliet Marillier. Try Daughter of the Forest, based on the fairy tale The Six Swans and set in early Christian Ireland, her first book and the first of the Sevenwaters Trilogy.

Fans of historical fiction may want to try Elizabeth Chadwick. The Conquest is about a young Saxon woman who is widowed in the Norman Conquest. She loses her child as well and attempts to kill herself, but is saved by a Norman lord. This book tells the story of their complex relationship and the equally stormy times in which they live.

Or if you prefer pure but unconventional Romance, check out Vicki Lewis Thompson’s Nerd series. These campy, racy books avoid the traditional Romance hero types in favor of accountants, stock brokers, and computer programmers, and as it progresses the heroines become increasingly nerdy as well. The perfect one for this time of year is My Nerdy Valentine.


- Kristen, Main Library