Love is in the air and plans are being made for Valentine’s Day. And for many, books are not only on top of gifting options, but also their own reading list during this season of love. For this V-Day, My Kolkata went straight to the experts to draw a list of romantic reads, if books are your beau. So, snuggle up in your favourite corner, get a hot cuppa and turn the pages of these love story recommendations by four prominent city bookstores:
Recommended by Storyteller Bookstore
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
A young adult romance that shows how quickly two people can fall for each other at the turn of events. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have not been able to stand each other all through high school. But fate leads them to team up with each other to hold fort against a group of seniors. Will their relationship balance change through today, tonight and tomorrow? Will Rowan and Neil become friends or more in future? The book answers it all.
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
This Simon & Schuster young adult publication is all about a girl coming to terms with sharing space with a boy whom she cannot stand. Anastasia Allen is a dedicated skater and wants to give it her best shot, while hockey team captain Nate Hawkins focusses on keeping his team together. Due to a turn of events, both need to share the same rink and space. Will sparks fly between two people who cannot stand each other?
Storyteller Bookstore address: 171M, Picnic Garden Road, VIP Bazar, Laskarhat
Recommended by Bahrisons Booksellers
Closer to Love by Vex King
While one celebrates the power of love on Valentine’s Day, it is equally important to contemplate what having a positive and healthy relationship means. Vex King, in his new book Closer to Love: How to Attract the Right Relationships and Deepen Your Connections, gives readers some quick tips on having a genuine and sustainable relationship. This motivational and self-help book by Pan Macmillan reveals diverse perspectives of modern-day relationships.
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
Coming from the Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist Elizabeth Strout, Lucy by the Sea (Viking, 2022) is a story about relationships – the said and the unsaid. Lucy is asked by her husband to move into their coastal house. While she does so, thinking to shift for two-three weeks, it turns into months where the couple revisits and contemplates their relationship with its ups and downs and move towards a future.
Bahrisons Booksellers address: 31, Chowringhee Road, (opposite Asiatic Society Kolkata)
Recommended by Niyogi Books
Mandu by Malathi Ramachandran
From the lost love stories of Indian history comes the tale of romance between Baz Bahadur and Roopmati in 16th-century India. The two protagonists come together for their love of music, but end up loving each other. Bahadur has the option of having any woman in the world, and Roopmati does not want to be just another woman in the harem. While love blossoms between the two, Mughal emperor Akbar has pinned Mandu on the map for battle. Will Bahadur be able to save his kingdom and the love of his life?
The Broken Amoretti by Sudipto Das and Aparajita Dutta
Saoli and Parush want to leave their past behind and move to having a bright future with each other. Saoli returns to India after a troubled marriage and starts living in her grandfather’s house. While cleaning, she finds a cryptic note written by Panchali. Saoli embarks on a rollercoaster ride to decrypt the note, and in the process, witnesses an unrequited love story beyond her imagination. The Broken Amoretti follows a queer love story in contemporary times celebrating love without any gender constraints.
Niyogi Books address: 12/1A, First Floor, Bankim Chatterjee Street, Kolkata - 700073 (Near Indian Coffee House)
Recommended by Oxford Bookstore
November 9 by Colleen Hoover
Ben, a novelist, has a chance meeting with Fallon on the eve of her cross-country departure. They are attracted towards each other immediately and continue to meet over the years on the same date. The two continue living separate lives amidst their loved ones. All continues well until one day Fallon doubts if Ben had been telling the truth or conjuring an alternate reality to make his story successful.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Casey McQuiston’s widely acclaimed queer novel Red, White and Royal Blue is next on the list. When America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales, state relations are dragged in. A staged drama to maintain healthy relations between the two countries takes a turn when the two protagonists fall for each other. This novel throws light on whether true love can really save the world and where diplomacy stands in front of human feelings.
Oxford Bookstore address: 15 Park Street, Kolkata - 16