A good book is a lovely Valentine's gift idea. Credit: Little, Brown
Picking the perfect Valentine's Day gift just got easier: Surveys show cuddling on the couch is a relationship saver, and nothing says "let's curl up on the couch" like a good book. Holidash culled through the new reads on the shelves to find the some literary Valentine's gift ideas that will set hearts a pitter pat this holiday.
"Lunch in Paris, A Love Story With Recipes" by Elizabeth Bard: Set in the City of Love, the story of an American's burgeoning relationship with a Frenchman . . . and French cuisine . . . is a recipe for love set on simmer.
"Very Valentine" and "Brava, Valentine" by Adriana Trigiani: Her Big Stone Gap series is slated for a Hollywood ending, and Trigiani has set her sights on a new locale. The first two in what will be a three-part series ("Ciao, Valentine" is set to hit shelves in February 2011) is a love letter to New York City, food and fashion. And what better setting for romance than the inside of a wedding shoe company that's been cobbling together fantasies since 1903?
"Cleaving" by Julie Powell: Fresh off the success of the movie made from her first memoir, "Julie and Julia," Powell is back in the kitchen -- albeit a butcher shop -- for a book that's part travelogue and part romantic tragedy. We won't spoil the ending, but might we say sometimes it takes a look at troubled love to appreciate what you've got at home?
"The Mominatrix's Guide to Sex" by Kristen Chase: You're one hot mama, but after a long day of toting around the kids, sometimes you could use a little reminder. Written by the Imperfect Parent's Mominatrix herself, it offers a look at the realities of pregnancy and motherhood -- and how to get your groove back.
"Marriage and Other Acts of Charity" by Kate Braestrup: If you've ever wondered what the minister's thinking when she says "Do you take this man?" you'll find out in Kate Braestrup's wise and wonderful memoir. Moving out from behind the pulpit and into the realm of remarriage -- Braestrup's been to the altar twice -- she reminds us not only how to love but why.
"The Secret Currency of Love: The Unabashed Truth about Women, Money, and Relationships" edited by Hilary Black: An anthology that covers love from homeless and on the street to at home with the super-rich, the heretofore inexplicable relationship between money and love comes charging out you like a Wall Street bull. Hold onto your hat -- and your heart.
"The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers" by Thomas Fleming: Call it two holiday celebrations in one with a jump on President's Day through a love-fest with the men who made our country great. The requisite Thomas Jefferson/Sally Hemmings debacle is supplemented by fascinating and rather naughty details of love revolutionary-style.
