Writers Gotta Read, Right? Valentine's Day

Ah… Valentine's Day! Bring on the romance and the love, the chocolate, and the lacy, cutout paper hearts.

Sooooo lovely!
(By Chordboard - Self, from material in my possession., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4310800)
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--> But I'm a mystery author, so I can't help but think of the "dark side" as well:

• The downside of love—jealousy, possessiveness, obsession. 
• The poisoned box of candy. 
• The scissors, sharp enough to cut paper, but maybe sharp enough for other, more deadly uses… 

... And now for the dark side. "Jealousy" by Edvard Munch, 1895
(Edvard Munch [Public domain])

Whether you prefer the light-hearted romance or the emotional ruin of this special day dedicated to lovers—or something in between—there's something for you to read as the following lists show…

• Let's start with some cozy-with-murder mysteries, provided by The Cozy Mystery List.
• Here's the latest list from the ever-lovin' Mystery Fanfare for Valentine's Day mysteries, as well as a list of Sweetheart Sleuths from last year.
• For a little of this and a little of that in the mystery genre, Strand Magazine supplies Top Ten Valentine's Day Mysteries.
• If you are yearning for straight-to-the-heart romance, check out Goodreads' Romance Books for Valentine's Day on Listopia — 67 books in all to choose from.
• And let's not forget the young'uns in all this. The We Are Teachers site lists 32 Children's Books to Celebrate Valentine's Day, including Hugs and Kisses for the Grouchy Ladybug, Love Matters Most, and Valentine's Day Jokes for Kids.
• For YA lovers, here is last year's list from Paste of 10 Swoon-worthy Young Adult Books to Read on Valentine's Day.
• Goodread's Listopia also has 62 books in their Valentine's Day YA Reads.
• A potpourri of nonfiction to fiction, kids to adults, classics to cookbooks is provided by the Cincinnati Library. I'm sure many other libraries have their own recommendations as well.
• And for those who say "bah, humbug" to Valentine's Day, here is Bustle's 15 Anti-Valentine's Day Books For Readers Who Can't Get Into Happily Ever After.  

While we're at it, who among us isn't "Dying for Chocolate?" From the blog of that name, here's a great recipe for Cherry Port Heart-shaped Brownies (yum!).
If you have a favorite Valentine's Day-themed read or a great chocolate recipe to share (!yes!) please chime in and let us know. 

Not-a-brownie, but definitely chocolate! (Marit & Toomas Hinnosaar [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

 

Ann Parker authors the award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series published by Poisoned Pen Press. During the day, she wrangles words for a living as a science editor/writer and marketing communications specialist (which is basically a fancy term for "editor/writer"). Her midnight hours are devoted to scribbling fiction. Visit AnnParker.net for more information.