7 books to read this Valentine’s Day - The Valentine’s Day Weekend Reading List!

It’s Valentine’s Day and we can practically smell the love in the air. From red stuffed hearts peeking from store windows to florist’s shops overflowing with red roses and lace, this special day of love is making its presence felt everywhere. Young or old, this day touches one and all; and everyone celebrates in their own unique ways. Obviously, we book lovers are no exception. And to celebrate this wonderful day of love, we bring you the freshest list of weekend reads where love takes centre-stage!

In this list, I present to you, love in all its different forms – a classic love story with subtle, persistent love, a comic take on love and also a story of dangerous love. I bring to you a story of love that is beyond the boundaries of time or reality; and I also give you a love story that stands the test of time and reason. So then, without further ado, here’s presenting the Valentine’s Day weekend reading list –

1)  Persuasion  by Jane Austen

Jane Austen needs no introduction and has a rightful place of honour in any list of love stories. Most people are aware of her works Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility; and while those works are justly hailed, I personally feel that it is Persuasion that really takes away the prize. Shorter than her other works, Persuasion is one of the most sincere and fascinating books by Austen.  A love story with a simple plot, Persuasion depicts the pressures and choices facing the young woman, Annie, who is technically past her prime. But despite everything, Annie believes in true love that eventually finds her! A worthy read about a heroine who marries for love and finds her rightful place in the world.            
                                             

2)  Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Any list of love stories is incomplete without Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind, a classic that was made into an award-winning film. This book that gave us the famous quote “after all, tomorrow is another day!” is a coming-of-age love story of southern belle Scarlet O’Hara and bad boy Rhett Butler who are torn apart by war and then reunited almost a decade later. Many might argue that this book is more historical than romantic, but it is definitely worth a read just to reaffirm your faith in the miracle that love can be!          

3)  Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Now here’s as superb a comic take on love as there could be! Everybody has secrets, but how many dare to share them with a stranger on a plane believing that you would never see the stranger again? And then imagine what could happen when you do see the stranger again; only to find out that the said stranger is none other than the CEO of your company? Oops! The Shopaholic series has made Kinsella a household name; but Can you Keep a Secret? is one of her standalone novels and take my word, it definitely stands on its own.  

4)  The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

After some humour, here’s a look at the dark side of love. And The Silent Wife is the story about a marriage slowly and chillingly disintegrating. It is also the story of a wife who is ready to go to any lengths to keep what is rightfully hers. A compelling, although shocking read, The Silent Wife keeps you intrigued and turning pages till the end that leaves you stunned! For fans of The Girl On The Train and Gone Girl, I recommend you read the book before the movie comes out starring Nicole Kidman.

5)  The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffeneger

Love truly transcends the realms of time and reality. Here’s a unique love story that transcends time and takes “time travel” to a whole new level! This page-turner tells the story of Henry, a time traveller, who has no control over when he leaves and where he goes when he time travels. Clare is in love with Henry and has been in love with him since the age of six, when she first met him when he was forty! If this has already piqued your interest, I suggest you pick up The Time Traveller’s Wife which is will make you smile, cry, laugh out loud, worry to no end and which, more than anything else, will make you fall in love with love all over again!   

    

6)  Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Romeo and Juliet died for love. Most love stories end with the couple getting together with each other; but in Me Before You we have a story that makes us rethink all that we ever thought we knew about love! All love ends with a happily ever after, but the happily ever after of every story is different. Me Before You is a sweet love story of a rich but sick Will and his smart, funny and full-of-life caregiver Louisa. We have all heard that love can help make life meaningful; and this book shows us just how! Being made into a major motion picture, I recommend you read the book before the movie comes out!

7)  The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

And last but not the least, here’s a mention of possibly one of the most popular romantic authors of our times – Nicholas Sparks! Technically, you can pick up any book by Sparks and reaffirm your faith in love; but The Notebook is special and deserves a mention here as a love story that tells us that one person’s love is enough to sustain both the people in love! Adapted into a movie in 2004, The Notebook is the story of Noah and Allie who have an extraordinary summer romance and are then separated by social constraints, only to meet again years later but it might be too late!  

And these, my dear readers, are the books that will surely make your valentine’s day special!

What’s your take on this list? Did your favourite book make it to my list? What books are you reading this Valentine’s Day?