Since it’s February, the theme this month will be “love” in honor of Valentine’s Day but before you go breaking out the Harlequins, you should know that I am not exactly a roses and chocolates kind of gal so I tried to choose books that would avoid all the cliched bodice ripping and come at the theme in unique ways.

February 9, 2019: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

This book appeared on just about every “best of 2018” list I came across. Set in contemporary Atlanta, it is the story of newlyweds Celestial and Roy. While their marriage is troubled from the beginning, they seem passionately in love. Then Roy is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. After five years, Roy’s sentence is overturned and he is free but when he returns, it is uncertain whether Celestial still considers herself his wife. Her career as an artist has taken off and she is in a relationship with her childhood best friend, Andre. When Roy arrives on her doorstep a free man, Celestial is left to choose between continuing to build a life with Andre, or trying to save her marriage.

February 16, 2019: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

This novel is about a group of women who join a writing class in London’s Punjabi community. The main character, Nikki, realizes that her students, mostly Sikh widows, have a wealth of memories and fantasies to share and their little community begins to express their creativity and secrets within the confines of the class. But a group called the Brothers threatens to expose their scandalous stories in reaction to what they see as the failings of the women’s morality. The book speaks to the power of women’s communities and stories while remaining heart-warming and funny.

February 23, 2019: The Power by Naomi Alderman

This is another book that made a lot of “best of” lists when it was published in 2016. The Power is a little nod to those of you who might be looking for something a little anti-Valentine’s to read this February. It was recommended to me by a couple of friends who said they couldn’t get through it fast enough. Set in a world that seems like ours, a new force emerges  – women and teenage girls have suddenly developed incredible strength and they can cause pain or even death with only the slightest effort. With this one change, everything we recognize shifts drastically. I find speculative fiction like this interesting because in inventing a new world, it often provokes questions about our own.

So here they are, the February reads for 2019 and not a Danielle Steele to be seen. If you are planning to read any of these, or have already beat me to them, I would love to hear your thoughts. Until next time, happy reading!