February bogs down our stores, our community spaces, and our environment with paper hearts and cupids. It can be a time of carefully dodging questions and measuring responses from singles when everything seems to be about love. We are no stranger to these times and have often turned to reading to find some piece of mind at these times. Sometimes in the form of a funny book or a relatable autobiography, surviving this month can be made simple by picking up the right book.
So whether you are living a happily single life, don’t find satisfaction in relationships, or are a romantic at heart, here are the best reads to survive the month of love!
Why Not Me? By Mindy Kaling
Actress and writer, Mindy Kaling, wrote her second book Why Not Me? Mindy continues her life story and ponderings in the most humorous and outrageous way. Despite her fame and celebrity status, Kaling is able to bring herself down to the most relatable level. She poses thoughts, ideas, questions we all had and have had. In this way, Kaling makes the world feel so simple and a lot less alone. She brings a sense of comradery to living that offers hope to navigating the world around us.
Stray City by Chelsey Johnson
Chelsey Johnson’s incredibly witty writing and fearlessness in facing relationship realities offers a deeply intriguing read with this anti-romance tale. Telling the story of a young lesbian who accidentally ends up pregnant after a one-night stand, Johnson faces questions on sexuality, relationships, and responsibility through the eyes of a woman still reeling from a slip up. The book is dynamic in its expression of identity and relations between individual and city. She unabashedly examines love and redefines it, shaping it to something we all can relate to, even in the most unbelievable situations.
All the Women in My Brain by Betty Gilpin
Actress Betty Gilpin is on a mission to release the deepest and most bizarre thoughts from her head, letting them ink out onto the pages of her autobiography All the Women in My Brain. And though her life is thought of as glamorous due to her profession, Gilpin makes it increasingly obvious that her brain operates just like any of ours, and that it’s a little crowded. Gilpin relates tales of Hollywood, stories from school, musings of life, love, and loss in a way that makes you laugh out loud, sigh in relief, and feel ever so seen. Her book is impossibly difficult to put down and makes for a greatly moving read when feeling a little lost, alone, or in need of a bit of a chuckle.
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
On the search for more women to make you laugh, see Amy Poehler. Poehler’s novel brings you effortlessly through the comedian’s life from childhood to her 20s through her time on SNL to Parks and Recreation. She relates her moments of doubts, her troubles with connections, and her deeply intriguing views on the world around her. She is impossibly quick witted and sheds a light on the importance and value of friendship. Her novel brings a warm feeling to your heart and a sense that love is all around you.
Margot’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
In her novel Margot’s Got Money Troubles, Rufi Thorpe relays a story of a young woman who is exclusively down on her luck. From her upbringing to her chance of freedom to her current life: a young mother who is strapped for cash. Turning to an estranged family member for support, Margot puts her luck in the OnlyFans world in hopes of providing her daughter with a life and herself with cash for rent. Thorpe’s novel explores an ever-present struggle in the world with a popular twist: OnlyFans. She exposes our relationship with money to our relationship with loved ones. This novel is sharp, a fun read, and remarkably eye-catching. Perfect for an escape, a good read, and a sense that you’re doing okay with what you’ve got.
All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister
Rebecca Traister takes her background in journalism to craft a data driven report on the state of single women in America. Her findings show that not only have the numbers of unmarried women risen in recent years, but the age of marriage has risen as well. This information stunned Traister when she first heard it, but as she conducted interviews around the country and studied more on the history of single women, she found that our country has been saturated with single women for a long, long time. In her book, Traister connects these details through time to paint a portrait of America that is unheard of. She doesn’t just present the state of single women in America, either; she praises them. She investigates their decisions, their pasts, and brings an air of respect to the name of single women in America.
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed
For the longest time, author Cheryl Strayed operated the anonymous advice column on The Rumpus called Dear Sugar. After her work there, she moved on to her podcast Dear Sugars and then her substack. With so many years of advice under her belt, Cheryl Strayed collected her favorite stories, bits of advice, and shreds of hope for readers. She brings her years of advice to a bite-sized collection and offers great assurances to our doubts in life. This collection is an easy guide to simplifying life and appreciating the good that life brings your way.
This Will Be Funny Someday by Katie Henry
Centering a 16-year-old girl on an adventurous night out, this story appears as something we’ve all read before; however, Katie Henry spins a tale completely riddled with humor, twisted with relationships, and lost to self-identity. As a young girl finds her passion for stand-up comedy, she also catches herself lost in a web of lies to her nearest friends and partner. Henry’s novel will make you laugh out loud and forget about the drive for romantic love to follow love for self, love for passion, and love for career.
Surviving a month saturated in love can be difficult and downright annoying. With these books though, the path looks much clearer. In this month of love, find a good book and find some self-love!
Are you a total romantic? Do you need some suggestions for romance books? Read Bookstr’s article, 7 Romance Books That’ll Make Your Chocolate Cravings Soar!
Looking to encourage more love for your reading hobby? Bookstr has a poetry book list you’ll love!
