Jane Eyre

February brings Valentine’s Day which is always a good time of year to read some love stories or books with a touch of romance.  When one thinks about famous couples, Romeo and Juliette, or Anthony and Cleopatra come to mind, but personally I prefer stories where everyone is still alive at the end.  Novels by Nicholas Sparks are always popular, along with ones by Lurlene McDaniel. If you like the classic, old-fashioned romance, then try Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, or Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  Jane Eyre, about a governess who falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester, is one of my all time favorites.  If you don’t have time to read the book, then you should definitely check out one of the movie versions.

Romiette & Julio

Many teens prefer to read something contemporary, so here are some suggestions of some interesting love stories.  Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper tells of two teens determined to stay together despite the fact that everyone is against them. Romiette is an African-American girl and Julio is Hispanic.  They find their romance questioned by their parents and some of their friends, but things get tough when they are harrassed by a gang who doesn’t approve of their relationship. Is love enough to keep them together?

A Divine Wind

In Divine Windby Gary Disher, an Australian soldier and a Japanese-Australian girl fall in love on the eve of World War II, but are torn apart by the war, cultural differences, and racism. Will absence make their love grow stronger, or is love just too hard in the midst of war? This heart-wrenching novel is will keep your reading!

The theme of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, is played out in Paper Townsby John Greene, but the boy doesn’t lose the girl to another guy.  The girl disappears!  Quinten is happy with his basically boring life until he meets Margo.  They spend one night driving around town having a series of adventures and Quinten falls in love with her.  The only problem is that Margo disappears and no one, not her parents, friends, or the police, know where she has gone.  Quinten makes it his mission to find the girl he loves, and realizes that his life will never be complete without her.

Summer romance is the topic of Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen.  Auden is expecting a boring summer when she is forced to spend it with her father, and his new wife in a small beach town.  Everything changes when she meets Eli.  He challenges her to try new things and new adventures.  Auden doesn’t want to fall in love, but how can she resist Eli? Can their romance continue once summer ends?

If you like romance with humor, check out Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw. Cyril is an excellent cooks, but also overweight, and feels he is unattractive.  He likes Rose but hasn’t told her.  His best friend, Nick, also likes Rose.  Nick wants to invite Rose over for dinner and impress her with his ability to cook.  He talks Cyril into being the chef, and letting Nick pretend he did the cooking.  How long can Cyril make food for Rose without revealing her true feelings for her? Does Rose like Nick?  Or does she like Cyril? Who will get the girl in the end?

These are just a few suggestions for Valentine’s Day reading.  These books are sure to bring a few tears and smiles to their readers. Happy Valentines’ Day!