Books to Snuggle with This February

Whether or not you are celebrating Valentine’s Day this coming 14th of February, this month is always a good excuse to snuggle up with some romantic novels. I love cuddling up with books that give me side effects such as warm and fuzzy feeling, non-stop giggles and butterflies in my stomach.

Here are some of the books that I’ve enjoyed reading:

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

I got hooked by this book almost instantly. At first I thought it was just: girl goes abroad, girl meets handsome local, girl falls in love with boy, girl and boy live happily ever after. This book is so much more than that. Yes it’s about falling in love, but it’s also about losing love, finding yourself and most of all surrendering yourself to chaos. Just One Day is written from the perspective of Allyson, the girl in this book. There are also two other books from this series: Just One Year (written from the perspective of Willem, the guy) and Just One Night. The books are mainly set in Paris and Amsterdam but also mention other places as the two travel from place to place.

You have to surrender yourself to the chaos. To the accidents.

Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho

I love love Eleven Minutes. Leave it to Paulo Coelho to leave you speechless. In this book, Coelho introduces Maria, a young girl from Brazil. She is innocent, she has never been abroad, she is curious. So one day an opportunity falls onto her lap, the chance to leave Brazil for Switzerland. In this new land, the ever optimist Maria thinks she can find fortune and yet the reality is far from it. Here though, she meets a man. Maria soon starts to learn about love and more over, about the meaning of love. It’s an unexpected love story.

I can choose either to be a victim of the world or an adventurer in search of treasure. It’s all a question of how I view my life.

Confess by Colleen Hoover

Love isn’t perfect, it has many flaws, it is about accepting those flaws. This is exactly what Confess is about. Auburn and Owen both have secrets, they both are attracted to each other but they find it hard to confess their secrets to one another. Their secrets are keeping them apart. I cannot tell you more since I don’t want to spoil the book for you, but let’s just say that this book is far from the ordinary love tale. Since Owen is an artist, there are elements of art within this book, which I love.

There are people you meet that you get to know, and then there are people you meet that you already know.

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

I just recently finished this book and I smiled for it is truly well written. This book takes you to France where a man in his 40s owns a book barge which he stations on the side of River Seine in Paris. The owner is called Monsieur Perdu, but he is more known as the literary apothecary. He doesn’t just sell books, but he examines his buyer, or “patient”, one by one, and he “prescribes” them the books that are most fitting to them. He can heal a broken heart, make a woman stronger – just by recommending them a book. I wish there was more bookshops like this! Anyway, though he is such an expert in recommending books to others, he can’t seem to recommend a book for himself, who is suffering from a severe case of heartbreak. This book made me sad, curious and excited as Perdu decided to venture out to the South of France with his new friends to find a cure for his “illness”.

There are books that are suitable for a million people, others for only a hundred. There are even remedies—I mean books—that were written for one person only…A book is both medic and medicine at once. It makes a diagnosis as well as offering therapy. Putting the right novels to the appropriate ailments: that’s how I sell books.

2 States: The Story of My Marriage by Chetan Bhagat

This book is hilarious and also, somehow, very relatable. It is set in India where Krish and Ananya meet and fall in love. Falling in love with someone from a different state from you is not that simple in India though. The storyline is so familiar! Living in Indonesia, this kind of thing happens so often. Bhagat’s way of writing is light and hilarious with a dose of sarcasm. It shows the true struggle, the sacrifices that must be made in order for the relationship to work just because they are from different parts of the country.

How can such scary looking parents create something so cute?

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Ah my absolute favourite book! I’ve re-read this book a number of times and have also watched the movie. Vianne Rocher and her daughter don’t have a fixed home. They move from one place to another, like they are following the flow of the wind. So one day they arrive to Lansquenet, a quiet village in France. There she opens a chocolate boutique. People are curious and Vianne attracts the villagers by recommending them chocolate. However, the church sees her as a danger, alluring people from what is meant to be Lent, the season for self-control. At the same time, Vianne meets a handsome stranger and things get more complicated.

Happiness. Simple as a glass of chocolate or tortuous as the heart. Bitter. Sweet. Alive.

I hope you enjoy my recommendations! Do you have any for me?

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FULL DISCLOSURE: The book titles are affiliated links to Book Depository. I recommend Book Depository since I am a satisfied customer myself and should you purchase through the links I will get a very small percentage (at NO EXTRA COST TO YOU).