Valentine's Day ·Jan 29, 2020

5 Feel good books to curl up with in front of the fireplace this V-Day

Love... Ah! the word itself conjures up a myriad range of emotions. From longing to breaking into a smile at the thought of the first kiss, that fleeting touch of hands in the elevator and the inevitable butterflies in the stomach. Even if the rendezvous with a stranger wasn't long enough to translate into something more meaningful, the aftertaste of memories and "what if's" lingers on long after they are gone... This Saint Valentine's Day, indulge in some good literature and page-turners that ensure that those warm fuzzy feelings perfectly compliment a loved one's embrace or even their memories. Read on for a bookworm approved list of potboilers that will have you clamoring for more of the mushy vibes. Care for a hot cuppa of chocolate?

1. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks

Noah's and Allie's summer love turned into a story of passion, pure love and a fable that many swear by. Captured into cinema reels a decade ago, the movie holds more than a lamp to the paperback version. We suggest that you draw your beanie closer to the fireplace, pull up the comforter, shut out the world and sink into a warm whirlpool of young love and passion. And as the protagonist says, "It wasn't over, it still isn't over..."

2. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

This novel is one hell of an unputdownable page-turner that explores the effect of time on the course of relationships. The author pens a poignant tale of Henry who suffers from a rare genetic Chrono-Displacement disorder which causes him to time travel unpredictably, and his eight years junior wife Clare who is a beautiful art student. The potboiler chronicles their unusual love story, Clare's struggle with coping with his frequent incidences of absence and his harrowing yet amusing experiences.

3. Letters to a Young Poet - Rainer Maria Rilke

The book is a compilation of a series of ten letters written by a German poet to a budding writer. In the seventh chapter, the author talks about a subject that baffles even the most gifted of us, "what love is, and what isn't". Put the kettle on the boil and let your favorite brew soothe your senses as the author take you on an unforgettable journey beyond the fields of right and wrong...

4. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

A stark reminder of how unrequited love can sear an indelible mark on the lover's soul, this classic churns up an array of emotions, ranging from lust to a deep sense of loss set in the times of an outbreak of cholera. A challenge to preconceived notions and a testimony to keeping the romance strong in times of loss, it is truly a masterpiece.

5. Paris: A Love Story - Kati Marton

The list will be incomplete if a book centered around the city of love didn't find mention. An idyllic setting and a bold memoir of love, loss, and life after loss, the book chronicles the life of a lady, her love for her third husband and his untimely death. “If there is any substitute for love it is memory. To memorize, then, is to restore intimacy.”