So I was thinking…Valentine’s Day is all about the love. And the flowers. And the color red. And the candy. Especially the candy.
But when you’re young, it’s also all about the lists. You know, the lists that went something like this:
“Will I go out with John, Alex, or Terry?
“Should I wear my red sweater, my pink dress, or my fuchsia pants? (pretend this is 1990)
“Will we eat at Ruth’s Chris, Olive Garden, or McDonald’s?”
“Will this pimple go away, fade a little, or get huge?” (in my case, huge always won)
“Will I get flowers, chocolate, or nothing?” (nothing doesn’t happen until you’re much, much older)
And then of course everyone had their song lists…the lists they wrote down on spiral notebook paper and drew hearts around and made wishes on. When I was a stupid teenager, mine read this way:
“Dan, one of these days you’ll notice me, and when that happens I’ll be Right Here Waiting for you.”
“Steve, You’re Still The One I want, even though you took that hussy, Kim, to Prom.”
“David, Everything I Do, I Do It For You. Even though I can’t grow shorter and you seem to have a problem with me being a whole head taller than you.”
“Scott, My Heart Will Go On, even if this relationship lasted only a month. But thank God it lasted only a month because you were kind of a jerk.”
“Chris, this relationship works better When You Say Nothing At All, because your voice is sorta nasally.”
Anyway.
See what I mean?
Valentine’s Day is made of lists. And in the spirit of that super-true fact, here’s my lists of books that everyone who loves love and red and flowers and candy should read.
- All Who Dream by Nicole Deese. (Nicole’s my friend and she totally rocks—all the more reason for you to rush out and get this one).
- Slammed by Colleen Hoover
- The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
- Making Faces by Amy Harmon
- The Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi
- Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones (also a dear friend—you won’t be disappointed)
- Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
- On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves
- A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
- The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
- Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano (also a friend–my friends can write!)
So there you have it. If you’re in the mood for all things love or just want to add some romance to your life, pick up a copy of one of these books. Maybe they’ll put you in the Valentine mood, if you know what I mean.
Or maybe they’ll just put you in the mood to clean your house, which is what I’m crossing my fingers for since my husband is out of town.
P.S. For those who want to, you can view Spotify’s list of most romantic love songs here.
Happy reading and Happy Valentine’s Day!
