April in the Library

by Anne Newins

It always seemed strange to me that St. Valentine’s Day is in February.  Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for it to be celebrated in April, when trees and flowers are blooming, birds are nesting, and the world seems anew?  However, a little research changed my mind. The history of St. Valentine’s Day includes lurid violence and hard core marketing, with only some occasional true love. Perhaps it is best left during dreary February. For a lively account of the day, you might read the attached document, starting with its earliest “celebrations” up to current times.

https://www.ottawa.edu/online-and-evening/blog/february-2023/of-love-and-history-%E2%80%93-the-origins-of-valentine%E2%80%99s-d

Happily, bibliographer Debbie Adler has taken a much more positive perspective about love.  Her eclectic collection of books includes many different types of love, including:

The Bookbinder, by Pip Williams
It is only natural that library volunteers would understand how someone would love bookbinding.  This World War I novel also examines the experiences of Belgium war refugees and the relationships that develop.

Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
Moving forward in time, this tale is set during the Great Depression.  A veterinary student finds himself caring for the animals in a second-rate circus and finds love along the way.

The Venice Sketchbook, by Rhys Bowen
It’s now WWII, and Caroline Grant has inherited a sketchbook and three keys from a beloved aunt.  Taking her ashes, Caroline goes to Venice, unlocking secrets and seeking a lost love.

This Time Tomorrow, by Emma Straub
In this time travel book, the lead character, forty year old Alice, wakes up one morning in her sixteen year body.  Now in 1996, the heroine has an opportunity to change her relationship with her father.

The library volunteers wish you good reading during one of the loveliest times of the year in the Rogue Valley.

Pictured below:  Manor author and reader Jill Engledow surveys this month’s offerings.