Let the Library Play Matchmaker This Valentine’s Day


Already have a date for Valentine’s Day? Still looking to find that someone special? Or, are you someone who is totally fine with being single? Whatever status you find yourself in this month, let the library set you up with some new books; who knows, you might just fall in love.

Step outside of the normal Romance novel scene with books from the library’s “Star-Crossed Love” display. You will find classics such as: Tristan and Isolde; Wuthering Heights; The Great Gatsby; and of course, Romeo and Juliet. Check out A Farewell to Arms, a Hemingway romance set on the frontlines of Europe during World War I. Read about forbidden love in Ivanhoe and Madame Bovary. Dirt for Art's Sake: Books on Trial from Madame Bovary to Lolita is great non-fiction read that looks at how social norms have changed within the genre by exploring the scandals that each book caused after publication.

In an era where love can be found at the click of a mouse or the swipe of a screen, it can be difficult to navigate the ins-and-outs of dating if one is not tech-savvy. Jessup Library has several new titles on technology and communication: The One Device: the Secret History of the iPhone,  Fully Connected: Surviving and Thriving in the Age of Overload, Popular: the Power of Likeability in a Status-Obsessed World, and The Handy Communication Answer Book.

A General Theory of Love is a more scientific approach to love and lust, exploring three psychiatrists’ research on the nature of love and how the brain affects relationships. Can Love Last? is another non-fiction read on the science and psychology of the emotions that make love possible, and the emotions that also end romance. The Naughty Nineties: The Triumph of the American Libido by David Friend covers the sexual history of the 1990’s in pop culture, science, trends, and social interactions. This title can be found in the library’s New Books section, along with The Secret Life of the Mind by Mariano Sigman, a fascinating non-fiction read on the origin of thought and communication.   

Fall in love with nature all over again with these new additions to the library: This Blessed Earth: a Year in the Life of an American Family Farm; The Cougar: Beautiful, Wild, and Dangerous; Vulture: the Private Life of an Unloved Bird; and How the Zebra Got its Stripes. Jessup Library even has the purr-fect title for the self-proclaimed “crazy cat lady” during the Valentine’s Day season; The Inner Life of Cats by Thomas McNamee looks in-depth into how our feline companions express love and communicate with humans and can be found in the New Books section.  Dog lovers need not despair, as the library also has many titles for those loveable pups in your life.

Passionate about history or politics? We have several new titles covering U.S. History, politics, and world history. Jamestown, the Truth Revealed looks at the historic Virginia settlement from a fresh set of eyes, incorporating archeologists’ most recent discoveries in and around the fort and settlement. Holger Hoock uses his book, Scars of Independence: America’s Violent Birth, to repaint how readers look at the American Revolution. Be Free or Die by Cate Lineberry is a gripping read about Robert Smalls, a man who went from being a slave to a Union hero after a daring escape for freedom. 

These titles are just a few of the many we have to offer at the library, so please, let us match you up with a new book today!