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Books to Fall in Love With 2020

Valentine's Day (Books To Fall in Love With)

Books to Fall in Love With 2020

Congratulations to the five winners of our Valentine's Day contest! These readers received all five of our featured books. Those who entered had the option of responding to the question “Who is your all-time literary crush?” which many of you answered, much to our delight. We had so much fun compiling your top 10 “Literary Loves and Lusts,” which you can see below. Many thanks to all who participated!

This year's featured Valentine’s Day titles are:

  • THE END OF THE DAY by Bill Clegg
  • THE GIRL HE USED TO KNOW by Tracey Garvis Graves
  • GROWN UPS by Emma Jane Unsworth
  • POSTSCRIPT by Cecelia Ahern
  • THE WOMEN IN BLACK by Madeleine St John

Winners

Betsy M. from Concord, NC
Constance J. from Casco, MI
Diane H. from West Columbia, SC
Rebecca S. from Madison, WI
Sandy S. from Thousand Oaks, CA
 

Your Top 10 Literary Loves and Lusts:

1. Mr. Darcy from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
2. Jamie Fraser from the Outlander series
3. Atticus Finch from TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
4. Jack Reacher from the Jack Reacher series
5. Heathcliff from WUTHERING HEIGHTS
6. Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games series
7. Roarke from the In Death series
8. Armand Gamache from the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series
9. Rhett Butler from GONE WITH THE WIND
10. Jay Gatsby from THE GREAT GATSBY

 

The End of the Day by Bill Clegg - Fiction


A retired widow in rural Connecticut wakes to an unexpected visit from her childhood best friend whom she hasn’t seen in 49 years. A man arrives at a Pennsylvania hotel to introduce his estranged father to his newborn daughter and finds him collapsed on the floor of the lobby. A 67-year-old taxi driver in Kauai receives a phone call from the mainland that jars her back to a traumatic past. These seemingly disconnected lives come together as half-century-old secrets begin to surface. It is in this moment that Bill Clegg reminds us how choices --- to connect, to betray, to protect --- become our legacy.

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves - Romance


Annika Rose is an English major at the University of Illinois. Anxious in social situations, she'd rather be surrounded by the order and discipline of books or the quiet solitude of playing chess. Jonathan Hoffman joined the chess club and lost his first game --- and his heart --- to Annika. He admires her ability to be true to herself and accepts the challenges involved in pursuing a relationship with her. What follows is a tumultuous yet tender love affair that withstands everything except the unforeseen tragedy that forces them apart, shattering their connection and leaving them to navigate their lives alone. Now, a decade later, fate reunites Annika and Jonathan in Chicago.

Grown Ups by Emma Jane Unsworth - Fiction


Jenny McLaine’s life is falling apart. Her friendships are flagging. Her body has failed her. She’s just lost her column at The Foof because she isn’t the fierce voice new feminism needs. Her ex has gotten together with another woman. And worst of all: Jenny’s mother is about to move in. Having left home at 18 to remake herself as a self-sufficient millennial, Jenny is now in her 30s, and nothing is as she thought it would be. Least of all adulthood. Told in live-wire prose, texts, emails, script dialogue and social media messages, GROWN UPS is a neurotic dramedy of 21st-century manners for the digital age.

Postscript by Cecelia Ahern - Fiction


Seven years after her husband's death --- six since she read his final letter --- Holly Kennedy has moved on with her life. When Holly's sister asks her to tell the story of the "PS, I Love You" letters on her podcast --- to revisit the messages Gerry wrote before his death to read after his passing --- she does so reluctantly, not wanting to reopen old wounds. But after the episode airs, people start reaching out to Holly, and they all have one thing in common: they are terminally ill and want to leave their own missives behind for loved ones. Suddenly, Holly finds herself drawn back into a world she's worked tirelessly to leave behind --- but one that leads her on another incredible, life-affirming journey.

The Women in Black by Madeleine St John - Historical Fiction


The women in black, so named for the black frocks they wear while working at an upscale department store called Goode’s, are run off their feet selling ladies’ cocktail dresses during the busy season. But in Sydney in the 1950s, there’s always time to pursue other goals. By the time the last marked-down dress has been sold, all of their lives will be forever changed in Madeleine St John’s debut novel, which is perfect for fans of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”