February 8, 2019
Images from Canva
Books are wonderful last minute, thoughtful gifts for Galentines or Valentines!
If you need a bookish gift that includes a romantic theme for a Galentine/Valentine or for yourself for February 14, here are my favorite light women’s fiction reads and a couple of light historical fiction titles that I can confidently and wholeheartedly recommend for an enjoyable, appropriate, and appreciated reading experience for most readers.
Titles are Amazon affiliate links and my reviews are linked.
(in no particular order)
How to Find Love in a Bookstore
by Veronica Henry
Wouldn’t you pick this up just because of the title and cover?!
Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of WW1 by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
This WW1 love story is not a Christmas book despite the title and can be enjoyed at any time of year. (WW1 historical fiction, epistolary format) 5 romantic stars.
The Late Bloomers’ Club by Louise Miller
For fans of Gilmore Girls (Luke’s Diner and Stars Hollow…. complete with autumn leaves, comfort food, and quirky townsfolk). 3.5 Stars.
The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Hazel Gaynor
For fans of stories about strong women, lighthouses, and historical fiction (England and Maine). 4.5 Stars.
The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain
Light science fiction with time travel and mother/daughter themes. 4 Stars.
Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by Jamie Ford
Sweet story of love and friendship beginning in Seattle, Washington and continuing in a Japanese internment camp. Some first loves last a life time. 4 romantic stars. (not reviewed)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows
The island of Guernsey after WW11 is an ideal setting for an unexpected romance. Told in epistolary format. A favorite book that is also a movie. A book and movie would be thoughtful and appreciated gifts! 5 romantic stars. (not reviewed)
Guernsey Movie (also available on Netflix)
Our Souls at Night
by Kent Haruf
Seniors can find love too! 4 romantic and bittersweet stars for this old favorite. (not reviewed)
Our Souls at Night is available on Neflix.
Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson
Two individuals dealing with loneliness and grief develop a significant friendship through letters. (epistolary format)
Castle of Water
by Dane Hucklebridge
An engaging and well written castaways love story! 5 romantic stars.
The Music Shop
by Rachel Joyce
The quirky owner of a vinyl records store and a mysterious woman find love.
More Valentine/Galentine Gift Reading Ideas
The Caffeinated Bibliophile also has a list of Christian romantic reads in her post Ten Christian Romance Books to Read for Valentine’s Day.
If you have questions about any of the recommendations, or if you’d like a recommendation for a different genre, I’d be happy to answer in the comments or in email.
Happy Reading Book Buddies!
“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke
“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes
“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text
Links
This is important information! Why getting lost in a book is so good for you according to science!
I’ll be updating my Winter TBR as I read and review selections. So check back often!
Don’t miss my Most Memorable Reads of 2018 post here.
In Movie News….
Readers who loved The Dry by Jane Harper will be happy to hear that a movie is in the works!
For Fredrik Backman fans, Britt-Marie Was Here will be a movie! (I also heard that a Beartown series is being produced for Europe HBO…so maybe soon in the US?)
Reese Witherspoon to produce “Where the Crawdads Sing” and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.
And….here’s the trailer for Where’d You Go Bernadette starring Cate Blanchette.
(You might consider adding these books to your ‘want to read list’ in preparation!)
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***Blogs posts may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I can earn a small percentage of your purchase price.
Unless explicitly stated that they are free, all books that I review have been purchased by me or borrowed from the library.
Book Cover and author photo are credited to Amazon or an author’s (or publisher’s) website.
Pam Jenoff is the author of several novels, including her most recent, The Orphan’s Tale, an instant New York Times bestseller, and The Kommandant’s Girl, which received widespread acclaim, earned her a nomination for the Quill Awards and became an international bestseller. She previously served as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. State Department in Europe, as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon and as a practicing attorney at a large firm and in-house. She received her juris doctor from the University of Pennsylvania, her masters degree in history from Cambridge University and her bachelors degree in international affairs from The George Washington University. Pam Jenoff lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school. Pam would love to skype with your book club or library group!
Lynda Cohen Loigman grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. She received a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard College and a law degree from Columbia Law School. Lynda practiced trusts and estates law in New York City for eight years before moving out of the city to raise her two children with her husband. She wrote The Two-Family House while she was a student of the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. The Two-Family House was chosen by Goodreads as a best book of the month for March, 2016, and was a nominee for the Goodreads 2016 Choice Awards in Historical Fiction. Her second novel, The Wartime Sisters, will be published on January 22, 2019.
Aisha Saeed (aishasaeed.com) is a Pakistani American writer, teacher, and attorney. Her writings have appeared in publications including The Orlando Sentinel, Muslim Girl magazine, and BlogHer. As one of the founding members of the much talked about We Need Diverse Books Campaign, she is helping to change the conversation about diversity in literature. She is also a contributing author to the highly acclaimed Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women, which features the story of her own (happily) arranged marriage. Aisha lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and sons.
Karen Thompson Walker is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Age of Miracles, which has been translated into twenty-seven languages and named one of the best books of the year by Amazon, People, O: The Oprah Magazine, and Financial Times, among others. Born and raised in San Diego, Walker is a graduate of UCLA and the Columbia MFA program. She lives with her husband, the novelist Casey Walker, and their two daughters in Portland. She is an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Oregon. Her second novel, The Dreamers, will be published in January 2019.
