Happy Valentines day, you book lovers you

Happy Valentines Day everyone!  Today is the day of roses, chocolate candies, expensive dinners, and cheesy cards.  It is also the day of loneliness, broken hearts, depleted hopes and spent checking accounts.  No matter what boat you are finding yourself in today, I wish you an amazing day.  If it is good, may it stay good.  If it is bad, may it get better.

Today… I am thinking about love.

Love.
We read books for love.

The discovery of love.  The ability to experience the love, then close the book and step away… to dream about the love.

We cheer as the characters fall in love.  Cry when they go their separate ways.  Wonder when she will finally realize that he is The One.  Wonder when she will wake up and leave him.  We see the sparks, the fireworks, the dwindling flames.  Their lips draw close and we hold our breath, anticipating that first kiss.  The last kiss.  We take their dreams and make them our own, we give them our dreams, we let the love envelope us.  And when we close the book we blink in the bright light: sometimes warm and fuzzy with the love, other times feeling the void that it left in our minds and souls.

Its not all about romance novels.
Steamy kisses and the prince coming in to save the day.
I rarely even pick those up, let alone read them.

Every story, most every single page-bound book you devour has some ounce of love inside.  And the love is one of the dominating factors that keeps the eyes reading.  We need that completion.  We need that adventure.

We need love.

On this Valentines Day, I wish you love.  If you have love in your life, cherish it.  Not everyone does.  I love my husband, and I love us: Who we are together, who we have become.  Say “I love you” today.

Then grab a warm blankie, find your perfect book, and give it some love as well.

 __________________________________________ <3

And, in light of the fact that I cannot send you flowers or truffles or a cute stuffed teddy bear holding a pillow heart... here is a small snippet (yet to be edited) from PN!


    Reed huffed a heavy breath, glancing out the side window then looking back to me quickly.  “When you know something Millie, you know it.  I have spent my life not knowing too much.  I don’t know my parents.  I don’t know what happened to them.  All I have is one name and some faded memories.”  He kept his eyes glued to the road ahead.  He tightened his lips, swallowing heavy against whatever thoughts were now flooding his mind.  “But then I saw you.  There was something, and I had to know it more.  I couldn’t take my eyes off you, and not only because of how you look.  You are… you are something I know.  I need you, because you make me feel needed.”
    Reed leaned closer to me.  His eyes burned into mine, his face soft.  There was a fire in his eyes that begged for my answer, but my mouth couldn’t move.  I couldn’t think.  I could feel his fingers holding mine, but my body suddenly felt like it had lost gravity and was floating far away.
    Pulling over to the side of the empty road, Reed threw the break, leaving the engine to rumble in the silent air.  Unclicking his buckle, he moved closer to me.  His hand rose to stroke my face, slowly cupping my cheek in a tender hold.
    “I need you Millie,” he whispered, his voice choked with emotion.  “I am falling in love with you, and I can’t lose you now.”  He leaned in closer, his breath warm on my chilled face.  I closed my eyes, feeling his presence envelope me...