Recommended Valentine’s Day reads from The Bookworm
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Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and there’s no better valentine than a new book. Whether you prefer your love stories chock-full of historical details, cheesy happy endings, or set in outer space, The Bookworm has the book for you, and six of our booksellers have just the books in mind.
Emily Henry’s “Book Lovers” is “the ultimate rom-com for book lovers just as the title says. Nora is a cutthroat, purposefully unlikable literary agent who is actually quite endearing despite her grizzly personality,” bookseller Amy Guercio said. “The city girl and her sister take a month off to spend time together and relax in small-town North Carolina. All the predictable twists and turns start as soon as their plane hits the runway as they enthusiastically pursue their vacation checklist — petting horses, sleeping in a tent, and yes, dating the local men.”
If dating the local men isn’t really your jam, and you love baking shows, bookseller Ali Teague recommends “Queerly Beloved” by Susie Dumond. “Amy is a baker turned bridesmaid for hire when she meets the new girl in town, Charley,” Teague explains. “Can Amy put her people-pleasing aside and fight for what she wants? Set in the mid-2010s when gay marriage is nationally legalized, this rom-com is ‘One Last Stop’ meets The Great British Bake Off, and it’s the sticky sweet love story you’ve been waiting for.”
If you’re not interested in “sticky sweet” but still want to read a food-centered story, then bookseller Mack Burner has a great pick for you, “Café Con Lychee” by Emeri Lee, which “will have you wrapped around its finger from the opening line,” Burner said. “Two boys who cannot stand the sight of each other must band together to save their families’ competing ethnic food restaurants when a “world fusion” franchise moves in to steal their customers. Even though they couldn’t be more different, this common goal unites them in a quest that may lead them to discover more about themselves and the spaces they occupy in the world than they ever thought possible. This will certainly check all you fuzzy, romance, fan fiction-loving boxes.”
If enemies-to-maybe-more still isn’t bittersweet enough, and you like learning about historical events, bookseller Karin Barker recommends “A Ballad of Love and Glory” by Reyna Grande. Barker says the book is “a great mix of mostly unknown history and a grand love story. Told through the voices of real-life Irish immigrant John Riley and Mexican field nurse Ximena, I learned much about the Mexican-American war, including the violence and corruption. Grande researched extensively to bring to life the battles and the politics of this war including vivid details of Mexican cities and the environment. A bittersweet historical fiction story that I’m sure will inform you as well as entertain you.”
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If a different point in time is not escapist enough for you, bookseller Adri Durbin recommends “Winter’s Orbit” by Everina Maxwell, “Winter’s Orbit is a space opera with excellent world-building. Not to mention the husbands-to-friends-to-lovers love story. This book is the perfect blend of will-they-won’t-they, adventure, and intergalactic politics,” Durbin said.
And if none of those jump out to you, bookseller Sarah Taylor recommends “Authentically Izzy” by Pepper Basham. Great for Hallmark movie fans, “Authentically Izzy is definitely a Hallmark movie in book form,” Taylor said. “The epistolary style of this book was such a fun way to experience this sweet, budding romance. I loved the characters (except you, Josie), related to everyone’s passion for books and thoroughly enjoyed every bookish nod. Recommended if you need an easy-going story with a cheesy-ever after ending.”
All of these titles are in stock right now and can be found in-store or at BookwormofEdwards.com.
