Bossy Librarian’s Four Favorite Valentine’s Day Reads

There were a few years that I was infatuated with the humorous-contemporary-romance genre. I stalked these titles, stared at them in bookshop windows, and followed them around the library. I may have overdone it a little, because after a while my interest started drifting to other genres. I still like Romance, but we're "just friends".

I went through my romance obsession when the Devil Wears Prada was in style. Since then I have only picked up a handful of books that are traditional romance. Most of what I read now is romance that is also something else, like historical romance or paranormal romance. While my favorites aren’t by Nicolas Sparks or Emily Griffin; these mixed genre titles are perfect for Valentine’s Day. 

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Emma by Jane Austen – Let’s be honest, anything by Jane Austen is going to be an excellent choice to get you in the mood for Valentine’s Day. I chose Emma because she is literally playing Cupid. She is not very good at it, but the whole book is her trying to make love matches for the people in her life. This is the cutest and lightest of the Austen novels. This classic historical fiction gives readers a wonderful sense of life and society in the early 1800s.  

Personal Note: I hear the recent movie adaptation of this book is fantastic. However, I will never have the pleasure of watching it because I have two kids and H. only wants to watch Transformers movies.  

Less by Andrew Sean Greer – Arthur Less is a struggling author who takes a working world tour in order to distract himself from life. His long time casual boyfriend is getting married, his career never took off and he is about to turn fifty. He is your typical American in many ways when it comes to travelling to foreign countries. He is constantly finding himself in hilarious and sometimes dangerous situations that he does not fully understand. This is a clever and comedic Pulizer Prize winning story that is full of sneaky humor and subtle romance. 

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (Series) – This book is extremely niche. It’s about an English World War II nurse who time travels two hundred years into Scotland’s past. She has a husband in 1945 England and is forced to marry James in 1743 Scotland. She loves her husbands, and has enviable physical relationships with both men. Things are complicated for a woman with two husbands, living in two different timelines, especially since almost everyone is out to kill her. This is historical fiction wrapped in another historical fiction, crammed full of danger and lustful physical romance.       

Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion – This is the only traditional-humorous-romance on my list. Don Tillman is a socially awkward Professor on a quest to meet his match. He lives for routine and efficiency. He believes everything can be solved with equations and logic, including finding a wife. As you have probably guessed, everything does NOT go according to plan. This is a great choice if you are looking for an adorable and hilarious Valentine read!

While, these may not all be strictly romance titles, they are all romantic in their own way. I recently compiled a list of Traditional-Contemporary-Humorous-Romances and added quite a few titles to my personal To-Be-Read list. I expect my favorite Valentine’s reads will change significantly after I’ve had a chance to read some of those amazing titles. Follow this link for access to my guest post on www.upcycledadulting.com Romance Books to Make You Believe in True Love!

What is your favorite book to read for Valentine’s Day? Comment below: