It's that time of year again when an entire aisle of your local supermarket is overflowing with red and pink hearts, chocolates, and flowers. Valentine's Day can cause a lot of mixed emotions- for some people, it's a fun way to celebrate romance, but for others, it's an example of commercialism run amok. Some people might be looking forward to a romantic dinner, but for others, the fun ended when we stopped exchanging valentine's cards with classmates in elementary school. (I count myself in the second group.) No matter what side you fall on, you might wonder what the library has to do with Valentine's Day. That's a good question! Believe it or not, we have more than just articles for your classes in the library. There are things you might want to read for fun! We have e-books in the library that can help you add a little romance to your life without spending a dime! (Buying the chocolates is up to you.)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
We're starting with the original, classic romance novel that inspired an entire genre (and countless films and spinoffs). "It is a truth universally acknowledged" that you should start with the novel that started it all and that people back then had the same kinds of relationship issues we do now.
Emma by Jane Austen
Did you know that the 1995 movie Clueless (one of my favorites and a pop culture classic, in my opinion) was based on Jane Austen's Emma? Who knew that searching for a boy in early 19th century England could be just as useless as searching for a boy in high school? As if! If you haven't seen the movie, you'll want to after reading this book.
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Two sisters, who could not be more different, experience love and heartbreak simultaneously. Will they have a happy ending? Since it's a Jane Austen novel and has been made into a TV miniseries multiple times by the BBC, you know they probably do.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre is another classic romance novel and was written a few decades after Jane Austen's novels. However, Jane Eyre is a gothic romance novel, which means it has some creepy twists and undertones. Think cold, empty mansions, mysterious noises in the attic, and dark and stormy nights.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
If you thought Jane Eyre was gothic, wait until you read Wuthering Heights by Charlotte's sister Emily. It's next-level gothic. I almost didn't include it because although it's a novel about love, it's not romantic. It's a novel of toxic, self-destructive love and obsession. But if windswept moorlands of northern England are your thing, check this out.
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
I'll admit I haven't read the book, but I have seen the movie, and it's definitely romantic. As the description in ProQuest says, it's a "love story wrapped in the cloak of tragedy." Plus, very fitting for Valentine's Day, the main character actually sends one of her suitors a valentine. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens!
Love Cures: Healing and Love Magic in Old French Romance by Laine E. Doggett
For a change of pace and all you non-fiction readers out there, this book is an academic history of the mythology and "magic" surrounding love and romance, going back to the Middle Ages in France. Who knew that the idea of a "love potion no. 9" actually has long historical roots?
The Historical Romance by Helen Hughes
Here's one that fiction and non-fiction readers both might enjoy. Are you wondering how classic novels like Pride and Prejudice and others on this list led to a modern romance genre so diverse that it includes everything from the Bridgerton series to Fifty Shades to The Notebook? It all has to do with changing attitudes towards love, marriage, and women's independence, and this author studies all of that.